Chapter 2 Summary

Hornblower has transferred his flag to the frigate Clorinda. Clorinda cruises in the West Indies in search of pirates or slave runners; at the opening of the chapter a strange sail is raised and the frigate closes on her. They discover the vessel to be Estrella del Sur, a large schooner capable of exceptional speed. Hornblower knows that Estrealla del Sur is a slave ship that frequently runs the British slave embargo. She routinely carries 400 slaves and can outrun nearly any ship large enough to capture her. Clorinda is commanded by Captain Thomas Fell. Fell is fairly poor and maintains an extravagant wife in England and is thus always interested in money. British law compensates ships-of-war for capturing slave ships by awarding ed "head money"—a certain amount of cash for each slave which is prevented from reaching the slave market. Fell...