The Maid of Sker · Chapter
LXI: A Savage Deed explained
Davy recounts the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile, where he is wounded and loses his left arm.
What happens
Davy recounts the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile, where he is wounded and loses his left arm. He describes Captain Rodney Bluett's bravery and the capture of French ships. Aboard the Leader, Captain Foley takes the dying confession of Jack Wildman, who reveals that he and his father, under orders from Parson Chouane, kidnapped two babies—Sir Philip Bampfylde's grandchildren—during a masked ball. The boy, known as Harry Savage, is now serving on the Vanguard, while the girl was likely lost at sea. The confession is witnessed and signed by Captain Foley, Captain Bluett, and others.
Themes in this chapter
Truth and Narrative Reliability
Jack Wildman's dying confession reveals a long-hidden truth about the kidnapping, but its reliability is questioned by Captain Foley, who suspects raving.
Family and Orphanhood
The kidnapping of Sir Philip Bampfylde's grandchildren disrupts their family; Harry Savage grows up unaware of his true identity.
Morality and Hypocrisy
Parson Chouane, a religious figure, orchestrates a child kidnapping, highlighting moral hypocrisy.
Characters to notice
- Davy Llewellyn
Narrates the chapter; wounded in battle, loses his left arm, and reflects on the battle's events.
- Captain Rodney Bluett
Commands the frigate Leader; praised for his bravery during the battle and facilitates Jack Wildman's confession.
- Captain Foley
Commands the Goliath; takes down Jack Wildman's confession as a Justice of the Peace.
- Mr. Jack Wildman
Dying seaman who confesses to kidnapping Sir Philip Bampfylde's grandchildren under Parson Chouane's orders.
- Harry Savage
Revealed to be the kidnapped boy-baby, now serving on the Vanguard.
- Parson Chouane
Mastermind behind the kidnapping; orders the theft of the boy-baby during a masked ball.
Key passages
“Nevertheless our Britons were forced to renew the battle afterwards; because those Frenchmen had not the manners to surrender as they should have done.”
The British had to continue fighting because the French refused to surrender properly.
Davy's sardonic tone criticizes the French for prolonging the battle.
“The fellows who charged that gun had been afraid of the recoil of it. Half a charge of powder makes the vilest fracture to deal with.”
The French gunners used a reduced powder charge, causing a particularly bad wound to Davy's arm.
Davy attributes the severity of his injury to the French gunners' cowardice.
“The boy-baby I was compelled to steal was Sir Philip Bampfylde’s grandson, and the baby-girl his granddaughter. I never heard what became of her. She must have been drowned, or starved, most likely.”
Jack Wildman confesses that he kidnapped Sir Philip Bampfylde's grandson and granddaughter; the girl was likely lost at sea.
This revelation resolves the mystery of Harry Savage's origins and the fate of the girl.