CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
If Brownlow probably had underestimated Rebecca’s stubbornness and strength of spirit, he certainly underestimated Richard’s: Richard moved very fast.
“Sign on a full crew for Juliet, First Officer, I delegate the selection of officers and men to you; the sooner we are fully crewed the sooner we can sail, but we must have an armorer,” ordered Richard.
“Signing a crew during a rare period of peace will be no problem, Sir; I already have a dozen good hands on standby. May I ask where we will be sailing to?” said Andrew.
“The Bay of Biscay is nice this time of year, First,” Richard clapped on his hat and went ashore.
He visited Wentworth and received a report on the number of weapons available and arranged delivery; as expected there was a shortfall in barrels. He also had Wentworth write up a letter of introduction.
He visited Captain Briggs and ascertained that he could not buy commercial quantities of gunpowder, only a few barrels for Juliet’s three cannon.
He visited the arsenal at Woolich and completed the paper work to procure ‘gunpowder for ship’s defensive purposes.’
He visited the Commercial Bank of England and arranged to transfer his accounts there from the Bank of London.
Richard looked over the crew list with approval: the only officer missing was one experienced in ordnance; he would be forced to take on that responsibility himself. His finger stopped on one name and he looked up at Andrew, with one eyebrow higher than the other.
“Mario?”
“He is Italian, Sir, and speaks French; I thought he might come in handy, Sir,” Andrew struggled to keep his face straight, and then both men burst into laughter.
Fully crewed and provisioned with cargo loaded and berthing fees paid, Juliet sailed, surging down river into an incoming tide.
The Bay of Biscay was calm and the wind favorable; and Juliet anchored off the docks at Bilbao flying the French flag. Richard and Mario rowed ashore and left word at the nearest inn that they had been told to ask for Tubal. They were advised to return unarmed in two days.
Richard tried to size up Mario as they sat in the inn on the second evening drinking the local wine. He had signed on as an officer assisting in navigating the Mediterranean and acting as interpreter, he had little contact with the rest of the crew. He would sign off in Genoa. Mario was not tall but had a stocky build that suggested strength, his dark skin and demeanor kept most men at a distance and the women close. Richard was unarmed as requested, but he suspected Mario had a knife concealed somewhere. Mario drained his glass, ordered two more and asked Richard: “Is your inspection of me over, Capitan?”
“It is, Mario, and something warns me against inspecting your background too closely,” answered Richard. Mario smiled, showing a perfect set of white teeth.
“You are Capitan Digby?” asked a man who looked vaguely familiar, had appeared out of nowhere and stood by their table. Richard and Mario stood up.
“I am and this is Mario, one of my officers, but you are not Tubal.”
“No, Capitan, I am Raoul his half-brother: Tubal is in France and I am to give you whatever assistance you require.”
All three sat and Richard ordered another three wines. Raoul spoke to the innkeeper and he delivered a superior vintage without charging.
Richard came straight to the point, “I need to purchase gunpowder, superior grade, fifty barrels.”
“Do you wish to start a war, Capitan?” Raoul asked with a smile.
“No, Monsieur, others will do that; I am merely supplying a demand,” answered Richard.
“It is well you are flying the French flag on a French ship; a deal can be arranged at a suitable price but delivery must be off the coast and at night,” said Raoul.
“To provide for the safety of the population, of course,” suggested Richard.
“Of course, payment in gold or silver only, and do not expect a receipt for your purser, Capitan,” added Raoul.
“To provide for the safety of the vendor of course,” said Richard.
“Of course.” Raoul was starting to like this young Englishman.
Over more wine they agreed to a suitable price after several suggestions from Mario, who seemed very familiar with prices and availabilities.
“Delivery in five nights, Capitan, off Needle Point to the north, a light will be shown, and it is a pleasure to do business with you, Capitan,” said Raoul, giving Richard a hug and Mario a short bow. Richard was well pleased: he would use the waiting time to train his gun crews off the coast.
The ad hoc gun crews left a lot to be desired and it was well that a plentiful supply of gunpowder would be soon available. Richard sorely missed James Whitefield and his gunnery skills. When everyone’s ears could stand it no longer, Richard ordered a stand-down and the guns cleaned. He noticed Mario practicing sword drills on the Quarterdeck in a style he had never seen before: Mario was using a thin saber in his right hand and a short pointed dirk in the other. Richard watched with interest until Mario, sweating profusely, stopped for a rest and wiped himself down.
“A sword and dagger combination looks complex and difficult,” suggested Richard.
“It is, Capitan, but why fight with one hand behind your back when you can use it to confuse, parry and sometimes stab your opponent?” Mario wiped the hilts of his weapons with a cloth.
