Читать книгу King's Ransom - William Speir - Страница 15

Harry wanted to make a full inspection of his new ship with the sailing master, as was customary when taking command of a ship, but he knew that it would need to wait until after the crew had been briefed on the rest of the mission and everything was squared away for sea. He walked the length of the weather deck several times, encouraging the crew and watching as they worked out the differences between this ship and the other ships on which they had served.

He had just climbed the stairs to the quarterdeck when Chisholm the sailing master approached. “We’ve just passed Cornwall and are ready to turn north, sir.”

“So soon?” Harry asked. He had sailed past Cornwall many times and estimated it should have taken another twenty to thirty minutes before the ship had cleared the coast.

He saw Chisholm smiling in the lamplight. “She’s a fast ship, sir.” Harry heard the pride in the older man’s voice.

“I’m beginning to understand that, Mr. Chisholm. Hold your course for now. I need to address the crew first and relay the rest of the mission details. Then I’ll give you our new heading.”

“Very well, sir.”

“Mr. Pemberton,” Harry shouted, turning away from Chisholm.

“Yes, sir,” Pemberton responded, crossing the quarterdeck to stand next to Harry.

“Time to brief the crew, lieutenant,” Harry said.

“Yes, sir.” Turning to the Marine drummer standing on the quarterdeck, Pemberton shouted, “Mr. Lee, beat ‘all hands.’”

Private Edward Lee immediately beat the Navy cadence that signaled for all hands to report to the weather deck. On a ship as large as a frigate, it was difficult for voices to carry below deck, but a drum could be heard clearly in almost every part of the ship, making it the most effective way to pass action commands to the crew.

The crewmembers, most of whom were already on the weather deck, were soon standing in their proper places, facing the quarterdeck and their captain.

“Men, I first want to express my compliments for how well you carried out the first part of our mission. The ship was underway in minimal time, allowing us to reach the western tip of England ahead of schedule!”

A cheer went up from the men, who all seemed to be excited to be underway on what was already an unusual voyage.

Harry raised his hand and the crew fell silent. “Now that we’re safely at sea and away from the eyes and ears of spies, I can give you the full details of our mission. It’s a bit involved, so give me time to lay it all out for you.”

Harry looked at the faces barely illuminated by the deck lamps and then proceeded to explain to the crew the details of their mission and its importance to the king. Then he told the crew that the focus of the mission involved disrupting the flow of treasure from the Spanish colonies.

“As you can imagine,” Harry continued, “should news get back to France or Spain of an English warship preying on their treasure fleets in the Americas, war will come too soon, and this is something that cannot be allowed to happen. Therefore, we’re going to disguise ourselves so we don’t look like an English warship. That’s part of the reason we pretended to steal the ship, and why, beginning at first light, our ship is to be repainted. The yellow band along the gun deck that’s the mark of our Navy has to be painted a different color. Also, the ship will be receiving a new name: the King’s Ransom. Furthermore, we won’t be flying the flag of England.”

Harry paused a moment before stating, “We’ll be sailing under the black flag.”

Harry looked around and waited for a reaction from the crew and officers. He saw several crewmembers shaking their heads angrily, and he heard them murmuring. He also saw concerned looks on the faces of his officers.

“Speak up, men,” he said. “If you have something to say, this is the time to say it.”

“I didn’t join the navy to become no damnable pirate!” one of the carpenter’s mates shouted. Several other crewmembers shouted in agreement.

“You know what the Spaniards do to pirates they catch, don’t you?” a crewmember on the front row shouted. “They string ‘em up and leave ‘em spinnin’ in the wind for the birds to eat!”

Harry let the crewmembers continue ranting for several minutes. He looked over at his officers, but they remained silent, as was proper for English Naval officers. Most of the crew looked angry or frustrated, and several had taken to shouting at the crewmembers next to them or at the other officers, trying to get answers about why the king had sent them on this mission.

