Across to America: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 9) (12 page)

Back aboard the Andromeda, matters were now advanced. Her crew were busy again loading stores into the ship’s boats to be delivered ashore. A preliminary survey had already been done, with some shaking of heads when rot was discovered in some of the older timbers. Phillips was awaiting a visit from the dockyard superintendent when a well-appointed launch came alongside, with a tall officer wearing a hussar uniform sitting in the sternsheets.

This man, piped aboard with all due ceremony, carried a summons to appear before the governor. The officer insisted the appointment could not wait, and offered to take him in his own boat. Mister Harding was observing the proceedings on deck and the third officer, Mister Wilson, was on duty. Calling these gentlemen over, he asked them to inform Mister Hornady he had been called away to meet with Governor Eliot.

Phillips had met Governor Eliot before and his servant ushered him right in. Unusually, Eliot did not begin the conversation with small talk, as he normally did. He got right to the point.

“Captain Phillips, this is in regard to your recent mission where you delivered a British envoy to meet with Señor Bolivar. Lord Forsythe has been obliged to flee along with Bolivar and has sailed on a local boat to an island just east of Spanish Puerto Rico. The Isla de Vieques by name. He has taken refuge with a fisherman’s family on the island and asks that he be removed as soon as possible.”

“He requests the Spanish authorities not be notified of his situation. It seems they believe he is somehow involved with the revolution on the mainland, and he is concerned about arrest and possible imprisonment. Lord Forsythe has been on this island a month already and there is concern of his health. I wish you to take your ship and proceed immediately to the island to retrieve him.”

Phillips was disturbed. By now, he regarded Lord Forsythe as a friend, and would go to extremes to remove him from any danger. The problem was his ship. With the additional damage discovered by the dockyard people, there was real danger the ship might not return should she encounter any heavy weather. He indicated as much to the governor then informed him of the stores that had already been landed.

“Sir, would there be another vessel available that could make the trip?”

Eliot shook his head. “Not one that is not in worse condition than your own.”

He thought a few minutes, then said, “Of course, there is Marseilles!”

“Marseilles, Governor?”

“Yes, she is a former French corvette you people brought in when you chased the French out of the Caribbean. She is a fairly new ship that has been let go to rack and ruin, and had to be towed back here behind HMS Arethusa. Our dockyard people have made a sort of pet of her and I am told she is now as good as new. However, she was unarmed when we took her from her mooring in Guadeloupe. She is complete but has neither guns nor crew.”

“Sir, Andromeda has all of her guns and a fine crew.”

“Yes Captain Phillips, she does indeed. Would you be prepared to take command of the corvette and sail her to the island of Vieques?”

“Yes sir, I would. Do we know the exact location where we may find Lord Forsythe?”

“Yes Captain, we do. We do have a hand-drawn sketch which will be in your hands in a moment. I will call my naval aide in to explain all of the details of the ship to you. I do have a busy morning so you would oblige me if you met with Lieutenant Raines just down the hall. My servant will take you.”

The governor added, “Just one more matter, Captain. The Marseilles was not the only French warship left behind. One of their forty gun frigates had been laid up in a creek mouth before our troops came in and took the island. She had been more or less abandoned for lack of stores and her men had gone onto various privateers. Before retreating the French made a try at firing her, but it had rained all of the previous night and the fire did not take hold.”

“Our troops had other things on their minds than a dilapidated, abandoned French ship, so they mentioned it in a dispatch and went on to other things. The war passed that region by and the ship was forgotten. Some pirates, some of them perhaps former crewmen, found her and was able to move her to another mooring.”

“We hear now those pirates have got her back at sea and are using her to take respectable sized commercial vessels. We have no idea as to how she is now armed or the number of her crew. Normally, we would hesitate to ask an officer to bring a forty gun frigate to action with a much lighter post ship, but the expectation is she does not have all of her guns, and it is doubtful if she has a professional commander.”

“Should you encounter her, perhaps you could see what we have to deal with. Understand your first business must be to recover Lord Forsythe.”

With that, Governor Eliot shook his bell and a servant led Phillips off. As he went out the door, Eliot pressed a scrap of paper in his hand. A crude map of Lord Forsythe’s location on a tiny island was scratched on it.

A one armed naval officer was waiting in the anteroom and introduced himself. Phillips asked him about the ship.

“Well, the French used her as a twenty gun corvette, what we might use as a sloop of war. She was probably armed with French eight pounder guns, but the shipwright over at the dockyard tells us she could carry our twelve pounders. He also thinks we could put a pair of twenty four pounder carronades on the quarterdeck, with maybe a pair of twelve pounder carronades up forward. We do have a few carronades in the dockyard but no long guns available.”

