In Dangerous Company: The Dorset Boy Book 4 Read online

  “Turn and make a run for it,” Smedley laughed, “but not too fast.”

  “Smart one that for a cart driver,” Tom observed to Marty as they stood together looking over the guns, “and he’s game.”

  “He is at that,” Marty laughed. “A frustrated frigate captain.”

  “Does the Belle know what to do?” Tom asked.

  “Yes, they will make as if they are running away, then as soon as the French engage the Amethyst, they will run in and try and get one or those buggers between them and us,” Marty explained.

  “And we will deal them a double dose of iron,” Tom smiled happily.

  “We have to try and keep them all occupied until the Endeavour and Jolly arrive.”

  The time came for them to turn and run. They made a lubberly wear rather than tacking. Making a show of poor sail handling.

  The three ships closed in rapidly and Smedley steered Northeast to bring them closer to their support. As they were about to be caught the Belle veered off making as much sail as she could and looked to be abandoning its larger consort.

  The xebec and the brigantine stayed on the Amethyst while the corvette chased after the Belle.

  Neither the xebec or the brigantine had bow chasers, so they tried to get up alongside to bring their broadsides to bear. The Amethyst’s sail handling suddenly improved and she maintained her lead over the xebec. The brigantine, being the nimbler of the two, started to pull up alongside.

  The Belle did what only a brig could do and reversed course in almost her own length catching the corvette by surprise. Their captain tried to do the same but just managed to put them in irons.

  The Belle raced down and swung around to sandwich the brigantine between them.

  “RUN OUT!” Marty called and the men hauled up the ports and ran out the preloaded guns. They had double shotted the nines with reduced charge to prevent the shot passing through their target. The carronades were loaded with the big smasher balls.”

  “As you bear. FIRE!”

  The gun captains had been instructed to aim at the hull twixt wind and water. Both ships fired at the same time.

  The brigantine didn’t stand a chance. The combined broadsides of both the Endeavour and the Belle ripped through her thin hull like tissue paper. The smasher balls causing utter devastation, a number hit at the waterline. She shuddered and slowed. Crippled by the weight of water pouring into her hull.

  The xebec had pulled up alongside and hadn’t seen what had happened. She fired a broadside aimed at taking down the Amethyst’s rigging.

  She partly succeeded. The main mast rigging was damaged, and the top mast fell to the deck. The lookout fell, screaming, landing across the rail and bouncing over the side.

  Marty had the crews switch sides and ran out the starboard battery. They fired and the xebec shuddered as a number of hits made their mark. However, he had the wind gauge and opened the distance to cancel out the advantage of their smashers. That confirmed to Martin that this was no ordinary pirate.

  He looked over to the Belle and saw she was hotly engaged with the corvette, then looked to the North to see where their support was. He could see the Endeavour, hull up and closing. She was carrying every stitch of sail she could carry, and Marty guessed that he needed to keep contact with the xebec for at least another thirty minutes.

  He went to talk to Captain Smedley who was on the quarterdeck and looked to be enjoying himself immensely.

  “Exiting stuff!” he called to Marty as he mounted the steps to the quarterdeck. His face was flushed and his eyes bright.

  “Certainly is!” laughed Marty. He indicated the approaching Endeavour. “Keep us between the xebec and them if you can. We need them to be closer before the xebec runs for it.”

  “You think he will?” Smedley asked.

  “Once he sees them, he will. He won’t want to take on a frigate, but if we can hold him up long enough and damage his rigging then they will stand a good chance of catching him.”

  Smedley looked up at his damaged top mast and frowned.

  “I owe him for that and the loss of my man.”

  “We may lose a few more before we are done,” Marty sighed.

  They kept up a slugging match for about ten minutes when, quite unobserved, the cutter Jolly suddenly appeared and raked the corvette’s stern. That ended that fight and all of a sudden it was three to one against the xebec. She ran.