Finally, Harry held up his hand, and the crew fell silent. “Let me finish, men. We have been ordered to disguise ourselves as pirates so the French and Spanish won’t think we’re an English Navy warship. We’ll attack French and Spanish shipping, seizing as many ships and as much treasure as possible. We’ll transfer 70% of our winnings back to England, and we’ll divide the remaining 30% amongst ourselves. We may keep any ship we capture and use it as we see fit. We’ll sink the ship of any pirate or privateer we come across, and, from time to time, we’ll even pretend to take a run at English ships, although we’re forbidden to sink an English ship unless it’s the only way to survive an engagement. We won’t take prisoners or volunteers from captured crews; they are to be set adrift or marooned. There will be no friendly ports, and only Admiral Benbow’s squadron in the area will know who we are and what our true mission is.”

Harry gave the crew a chance to absorb the information. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” the carpenter’s mate asked when Harry stopped talking. “If you’d said we’z gonna get rich stealin’ from the Frenchies and Spaniards, I wouldn’t have gotten so mad!”

Many of the crewmembers laughed and nodded in agreement. Harry smiled.

“And what if we’re captured?” one of the crewmen asked.

“We’re on our own,” Harry replied. “There are no friendly ports for us and no allies. If we’re captured, we can never reveal that we’re part of the English Navy. The truth about who we are and what we’re doing must be protected at all costs.”

“What if we need to make port somewhere?” another crewmember asked.

“Two days ago, the Seven Provinces was dispatched to an island in the Bahamas called ‘Cat Island’ to deliver supplies, materials, and men as part of our mission. They’ll be building our base of operation there since we’ll need a port where we can refit, resupply, and store our winnings. There will be a large contingent of Marines there as well as replacement crewmembers. This will give us the chance to rest and rotate the crew since, for the next several years, we’ll be fighting almost constantly. Some of our battles will be traditional, and others will be decidedly less so. We’re going to be acting like thieves, so we need to start thinking like thieves and adopting their methods – except that under no circumstance is there to be any stealing from the men assigned to this mission or from the treasure we’ve won. This is still a ship of His Majesty’s Navy and will conduct itself accordingly. Those of us who survive this mission will return to England as wealthy men. But no one will ever know what we did and how we helped with England’s war effort. For the rest of your lives, you can never speak of it to anyone. Men, our king needs us to carry out this mission with all the professionalism and proficiency we can muster. This is the mission we’ve been selected for, and by God we will succeed!”

The crew cheered and shouted, “God save the king and Captain Hastings!”

“Mr. Chisholm,” Harry shouted over the noise, “Make your course west-southwest.”

Harry remained on deck until he saw the sky growing lighter. Most of the crew had already located their hammocks on the berth deck and were trying to rest before their watches started. As the sky grew brighter, he saw the ship more clearly. All through the night, he sensed a different feel and smell around him. It took a while before he realized that the smell was from all the new rope, new canvas, and new timber onboard. Having never served on a brand-new ship before, he wasn’t used to everything having a new smell about it.

Looking at the gunwales, he noticed that the hull looked thicker than he expected it to be. Everything about this ship seemed both familiar and yet different. He looked forward to making a full inspection of the ship as soon as possible.

He heard the ship’s bell ring the time and saw Lieutenant Pemberton step onto the weather deck and climb up the stairs to the quarterdeck. “Good morning, Captain,” he said as he joined Harry.

“Good morning, Mr. Pemberton. How is your cabin?”

“The half-deck quarters are excellent, sir. I’m sure you’ll find the great cabin equally fitting.”

“First things first, Mr. Pemberton. I’m going to have Mr. Chisholm take me on a full inspection of the ship. Later today, once the work parties have started painting and the crew assignments are finished, I want you and Mr. Hamilton to have our sailing master take you on a full inspection as well. We need to know every bit of this ship and what she can do. Once the painting is finished and the assignments made, I want to start testing this ship and her crew: maneuvering, clearing for action, and gunnery. We need to make sure every part of the ship and every man is working properly. Understood?”

“Understood, sir.”

“Very well, Mr. Pemberton. Pass the word for me when you and Mr. Hamilton are ready to make your inspection. I’ll be in my cabin getting settled once I’m finished with Mr. Chisholm.”

Harry walked to the forecastle and found Chisholm checking the ropes supporting the bowsprit above the head, which is where the privies were located.

