‘Where is the rest of the army, I should damn well like to know! But at least you fellows are showing the Frogs what-for,’ one stout elderly gentleman said, thumping his stick on the floor for emphasis. They had just stopped a raiding party outside a village in Derbyshire, and the children had been brought out to see their saviours. A few of the older boys, very bold, came running up to touch them. One put his hand on Temeraire's foreleg, and then stared up very large-eyed when Temeraire peered down at him in interest and said, ‘Hello.’

The child ran away very quickly. ‘Chinese children are braver,’ Temeraire said to Laurence, ‘but I am glad that these are getting a little better, and coming to see us. I suppose it is because we are being heroic?’ he added; he was hopeful that even if this was not very interesting fighting, it was at least of the sort that Government would like.

‘Their parents would do better to keep them locked away,’ Laurence said, without much emotion. ‘Will you look over the maps with me?’

So it had certainly made Laurence no happier, although Temeraire did not perfectly understand why Laurence should insist on fighting so, if he did not approve of it himself. Since they had seen Wollaton Hall, however, he seemed all the more fixed upon his course.

‘I fear it is the unhealthy climate and the diet of this country,’ Gong Su said. ‘No one could be well, eating in such an unbalanced way.’

‘But we do not have much choice over what we eat while we are at war, and I cannot do anything about the climate,’ Temeraire said.

‘Too bad,’ Demane said, rather indistinctly. He was not enjoying his first British winter, and snuffled almost continuously into his sleeve. Sipho was not suffering, or rather not in the same manner, he was bundled into every spare piece of clothing Demane could find, and now wore three shirts, a knitted waistcoat, two light coats, a boat-cloak, a hood, and a hat crammed down upon it all; he could scarcely move from where he had been put down near the fire.

Roland was sitting with her arms curled about her knees. ‘It is not right,’ she said. ‘I don't mean, we ought not be stopping them, but we ought to be letting them surrender when they see us, and take them prisoner; although I don't know what we should do with them after that. I wish Mother was here,’ she added, desolately.

Many of the other captains were also dissatisfied; the very next day Temeraire overheard Granby speaking with Laurence, in low voices, and then Laurence said, ‘Captain Granby, I hope you know that you may transfer to a new station, at any time you wish. I would not keep anyone at this task against their will.’

‘Why, damn you, Laurence,’ Granby said, and walked away.