The Scent of Betrayal (4 page)

‘Pender!’ Harry snapped. ‘Get on the mainmast halyard. Shiver our pennant a trifle as though you’re trying to get it down and it’s stuck.’

‘Aye, aye, Captain.’

Such a ploy was too late for the second broadside, which was certainly well within range of Villemin’s longer cannon. But the way the guns were aimed confirmed that the Frenchman wanted him whole. They could see the balls quite clearly, arcing through the clear blue sky, fired from cannon set at maximum elevation. Although everyone on deck was drenched by flying water, not one of them struck the hull. Captain Caufield gave him a wry smile. As Harry gave the orders to let fall, sending others to man the braces, he pulled at his son’s sleeve and both men ran to carry out their allotted task. Pender tugged away at the halyard as the commands rang out. The slight dip of the flag would make his enemy wonder. Likewise the men running to their places on the deck. They could be about to let fly the sheets, rather than haul round on the braces. There would be no avoiding one proper broadside when Villemin realised the truth. But it might be just the one, since by the time he’d reloaded
Bucephalas
would be sailing out of range. Harry yelled the requisite commands and as the men began to haul, he threw his weight on the wheel to bring her round into the wind.

This was the moment when Villemin proved, once more, that he was a poor commander. Anyone with any sense, having an enemy ship at such a clear disadvantage, would have timed his salvo for maximum effect, taking care to aim each gun to wound the target where it mattered, in the rigging. Not Villemin. Surprised or angered by Harry’s action, he fired at once. The resulting broadside was ragged, as the slower crews sought to change their aim, and it was executed partly on the downroll, so only a small portion hit home.
Bucephalas
shuddered nevertheless, as the great balls skipped over the water and smashed low into her hull. But
she was coming round handsomely, presenting a proper target to the
Marianne
when the enemy guns were unloaded. By the time they were ready and run out, Harry was heading away from an enemy who was practically still in the water. The calculated risk this involved, in presenting his vulnerable stern to his enemy, was vindicated by another ragged, poorly aimed salvo, every ball of which missed completely.

JAMES CAME
on deck, intent on making his way towards the wheel, only to find himself dodging several groups of running seamen, all hauling like heathens on the thick hempen ropes, forced to skip nimbly to avoid being mown down. He joined his brother with a rush that left him flushed from embarrassment and exertion. The boom of the French guns, fired in a more orderly fashion, gave him a moment to regain his breath. He opened his mouth to speak just as the balls landed in an even pattern right in their wake. Several great founts of water shot into the air. Even with the wind carrying the majority away, enough came inboard to drench everyone abaft the mainmast. Harry hoped it would be the last broadside for a while. The range was increasing rapidly and the Frenchman would be forced to abandon his gunnery and send his crew to man the braces in order to take up the pursuit. James flicked at his coat with an elegant hand, as though it was stained by a few specks of dust rather than ten gallons of sea water.

‘I’ve left Caufield
pére et fils
to sort out the guns you want. I thought I’d better come and tell you, brother, that while they are working with a will our Frenchmen are beginning to show distinct signs of edginess.’

‘You may tell them we are safe for the moment, James.’

‘I think they’d be happier on deck, where they can see what is happening for themselves.’

Harry held up a pleading hand. ‘Keep them below, please. Our crew are used to each other. They’d merely confuse things. I think you’ve just observed how even the most well-intentioned soul can get in the way.’

James ignored the gibe. ‘Then you’d best tell me how we lay, so that I may pass it on.’

Harry explained what had just happened, as they both cast anxious eyes towards the frigate, now coming round into their wake. Then, without pause, he turned to include the two brigs, as though the mere wave of a firm hand was enough to brush them aside. Freed from pressing duties, and seeing Harry conversing with his brother, several of the more curious members of the crew had edged towards them. Harry would have been economical about the true peril of their situation anyway. Their presence made him doubly so. Yet those with the wit to see would not be fooled.

The brigs were doing exactly what Villemin required of them, sailing large and holding the advantage of the weather-gage. They would never surrender that, no matter what he did. A close engagement would force Harry inshore, where manoeuvre was impossible. Alternatively they could stay ahead, blocking his path, obliging him to come off his best point of sailing to try and slip past them. That would take him, every time he tacked or wore, right into the teeth of the wind, the inevitable effect, playing on the bulk of the ship, acting to slow him down.

‘I won’t pretend the situation is rosy, brother. It’s not. We are in some peril. But it depends on those two fellows in our path. Can they coordinate their actions to near perfection?’

‘I take it, by your tone, that they must?’

‘Most certainly,’ Harry replied, forcing himself to sound cheerful. ‘
Bucephalas
represents a superior force. On the face of it I could inflict terminal damage on one, or even both, as long as the
Marianne
is too far away to intervene.’

‘Will she be?’ James boomed.

