The Lieutenant: Part 4, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

A messenger boy runs to Rooke's hut and tells him that the natives have speared Brugden and he's going to die. Rooke isn't surprised. The boy continues his message and says that Major Wyatt has asked for Rooke to come to the barracks that evening, no matter what. Later, the mood in the barracks is dark. Rooke knows that nobody liked Brugden, but everyone knows that things will change after this incident.

Silk regales everyone with the story: the gamekeepers were near Botany Bay when they saw armed natives creeping towards them. Brugden had put down his musket and spoken to the natives in Cadigal, but one of the natives jumped without warning and speared Brugden. Rooke wonders if Silk's account is the truth. Silk continues and says that Brugden is still alive, but will die soon. Timpson mutters something as the crowd erupts, but Silk speaks over them and says that Warungin was brought to the hospital. Warungin told them that the spear belongs to a man named Carangaray. The room erupts again, and Rooke tries to shrink to nothing. He wishes Brugden would live.

Lennox shouts that the natives only understand guns, and a few deaths would end this problem outright. Major Wyatt ignores this, and Silk assures everyone that Governor Gilbert is considering what should be done. Rooke sees Willstead roll his eyes, and Willstead quietly asks how long the governor will wait to punish the natives, since he should've done so a long time ago. Major Wyatt silences Willstead, and Lennox continues to suggest that it'd be easy to round up a few natives and shoot them to set an example.

Willstead begins an angry tirade about how the natives never fight fairly. He insists that the word "treachery" isn't even in their vocabulary. Rooke thinks he doesn't know if this is true or not, but he thinks that even in English the word means more than it should. He thinks that it's easy enough to see how Warungin might see the situation: guests who were initially pleasant overstayed their welcome and changed his home without asking. Rooke thinks of his grandmother saying that fish and visitors stink after three days.

The next day, Rooke jumps up when he hears footsteps, hoping it's Tagaran. It's Silk, with a serious look on his face. Silk explains that they're being sent to Botany Bay on a punitive expedition, and he's been chosen to lead it. Rooke sees that despite Silk's seriousness, his eyes are bright. He congratulates Silk, and confirms that he's after Carangaray. Silk raises a toast and explains that he is tasked with bringing in six natives from the Botany Bay area. Rooke is aghast that Gilbert wants more than just Carangaray, and Silk confides that the governor initially wanted Silk to bring back ten men, but Silk talked him out of that.

Silk says that he told Gilbert that Rooke would certainly join the expedition, along with Willstead and 30 privates. Rooke tries to imagine them all marching through the woods, but cannot imagine himself joining. Without thinking, Rooke refuses to go. Silk ignores this, and reminds Rooke that the governor is already aware that Rooke will join: refusing isn't an option. Rooke thinks of Tagaran watching him march through the woods.

Rooke tries to distract Silk by telling him that Cadigal grammar uses the dual plural and dual plural pronouns, like in Greek. He exclaims that English doesn't even do that; it uses clunky phrases like "you and me" and "me and these others but not you." Silk isn't amused. He says again that Gilbert has Rooke's name and the expedition leaves on Wednesday. Rooke looks at his feet and thinks that he can't tell Silk that he can't go because he's too fond of Tagaran. Instead, he asks Silk to not ask this of him. Silk clears his throat and insists that it is an order.

Silk says warmly that the natives hide so well, they'll never find anyone. Rooke thinks that this is true, and 33 men stomping through the woods will be impossible for the natives to miss. Silk tells Rooke to think of it as theatre. He says that a show of force must be made, but they surely won't capture any natives. Silk doesn't wait for Rooke to agree, but shakes his hand and leaves.

As Rooke reads that evening, he wishes Gardiner were there to give him advice. Rooke remembers their last conversation about capturing the natives, and thinks that Gardiner would spell out the consequences of refusing the order, just as he had done then. Rooke thinks that he now knows that serving humanity and serving the king aren't the same thing. He wishes he could apologize to Gardiner for how he spoke.

Rooke thinks that he had never allowed himself to stop and wonder what he's actually doing with his life. He thinks that Silk's logic that capturing a native is impossible is somewhat faulty, and realizes he's speaking out loud. He says to himself that he could ensure that no native is caught.