“Good morning, Captain,” Chisholm said as Harry approached. Now that the sky was getting lighter, Harry was able to get a good look at his sailing master for the first time. Chisholm was an older gentleman with grey hair that Harry could tell had been a light red in the man’s youth. He had a very round face and broad shoulders. He was several inches shorter than Harry, and the man’s hands were larger than any hands Harry had ever seen.

“Good morning, Mr. Chisholm. Any problems?”

“No, sir. There’s always a few adjustments needed on a new ship before she’ll answer predictably every time. Ropes always need adjusting when they’re so new. They stretch, absorb water, stretch some more… it’s a continuous job of making sure everything is balanced, positioned, and working properly.”

“Do you have time to take me on an inspection of the ship?” Harry asked.

“Certainly, sir. Where would you like to begin?”

Harry pointed upwards, meaning he wanted to start with the masts and then work his way down.

“Shall we start with the bowsprit, then?” Chisholm asked.

Harry nodded and followed Chisholm onto the rigging that supported the bowsprit and made it possible to set the jibs and the bowsprit sails. Chisholm pointed out all of the design changes that had gone into the Runner Class frigate, and Harry found the information fascinating. Next, they climbed the foremast and stood on the fighting top – the platform just above the lowest sail where watches were placed and where Marines would sweep enemy ships with musket fire during battle. They then climbed the mainmast and stood on top of the highest yard, which provided an unobstructed view of the horizon in all directions. They climbed down after a few minutes and then climbed the mizzenmast to complete the inspection of the masts, sails, and rigging.

Chisholm pointed out everything on the weather deck and quarterdeck once they had climbed down from the mizzenmast. He showed Harry where the gunnery implements were stored when not in use and how the winches worked to raise the boats and hoist supplies for loading.

Harry noticed something between the foremast and the mainmast that seemed unfamiliar. On most frigates, there was a removable hatch in that location that covered the opening leading to the holds below decks. Materials were usually loaded and unloaded through that opening. Instead of a hatch, Harry saw a large platform in its place. On top of the platform, a tarp covered something quite large.

When Harry commented on it, Chisholm made a strange face. “It was a late addition to the design, sir. It was just installed about a week ago, and it hasn’t been tested yet.”

“What is it?” Harry asked.

Chisholm walked up to the tarp, untied one of the corners, and lifted it so Harry could see for himself. Underneath the tarp, on a carriage that looked like it could rotate starboard and larboard, was a mortar.

“A mortar?” Harry exclaimed with a sense of wonder.

Chisholm nodded. “Yes, sir. I was told to mount it here, but I don’t know how it works.”

“A mortar is just a short cannon,” Harry said, moving the tarp further back to get a good look at the mortar. “It’s used to fire exploding projectiles high in the air so they come down on top of something or behind something – usually fortification walls. The French have been using them on warships for years, but they can damage a ship badly if they’re not reinforced properly.”

“How’s that?” Chisholm asked, concerned.

“With a normal cannon like that one,” Harry said, pointing to one of the cannons alongside the gunwales, “the recoil from the shot is backwards, which is why the cannon carriage is on wheels. With a mortar, the recoil is down since the shot is fired high into the air. The timbers supporting the mortar have to be very strong to handle the pressure of the recoil. Mortars placed on un-reinforced decks can go through the deck and potentially the hull itself.”

“I didn’t know that mortars could go through the decks or the hull,” Chisholm said as he tied the tarp down again. “I’ll need to make sure we’ve reinforced the platform properly.”

“How is it reinforced now?” Harry asked.

“I’ll show you.” Chisholm motioned for Harry to follow him through the hatch just behind the mortar. From underneath, he showed Harry the structure built below the platform to support the weight of the mortar and to absorb the force the mortar would produce without damaging the weather deck or the lower decks.

Harry wondered if he even had a mortar gunner onboard as he continued the inspection with Chisholm.

“Here’s the berth deck,” Chisholm said as they walked toward the rear of the ship. They looked at the crewmember areas, including the sick bay, before descending to the orlop deck, which was also called the “platform deck” and was the deck above the holds at the bottom of the ship. Harry saw the cables, replacement timbers, and other equipment stored neatly around the deck.

