Sails Across the Sea: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 8) (11 page)

The enemy frigate did not care to dispute this presumptuous sloop-of-war any longer and set what sail she could to get away from the scene. She was certainly not defeated, and her commander knew if he could just get to grips with the little warship he could make her strike. However, his ammunition supply was nearly gone and he had no place to resupply his badly damaged warship with stores and men. His consort was gone, as was any good will he might have with the numerous pirates in the Indian Ocean. He could see that little warship leaving the Company ships and returning to face him. It was now time to leave.

The decks of the escort brig were awash, with much of her crew in the water, these men greatly concerned about the presence of sharks. Men armed with muskets lined the sides to deter the big predators, while others jumped into the ship’s boats towing behind. The survivors were brought aboard Badger and the brig was left to soon begin its descent into the depths. With the big frigate sailing away, Phillips now felt free to see what needed to be done with the Company ships.

When Phillips climbed aboard the Guildford, he was met by her second officer, now in command; the captain slain in the recent fighting and the first mate badly injured. A most fearsome looking woman stood beside him, her arm and frock covered with gore, holding onto an ornate, curved saber in one hand with grim determination, and a strangely shaped dagger in the other.

When the ship’s acting captain took him aside he related how this formidable woman had been armed by her husband with his pistol. The husband had jumped into the fray with his cavalry sword, only to be cut down with a kris-wielding pirate. The lady, enraged, fired her single shot into the attacker’s stomach, snatched up her husband’s saber, and began to slash about. It was not clear how many of the enemy she had slain, but her actions were a major impetus for others to pick up weapons and join in. As a souvenir of the battle, she had appropriated the bloody dagger that had slain her husband and no amount of persuasion could make her part with it.

The pirate brig was useless, so one of her guns was pointed down a hatch and fired. The sinking vessel was left behind while attention was given to the wounded Indiaman.

Phillips would have liked to return to the fray with the fleeing frigate, but his own ship had received some telling wounds, and his supply of shot was reaching a critical level. With the addition of what able-bodied crew of the escort brig that were still available, Badger did have an adequate crew. He judged his best action would be to escort the ships back to Cape Colony. The monsoon season had just about ended and the normal trade wind pattern about to resume. He did not wish to try to sail across the Indian Ocean against the prevailing winds with the ships in this condition.

There was some difficulty getting back to Cape Colony. The monsoon winds, which had earlier seemed to be dying had returned in strength, and they had to constantly beat into that wind out of the south-west to try to make their westing. However, at length, the trade winds returned and Badger and her convoy finally sailed in to safe harbor.

She remained for six weeks, making repairs and attempting to recruit seamen. Unable to lure many skilled seamen aboard, he was able to sign on some Native Africans. These people had been captured in some far off tribal war and now found themselves enslaved in Cape Colony. He was made aware of their situation by a missionary who intended to devote his life with the local natives. He did not speak the native’s language but one of his local flock did, at least to some extent.

Phillips found these people were owned by a Dutch burgher who was dismayed by the inability of his overseers to make these slaves work. The problem was, it developed, the men were of a warrior caste in their tribe. It was unseemly for them to work in fields and cultivate crops. It seemed they would rather suffer the lash or die than perform what they considered ‘women’s work’.

Phillips asked the evangelist whether he thought these men would like to be soldiers at sea. They would fight the King’s enemies along with the white crew members. It seemed the answer was this would not be against their caste. However, when the owner of the slaves heard of this, he was exceedingly upset and threatened Phillips with legal proceedings. In front of the English magistrate Phillips argued that he needed the men to crew his ship and in any case was prepared to pay the owner for every slave.

This was an entirely different matter, when the slave’s owner found he would be paid a guinea for every slave taken aboard Badger. Since they refused to work for him anyway, he felt this was pure profit. With the money, he could purchase tools and trinkets with which to trade for other natives captured in their incessant tribal wars, people perhaps more amenable to farm work.