Phillips nodded, “Andromeda will be going into the dockyard for a complete re-build and will be landing all of her guns. We can use her long twelves to arm the Marseilles.”

Raines said, “We are going to have to do something about that name. The admiral is still under the weather, so I will check with flags about a new one.”

Raines continued, “That was a terrible shame about Granger, wasn’t it, sir?”

“What about Granger?”

“Well, after the hearing, he couldn’t be found. A note found in the ante-room announced he had resigned his commission. He left the building without notice and later was seen boarding a local schooner that does a little trading about the Caribbean. He is listed on Tenedo’s books as ‘Run’ and the search is on for him. Apparently, he falsified the ship’s log books to corroborate his own story. Both the signal officer and midshipman confessed to the fraud, as did the master. All said they were forced to do so.”

With pressure from the governor, and unseen pressure from the sickbed of the admiral, matters moved quickly. Andromeda had been warped alongside a quay, and guns, stores and equipment were hoisted aloft, swung out over the side and lowered onto ox-drawn wains. The carts were then hauled over to the quay where Marseilles was tied and the process reversed.

The governor furnished some funds to hire extra labor and Phillips dug into his purse and supplied more. As a man completed his task on Andromeda, he was sent to the new ship to start there. In the midst of this confusion, Governor Eliot came to the dockside in his carriage to inspect the proceedings. After some casual conversation, he handed over the ship’s commission to Phillips. “She is to be the post ship HMS Roebuck, of the sixth rate.”

With the commission, the governor took a canvas packet from his servant and handed it to Phillips. “This is your signal book. You will, of course, preserve it from capture by the enemy.”

The packet as Phillips took it was heavy, and he knew there were weights inside that would sink it if thrown overboard.

Most of the old crew of Andromeda had transferred over to Roebuck, with the exception of the standing officers. These included the sailing master, cook, bosun, gunner, carpenter and clerk. Phillips regretted having to leave these men behind. They would stay with Andromeda, and after she was whole again would sail under the command of a different captain.

Once aboard Roebuck, it was necessary for everyone to find his place and acquaint himself with the new people. Phillips had barely stepped into his barren office when Mister Hornady knocked and reported, “Sir, I have all the new warrants outside, whenever you want to see them.”

“Very well. Let us do that on the quarterdeck. I have not so much as a stool here. We’ll go up top and stand.”

It was obvious that some of the new warrants had been selected hastily, some, perhaps before their time. The acting sailing master who reported to him first was a very young former master’s mate. Mister Layton had had a dozen years at sea, as midshipman and master’s mate, and now seemed to be going up the ladder another rung. Phillips was assured by the new warrant he had the required charts of the areas in which they would likely be sailing. Concerned he might lose the scrap of paper with the location of Lord Forsythe, he handed it to Layton and asked him to copy it and add it to the relevant chart.

“We will be sailing to that location Mister Layton, and will there take on board a very important passenger, so this paper is a most essential document.”

After dismissing the Master, he saw a massively built individual was shifting on his feet, obviously impatient to be about some task. With some effort, he recalled this was their new Gunner, previously gunner’s mate from a third-rate that was, at this moment, now beating out of the harbor. Gunner’s Mate Adams had been removed willy-nilly from his seventy-four line-of-battle ship against the fervent objections of his captain, and now found himself Gunner aboard Roebuck.

Phillips knew the warrant had much work to do to get all of the Andromeda’s guns aboard besides locating the needed carronades hidden somewhere in the dockyard. Without ado, he shook the man’s hand and sent him to his job.

The Carpenter was a very important man aboard ship, and this one was the only standing officer that had served previously in that capacity before. As carpenter on a thirty-eight gun frigate, Mister Sommers had contracted fever here on the island and had nearly died. When he recovered, his ship had sailed and he was without a job for the first time in two decades. Now all was right with the world, and he had a sound ship to keep in good repair.

Unlike Mister Sommers, the new cook had absolutely no experience whatsoever. Mister Hatter had been a former topman who had had a leg shot off in an action a year before. Recently released from hospital, he had been offered the position of cook aboard Roebuck. As such, he was not required to have any familiarity with the task. This was mainly a lifetime sinecure which would keep him employed for the rest of his life.

His main tasks would be to see the provisions supplied for the crew’s meals were as edible as possible. He would keep the numbered metal disks which would be fastened to each of the messes boiling bags in which the salt beef or pork was cooked. The person from each mess that had been designated mess-cook would clip the disk to a bag with the proper amount of salt meat and watch over it as it cooked. When done, the bag would be retrieved from the big copper, the disk removed and given back to the cook and the meat taken back to the mess where it would be divided and served.

The Bosun was also a young man. He would be responsible for the ships’ lines and cables, boats and anchors. He also oversaw punishment of those crewmembers convicted at Captain’s Mast of various crimes. Bosun Bailes was also a most important member of the crew. Any laxity on his part could well lead to the loss of the ship.