Harry smiled, even if it had a bitter quality. This was typical James, asking questions in a voice loud enough to be heard by those of his crew standing close, questions that they dare not pose themselves.

‘Briefly. And only if I don’t lose one ounce of speed.’

‘A tall order, brother, since we have no guns.’

‘They don’t know that.’

‘Will they not guess? A man in their tops will see all of our deck.’

‘It’s possible. But that’s all it will be, a guess.’ Harry pointed towards the Caufields, who’d now manoeuvred the first of the carronades onto the deck. ‘The real question is this. Given the damage they think we can inflict, is either Captain prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop one ship when they’re about to take possession of a whole harbour full of rich prizes?’

James gestured towards the waist. Several French heads had popped up and were looking hard at the pair by the wheel. ‘This is going to require a deal of explanation.’

‘It’s not a task I would entrust to anyone else,’ replied Harry. He only realised once he’d spoken that really James had no other function to perform. But if he’d wounded him by pointing that up, he had no time to repair the fault, and that made him sound more harsh than he truly intended. ‘Now, if you’ll forgive me, brother, I must change tack.’

‘Now there, Harry, is an expression that suits you to the letter.’

Harry favoured his brother, for just a second, with a black look. Then, remembering they were under observation, it was instantly replaced by something more sanguine. Perhaps if James had been content to carry on a private conversation he would have been more forthcoming, admitting their true situation, but he’d been forced to speak in a way that would bolster the crew. Things were bad enough without them giving up hope. He was sure that they trusted him to get them out of this scrape, as he had got them out of so many others. Perhaps luck would favour him. Perhaps one of the two Frenchmen ahead would indeed throw away the total advantage provided by his lack of sea room; fail to use even one of their guns, or sacrifice the all important weather-gage and leave him a clear escape route. Perhaps one of them was a complete and utter fool!

All that stuff about superior force was hogwash. If they played
their cards right they didn’t even have to fight him. They had time on their side, which would allow Villemin to close the range. And he wouldn’t fire off long shot this time, he’d want to get close and inflict real damage. Once that happened, Harry knew, he must strike his flag immediately. The Frenchman might harbour a deep desire to take
Bucephalas
intact, but the previous signs of resistance would put paid to that notion. There’d be no second chance at subterfuge. Everyone aboard the ship would find themselves helpless victims of the full force of the
Marianne
’s uncontested broadside.

The dull boom of distant cannon rumbled in the air. Having heard so many that morning Harry paid the sound no heed. Nor, since he’d looked back to check on the frigate’s progress, did he see the founts of water that rose high in the gap between the two ships ahead.

‘Them two brigs are shortening sail, Capt’n,’ called the lookout.

‘Shortening sail,’ Harry said, snapping his head round to look.

‘You sound surprised, brother.’

‘So would you be if you were a sailor, James. That is the very last thing they should be doing. Later, yes. Now, most certainly, no!’

The lookout called again, this time his voice full of excitement. ‘Ship off the larboard beam, Captain. It’s them that fired the shot.’

‘What shot?’

The lookout either didn’t hear the question or was too excited to answer it. ‘Dead ahead, Captain, just clearing the headland. I can see her tops. She’s got an American flag aloft. I think she’s the
Daredevil
barque that was in St Croix harbour.’

Harry snapped at his brother. ‘James, take the wheel and hold her steady.’

He rushed forward, grabbing a telescope from the rack. The
Daredevil
’s bowsprit, rounding the point ahead, came into view.
The Stars and Stripes streaming forward from her masthead stood out clear above the loom of the land. As she came into plain view he could see that she was heeled over at a steep pitch, a full suit of sails aloft and clearly seeking to make maximum speed. Harry had no way of deciphering what this meant, but the mere sight of the American barque making such a supreme effort lifted his depressed spirits. They had no reason to crack on so unless they intended to take a hand against his enemies. Why that should be so, he couldn’t say. A puff of black smoke spewed forth from the barque’s bow. This was followed a second later by the dull boom of the gun. The salvo that had been fired posed no real danger to either of the brigs. But it left them in little doubt of the
Daredevil
’s intentions.

‘That’s their second go, Capt’n,’ said Pender, who had come to join him. ‘I reckon you missed their first one.’

Harry merely nodded, his mind racing. This completely altered the nature of the engagement. With a ship to windward of them which looked likely to do battle, the two French brigs had lost their advantage. They could no longer act with impunity, since to pursue Harry Ludlow as required would put them at a distinct disadvantage
vis-à-vis
the American. And given the
Daredevil
’s position and course, any effort to pen Harry inshore rendered their situation more dangerous. The proof wasn’t long in coming, and the brigs changed course away from the land. Not that he was in the clear. His opponents were only showing due caution. Something had to be done to make them believe that matters were a great deal worse than they had supposed if he was to actually escape.

