And a large huzzah to Team Stockwin—my splendid editors at Hodder & Stoughton, Oliver Johnson and Anne Perry, and their creative art/design team; and copy editor Hazel Orme, who has brought her meticulous blue pencil to bear on the Kydd series right from the debut title. And, as always, heartfelt appreciation to my wife and literary partner Kathy—and my agent Carole Blake.
GLOSSARY
amain with intent of force and vigour
apoplexy a stroke
arabesque in the ornamental Arab style of Baghdad, Samarkand, etc.
baldric leather sling over the shoulder to suspend the scabbard
Balkans southeast Europe; the general geographic area lying between Italy and Turkey
barge boat of slight and spacious construction for use of the captain or admiral
becket small piece of rope with a knot in one end and an eye in the other to keep an item confined
belfry ornamental shelter for the ship’s bell forward
blashy dirty weather, miserable and wet, not strong enough to be called a storm
broadside the entire side of a ship; in gunnery, all the guns on that side
bulwark the raised edge of the upper deck
capstan rotating device operated with long bars to lift heavy weights
coach a frigate captain’s quarters consist of a great cabin, with a bedplace and coach where ship’s administration was performed
convoy ships sailing in company provided with an escort
corvette flush-decked, three-masted armed vessel smaller than a frigate
cuirass soldier’s breastplate
cutter a ship’s boat, broader and deeper than a pinnace
devoir an act of civility and respect due another
Divan highest council of state under the sultan; courtly poetry
dragoman an interpreter and adviser of Levantine languages
earnest, an money in advance as a goodwill gesture
encomium formal expression of warm praise for services completed
escritoire writing desk with compartments for accessories, often highly ornamental
escutcheon a shield or other containing armorial bearings
fo’c’sle forecastle: upper deck above the bow section; in the merchant service the enclosed space below where seamen mess
gregale northeasterly gale in the Mediterranean; St Paul was wrecked by one on his way to Rome
guardo an unfair move on a landman; as in a guardship for receiving press-gang victims
gun-room in a large ship, the gunner’s abode; in a frigate, the officers’ dining and mess room
hospodar vassal Slavic ruler in the Ottoman Empire
instanter that very moment; schoolboy Latin
Janissaries sultan’s elite household troops
kedge an anchor light enough to be taken to a distance by a boat to allow the ship to haul itself up to it
knittles the small clew-lines from the edge of the canvas converging in an eye for slinging the hammock
landau graceful open carriage with facing seats
loom the shaft of an oar
luff the edge of the sail closer to the wind; also, slang for lieutenant
magazines storeplace for gunpowder
Nizam-i Cedid new army established following reforms of Sultan Selim III
ostler one employed at a hostelry or stable to look after horses
Peace of Amiens peace that separated the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic war that followed
pennant a long narrow flag; not to be confused with pendant
pilot one with local nautical knowledge as an adviser; also an authoritative printed guide
piping the eye crying, as in a child
poilu term of endearment for French infantryman similar to “Tommy”
posset spiced drink of hot milk curdled with ale
post-chaise fast horse-drawn closed four-wheeled carriage
posy ring ring with inscribed words
preventer tackles rigged to prevent a spar taking charge in a blow
quarters after the ship is cleared for action, the men close up at quarters for battle
reefer midshipman
Reis-ül Kuttab essentially the Ottoman foreign ministry
riband ornate ribbon used in military decorations
scabbard the sheath of a sword or bayonet
seraglio strictly, the living quarters of the harem (wives and concubines), generalised to harem today
sextant navigational instrument with a 60° arc, used for determining latitudes
shab shabaroon; disreputable and unreliable
sky hook mythical device for hoisting higher than the masthead
slasher cutlass; barkers and slashers—pistols and cutlasses
spar general term for mast, yard, boom, etc.
stopper to check or hold fast one rope by means of another
Sublime Porte term for the state apparatus for receiving foreign envoys in the Ottoman Court
tarpaulin officer officer who started as a common seaman
Tobias Smollett early picaresque novelist of the sea; see Roderick Random
trusties those men trusted to return to the ship if given liberty
Ulema body of Islamic scholars in counsel to the sultan
victuals provisions for the ship’s company
weigh anchor to raise it clear of the seabed, metaphorically to start a voyage
yamak auxiliary soldier in the Ottoman Army
zindīq infidel, heretic
JULIAN STOCKWIN was sent at the age of fourteen to TS Indefatigable, a tough sea-training school. He joined the British Navy at fifteen, transferred to the Australian Navy when his family emigrated, and saw active service in Vietnam. A teacher and an educational psychologist, he was commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve and awarded the MBE. Retired from the RNR with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he now lives in Devon, England.
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