As they approached the stairs leading down into the holds, Harry heard the familiar sounds of livestock. Animals were usually brought onboard alive and butchered as needed during the voyage to ensure the meat would be as fresh as possible. Munitions were kept in the center of the holds where enemy fire would have the hardest time reaching. Barrels of fresh water were also stored in the center of the holds to balance the weight and to protect the only drinking water the crew would have for weeks as it made the crossing from England to the Americas.

Harry examined everything closely. He paid attention to the way the pegs held the deck timbers together, the way the decks were supported and structured to support weight, and the way the hull was pitched and sealed against the sea. He even studied the way the bilge pumps worked to prevent too much water from sitting above the keel of the ship and potentially flooding the holds. He listened to the creaking of the ship as she sailed, working out the differences in the sounds between this ship and his previous ship so he’d know what the ship itself was trying to tell him. “All ships talk if you know how to listen,” Harry remembered his first captain telling him years earlier. “The creaking of the masts, the deck timbers, the rigging… all can tell you how the ship is performing and how it’s handling the demands being placed upon it.”

Harry’s questions both surprised and pleased Chisholm. The sailing master had never worked with a captain so intent on understanding every inch of the ship. In his experience, too many captains delegated the understanding of their ships the same way they delegated the work details to the crew. They knew how to command men, but they didn’t know how to handle their own ships. Chisholm quickly saw that Harry was different, and even though they were on a risky and dangerous mission, Chisholm felt more at ease knowing he served a captain who understood the importance of knowing his ship completely.

“She’s a fine ship, Mr. Chisholm,” Harry said as they climbed the stairs back to the weather deck.

“Thank you, Captain,” Chisholm said. “I’ll show you to your cabin now.”

Chisholm led Harry to the half-deck, which was the area underneath the quarterdeck. Since a frigate has only one gun deck, the two cannon batteries continued from the weather deck to the half-deck. Nestled between the cannons were the cabins and quarters of the warrant officers, the galley where the cook prepared meals for the warrant officers, and the great cabin at the stern, which served as the captain’s quarters.

Chisholm held open the door to Harry’s cabin. Harry saw that it was separated into a sleeping space with the captain’s bed on one side, a working space where the maps and other charts were kept on the other side, and a dining or meeting space in the middle.

“I’m guessing the wall panels are removable,” Harry commented as he stepped inside.

“Yes, sir,” Chisholm answered. “The great cabin’s part of the gun deck, which is why you’re sharing your cabin with the two stern 6-pounders.”

Harry nodded. The great cabin was at least as big as the cabin on his previous ship, and even the two cannons below the stern windows didn’t occupy too much of the space. The removable panels were painted white, but the rest of the room was unpainted oak. Next to his bed, Harry saw his sea chest, the packages from Leicester, and his other personal items. His desk and the chart rack were well-positioned so everything was within easy reach. The inclinometers, brass devices showing the angle that the ship tilted as it rolled and pitched on the waves, were gleaming in the morning sun, which shone brightly through the windows.

Harry turned around and smiled as he tried out the chair by his desk. He then motioned for Chisholm to sit down. They talked for quite a while about how the ship had been designed and constructed. Chisholm showed Harry the logbook, which described the sea trials that had been carried out before the ship had been delivered to Portsmouth.

After Harry had gone over everything, he looked up and said, “Well I must say, Mr. Chisholm, I can see why you’re proud of this ship. I’m looking forward to seeing her in action.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m sure she’ll get the job done for you.”

Chisholm left the captain alone to settle in. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the cabin door.

“Enter,” Harry called.

The cabin door opened, and Alexander Cutter, the captain’s orderly, opened the door. “Am I disturbing you, Captain?”

“No, Alex. Come in.”

“Thank you, sir. I was wondering if I could help you get settled in.”

“Thank you, Alex. If you’d stow my things, I’d be grateful.” Standing up, he took off his coat and handed it and his hat to his orderly. “And put these in a safe place for me, will you? I don’t think I’m going to need them for the next several years.”

“Yes, sir.” Alex said, taking the coat and hat from Harry.