Upon weighing anchor, it became necessary to drill the new men in their duties. Understanding the new hand’s reluctance to do any work other than fighting, he had the Sergeant of Marines first instruct the men in bayonet drill. This was to their liking and after intense training, they became proficient. After this, they were taught to load and fire the muskets on order.

Making an initial short cruise out of Simonstown, they encountered a French corvette on her way toward the east. Presumably heading to join her already defeated allies, she had come in the wrong season with the trade winds in her face.

Badger set out to face her and set herself for a long chase. The two ships were about equally matched with little difference in speed. Settling down to a long chase, the trailing Badger began bombarding the corvette with fire from her forward long nine pounder guns. The gunfire was relatively ineffective because of the long range but it did give him a chance to exercise his gun crews.

Phillips alternated men with the guns, giving all hand a chance to hone their skills. After letting the Africans observe the procedure, the gunner allowed a group to crew one of the guns. At first ineffective, the men soon got the idea, and when one of the shots knocked down the fugitive’s mizzen top mast, all of the Africans expressed their joy in a loud ululation.

Seeing the effects of their shot on the enemy, many of the Africans became interested in improving their own ships performance. In order to outpace the enemy, they expressed an interest in making the ship sail faster. They were schooled in sail handling by the chief bosun’s mate and suddenly no longer expressed their disdain for routine ship’s work, as they saw the results of their work.

The chase was able to replace that topmast and later encountered a wind that propelled them just a little faster than Badger, no matter what she might do. Despite losing their quarry, the new crewmen were elated at the flight of the corvette...

There had been limited amounts of nine pounder shot in Cape Colony, and she had now shot most of that away. They had obtained some good hits on her quarry and Phillips knew the corvette would have a difficult time replacing damaged equipment, but felt he had done as much as he could. It was now time to return to Cape Colony.

The return was anti-climactic. Badger had been gone only a short time, she had accomplished nothing of any importance, save expending much of the nine pounder balls available at the Cape but she had trained some men thought by others to be untrainable. Phillips was content with the progress his ex-slaves had made. Granted, they were a long way from being rated able, but at this moment they filled useful positions as deck hands and some had proved to be excellent gun crew members.

Governor Craddock insisted upon their remaining near Cape Colony for the time being. Badger made short cruises to keep the crew’s skills intact and to prevent boredom from setting in. Many of the former African slaves, now well-adjusted to onboard shipboard life, proved adept aloft in the rigging, and some of them Phillips intended to raise to the status of ‘Able Seaman’ as soon as they gained a little more experience.

On one of his frequent visits ashore, Captain Phillips, accompanied by Badger’s purser, paid a visit to the major ship’s chandler in the port. In addition to supplies needed by visiting ships, local residents were accustomed to shop there for necessities imported from home or points east.

While considering some China tea, with the idea of purchasing some for his own use aboard ship, he encountered Lady Hamilton. She was accompanied by her maid from Guildford and a pair of Black servants she had engaged to assist in carrying the purchases.

Phillips remembered the woman as she had appeared to him on the deck of the Guildford after the engagement. Today, she appeared as an entirely different person. Dressed in the style of the time, she carried a dainty parasol to protect her skin from the savage rays of the African sun. While certainly no great beauty, she was still possessed of natural feminine dignity that impelled most men to afford her the proper respect.

While she was fingering a bolt of fabric imported from India, Phillips approached and introduced himself as the captain of HMS Badger. Almost expecting to be brushed aside, he was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with surprised animation as she expressed her gratitude at being rescued from the clutches of the pirates.

He replied, “Lady Hamilton, from what I saw and heard from others, you yourself had as much to do as anyone at defeating your attackers. I have to tell you that I greatly admire your determination and fortitude.”

She replied, “Well Captain, some of the women would say I demeaned my sex by fighting the pirates on deck as I did.”

“Ma’am, those people have not seen what happens to women who have been captured by pirates. I have! Any man involved in the profession of arms should have nothing but admiration for your efforts.”

