Difference between revisions of "Dunne"
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He was one of the ten crew members chosen to accompany [[Temeraire]] and [[William Laurence|Laurence]] to Peking, along with [[John Granby|Granby]], [[Keynes]], [[Riggs]], [[Therrows]], [[Hackley]], [[Blythe]], [[Ezekiah Martin|Martin]], [[Willoughby]] and [[Digby]]. ([[Emily Roland]] and [[Peter Dyer]] also went, on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thomas_Staunton George Staunton]'s advice. As they were children, they were not counted against the limit of ten set by [[Prince Yongxing]].) | He was one of the ten crew members chosen to accompany [[Temeraire]] and [[William Laurence|Laurence]] to Peking, along with [[John Granby|Granby]], [[Keynes]], [[Riggs]], [[Therrows]], [[Hackley]], [[Blythe]], [[Ezekiah Martin|Martin]], [[Willoughby]] and [[Digby]]. ([[Emily Roland]] and [[Peter Dyer]] also went, on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thomas_Staunton George Staunton]'s advice. As they were children, they were not counted against the limit of ten set by [[Prince Yongxing]].) | ||
| − | + | Dunne's tendency to get into trouble over women became evident again when the crew reached Istanbul, a Muslim city where women were generally veiled if not secluded entirely. First he, [[Hackley]] and midshipman [[Portis]] had to be disciplined for acting over-excited over a veiled person, presumably a woman, they saw speaking with a palace official from a distance. Portis was assigned to dig Temeraire a fresh "necessary" and to fill it in again when Temeraire was done, while Dunne and Hackley were sent to assist the chief leatherworker, Mr. [[Bell]]. | |
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| + | Then [[Hasan Mustafa Pasha]] arranged an "entertainment" in an attempt to distract the British party from their demands for the dragon eggs they had come for. This entertainment included scantily clad dancing girls. Dunne and Hackley comported themselves shamelessly, whistling and trying to catch at the girls' veils, Dunne even getting up on one knee and reaching out a hand to the dancers before [[Riggs]] pulled him down by the ear. | ||
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| + | The final straw came when Dunne and Hackley were caught trying to sneak into the seraglio where the palace women were secluded. The customary sentence for this was death. Laurence managed to get the officers' lives spared by suggesting that since there were no disinterested witnesses to swear that Dunne and Hackley had actually <i>seen</i> the women - which it later turned out that they <i>had</i> - they ought to be given the benefit of the doubt and only flogged. In return, however, he was forced to accept that he had to do the same and give the benefit of the doubt to the Turks' feeble explanations as to the deaths of the British ambassador and the disappearance of the gold sent to pay for the dragon eggs. | ||
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[[Category:A-Z|Dunne]] | [[Category:A-Z|Dunne]] | ||
Revision as of 00:00, 1 October 2008
Character Profile
| Name: | Dunne |
| Date of Birth: | |
| Service: | Aerial Corps |
| Rank: | |
| Nationality: | British |
| Billets: | Loch Laggan covert, rifleman for Temeraire |
Biography
Dunne was one of Temeraire's riflemen. Laurence described him and Donnell, while they were still at the Loch Laggan covert, as "still" having some difficulty in finding the target but at least being quick in reloading.
Dunne was pleased when Temeraire and his crew moved to the Dover covert in the summer of 1805. He spoke a bit too freely with Collins about his intentions to enjoy the pleasures of Dover and was chastened by Laurence for it.
Dunne had long, thin hands, and his dexterity suffered due to the cold during the Battle of Dover.
Dunne was wounded during the Valerie engagement as he journeyed to China with Temeraire and his crew in late 1805.
He was one of the ten crew members chosen to accompany Temeraire and Laurence to Peking, along with Granby, Keynes, Riggs, Therrows, Hackley, Blythe, Martin, Willoughby and Digby. (Emily Roland and Peter Dyer also went, on George Staunton's advice. As they were children, they were not counted against the limit of ten set by Prince Yongxing.)
Dunne's tendency to get into trouble over women became evident again when the crew reached Istanbul, a Muslim city where women were generally veiled if not secluded entirely. First he, Hackley and midshipman Portis had to be disciplined for acting over-excited over a veiled person, presumably a woman, they saw speaking with a palace official from a distance. Portis was assigned to dig Temeraire a fresh "necessary" and to fill it in again when Temeraire was done, while Dunne and Hackley were sent to assist the chief leatherworker, Mr. Bell.
Then Hasan Mustafa Pasha arranged an "entertainment" in an attempt to distract the British party from their demands for the dragon eggs they had come for. This entertainment included scantily clad dancing girls. Dunne and Hackley comported themselves shamelessly, whistling and trying to catch at the girls' veils, Dunne even getting up on one knee and reaching out a hand to the dancers before Riggs pulled him down by the ear.
The final straw came when Dunne and Hackley were caught trying to sneak into the seraglio where the palace women were secluded. The customary sentence for this was death. Laurence managed to get the officers' lives spared by suggesting that since there were no disinterested witnesses to swear that Dunne and Hackley had actually seen the women - which it later turned out that they had - they ought to be given the benefit of the doubt and only flogged. In return, however, he was forced to accept that he had to do the same and give the benefit of the doubt to the Turks' feeble explanations as to the deaths of the British ambassador and the disappearance of the gold sent to pay for the dragon eggs.