Alex worked quickly, putting away the items Harry would be using most on the shelves next to the bed and leaving the rest in the chest. When he opened the two packages from Leicester, he held up the new coat and hat and let out a low whistle. Harry looked over and got a good look at his new captain’s coat for the first time. The deep crimson fabric and gold braid edging didn’t look military – it looked more like what a nobleman would wear. As Alex hung it up, Harry thought it was one of the more beautiful coats he had ever seen. He’d continue to wear the trousers, waistcoat, and shoes from his Navy uniform, but he looked forward to wearing the new symbols of his rank.

When Alex had finished putting Harry’s things away, he asked, “Will there be anything else, sir? Perhaps some breakfast?”

“Has the crew been fed?” Harry asked.

“Yes, sir.”

Harry nodded. “Then yes, please pass the word for Mr. Fletcher.” Trevor Fletcher was the captain’s cook, and even though he cooked for all the warrant officers onboard, his first duty was to the captain.

Alex quietly left the cabin. Two minutes later, he returned with Trevor carrying a burnished silver serving tray with a porcelain tea service on it. When Harry told the men to enter, Trevor set the tray down and poured the captain a cup of tea. “Good morning, Captain,” Trevor said. “How do you take your tea?”

“Plain, thank you, Trevor.”

“Shall I bring you your breakfast now, sir?” Trevor asked, handing Harry the tea.

“Yes.” As Trevor left the cabin, Harry turned to Alex and said, “After breakfast, I’d like to see Mr. Franklin, the bosun’s mate. After that, I’d like to see the master-at-arms, Mr. Harrison, and then the gunner, Mr. Robinson. For now, though, will you send in Mr. Burridge?”

“Yes, sir,” Alex replied, leaving the captain alone with his tea.

A minute later, someone knocked on the cabin door.

“Enter.”

Peter Burridge, the captain’s clerk, entered the cabin and closed the door behind him. Ordinarily, the door would remain open until the captain requested it be closed, but conversations between the captain and his clerk were typically more confidential in nature, and the door almost always remained closed. “You wished to see me, Captain?” he asked.

“Yes, sit down, Peter. There’s something I need you to start working on for me.”

Peter sat down and faced Harry. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“It has to do with the division of the spoils,” Harry said, taking another drink of his tea before putting the cup down. “We need a way to put a value on the items we take so we can keep an accurate accounting of what goes to the Crown and what we keep for ourselves. I want our 30% to be gold and silver only. Putting a value on gold, silver, and jewels should be easy enough, but how do we put a value of timber, spices, fabrics, and other things like that? Ships’ stores and munitions are ours outright, but we need a way to set the value for everything else that will withstand any challenge by the Admiralty or the crown once the mission is over. I also want you to draft a way of determining how to divide the 30% among the crew and our men on Cat Island. We don’t have to follow the same share plan that the Admiralty uses for prize ships, but we need something that’s fair and consistent. How long would it take you to pull that together for me?”

“Do you have a list, by rank, of everyone entitled to a share?” Peter asked.

Harry handed Peter a piece of paper showing how many of each rank were assigned to Harry and the mission.

“Thank you, sir. Is this afternoon soon enough?”

“Yes, thank you, Peter. You may go.”

“Yes, sir,” Peter said as he stood up to leave. He had just opened the door when Trevor appeared carrying Harry’s breakfast. Turning back to the captain, he said, “Sir, your breakfast has arrived.”

“Thank you, Peter. Ask Trevor to bring it in.”

Breakfast was delicious, and it pleased Harry to have such a good cook assigned to the ship. Once the dishes had been cleared away, Clifford Franklin, the bosun’s mate, arrived to meet with the captain. Franklin, the senior non-commissioned officer onboard, supervised the crew. Harry and Franklin talked at length, and Harry felt satisfied that the crew assignments were correct and his bosun’s mate understood Harry’s expectations.

James Harrison, the master-at-arms, arrived a few minutes after Franklin left the captain’s cabin. Harry reviewed the ship’s munitions as well as the small arms and long arms onboard. A ship that would be seeing action needed to have the right tools to defeat the enemy and protect the crew.

After Harrison left, Alex ushered in the gunner, Michael Robinson. “Are you aware that we have a mortar onboard?” Harry asked.