Further conversation resulted in her request that he join her for tea at the inn where she was staying while she awaited a ship back to Britain. She had decided she did not wish to travel on to India in the absence of her husband. Her own home was in London, in the house her industrialist father had possessed, but her deceased husband had a moderate estate in Sussex which she thought she might examine to see if it would make a suitable home for herself and her forthcoming child.

The pair, finding their conversation to be most pleasant, mutually decided to engage a chaise to make an afternoon’s excursion into the country later in the week. A wagon bearing servants and food would accompany them, along with some fearsome looking Native tribesmen who would serve to ward off any dangerous beasts they might encounter.

There was no hint of romance between the pair. Lady Hamilton was nearly twice the age of Phillips, and she was no longer interested in a mate of any description. She was well satisfied with her present lot in life as a woman with means of her own, an un-encumbered estate and an infant on the way. As good friends, they found they could discuss matters which more romantically inclined couples might steer clear of.

Speaking very broadly, without mentioning any names, he related his account of his adventures in the Mediterranean last voyage and how strongly he felt the necessity to avoid any notice of such adventures, even to the point of avoiding any recognition by the Crown.

In turn, Lady Hamilton explained how anxious she was to keep a distance from those men whose object was to secure access to her fortune and to her estate. She said many men on Guildford, scenting money, were pressing their attentions upon her. She wondered if it were possible that HMS Badger might return to England soon. If so, she would like to beg passage aboard her to avoid unwonted attentions.

Phillips was forced to answer that he had no idea of when he would return home, that being up to the Royal Navy and Governor Craddock here. He said he suspected he would be sent back out to face what remained of French and pirate predators just as soon as he was able to re-supply his ship.

For much of Badger’s sojourn at the Cape, Diligente, a prize taken earlier in the voyage, had swung at her anchor, manned by a scratch crew of dis-possessed former East India Company crew and officers. Finally, orders arrived from London that a Royal Navy officer be provided to her by Badger, along with sufficient crew to sail her. She was then to sail to Portsmouth for survey.

Orders and ship’s stores arrived on the same transport for Badger. Stores of all variety arrived, the most appreciated were powder and shot. Some timbers of Badger’s hull had been damaged in enemy action, and the appropriate material had also been sent for repairs.

Skilled shipyard workers were available in plenty in the colony, many of them from the former Dutch regime. Although Digilente had been much beaten about when captured, she was being rapidly put in order with an infusion of money, material and skills.

Phillips took advantage of the opportunity to have his own ship put to rights. For one thing, she needed her bottom scraped. He arranged to rent a warehouse on shore to house his men while Badger was being serviced. Before landing the men, he spoke to them about the pay and prize money that was due to them. They would have plenty of opportunity to desert while ashore, but by so doing they would lose that money. Furthermore, they would be marooned far from home in a British colony surrounded by African natives who had bad experiences with white settlers. If captured, they might be exchanged for bounty to the authorities, should they be lucky. If not, they might become objects for the tribe’s women to amuse themselves with so long as they lasted.

The captain recommended the men remain in the accommodations arranged for them and advised them to obtain their meals that would be furnished for them by the ship’s cook. Duties would be light and they would be permitted to visit the local establishments, just as long as they did not cause trouble. Should they do so, there would be labor needed aboard ship and trouble-makers would be the first men assigned to that labor.

Since he was to furnish an officer to command Diligente on her voyage back home, he assigned Mister Davison to the task. Davison, although only a newly appointed lieutenant, had performed in a professional manner throughout the voyage, and there was no one other he considered as capable.

Phillips went aboard Diligente and approached the young Company officer now commanding her. He informed the young man he was willing to rate him Master’s Mate in the Royal Navy and appoint him as the prize’s acting sailing master. That man, knowing he would be out of a position should he decline the offer, accepted, perhaps thinking he might be able to make other arrangements once back home.

