For all that Málaga thought carefully about who they were buying, small cliques have developed.

Increasingly, top leaders in the ANC are chosen by small cliques -selected for how best they can balance factional and patronage interests.

They formed one of those small cliques of intimates into which this club resolved itself, and Tom Burton was of their valued brotherhood.

The contrast is great in one respect: the tendency of the English passengers is to form themselves into a great number of small cliques.