Middy and Ensign

A late‑summer evening drapes the British corvette Startler in a blaze of crimson, orange and gold as it glides toward the Malay coast. On deck, sixteen‑year‑old midshipman Bob Roberts trades sharp banter with the swaggering Ensign Long, their rivalry a mix of youthful bravado and uneasy respect. The ship carries a mixed convoy of soldiers and the British Resident, bound for the remote town of Campong Allee where a new fort will be established.

Amid the heat and the colorful sunset, the crew’s humor lightens the tension, while an old sailor likens the officers’ squabbles to fighting gamecocks. Their banter hints at deeper clashes ahead—between naval tradition and the unfamiliar customs of the Malay lands they are about to patrol. Listeners will be drawn into the vivid world of steam‑powered naval life, the promise of duty, and the simmering conflicts that will shape the young men’s first real test.