shadow of britain

Chapter 781 Elder Carter, the Navy's Junior Intelligence Chief
Under a greyish-white sky, on Whitehall Street in the south of Trafalgar Square, stands a simple, symmetrical, yet hardly imposing white building.

The stone pillars of the White House's portico still bear traces of water from the morning fog. If it weren't for the sight of several smartly dressed naval officers filing out of the building one after another, who would have guessed that this seemingly ordinary building was actually the command center of the Royal Navy, which roamed the world?

Elder Carter's boot heels tapped lightly on the marble floor.

He loosened his stiff knuckles, took out his pocket watch, and glanced at the time. Before he even stepped out of the porch, Elder had already impatiently pulled out his pipe from his coat pocket, intending to treat himself to some fine West Indian tobacco.

He had just finished what was said to be the most demanding Navy Department entrance exam of the year. The examiners included active-duty officers from Portsmouth Naval Base, technical bureaucrats from the Naval Supply Service, and even two retired Navy captains who served as senior experts.

As for the exam questions...

开胃小菜是几道简单的算术题，像是什么：将1吨13英担1夸脱2磅的物资分成27份相等的部分，每份为多少？假设一艘战舰以每小时8节的速度航行5又2/3小时，请问航行了多少海里？

Then there are some algebraic operations, such as solving quadratic and cubic equations in two variables, finding the greatest common divisor, and so on.

Then there are some questions about nautical geography, such as: Given that the latitude of a certain place is 51° North and the solar declination is 23°, please calculate the daytime length on the summer solstice.

The oral exam mainly tested Latin and French, but for Elder, this was probably the easiest part of the exam.

As soon as Elder stepped off the porch, his gaze was drawn to the scene across the street.

A dark blue Brougham carriage with gilded borders was steadily parked at the street corner.

The car window was half-open, and the black curtains hung down just right, obscuring the people inside. However, one could see a familiar cane head peeking out from the windowsill. It was Arthur's usual silver-plated cane, its handle polished to a shine. Perhaps because he had handled it for so long, the eagle-headed cane was showing signs of premature baldness.

The coachman, wearing a top hat and yawning, recognized Elder from afar. He quickly took off his hat, nodded slightly to him, and then bent down to gently knock on the carriage window.

A few seconds later, the curtains were gently lifted. Those familiar eyes looked at him through the half-open window.

Arthur didn't say anything, or rather, he was too lazy to say anything. He just raised an eyebrow at Elder and told the guy to get in the car quickly.

Seeing this, Elder chuckled and his steps became much lighter. He was already planning which restaurant to go to for a good meal later.

With a bang, Elder slammed the car door shut. The moment his bottom touched the comfortable velvet seat, he heard Arthur's questioning voice in his ear.

"Look at you, did you do well on the test?"

“It’s alright, I guess.” Elder casually reached into Arthur’s pocket, rummaging around as he asked, “Where’s your cigarette pack? Mine’s finished.”

Arthur didn't stop him, but simply raised his chin to indicate that the cigarette case was in his left trouser pocket: "The Navy probably didn't come up with any tricky questions to make things difficult for you, right? I heard that last year's candidates were asked: If you were drifting on the equator in the Pacific Ocean for three days and three nights, how would you determine your location?"

"On the equator? That's a passable question. I thought they'd ask: If you were to waver on the equator of human morality, should you slide north or south?" Elder said, opening the cigarette pack and expertly plucking tobacco into his pipe. "Your tobacco is the best. It smells a bit like Ivory Coast, and it's strong!"

"Honestly, Elder, how did you do on the exam?"

Arthur was indeed somewhat worried about Elder's professional competence. Although he had received a professional education from the University of London, it was in the field of classical literature, while the Royal Navy obviously placed more emphasis on practical skills and mathematical abilities.

As for Elder's mathematical ability?

The only thing Arthur was certain of was that the Carter family scion's most frequent saying when it came to settling accounts was: "Keep the change."

But Elder was completely unconcerned about Arthur's worries, or rather, he was brimming with confidence: "What's there to worry about? This is just a preliminary test for the Navy, simply to see if I have the basic work skills. If it weren't for the fear of gossip, the Navy wouldn't even bother with the formalities. You know what? There are only three people taking the test today, three people competing for two positions. I can't just be the one who's there for nothing, can I?"

“Just three people?” Arthur pondered for a moment. “What are the backgrounds of the other two?” Elder lit a cigarette. “The same as always, one is from Magdalen College, Oxford, and the other is a fellow alumnus of Charles, a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur immediately felt confident. He pulled his coat tighter and leaned back comfortably in his chair: "Then it seems to be settled."

