The Bomb Vessel (24 page)

Rogers shrugged. ‘What is there to make of it? As I said Drinkwater's a strange cove. Been mixed up in the business since before the war; ask Tregembo if you want to know about our commander. Lying old buzzard will tell you tales as tall as the main truck; about the young midshipman who slit the gizzard of some Frog and took the m'sieur's sword for his pains, or retook an American prize after her crew over-powered the prize crew. All in all it's a bloody mystery why our Nathaniel ain't commanding this bloody expedition against the festering Tsar . . . Let's face it,
Bones, he couldn't make a worse mess of it than that old fool Parker and
he's
got Lord Nelson to prod his reluctant arse for him.'

‘True, Mr Rogers, but it does seem that Mr Drinkwater was specially selected for his discretion in landing this spy fellow. I'd say he'd achieved that with a fair degree of success, wouldn't you?'

‘Yes, I suppose . . . hey, what's that going on alongside
Cruizer
?' Rogers whipped the night-glass from its rack and stared hard at the grey shape of the brig half a mile away and partially hidden from them behind
Blanche
. ‘By God, she's getting under way!'

Lettsom stared into the gathering darkness and had to confess he could see nothing remarkable.

‘There man, are you blind? Damned good surgeon you'll make if you can't see a bloody brig getting under way with her boats alongside.'

‘No, I can't see a thing. D'you want me to tell the captain on my way below?'

‘Yes, I'd be obliged to you.' Rogers turned away. ‘Hey fo'c's'le there! Can't you see anything unusual on the starboard beam. Keep your blasted eyes peeled, God damn it, unless you want a Danish guard-boat coming alongside to piss in your ear while you're asleep up there . . .'

‘Aye, aye, sir.' Lettsom heard the aggrieved tone in the response.

In the cabin he told Drinkwater of the news of
Cruizer
.

‘Thank you Mr Lettsom, pray take a seat. Will you take a glass and a biscuit with me? I daresay we will know what's amiss tomorrow morning, in the meantime a glass to keep the cold out before turning in would be a good idea, eh?'

‘Indeed it would, sir, thank you.'

‘Mr Lettsom, I don't care much for doggerel, but I hear that you command a superior talent upon the flute. Would you oblige me with an air?'

‘With the greatest of pleasure, Mr Drinkwater. Are you familiar with the work of Lully?'

‘No. Pray enlighten me.'

The fleet had moved south from Hven at daybreak. They were now anchored within sight of the roofs and spires of Copenhagen, at the northern end of Copenhagen Road. Another council of war had been held aboard
London
to which the artillery
officers were summoned. Quilhampton returned from delivering Tumilty to the flagship with news for Drinkwater.

‘Amazon
and
Cruizer
, sir, they've been forward with the
Lark
, lugger. Lord Nelson's reconnoitred the Danish position, so one of the mids aboard
London
told me.'

Drinkwater nodded. ‘Doubtless we'll learn all the details when he returns. I'm obliged to you Mr Q.' Drinkwater reached for the old notebooks of Blackmore and pored over the chart, lost in thought.

The Danish capital of Copenhagen straddled a narrow strait between the easternmost part of Zeeland and the smaller island of Amager. The strait formed the inner harbour and ran through the heart of the city. To the east the sea formed a large open roadstead separated from the main part of The Sound by the low, sandy island of Saltholm which supported little but a few huts and a quantity of marram grass. But the roadstead was deceptive. In addition to the shoals that lined the shores of Amager and Saltholm, which converged at the southern end off Dragør in The Grounds, a large elliptical mud-bank split the roadstead in two. Called the Middle Ground it divided the area into two navigable channels. The westernmost one, which from the British fleet's present anchorage led first towards, and then southwards past Copenhagen, was called the King's Deep. The easternmost which ran due south close to the Saltholm shore, and out of range of the guns at Copenhagen, was known as the Holland Deep.

The problem in attacking Copenhagen would be whether to enter the King's Deep from the north, which might bottle the ships up at the southern end with an unfavourable wind preventing them returning through the Holland Deep, or assembling at the southern end and forcing a passage to the north through the King's Deep when the wind changed.

Drinkwater was suddenly disturbed by the opening of his door and the gleam of gold coins flung across the chart before him. He looked up in astonishment. Tumilty's usually florid face was blue with cold and a large dewdrop depended from his nose. But his expression was one of utter joy.