After interviewing the new standing officers, Phillips looked over the side and saw a welcome sight coming down the stone quay. A heavy wagon was groaning and clattering its way along the cobblestone pavement with its load of captain’s furnishings and stores from Andromeda. His desk, table and bed were there along with a few chairs and his own personal stores for the next voyage.

Nero, his servant, was instructing the hands where to stow the various articles. The former slave had been savagely whipped, at one time in his life, which had almost destroyed his body. With little strength these days, he usually acted as a supervisor, instructing others what they needed to be doing. He was a most useful crewmember, the only fault being his unusual accent. He had been born a slave on a British island, where many of the slaves on the sugar plantations were fresh from Africa and spoke a bewildering number of languages. The slaves developed their own patois, which varied from island to island. Then, as an adult, he was bought by a Dutch owner and taken to another island where he had to learn a new Dutch-based patois.

Now, he was a freeman on a Royal Navy ship, at least as free as any seaman could be, black or white. Nero took the opportunity to hand him a note, actually penned by a midshipman, listing supplies that must be purchased. Nero was terrified to go ashore here in the Caribbean by himself. A slave was a rather valuable piece of property here, and it would be only too easy for some unscrupulous sort to snatch a black from the street and sell him to some planter. Whenever Phillips sent Nero ashore to obtain something, he always tried to send at least a midshipman with him, usually accompanied by a pair of powerful hands who would see that he did not end up in the wrong place.

At length, the Royal Marines marched up to the quay and came aboard. Lieutenant Hasting commanded the two dozens of Marines with the help of a sergeant and a corporal. The ship was filling up now, with hardly space to “Swing a Cat” as the Bosun often stated. The cat he referred to was the ‘cat-o’-nine tails’, a lash used to punish wayward crewmen.

With her water, guns and stores aboard, Roebuck moved out into the harbor where she took aboard her powder. During this exercise, all fire of any sort was extinguished and men went barefoot, as they passed the little kegs of explosive aboard. The gunner and his mates stowed the powder in the magazine. Most of the powder was of the high quality furnished by the Navy, but some of it had been privately purchased by Captain Phillips.

This would necessarily be used for target practice, since Admiralty did not allow for what they termed excessive firing at targets. One could use as much of the King’s powder as one wished in firing at enemy ships and installations, but not at targets.

Phillips’ target powder was formerly French issue, captured, and now perhaps to be used against them.

As powder was carefully brought aboard, water was continually swabbed on the deck to drench any tiny spills that might occur. No ferrous metals, iron or steel, was allowed near the barrels of powder. Even the bands holding the barrel staves together were of copper. It was absolutely necessary there should be no opportunity for a spark to explode the powder.

Now, with everything needed aboard, Roebuck sailed. This should be an easy and fast voyage. They merely had to sail downwind past a string of islands, St. Kitts, St. Croix and the approaches to the Spanish island of Puerto Rico.

Islas de Vieques, a small island near the eastern end of Puerto Rico itself, was their destination. Mister Layton, the acting master remained on deck as they neared Vieques. Before leaving Antigua, he had sought as much instruction as was available on the island and had interviewed several seamen and fishermen who had recently visited the place. Making the required corrections on his charts as needed, he was prepared to give his captain needed advice.

Upon reaching their destination, Phillips turned to Layton and asked him to take over the ship. Standing back, he watched Layton conn the ship past a rocky point protruding out into the sea and then closing a thick mangrove forest along the shore. At this point, Phillips was ready to take back the ship, since there seemed to be no protective bay in which to anchor the ship. He was not about to anchor off a lee shore for any length of time.

Turning to Phillips, Layton said, “The chart shows there should be a bay behind these mangrove trees. I would like to anchor and send a boat in to look.” They dropped the hook and Layton went over the side into the launch with a boat crew. As the boat approached a solid wall of green vegetation, the bowman was seen to reach out with a boathook and divide the greenery. The oarsmen pulled the boat right inside and it was gone.

Phillips was getting nervous with the wait, and ordered a swivel gun loaded to fire off a demand the boat return forthwith. Just as the gunner was reaching into the binnacle to get a light for his slowmatch, the vegetation parted and the boat appeared.

Reporting aboard, Layton announced the bay was inside and deep and large enough to take the ship. The entrance was just barely navigable, but they would need to clear some of the mangrove roots and trunks before towing the ship inside. He recommended they send a pair of boats with saws and axes to clear away a path before trying to fit the ship through.

Expecting this could be a lengthy task, Phillips did not want to leave the ship in this exposed position on the lee shore, so they pulled up anchor and, after leaving a pair of boats and their crews behind, sailed out to sea. They would return at dusk to take the men aboard, to be out of reach of the expected mosquitos.

