Chapters 7 and 8 Summary

In chapter seven, Chase's second-in-command, a man named Peel, says that it is bad luck to have women on board. He also says that firing the guns causes a lull in the wind. The men practice firing and another of the seamen talks about the logistics of a real battle. He says that ships are generally no more than twenty paces apart during a battle. As the men practice, they endeavor to re-enact the actions of a battle. Toward that end, one of the officers walks through, pointing out men and saying, "You're dead." They focus on shortening loading time and Sharpe realizes that it is very much like a battle on land. He says that in a military battle, the winner is often the army that can load fastest.

Sharpe turns his thoughts to Braithwaite and tries to figure out...