  The Endeavour was only a mile away by then having made better than thirteen knots in her efforts to get into the fight. She gave chase and it was clear she would catch her prey fairly quickly.

  They had a captain’s meeting on the Endeavour. The xebec and corvette were laying to amidst the squadron.

  “We still have two frigates and a brigantine to deal with,” Marty opened. “and the Amethyst needs to continue her voyage.”

  “Damned if I do!” spluttered Captain Smedley. “I’ve seen this through this far and I will see the damn thing through to the end!”

  Captain Cooper clapped him on the shoulder and said,

  “Damned if you’re not more than welcome!” causing a laugh from the others.

  “Well I’ve only got dry goods in my hold. Spices, tea and silk.”

  Marty coughed as he realised it was probably Caroline’s spices that were at risk. ‘She will not be amused if I get them sunk,’ he thought.

  “It’s all insured.” Smedley added.

  ‘Oh, that’s alright then,’ Marty thought, only a little sarcastically.

  “We still have the same problem,” Cooper stated emphatically. “We can’t take on both frigates and the brigantine at the same time!”

  “What if we don’t have to?” Marty asked.

  “Don’t have to what?” Cooper asked back.

  “Don’t have to fight them.” Marty replied. “They are safe and secure in their harbour. Tom, what were the defences again?”

  “There is a harbour on the West side which is mainly used for fishing and is largely undefended. The main harbour is here on the North side,” he pointed to the location on the map that they had made from their recce. “That one is defended by a redoubt along either side of this entrance. There be six, twenty-four-pound pieces on the west side and four on the east. They also have ovens for heating shot”

  “That would make a direct attack suicidal,” Stanley, the captain of the Belle observed.

  “They be set up fer defending an attack from the sea.” Tom started to say.

  “But not from the land!” Marty and Cooper finished with him.

  “What we need is a distraction to keep them looking out to sea.” Marty observed.

  Chapter 4 Fiery Retribution.

  The captured xebec and corvette smelled of oil and their lower decks were piled with anything flammable that Marty and his men could find. All the guns were triple shotted and double charged. A volunteer crew of just five men on each sailed them towards the main harbour mouth. It was two hours before dawn.

  Three hours earlier the boats from all the ships in the squadron, less two boats which were towed behind the xebec and the corvette for the crews to escape, had been loaded with heavily armed men. They had been towed to within two miles of the fishing harbour and then cut loose to row in. There was a moderate swell and scudding clouds. The moon was new and it, with the stars, provided just enough light to be able to see the outline of the island.

  Oarlocks were padded with rags to avoid noise and they slowed the stroke rate as they got closer inshore to reduce any splash. They had arrived slightly South of the entrance and had to row against the prevailing current to get up into position. They were just twenty minutes later than planned.

  Two boats took the lead and slipped into the harbour ahead of the rest. In one was Marty and his team with Ranjit and in the other a squad of marines led by their lieutenant. Their faces were blackened with burnt cork and they were all dressed in dark clothes.

  That had actually been the hardest part of the planning. The marine lieut
enant had been very reluctant to give up their uniforms. He considered it dishonourable to go to war in anything other than full uniform. In exasperation Marty had threatened to have him and his men left out of the whole exercise and replaced with ‘lesser’ men who had more sense. Evidently the thought of being left out of the fight was worse than being out of uniform and he had given in.

  As they approached the entrance, they spotted a sentry walking along the wall. Marty stood, took a shepherd’s sling from his belt and fitted a musket ball in the cup. He swung it around above his head and then launched the ball with a flick of his wrist. He had been practicing with the sling for a couple of years now and the bullet flew straight and true taking the sentry in the side of the head. He dropped to the floor without a sound.

  Marty’s boat went right and the marine’s left. They pulled up to the harbour walls either side of the entrance, swiftly scaled them and swarmed along the top clearing anyone they found out of the way.