“Would you instruct me, Mario?” Richard asked.
“It will be my pleasure, Capitan; I shall return with a set of practice swords and dirks.”
Richard found the use of two weapons daunting and demanding but under Mario’s tuition soon adjusted to the timing and combinations.
“Enough for one day, Capitan, you have a talent for it, but we will need to train every day,” Mario advised. They did.
The gunpowder barrels marked in French with the King’s crest came aboard by longboats. The transfer went smoothly, with the barrels winched up and lowered into the holds.
“I recommend we separate the catches, Sir, we may avoid sympathetic explosions if other cargo is stacked between them and one lot goes up,” suggested the armorer. Richard did not have much other cargo but he hoped to rectify that in Genoa.
“The money is the required amount?” Richard whispered to Raoul in the longboat below. He heard the clink of gold coin.
“It is, Capitan, bon voyage,” the longboat disappeared into the darkness, the muffled oars making little sound.
“Clear the coast tonight, First Officer, tomorrow we sail south for Gibraltar,” ordered Richard. The crack of canvas sounded very loud as Juliet took advantage of the tide and off shore breeze to sail from French waters.
Richard stumbled on the quarterdeck as Juliet plunged through rising troughs off the coast of West Africa.
“You must learn to adjust to changing surfaces, Capitan; this will give you an advantage should you have to fight on uneven ground. En guarde!” Richard struggled against Mario’s aggressive attack. “No, no, Capitan, do not try to use both your weapons independently: they must work in unison. Action and reaction, strike and counter strike. Again!” Richard parried desperately, but still Mario was able to tickle his ribs with a dirk. “Capitan, if you parry a cut from your opponent’s sword and close in to strike with your dirk, what must your opponent do?” Mario asked.
“He must retire, quickly,” suggested Richard.
“Of course, and anticipating this you must lunge for a killing thrust. Again!” This time it was Richard’s turn to tickle Mario’s ribs. “Enough for one day, Capitan, but remember an experienced opponent can adjust to any form of attack given time; it is therefore desirable that you finish him off sooner rather than later,” Mario bowed and left the quarterdeck satisfied with his student’s progress.
Richard had given Mario the status of Pilot Navigator and had handed over control of Juliet until arrival at Genoa. Juliet had bobbed and wallowed in shallow waves off the southern tip of Spain for two days. Richard and the crew became more than a little impatient.
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Sensing this, Mario explained, “Better to lose a few days here than to lose your lives or worse, your freedom to Barbary pirates. Let us wait another day and pray for an escorting ship, preferably English: the pirates leave them well alone, knowing the fire-power of the Royal Navy.” Richard kept the crew busy by mounting both cannons on the starboard side where any attack would most likely occur. He lamented the absence of swivel guns.
“Mount the cannon as far fore and aft as you can, Bosun, so that they can provide enfilading grape on any attack mid-ships,” Richard ordered.
“You know, Capitan, for centuries galleys controlled the Mediterranean and the Romans, poor sailors as they were, considered it their lake. The combined fleets under Admiral Don swept the Ottomans out two centuries ago by using galleasses, a combination of sail and oars, but even today galleys hold an advantage in shore where the winds are fickle. They remain the perfect vessel for a pirate,” Mario explained.
“Sail on the port stern,” came the cry from the lookout. Both Richard and Mario snapped open their glasses. Mario had the better of the optics.
“English merchantman; our prayers have been answered,” breathed Mario.
“Break out the English ensign,” ordered Richard.
Mario ordered on sail, but only enough to allow the faster English brig to overhaul them. Both ships dipped their colors, and when the brig gained the lead Mario ordered up more sails. Keeping the brig within hailing distance, Juliet hitched a ride into the Med. Unfortunately, shortly before nightfall the brig turned northeast, possibly towards Marseilles. Juliet was alone in the night.
A fire flared into light on a high point ashore, and another followed it on a point further to the east.
“Signal beacons,” muttered Mario. Richard, looking towards the shore, did not see the grim expression on Mario’s face.
The sun rose on a calm sea with a light breeze; Andrew coxed every knot out of the changing wind.
“Might I suggest you break open every firearm in the hold, flint and load them? That will give our defensive crew at least three volleys,” asked Mario. Richard gave the order to Simpson the armorer and ordered all three cannons loaded with shot.
An hour passed before their worst fears were realized. Two galleys put out from a hidden bay and began closing the distance on Juliet. Both mounted a small cannon in the bows, but it was the manpower that threatened Juliet and her crew. Over a hundred bearded pirates, all wearing some form of turban and all armed to the teeth crowded the decks of each galley.
“So much for the protection of the English flag,” muttered Richard.
