Although unfinished prior to C.S.Forester's death, Hornblower During the Crisis introduces Hornblower to the makings of a spy. Through fortuitous circumstances and quick wittedness, Hornblower, in action with a man who replaced him and then who immediately sunk the ship Hornblower had commanded for two years in the same waters, fought a ship battle and obtained a very special French secret document. These orders from Napoleon form the basis of the planned actions by the British Admiralty which Hornblower must carry out, his first acts of espionage in his efforts to bring victory to England.