Summary for Post Captain

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A chapter by chapter look at Post Captain

CHAPTER 1

Charwell frigate chasing French 74, Dee frigate far behind - peace declared - quarterdeck reactions - Jack and Stephen foxhunting on Polcary Down, sighting of Diana - Jack thrown - Williams household - Admiral Haddock's account of Jack (and Stephen).

CHAPTER 2

Haddock introduces Williams family - dinner at Mapes Court -Williams call at Melbury - Diana gets horse - Sophia and Diana learn sea terms - hunt, Sophia exhausted, Diana triumphant - Stephen and Diana ride together, he gets material for ball gown - Babbington fetches Diana to ball - Diana speaks frankly and hurtfully to Stephen.

CHAPTER 3

Stephen writes diary - Jack, Diana - piquet - visit to London- Sir Joseph Blaine, Stephen's political activity - Jack buying Amati - Sophie Bentinck describes Jack toasting Sophie/Sophia - Jack's agent fails - farewell to Sophia - returns to London, annoys Lord St Vincent - Williamses gone to Bath - Stephen visits Diana, nearly quarrels over Jack - Jack sees them in Bath - cockfight - Sophia reported engaged to Mr Adams - Stephen finds Jack visiting Diana, announces departure for Spain - visits Diana to break, she refuses - bums call for Jack - escape to France, farewells with Diana - Sophia writes, denies Adams story.

CHAPTER 4

Jack and Stephen lunch with Christy-Palliere and Penhoet - Jack innocently dispels suspicion of Stephen - Jack feels committed to both girls - Dr Ramis, agent - peace over, British all arrested - escape over Pyrenees, Jack disguised as bear.

CHAPTER 5

Jack and Stephen sail from Gibraltar in Lord Nelson Indiaman - Tom Pullings lieutenant - Lucy and Susan Lamb passengers - taken by Bellone privateer - Jack hurt - both robbed - British frigate lured away by Bellone - prize attacked by British cutter, beats her off - then by brig Seagull - standoff - prize retaken by powerful squadron.

CHAPTER 6

Jack calls on Melville - begs off land appointment, half promised ship - housekeeping with Stephen, dodging bailiffs, gaff blown by Miss Lamb - Queenie Keith's rout - Canning offers privateer, copied from Bellone - Mrs Williams impressed - Jack and Diana, she despises his timidity - Jack waylaid on Hampstead Heath, takes Scriven home - Scriven tells his history to Stephen - Melville offers Polychrest, under Harte - Stephen and Sophia - Stephen and Jack (convoyed by Scriven) at the Grapes.

CHAPTER 7

Stephen's diary, conflict with Jack over Diana - Pullings made lieutenant - fitting out - Jack and Stephen dine at inn, discuss Polychrest - Scriven helps with handbills - Jack has doubts about Parker - Bonden and Plaice volunteer - dinner with Pullings family - bums attack Jack, pressed for seamen - Polychrest box-hauled off Selsey Bill - Stephen meets officers, history and description of Polychrest - encounters British frigates - nine days gale - Parker hurt - Parslow drunk, abuses Goldilocks - Jack discusses discipline, defects of ship with Stephen - Jack received by Admiral Harte in Downs - Stephen attacks Parker, leads to showdown, Jack asserts authority over Stephen.

CHAPTER 8

Stephen visits Sophia, she dreadfully worried about Jack, rejects Mr Bowles, Stephen encourages forwardness; Sophia's quarrel with Diana, he admits tendre - he visits Diana with the Teapot, gift of perfume - reports to Jack, estrangement - Killick rejoins with Captain's stores from Mapes Court - Canning invited - Jack to preach sermon, Stephen laughs - good dinner with Canning - Ossian - Polychrest rendezvous off Gris Nez - misses Deal guinea-boat - Stephen understands Gaelic - action at rendezvous - Harte displeased at missing guinea-boat - Polychrest to sail with convoy for Lisbon - Jack dallies on shore with Diana - floggings - Stephen on Goodwin Sands - soaking - Jack appears smelling of perfume - purser Jones seeks antaphrodisiac - Stephen worries at Jack's neglect of duty.

CHAPTER 9

Polychrest off Lisbon - muster, awful crew - rerigged, Parker useless - Jack rescues Bolton fallen overboard - Stephen shows skill with sword and pistol - Bellone sighted with two merchantmen - action, chase, Bellone on Spanish rocks - Jack leaves merchantmen to make sure - Harte furious - Polychrest sent to Baltic - sealed orders for Stephen.

CHAPTER 10

Stephen and Diana see dew ponds, jealousy (Jack and Canning) - Stephen visits Sophia, discuss Jack's infatuation - Stephen goes to Spain, welcomed in Whitehall - Heneage Dundas in Deal warns Jack misbehaving - Stephen back in Polychrest, unhappy ship - skins Smithers at cards - quarrel with Jack, challenge - Mr Goodridge, history of phoenix - Stephen borrows pistols from Lieutenant Macdonald, practises in dunes - Jack goes to Diana, Canning at home - Harte orders Polychrest to Chaulieu with malice - Goodridge shows Stephen charts etc of Chaulieu.

CHAPTER 11

Stephen reports incipient mutiny - Jack consults Lieutenant Smithers - sets sail for Chaulieu, addresses crew, ringleaders in barge, cracks on - master mistakes shoals in fog, Polychrest aground in Chaulieu bay - can't pull off, cuts out Fanciulla instead - Jack swims to Polychrest with line - Polychrest pulled off, sinks - Fanciulla takes transport - Jack wounded.

CHAPTER 12

Babbington's arm in danger - Jack takes post to London, in fear of the tipstaffs, but almost unrecognisable from loss of blood - warmly received by Melville, made post - Parker gets Fanciulla - Polychrests dispersed - Gazette hints Harte at fault - Jack pumps church organ - ordered to Lively - Stephen comes aboard weirdly dressed, carrying narwhal horn and 60,000 bees - discussed in gunroom - no coffee in ship - Lively sets sail with amazing skill - gibbon in tops - forecastle quarrel overb gibbon's head - bees in captain's cabin - Jack describes sea-battles - Stephen explains dog watches - Parker grateful to Jack - Jack won't go ashore.

CHAPTER 13

Stephen visits New Place, empty house - Dashwood's sister and child get lift to Portsmouth - bees invade gunroom - Stephen operates - Lively destroys Balbec battery - General Aubrey returned for Parliament - more batteries destroyed - Jack declines visit to Sophia at Admiral Haddock's.

CHAPTER 14

Stephen at Mapes Court - told Diana gone with Canning - persuades Sophia to go aboard Lively for lift to the Downs - Admiral Haddock comments on General Aubrey - Jack does up captain's cabin, sublime, for Sophia and Cecilia - Stephen visits Spain, returns with news of war declaration and River Plate treasure ship - Sophia and Jack reach understanding off Isle of Wight - Lively and Stephen ordered to squadron intercepting Spaniards - Stephen sees Diana at opera, much upset - parley with Spanish Admiral, action, Lively takes Fama with treasure.