Hornblower and the Widow McCool

Infobox short story
name = Hornblower and the Widow McCool
title_orig =
translator =
author = C. S. Forester
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = Horatio Hornblower
genre = Historical fiction
published_in = Hornblower and the Crisis
publisher = Michael Joseph, London
media_type = Hardcover and paperback
pub_date = 1967
english_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

Hornblower and the Widow McCool is a short story by C. S. Forester, featuring his fictional naval hero, Horatio Hornblower. It was published together with the unfinished novel "Hornblower and the Crisis" and another short story, "The Last Encounter". It is titled "Hornblower's Temptation" in certain US editions.

The story is set very early in Hornblower's career, in 1799 or 1800, after Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, but before Lieutenant Hornblower.

Plot summary

Hornblower is junior lieutenant in the ship of the line, HMS "Renown". The ship has just captured a French vessel; one of the prisoners is recognised as Irish revolutionary Barry McCool. Hornblower is given the distasteful task by Admiral William Cornwallis, of arranging McCool's execution for desertion from the Royal Navy.

In exchange for a promise by McCool to make no attempt to incite mutiny by a final speech, Hornblower agrees to send McCool's only possession, a carved sea chest, to his widow, along with a covering letter. He is prevented from doing so when "Renown" has to hastily put to sea.

While at sea, Hornblower discerns a hidden message in McCool's letter, which allows him to discover a secret compartment in the chest, stuffed with currency notes and secret correspondence to other Irish rebels. Hornblower, revolted at the spectacle of McCool's execution, decides to spare other Irishmen from the gallows. He secretly arranges to have the chest thrown overboard.

Later he discovers that McCool actually left no widow, and the chest was intended to reach an Irish revolutionary society. As McCool's letter said, he remained "faithful unto death", to the cause of Irish independence.