Chapters 2 and 3 Summary

Aubrey takes Surprise on a short shakedown cruise, heading south. After a few days, a Royal Navy frigate closes with Surprise, intending to press numerous hands from her. Maturin hands Aubrey a letter of protection from the admiralty, forbidding Royal Navy vessels from pressing Aubrey's hands. The crew, and particularly Aubrey, are delighted. Maturin and Aubrey contemplate the future—the men responsible for the crimes for which Aubrey was convicted are Wray and Ledward. They are both crooked government officials in French pay; their arrest was bungled, and they escaped to France. Maturin privately believes this series of events indicates that Wray and Ledward are being protected by someone high up in government; in any event, until they can be brought to justice, Aubrey's conviction is unlikely to be overturned. During the cruise, Aubrey relentlessly practices the men at the...