“The pirates know their ships, Capitan; after all, they have captured enough of them. They will know this ship is French built and suspect the flag is a ruse,” replied Mario.
“What will they do if they take us and find that we are English?” Richard asked.
“Kill everyone and fire the ship; your cargo will more than cover their losses Capitan,” answered Mario.
After ten minutes of watching the galleys flail toward them like two giant water beetles, Mario surprisingly ordered Juliet to turn towards the shore.
“Fire quickly, Capitan, while you have a full hull to target and before they also turn,” ordered Mario.
“Fire!” ordered Richard.
The two waist guns slammed back on their restraining ropes and belched out twelve pounds of iron. One shot sailed over the second galley, the other plunged short, sending up a plume of water. Cries of derision came from both galleys that increased their stroke rate.
Mario ordered Juliet back out to sea. The gun crews needed no incentive; the approaching galleys provided that. Adrenalin fueled by fear made the crews work faster and adjust the range.
“Fire!”
This time one of the rounds smashed into the side or the furthest galley, smashing oars and severing bodies. The galley stopped dead in the water, but the other began shipping oars to prepare to come alongside. Pirates flashing white teeth began to twirl grappling hooks.
“May I have the use of your dory, Capitan?” Mario asked. Richard nodded at the strange request; he had a volley to prepare. Mario went below and returned with a small barrel of gunpowder and a length of fuse. Two crewmen lowered the dory on the side away from the approaching galley and, clutching the barrel, Mario, using his other arm, dropped down a line and into the bobbing dory.
“Keep below the bulwarks, men you can hardly miss. Fire!” yelled Richard. Over thirty muskets discharged, causing carnage on the galley’s decks. The pirates, expecting a lull while reloading, crowded the rail and swung over their grappling hooks. The second volley thinned out the boarders, but the survivors were determined to secure their galley to Juliet’s side. The third volley left few pirates standing and their Captain screaming in pain and rage. Mario, undetected, did his own securing under the prow of the galley and, lighting the fuse, dived into the water and quickly swam to Juliet’s protected port side. A huge pirate, naked apart from pantaloons, saw Mario and, realizing the threat, ran to the bow and prepared to jump down into the smoking dory. Simpson calmly shot him in the head.
“Everybody down!” screamed Richard as the dory exploded, shattering the galley’s bow timbers. The galley rose up out of the water, then crashed back and began to sink. The screams of the slave rowers could be heard over the noise of the battle.
“Clap on all sail, First Officer,” ordered Richard, feeling a freshening breeze on his cheek.
“Might we haul Mario back on board first, Captain?” asked Andrew with a smile.
“We might, First,” answered Richard with a smile of his own.
The second galley had made repairs and reconfigured its rowers. It now followed Juliet at a reduced rate, cutting through and ignoring the screaming pirates floundering and drowning in the sea.
“Callous bastards,” muttered Richard.
“Pirates,” pointed out Mario, dripping water onto the deck.
The reason for the galley’s dogged persistence became clear.
“Galley on the starboard bow!” All eyes moved to see a third galley rowing fast towards them from a point further to the east.
“Bow chaser,” ordered Richard and the duel began, but it soon became obvious that the galley’s water spiking bow was too difficult to hit: the galley grew larger. Mario scanned the surface of the water, looking for the tell-tale signs of changing colors and the possibility of a wind change. He spotted a darker patch to the north and ordered a tack.
“It will be touch and go Capitan a hit from your cannon would be beneficial,” said Mario. As if the galley had heard, a puff of smoke followed by the bark of their bow gun sent a shot through Juliet’s canvas.
“Our turn, lads,” coached Richard and the gun-crews responded, emptying the loaded grape into the sea and reloading with fresh. Other crewmembers began reloading the muskets.
“We have no more dories,” pointed out Richard.
The gunners struck on the second round, sending a ball through the galley’s hull and causing mayhem amongst the rowers. It was enough; the galley slowed and Juliet, picking up a fresher breeze, filled her sails and sailed clear to the north.
“Pity about the muskets,” commented Richard. “They are no longer new and will fetch less.”
“No problems, Sir,” answered Simpson. “All new weapons in England have to be proof tested and I can supply the correct certification.” Simpson ordered up boiling water from the galley and had the crew pour it down the barrels until the dirty black water turned clear at the touchholes. The weapons were then thoroughly oiled and returned to their boxes. “Good as new,” he proclaimed.
Surprisingly, they had suffered no deaths, but Richard spent several hours below in the makeshift sick room removing musket balls and extracting splinters. His efforts brought him closer to his crew.
Mario set a course to clip the southern tip of Sardinia, and then on to Genoa.