‘Stand by to go about,’ yelled Harry, rushing back to the wheel to join James. ‘Captain Caufield, if you can get that one carronade ready to fire, I think we can now confound those two ahead of us.’

‘What do you intend, Harry?’

‘I want them to think I don’t care about Villemin. I want them to believe that I intend to sink them before I strike.’ Harry
turned his back on his brother, cutting off the next question. ‘Pender, get below quickly. Inform the gunner I want powder and shot on deck in two minutes, for no more than two rounds of the carronade. And tell him that what I require most from his cartridges is a great deal of smoke.’

‘One gun, Harry?’

Harry glared at his brother, a look which softened immediately. It wasn’t James’s fault. He didn’t understand, any less than Harry had trouble comprehending the most rudimentary skills required to paint, and what seemed like a negative question wasn’t anything more than a request for clarification. Harry raised a hand, forcing James to look up at the sun, now fully risen in the sky.

‘We’ll open all the ports, James, and they will be shaded. He won’t be able to see if they contain guns or not, and if we can produce enough smoke he might think we fired off more than one ball. They probably didn’t relish a fight with us in the first place, since they could be put in the situation of sacrificing themselves so that Villemin can claim the glory. They certainly won’t engage on his behalf against two enemies, one of who appears suicidal. But they’ll never let us pass if we don’t show some teeth. All I need is one shot for the sake of their honour. If I give them that they can sheer off with a clear conscience.’

Caufield had grabbed several seamen, regardless of the need to change tack, and was working furiously to rig the carronade. Realising that he didn’t have enough time to attach it properly to the carriage he’d set two men to rig a temporary breeching that would go some way to holding the massive recoil when it was fired.
Bucephalas
came round onto the starboard tack with absolute precision, moving away from the shore into more open water, taking maximum advantage of the space provided by her enemies’ shortening sail. The
Daredevil
’s bow chasers spoke again. This time, with the range shortened, the balls skipped very close to the nearest Frenchman’s hull, which caused the Captain to shy away. But they did no actual damage.

‘When you’re ready, Captain Caufield,’ Harry shouted. He then addressed the entire crew. ‘Take station behind the gunports as though they have cannon rigged and ready. I intend to come back onto the larboard tack and make straight for the enemy. Once within range I’ll show him our side. Gunports to remain closed till we come round. I don’t want them to see the true state of our armament.’

As the men ran to their places Pender came on deck carrying a precautionary length of slow-match, just in case the flintlocks failed to ignite the charge. He was accompanied by the gunner and two Frenchmen. They carried the great metal balls that would hopefully induce caution in their fellow-countrymen. The gunner bore the cartridges in a solemn fashion, like some votive offering. His servant called to the gun crew to step forward and load and the men who worked that particular cannon took their accustomed places. Meanwhile Caufield had passed a stout cable out through the bulwarks on either side, looped round marlinspikes for extra purchase, before fetching them inboard again and lashing them to the tompion of the gun.

‘No one to stand behind the cannon, Captain Caufield, if you please. Aim it a touch forward and fire as soon as she bears.’

Caufield waved just as
Daredevil
fired off another salvo. Harry looked up to observe the fall of shot, slightly alarmed that with the shortened range they’d still inflicted no damage. He himself was so close the faces of his opponents were in plain view. They’d maintained their position in relation to each other and still had the capacity to snuff out what he was about to attempt. If the American had wounded them, perhaps they’d have shown more caution. But there was no time to speculate on the reasons for
Daredevil
’s lack of accuracy or the nature of his enemy’s attitude. He gave the orders that would bring them on to the larboard tack, and took a firm grip on the wheel.

Bucephalas
came round handsomely. Using the pressure of the rudder, Harry let the wind carry her to a few points more than his previous course. At his command the gunports flew open. Every
sailor who normally manned the guns crouched at his usual position, as if they were about to deliver a broadside. Visible only from the upperworks of the Frenchman, with the guns themselves hidden in shadow, this would add a degree of verisimilitude to the picture that he was seeking to create. The only gun captain with work to do, standing perilously close to the carronade, pulled at the lanyard. Nothing happened. He immediately dropped the slow-match to the touch-hole and jumped backwards. It was as well he did. The carronade belted out a great cloud of smoke which at maximum range billowed back over the deck. The gunner had done Harry proud in the mix of his powder. Not only did it produce a deafening roar, but the quantity of smoke swirling around on the side of the ship gave credibility to the idea of more than one cannon being used. It was merely fortuitous that
Daredevil
fired off another pair of guns at the same time. The combination, with water churning about their hulls, was enough for the two Frenchmen. Both put up their helms and headed to the south, leaving Harry Ludlow a clear passage between them and the shore. Villemin fired off his signal gun repeatedly, presumably ordering them to change course and resume the engagement, all to no avail.