The moral? Victory must be
consolidated by ruthless vigilance.
He had shed no tears when order was restored, and his Captain's body
returned to the deep. He was simply gone, along with the life that he
had come to know so well.
And though he might easily have found work on another ship, being then
a strong and tireless lad of fifteen, he decided that the rise to
power was too slow, and too limited at sea. Real opportunity, in his
eyes, lay in the military and political arenas.
So when the ship returned to Plymouth, he joined the army as an
infantryman, and later forged and sponsored his own commission as
officer. At every step he gained the reputation of a fearless soldier,
and of a fierce, unyielding leader of men. Such indomitable young
lions were much needed in those days of expanding Empire, and could
rise quickly to positions of prominence, especially along the
frontiers.
Nor was he to rise in rank alone, but also in station. After a
determined search, he at last found a noble family in ruin, ready to
collapse. And through a combination of bribes, extortion, and the
threat of violence, he forced the aging and childless Lord to
recognize him as his legitimate son, and rightful heir to his name and
property alike.
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