  By the time the other boats came through the entrance the advance team had secured the harbour, and they were able to disembark at the jetty. The men spread out with the marines and Marty’s team in the lead.

  Two of the marines who had been woodsmen (poachers) in the past ranged ahead dealing with any unfortunates who were up and about at that hour.

  Marty checked his watch; they were still running a bit later than planned but it was within limits.

  They made their way through the fishermen’s huts and into the main town. It was only a mile and a half, and they tried to make as little sound as possible. If anybody did spot them, they didn’t raise the alarm.

  Every now and then they came upon a dead native or sailor that the advance team had made sure of.

  When they reached the harbour, they formed into three groups. One went to the entrance of the redoubt to the west of the harbour, one to the east and the other made their way down to the dock. They concealed themselves and waited until they saw a flickering pair of lights approaching from the sea. The xebec and the corvette were approaching. The crew had set them on fire half a mile out turning them into fire ships which were now heading straight for the harbour entrance.

  A bell rung furiously on one of the frigates as the alarm was sounded. Lights started to burn in the town and the gunners left their barracks running towards the redoubts. Marty let them; it would be easier to take them one gun at a time than en mass.

  Each of the guns was separated from the next by an earth wall to protect the crews against any accidental explosions. ‘Bloody silly idea thought Marty but useful for us.’ Marty’s sling whirled and a man dropped, he signalled and his men rushed forward.

  As it turned out the gunners weren’t well armed and soon succumbed to the determined attack by the British. Once they had control, Marty had the men manhandle two of the big guns around to point into the harbour.

  The French seemed to have the shot ovens permanently fired as far as they could tell and had shot loaded in them already glowing red hot. He wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and soon had his men loading the guns with the red-hot shot.

  Up to that point the frigate crews had been transfixed by the sight of two of their own ships coming into the harbour ablaze, but with shouted commands the officers got the ships swung around on their springs to bring their guns to bear. Some of the guns ran out and they let off a ragged, partial broadside. Half their crews were ashore on leave!

  As they fired Marty, and the crew that had taken the other redoubt, fired their guns. The red-hot shot smashed into the nearest frigate and at point blank range ripped through the hull and out the other side.

  “Half the charge!” Marty yelled. He wanted the balls to stay in the hull and start a fire, not go through.

  The impact of the shot got the attention of the frigates. They now faced a dilemma, turn their guns on the shore battery or try and stop the fireships that were now pushing through the entrance. The captain of the frigate Marty was shooting at compromised and detailed his marines to fire swivels and musket fire at the shore battery to try and disrupt them, while leaving the few main guns he had operational to try and sink the fireships.

  There was an explosion and flames rose up in the town behind the harbour. The third team had gotten to work. Their mission was to locate and burn storerooms, magazines, armouries and anything that could be useful to the French Navy. They were also to try and stop the crew sleeping ashore returning to their ships.

  Marty unslung his Durs Egg carbine from where it hung across his back and started sniping. The flames from the burning buildings conveniently outlined targets for him and the sun was coming up. He took out swivel gunners and targeted officers and anyone who looked like they were giving orders. At one hundred yards with a convenient wall to lean on and shelter behind, he could hardly miss.

  The gun manned by Tom and the boys was reloaded first. They traversed it with handspikes so that the shot would hit at a slight angle to the hull and then loaded the red-hot shot at the last minute.

  They fired and when the smoke cleared, they could see the odd shaped hole where the shot had entered.

  Marty called over his shoulder.

  “Bet you thought that would skip off!”

  “Not at all!” laughed Tom

  The second gun fired. The shot entered through a gun port hitting the barrel of the gun while it was pulled back for loading, sending two tons of iron spinning across the gun deck.

  The corvette fire ship had entered the harbour. The crew had gotten off and were rowing away. The superstructure and rigging were consumed by flames, but her momentum carried her on. The xebec was stopped in the harbour mouth and sinking.