‘There's my stake in the wager, Nat'aniel, and sure it is that I've just as cheerfully parted with another five to Captain Lawson for his superior pyroballogy from the
Zebra
, so I have.'

‘And what of
Zebra
, Tom?' asked Drinkwater cautiously.

‘Would you believe they've strained the thirteen-inch mortar
bed mortal bad! And would you believe that they've sprung a garboard on the reef, and while it ain't what her commander would call serious, what with the hands pumping for an hour a watch, but further concussions of her mortars might let the whole o' the Baltic into her bilge?'

‘And
Virago
?' asked Drinkwater rising to pour two glasses of blackstrap.

‘Nothing firm yet, Nat'aniel. Flag officer's minds don't leap to decisions with the same facility as that of your humble servant's, but 'tis only a matter of time until expedience itself must recommend
Virago
to fill the breach, an' there's me money as an act of faith.' He lifted the glass to his lips giving one of his heavily conspiratorial winks.

Drinkwater digested the news. ‘What did you learn of the plans for the rest of the fleet?'

‘Oh, Parker's increased the size of Nelson's detachment by adding
Edgar
and
Ganges.'

‘That makes twelve line of battle ships. D'you think he means Nelson to make the attack?'

Tumilty nodded. ‘Certain of it . . . Fremantle is put in charge of those damned flat boats and there are some additional signals. Here, 'tis all in these orders.'

Tumilty tossed the papers onto the table. He added conversationally,
‘Isis
lost seven men passing Cronbourg when one of her old guns blew up.' He emptied his glass, helped himself to another and went on, ‘Nelson, it seems went ahead yesterday afternoon in a lugger . . .'

‘The
Lark.'

‘Just so; then last night Brisbane took the
Cruizer
and laid a couple of buoys at the north end o' the Holland Deep. D'you know where that is?'

Drinkwater pointed at the charts before him. Tumilty peered over his shoulder. ‘Ah, and yesterday Nelson saw the Danes hacking down beacons off Dragør . . .'

‘Here, at the southern end of the Channel leading to Copenhagen from the south. If we'd gone by the Great Belt we'd have had to pass the cannon at Dragør and as you see there is less room than through The Sound.'

‘Just so, just so . . . apparently the whole operation is now in jeopardy because the beacons and buoys have been removed from the approach channels. There's a line of forts and floating
batteries along the waterfront at Copenhagen and they command the approaches from the north or south. In their front lies a shoal . . .'

‘Here,' Drinkwater pointed, ‘The Middle Ground, between the flats round Saltholm and Copenhagen itself.'

‘Nelson wants to attack from the south, waiting for a southerly wind so that he may have a breeze to carry himself north if he's forced to disengage. The position looks formidable enough . . .'

‘And if it ain't buoyed . . .' Drinkwater's voice tailed off and a remote look came into his eyes. Then he suddenly slapped his hand down upon the papers.

‘God's bones, why the deuce did I not think of it before . . . where the devil's Lord Nelson now?'

‘Nelson? Why he's still on the
London
, or perhaps the
Elephant
 . . . hey, where are you going?'

Drinkwater flung open his cabin door and shouted ‘Have a boat ready for me at once there!' then re-entering the cabin he reached for his cloak, hat and sword.

‘I'm off to see Nelson.'

‘What about your orders?' Tumilty pointed to the packet lying unopened on the desk.

‘Oh damn them! We ain't going anywhere until those channels are buoyed out!'

Nelson's barge was returning alongside
Elephant
as
Virago's
boat approached. The barge had not left the battleship's side, although the admiral had gone on board by the time the
Virago's
boat bumped alongside and a tall lieutenant jumped across into the barge, teetered for a second upon a thwart, grabbed a tossed oar for support, and with a muttered ‘By your leave,' flung himself at the manropes and scaled the side of the
Elephant
.

Touching his hat to the quarterdeck and announcing himself to the astonished marine sentry at the entry port Drinkwater collared a passing midshipman and looked round. The tail of a posse of officers was disappearing under the poop and Drinkwater guessed they followed Nelson into his cabin.

‘His lordship, cully, upon the instant . . .' he growled at the boy.

Nelson was dismissing the entourage of officers, rubbing his forehead and pleading fatigue as Drinkwater pushed through them.

‘What is your business, sir?' Drinkwater found himself confronted
by a tall man in the uniform of a senior captain. The midshipman had melted away.

‘By your leave sir, a word with his lordship . . .'