Mister Layton wished to remain behind, but Phillips reasoned that the boat crews could function without him, and he wished to know what Layton could tell him.

He learned there was no colonization of the island by the Spanish. The chief residents were outlaws and pirates, with a few scattered fishing families. Layton had learned that Spanish authorities on Puerto Rico had become tired of the depredations of these pirates and there was talk of mounting an offensive against them. He himself thought the pirates had also learned of this and had already moved their base of operations elsewhere. It might be wise though, to recover Lord Forsythe as quickly as possible and depart before becoming discovered by the Spanish.

There were no signs of man in the enclosed lagoon. A note scratched on the crude map he had received mentioned firing off a gun at unstated intervals. Phillips hesitated firing off one of the great guns, fearing it would be recognized by what it indeed was and attract undue attention. Instead, he had the gunner prepare a swivel gun and lay some of the miniature charges near it.

One of the landsmen, with no particular shipboard skills, was tasked to stand by the gun and fire it every glass. Landsman Evers held up his linstock, with its smoldering slow-match, like a badge of office. Mister Hornady spoke to the fellow and required he put the linstock down, with the match over a tub of water. There was more than a little danger here with a burning match and live charges for the gun.

Every half hour, as the glass by the binnacle was turned, the gun banged, fired with its reduced charge. For much of the day there was no sign of a reply, but toward dusk, a figure was seen at water’s edge, peering through the brush at the strange ship. The stranger stepped into a dug-out canoe hidden nearby and paddled out to Roebuck.

The fellow was roughly clad in what appeared to be mostly rags and carried a large cane knife that showed a gleaming edge where it had recently been sharpened. The black climbed the line tossed to him and stood before Phillips gazing around this strange ship, probably the largest edifice he had ever been in or on.

Phillips spoke to him, but the man spoke no English. French was tried, which also did not work. Finally Seaman Rodriguez was brought aft and asked to try. Rodriguez was a Spaniard who had found reason to sign on a British warship early on in the first war and showed no desire to return to his native land. His Spanish got at least a limited response from the stranger. Phillips instructed Rodriguez what he wished to learn from the fellow, and he tried.

Rodrigues, after speaking to the man and listening carefully, told his captain. “Sir, this man speaks a dialect I have never heard of before. He does know a few Spanish words, but pronounces them differently than I have ever heard. I think he wants to leave now. Maybe he will bring someone here, but when, I do not understand.”

Phillips had some hands gather up some small tools the stranger might possibly find some use for and waved goodbye. In moments, the dugout was ashore, and he was gone.

No more was seen or heard of him that evening. It was felt there was no further need of the signal gun, so the charges were taken back to the magazine and Landsman Evers sent back to his normal duties.

It was late in the afternoon watch the next day when people were seen loading in the dugout. The stranger from yesterday, a frail looking black woman and a feverish white man.

The white man, apparently unable to sit, was laid in the canoe and the blacks took their places at bow and stern and paddled out to Roebuck. A boat crew scrambled down to the launch which was pulled up alongside and helped unload the canoe’s passenger into the boat. Utterly helpless, he was laid on a wide board and hoisted up on deck, where Doctor Baynes took him into his custody.

The black stranger from yesterday pulled himself up a line with agility and began a lengthy explanation in his own language.

Not understanding a word, Phillips gave orders that a package, prepared the evening before, be brought up and given to the man. It contained some ship’s biscuit, fish hooks and line, several knives and an axe. A musket and twenty cartridges were also handed to the fellow. When the woman climbed up the side as nimbly as the man, Phillips pulled his purse from his pocket and handed her ten Spanish dollars. Both were smiling broadly as they went down into their boat.

The afternoon hour were waning, but Hornady thought they could get the ship out of the passageway before dark. So, with the anchor brought up, the boats began pulling Roebuck through the narrow channel. In the growing darkness, the ship once touched an underwater obstruction, from which the boats could not free her. Soundings around the ship indicated depth enough.

Layton and Bosun Bailes discussed the situation and it was felt the ship was in the grasp of some underwater mangrove roots or branches. There seemed to be a certain amount of movement when both boats pulled. Phillips was ready to order the kedge dropped ahead of the ship so they could use the capstan to pull her out, but Layton suggested getting a little sail on the ship to try that idea first.

There was concern about ripping off some copper from the ship’s bottom, but the first and most important tasks were to get the envoy to safety and to get the ship out of Spanish waters before they were discovered. In the end, it was felt any minor underwater damage could be taken care of back in English harbor.

Headsails were set to the wind, and without much of a protest, the ship pulled herself free of whatever was holding her. Free of the land, Roebuck spread her sails and was off.