  Marty held up his hand to stop the firing of the shore battery and beckoned the men forward to watch. The corvette glided across the harbour right into the big forty-gun frigate. Just as she reached it her guns started to go off as the flames reached the priming holes.

  Flames jumped from the corvette to the frigate. Her crew tried to stop them, but the ship had been in harbour for weeks and her upper works were tinder dry. To make matters worse smoke was coming out of one the hatches near where the heated shot had entered. It took just a minute for them to decide that their best option was to abandon ship.

  The other frigate was desperately trying to make sail to get away from the conflagration, but one thing about fire is, it pulls air into it. The draft of air being sucked into the huge fire was dragging the second frigate towards it. To seal their fate the xebec sank in the harbour mouth effectively closing it.

  “You want us to target the brigantine?” Tom asked.

  “Yes, finish the job properly,” Marty replied.

  The British left the island the same way they had arrived but left behind two burnt out frigates, a sunken brigantine and a lot of dead French sailors. There were casualties. The corvettes guns had been indiscriminate, and a ball had taken the lower left leg off a sailor from the Belle. There were several walking wounded and one death.

  Chapter 5 News from home.

  It was late 1801. Marty and Caroline were at a shipyard in Bombay checking over the construction of a fast transport. This ship was based on a Baltimore Clipper that Marty had seen smuggling contraband into France. It was designed with a sharp prow, raked stern, and three masts with hermaphrodite rig.

  He had got them to make her deeper in the hull and slightly wider than a Baltimore Clipper but that would be countered by her extra length. Keeping her hydrodynamically efficient. The extra width and depth would make her more stable and give her more cargo capacity. The hull construction was well advanced, and Marty admired the lines. She looked fast even out of the water and would be three hundred and fifty-tons burthen, bigger by around fifty percent than a regular Baltimore Clipper.

  She was designed to get their goods to Britain before anyone else. For convenience the Caroline would sail under the Company flag but in reality, she would be privately owned. If she worked out, then they would get several more built and create
their own merchant fleet.

  She was made of teak which made her slightly heavy and more expensive to make but she would be very durable. They would mount eight guns for ‘last resort’ protection, but she should be able to out sail anything else on the sea except maybe a Baltimore Clipper.

  “She will be ready to launch in one more month, Sahib,” the Indian architect who had designed her and was overseeing the build told them. “We will fit her masts and rigging once she is in the water and then you can take her for a sea test.”

  Back at their rented bungalow, they sat on the terrace with Marty’s boys who had come along partly as protection but mainly because it gave them something to do and the new ship interested them.

  “Will she be as fast as you hoped?” John Smith asked.

  “She should be able to do the trip in ten to twelve weeks averaging twelve to fourteen knots,” Marty replied. She won’t carry a huge amount so we will only put valuable goods like tea and spices on her.”

  “We bin looking for crew and have twenty lined up and will have the full thirty soon.” Tom reported.

  “Captain Harrington will command her, and Charles Longstead will be first mate,” Caroline added.

  “He’s out of America, isn’t he?” Wilson chipped in.

  “Yes, he was, but he was on the wrong side and had to leave straight after the war.” Marty replied. “He is an aggressive sailor and will get the best out of her.”

  A shout and the patter of tiny feet announced the arrival of Beth. She was escorted by Blaez their Dutch Shepherd dog who had taken on the role of body guard for their energetic young daughter. Mary, their nanny, brought up the rear.

  Marty swept her up into his arms and threw her up in the air, and Beth giggled happily as he caught her and swung her around.

  Marty almost missed the look of surprise and concern on Tom’s face and he turned his head to follow his gaze to see a man coming out of the bushes pointing a gun at them. Blaez had no hesitation. He charged forward, leaping off the terrace, sinking his teeth into the man’s shoulder in mid leap and hung on. Momentum did the rest. Seventy pounds of dog traveling at close to twenty miles per hour has a lot of it and the man did a back flip before he hit the ground.