‘What the devil is it Foley?'

‘An officer who requests a word with you.' Foley half turned and Nelson appeared in the doorway of the great cabin.

‘My lord, I beg a moment of your time . . .'

Nelson was frowning. ‘I know you!'

‘I entreat your lordship to permit me to assist in the surveying and buoyage duties attending the fleet's approach to Copenhagen . . .' he felt Foley's hand upon his arm.

‘Come sir, this is no time . . .'

‘No, wait, Foley.' Nelson's one good eye glittered, though his face was grey with fatigue. ‘Let us hear what the lieutenant has to say.'

‘I was employed during the last peace in the buoy yachts of the Trinity House . . .'

‘The Trinity House has provided us with pilots who do not share your enthusiasm, Mr, er . . .?'

‘Drinkwater, my lord. You misunderstand me. These men are from the Trinity House at Hull, unfamiliar with the techiques of buoy-laying. The buoy yachts of the London House are constantly about the matter.'

There was a pause, then Nelson asked: ‘Have I not seen you somewhere before, Mr Drinkwater?'

‘Aye, my lord, at Syracuse in ninety-eight. I was first of the brig
Hellebore . . .'

‘The
Hellebore
?' Nelson frowned.

‘You sent her to the Red Sea to warn Admiral Blankett of French intentions in Egypt.'

‘Ah, I recollect. And all to no avail, eh, Mr Drinkwater?' Nelson smiled wearily.

‘Not at all, my lord, we destroyed a French squadron and brought home a fine French thirty-eight.'

‘Ah . . .' Nelson smiled again, the wide, mobile mouth that betrayed the wild passion of his nature showed too that he was still a man of no great age.

‘Mr Drinkwater,' he said after a moment's consideration in the rather high-pitched Norfolk accent that he never attempted to disguise, ‘your zeal commends you. What ship are you in?'

‘I command the bomb tender
Virago
, my lord. She has two
mortars mounted and an artillery lieutenant as keen to use 'em as myself . . .' he held the admiral's penetrating gaze.

‘The ruddy Irishman that was at this morning's conference aboard
London
, eh?'

‘The same, my lord.'

‘I shall take note of your remarks and employ you and your ship as seems most desirable. I will acquaint Captain Brisbane of the
Cruizer
of your familiarity with the matter now urgently in hand. In the meantime, I must ask you to excuse me, I am most fearfully worn out . . . Foley be a good fellow and see Mr Drinkwater off . . .'

‘Thank you, my lord.' Drinkwater withdrew, never having thought to have an admiral ask to be excused, nor such a senior post-captain to escort him to his boat.

‘I hope you are able to make good your claims, Mr Drinkwater,' remarked Foley.

‘I have no doubt of it, sir.'

‘The admiral's condescension is past the tolerable limits of most of us,' the captain added with a touch of irony, handing over the importunate Drinkwater to the officer of the watch.

But Drinkwater ignored the gentle rebuke. He felt the misconstruction placed upon his presence with Lady Parker at Yarmouth was now effaced. He had glimpsed that Nelson touch at Syracuse and now he knew it for what it really was. In contrast with the tradition of self-seeking that had divided and bedevilled fleet operations for generations, Nelson was destined to command men united in purpose, whose loyalty to each other overrode petty considerations of self. They might not triumph before the well-prepared defences of Copenhagen but if they failed they would do so without disgrace. In the last words of Edmund Burke, if die they must, they would die with sword in hand.

‘Now gentlemen,' Drinkwater looked round the circle of faces: Rogers, the assembled warrant officers, the red-faced coat of Tumilty, the thin visage of Quilhampton. ‘Well gentlemen, we are to split our forces. Mr Tumilty is to continue his preparations with his party under the direct command of Mr Rogers who will assume command of the ship in my absence. The three watches will be taken by Messrs Trussel, Matchett and Willerton who will also attend to those other duties as may from time to time be required of them. Messrs Easton and Quilhampton will provide
themselves with the materials on this list and select a boat's crew which is to be adequately wrapped up against the cold. Mr Lettsom you and Mr Jex will serve additionally to your established duties to second those other officers as they require it, or as Mr Rogers or myself deem it necessary. This is a time for great exertion, gentlemen, I do not expect to have to recall anyone of you to your duty but there will be little rest in the next few days until the matter presently resolved upon is brought to a conclusion. What that conclusion will be rests largely upon the extent of our endeavours. Is that understood?'