The remainder of Diligente’s crew were all pressed into the Royal Navy and re-enforced with a few men seconded from Badger. Phillips also gave them a draft of a file of his own Royal Marines, in case any of the pressed men had objections to the new order. To replace them, he called to his cabin the Blacks he had signed aboard earlier. Since they were now, at least moderately able to speak and understand English, at least of the naval variety, he advised them he needed more Marines and wanted to know whether any of them wished to be considered. After some debate, three men volunteered and he was advised where he might find more enslaved members of their tribe who would be glad to escape their white over-seer.

On his next trip ashore, Phillips, accompanied with a detail of trusted seamen, one a former slave himself, approached the mentioned Dutch owner and mentioned his willingness to purchase slaves he owned of that particular tribe. Like the previous transaction, he offered a guinea for each man. To prevent misunderstanding, he reached in his purse and extracted one of the golden coins. As soon as the monoglot slave owner had his steward translate the message, he expressed his willingness.

The slaves, all chained together by leg irons, were brought forward and Phillips asked his own Black crewman to explain what was happening.

Some of the slaves were acquainted with this crewman from their previous life, and there was much discussion among the men.

After a certain amount of suspicion, it was agreed by the slaves that life aboard ship could not be as harsh as their present travails, so they agreed to accept the new arrangement. The slave-owner accepted the coin and pronounced himself satisfied in rapid Dutch. The steward explained the irons were securely riveted to each slave’s leg and the blacksmith was not on the estate at this time. He must make his own arrangements to remove the irons.

With chains clinking, the party made their way back to the ship, which had by now had much of her hull work complete and was floating up-right in the harbor. The armorer was called ashore to strike off the bonds. Inexperienced in such matters, Phillips thought the man might need to fire up his forge, but instead each slave was instructed to place his foot on the anvil and the armorer used a cold chisel and heavy hammer to cut through the hard iron rivet. Generally, two blows were enough to free each man. Phillips was thankful none of his new crewmen were crippled by this evolution.

Knowing the value the natives placed upon iron, Phillips addressed them through his interpreter, telling them the men could keep the iron bonds if they wished. Instead, with an expression of disgust, each man hurled his leg iron with its chain into the sea.

As he had done with his previous Blacks, he put his Marine sergeant to teaching them bayonet drill. This was similar to the drill with spears they had performed in their previous life, and much preferable to them to the demeaning farm work they had been required to do before.

While occupied with these matters, he had to decide who was to become Badger’s only lieutenant and first officer. He called Mister Hardesty aft and explained what he had in mind. Midshipman Hardesty had his six years at sea but had never taken the required boards before a panel of captains.

Questioned, Hardesty explained he had never been in a position to take the boards since reaching the required length of service. He assured Captain Phillips he would study earnestly for the examination now.

On reflection, Phillips announced, “Mister Hardesty, it is my intention to rate you as acting lieutenant, in view of the lack of another officer. You will occupy the position of first officer, with the rights and privileges of that position. You must now distance yourself from the other midshipman, refraining from the tomfoolery and escapades sometimes associated with that position. One of your first duties will be to advise me of a seaman who we may rate as midshipman to replace yourself. That man must be literate and seamanlike, able to promote respect among the hands.”

“You will doubtless encounter situations with which you may not be familiar. In that case, you may ask myself, our sailing master, or our chief bosun’s mate for advice. Of course, none of us will do your work for you, but you are perfectly free to ask for advice.”

“You must understand you will be required to stand before an examining board of captains at some point, who will determine your suitability for a commission. Until you pass your boards and receive the actual commission, you will have only an acting appointment, subject to be reduced to your former midshipman’s status at any time. Are we clear?”

With his new status and authority, Hardesty was of immense value after Mister Davison had gone aboard Diligente. Many of the stores had been removed and sent ashore. With the work on the ship mostly complete, it must be brought back on board.

Mister Tringle was the designated person in charge of proper stowage of stores, but Phillips required Hardesty to attend and learn what he might later need to know of such. Along with other stores, a transport from Britain had brought them the required ammunition to replace that which had been fired off in their previous engagements.