“Right? I told you so.” Elder said with a chuckle, “The questions I can’t answer, they definitely can’t answer either. And the questions I can answer, they might not answer correctly. Generally speaking, more than half of those who take this kind of exam are idiots. Of course, you might occasionally run into a few geniuses. But considering the Oxford and Cambridge degrees they hold, the probability that they are idiots is basically ninety-nine percent.”

“Hmm…” Arthur nodded slightly: “But we still need to be careful and prevent any major changes. Even if they are idiots, the fact that they were able to qualify for the exam is most likely because they have someone backing them up in the council…”

"So what if someone's got connections?" Elder patted his chest and said, "It's not like everyone in Parliament doesn't have connections! I already found out. That kid from Trinity College, Cambridge, is the nephew of the vice-chairman of the House of Commons Finance Committee, named Prince. I heard his uncle paved the way for him in the Treasury. Originally, they planned to put him in directly, but you know, Peel's cabinet collapsed, right? The Whigs immediately stopped all non-examination-based entry quotas to prevent the Tories from flooding government departments with people. His uncle was at a loss, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and send this kid in as a formality."

Upon hearing this, Arthur immediately recalled the parliamentary debate from last week: "Well... that explains it. No wonder he was criticizing the naval transport budget in Parliament last month, but then voted for the expansion of the Royal Navy last week... In that case, that Cambridge kid should be fine."

“You’re right.” Elder took a drag of his cigarette and shrugged. “But that guy doesn’t seem like a military genius at all. He has to think about whether to board a ship from the port or starboard side, not to mention the nautical charts he draws when he picks up a pencil, they look like he’s having an epileptic seizure.”

"And the other one? From Magdalen College, Oxford?"

“That one,” Elder exhaled a smooth smoke ring. “Herbert, a distant relative of the Earl of Carnarvon. He’s supposed to be a top student from Oxford, but all he can actually read is some Latin epigraphy and Greek hymns. Since the parliamentary reforms, the Woodton-Bessett constituency, controlled by the Earl of Carnarvon, has been abolished. Although Highclere Manor still stands on British soil, its influence is long gone. And since the old Earl of Carnarvon passed away two years ago, the Herbert family now has virtually no presence in the military system.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur crossed his legs and said, "If that's all he is, then you're probably all set."

“That’s right.” Elder puffed out his chest, looking like he deserved it all. “In terms of strength, I’m definitely number one. In terms of connections, I have my uncle in the family to vouch for me. In terms of kinship, I’m a member of the Royal Navy. Even if it really comes to the council, don’t we still have Benjamin?”

Arthur pulled a small notebook from his pocket: "Actually, there are more than just these people."

"Not just these?" Elder was taken aback. "You also found other channels for me?"

Arthur didn't answer directly; instead, he asked, "Eld, do you know which department you're applying to?"

"Isn't it the Naval Chart and Hydrographic Bureau of the Navy Department? I know this department much better than you do; they were the ones who coordinated and managed the USS Beagle's round-the-world voyage."

Arthur smiled and said, "If you had said that earlier, I wouldn't have gone to see Colonel Francis Beaufort."

Francis Beaufort?

The architect of the Beaufort-class destroyers, a highly respected technical expert in the Royal Navy, and the Director of the Chart and Hydrographic Office!
Elder was startled; he almost slapped Arthur.

"You mean you went directly to Director Beaufort? My God! Didn't my uncle say that guy was impervious to reason? Oh, damn it, that old bastard... Arthur, so I'm going to get a perfect score in my interview?"

"In this regard, you have to thank Colonel FitzRoy and Charles, of course, I mean, bald Charles."

"What does this have to do with the two of them?"

Arthur began, “You yourself said that the Beagle’s circumnavigation mission was organized by the Chart and Hydrographic Office. This department manages all kinds of scientific expeditions for the Royal Navy. Captain FitzRoy was promoted by Beaufort, and our dear Mr. Charles Darwin was also recommended by Beaufort to serve on the Beagle. In other words, your uncle wasn’t lying to you. Beaufort is indeed a difficult technical officer, but if you can prove your technical abilities, he is a leader who is quite tolerant and kind to his subordinates.”

"So... Colonel FitzRoy and Charles both wrote letters of recommendation for me?"

“Not only that.” Arthur shook his head slightly. “Director Beaufort’s friend, Mr. Charles Babbage of the Royal Society, also wrote it for you, in consideration of the fact that I previously sponsored him with a research grant for the difference engine.”

(This chapter has 3000 words; if things go well today, there should be two more chapters.)
(End of this chapter)