The Hand of Destiny is a short story

C.S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Roya ...

wrote about his most popular character,

Horatio Hornblower Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films, radio and television programmes, an ...

, written in 1940, and published in '' Collier's magazine''. Sanford Sternlicht, author of ''C. S. Forester and the Hornblower Saga'', notes the story has multiple inconsistencies with later stories. He also notes elements of the story that Forester re-used in later stories. In the story Hornblower is 20 years old, and has just been promoted to Lieutenant. Sternlicht places the story in late 1796. Forester has Hornblower recently transferred from serving under

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother ...

, the genuine naval hero who is Hornblower's first mentor. But Sternlicht notes that in '' Mr Midshipman Hornblower'' Hornblower serves under Pellew until 1797.

Plot summary

"The Hand of Destiny" has Hornblower serving on board the fictional HMS ''Marguerite'', under the despotic

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Courtney. Hornblower is shocked by Courtney's cruelty. Courtney has goaded some of his men to revolt and Hornblower is sent to negotiate. Courtney is careless in the instructions he gives Hornblower, and is very angry with him when Hornblower promises them Courtney will not retaliate against them. Courtney plans to brutally punish the men without regard to Hornblower's assurances to them. A battle forces a delay in Courtney's plans. Hornblower leads the rebellious sailors in boarding the hostile Spanish warship, the ''Castilla''. Courtney is pleased with Hornblower, and assigns him the task of sailing the captured vessel to port. Hornblower seizes the opportunity that, instead of punishing the alleged mutineers he assign them to serve as his prize crew.

Place in the Hornblower stories

Sternlicht notes that Forester re-used the premise of Hornblower angering a senior officer whose instructions gave him the leeway to be lenient with mutineers. Forester wrote the Hornblower stories out of order. '' Beat to Quarters'', set in 1808 and the first Hornblower novel written, takes place relatively late in his career. In Chapter IX Hornblower dons his dress uniform, when preparing to meet an important person. His preparation includes strapping on his dress sword, ''"(a sword of the value of fifty guineas, the gift of the Patriotic Fund for Lieutenant Hornblower's part in the capture of the Castilla six years ago)"''. In Chapter XIII Hornblower is embarrassed when Lady Barbara admires his hands, which he thinks are ugly. In particular he is embarrassed by an ''"ingrained powder stain"'' on his left hand, dating to his leading the boarding party that captured the ''Castilla''. Forester's second and third novels, ''

A Ship of the Line ''A Ship of the Line'' is an historical seafaring novel by C. S. Forester. It follows his fictional hero Horatio Hornblower during his tour as captain of a ship of the line. By internal chronology, ''A Ship of the Line'', which follows ''The ...

'', and '' Flying Colours'' also refer to the sword he was awarded for his role in the capture of the ''Castilla''. In the fifth novel, ''

Lord Hornblower ''Lord Hornblower'' (published 1946) is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. Hornblower, a Knight of the Bath, is tasked with suppressing a mutiny on board a Royal Navy ship. He succeeds, and with reinforcements captures Le Hav ...

'', an older Hornblower reminds himself that he remains the brave officer who lead the boarding of the ''Castilla''. Sternlicht notes that the eighth novel Forester wrote, ''

HMS Atropos Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films, radio and television programmes, an ...

'', set in 1805–06, contains a completely different account of the capture of the ''Castilla''. In that novel Hornblower is a junior post-captain, and the capture occurs off the coast of Cartagena, Spain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hand of Destiny 1940 short stories Fiction set in 1796 Fiction set in 1797 Short stories by C. S. Forester Horatio Hornblower