Shadow of great britain

The sun had just risen at this time, and the water of the Thames was still foggy.

However, the West India Terminal is brightly lit, and the terminal business is always so busy during the peak transportation season.

Among the sailors at the pier, Elder was leaning on a railing and yawning sleepily.

He looked at the sailors who were carrying boxes of supplies to the ship one after another. He took out his pipe from his pocket and lit it. He took a deep breath, then blew out the smoke ring with satisfaction and sighed: "It's extremely comfortable!"

Darwin was standing next to him. He looked at the boxes of cabbage, fresh beef and rum with doubt in his eyes.

He punched Elder next to him and asked in a low voice: "Elder, did you lie to me before? Didn't you say that the treatment in the Royal Navy is very poor? But I think the food here is okay. !”

Elder glanced at Darwin and snorted disdainfully: "Charles, of course you will have good food when you are offshore. If you go on an ocean voyage for several months, you will suffer later. And the treatment I mentioned is not good. Mainly It refers to the salary level.

I didn’t say the Royal Navy was poorly fed! Aren't you a naturalist? Then you should know that if the animals cannot eat well, how can he still have the strength to complete two rounds of bombardment within three and a half minutes? "

Darwin stared at the sailor holding the lemon juice box in front of him and couldn't help swallowing. He muttered: "But isn't this food a bit too good? Does the Army also have this kind of treatment?"

"Army? Are they worthy? They just eat shit!"

Elder mocked: "Those old haters can eat some mashed potatoes with some bread crumbs and that's enough. The Army has legs and won't die of hunger. It just needs to be able to walk. Who can't be in the Army? Just line up and be shot. Whatever." You can find a few people to train for two weeks and then go to the battlefield. What kind of technical content does this unit require?

The sailors of the Royal Navy are different from them. We here are all valuable technical talents. Charles, you have to know how difficult it is to train a skilled sailor.

Many of our sailors joined the ship at the age of seven or eight. If you put them outside, all of them would be technical talents on merchant ships.

It's no joke that merchant ships are willing to pay three or four times the price to poach them. Those shipowners are not stupid. At least they know how to calculate their accounts.

For such talents, it doesn't matter if the navy can't afford much salary, but at least the supplies must be better.

Because of this, even during the most difficult period of the Napoleonic Wars, the sailors of the Royal Navy could at least eat a few pounds of stale corned beef every week and drink a gallon of beer every day. "

Darwin couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this: "Are you telling the truth?"

Elder nodded: "Of course, why would I lie to you about this? Right, wouldn't you understand after staying on the ship for a while?

As long as they are not offshore for long periods of time, the Royal Navy's meals are always good, and almost all fleet commanders take the supply issue very seriously.

Part of the reason why General Nelson was so popular in the Royal Navy was that he had very strict requirements for fleet supplies. He would personally taste the dishes supplied to the sailors, and would return any dishes he found unpalatable and buy them again. .

It is precisely because of this that everyone is willing to work hard for him. Moreover, after the Battle of Trafalgar, the captured French army commander Villeneuve came to the Victory for a meal and said stubbornly: "You eat so well, no wonder you won the battle."

But I can understand it, after all, corned beef, which is hated by the Royal Navy, has become a delicacy among the French. They even enjoyed eating that kind of food, so no wonder they would exclaim about our food. "

Having said this, Elder suddenly took out the "Daily Food Ration List for the Crew of the USS Beagle" stuffed in his breast pocket and read it.

"Let me see, the Navy Department got us something good this week...

Monday, a pound of biscuits, a pint of wine, a pound of pork, half a pint of peas, 3/4 ounce of lemon juice.

Tuesday, one pound of biscuits, half a pint of rum, two pounds of corned beef, one pint of oats, two ounces of butter, 3/4 ounce of lime juice.

Wednesday...well, isn't that what it is today? "

Elder took a closer look, suddenly slapped his head and exclaimed: "Oh! Damn it! Today's dish is quite rich! Four pounds of flour, one pound of raisins, half a pint of gin, and half a pint of gin. Pounds of cabbage and three pounds of fresh lamb! There was even sweetened black tea served after the meal!

my Lord! Colonel Fitzroy is pretty good at making arrangements. He knew that none of the brothers wanted to go on the boat, so he specially prepared a table of top-notch delicacies for us! "

When Darwin heard Elder say this, he actually began to look forward to the sea training life in the next week.

He swallowed greedily, pointed to his backpack, and complained to Elder.

"Elder, you are really nothing! You told me how miserable life at sea was before, so I bought a lot of food yesterday to take on the boat. Now it seems that these things are probably of no use. Yes, just the main meals provided on the ship can fill me up every day.”

Elder also rolled his eyes at him: "Of course it will be miserable. When we start sailing around the world later and we can't dock for supplies, it will be easier for you! Besides, what I said for this sea training is to let you buy some Tobacco, playing cards, etc., you insist on buying the food yourself, and you blame me after buying it. Charles, this is your fault."

"I don't know how to smoke or gamble, so why would I buy those things?"

Hearing this, Elder said angrily: "Don't you think you can't learn? Besides, even if you don't play, I can still play!"

When Darwin heard this, he was also angry: "Hey! Elder, you fucking..."

But before he finished cursing, he saw three people in black coats running towards them on the pier.

Darwin pushed Elder aside, looked at them with squinted eyes, and muttered: "What do those people do?"

Elder turned his head indifferently, but when he saw the three people dressed up, he was immediately frightened and ran to the boat: "Damn it! They must be looking for me to collect debts! These bastards are chasing me too hard. Don’t I just owe more than ten pounds in gambling debt? Alas, alas! Charles, stop looking at this kid and get on the boat with me!"

Elder was about to wipe his soles with oil and run away, but before he could think of it, he was grabbed by Darwin.

"Don't run away in a hurry, it seems to be Arthur and the two Scotland Yard officers I taught."

"Arthur?" Elder didn't believe Darwin's words. He opened his mouth and cursed: "Charles, didn't I just trick you into buying some snacks? Why don't you want to retaliate against me like this? Are you going to let go? I won't let you go if you don't." Falling out!

Although I, Elder, am a decent gentleman who graduated from the University of London, if I release the devil hidden in my heart, I will definitely make you see the power of an Oxford villain! "

One of Elder and Darwin wanted to run away, but the other refused to let go.

The two were in a stalemate when they suddenly heard Arthur's voice throughout the dock.

"Elder, you fucking see clearly, I am not a debt collector! If you dare to run away, I will go back to Scotland Yard later to uncover all your criminal records!"