Forever Young The Beginning...
Copyright © 2012 Gerald Simpkins
ISBN 13: 978-0-9665434-2-1
Contents
Chapters 1 – 115
Glossary of characters
Glossary of terminology
Disclaimer
All characters in this story are purely fictional, the product of the author’s imagination. The only exceptions are the three Kings, a Queen, a Duchess, and the Marquis de Sade who are all historical figures who lived in the 18th century in Europe. Any quotes or activities attributed to them in this novel are fictional and are only the product of the author’s imagination.
Chapter 1
August 1767 Marseille, France
The area had many two-story buildings on both sides of the dark street. Ian heard a clatter from the direction of an alley. It sounded like a roof tile falling onto the pavement. They looked about and Ian again felt the warm prickly feeling on the back of his neck. He glanced back and could see no one so they kept walking south in the darkness.
Suddenly the warm prickly feeling changed to one of icy dread that extended down his spine. It chilled him to his core, and he exclaimed to his companion “Li, something’s wrong!” Drawing his dagger he whirled around just in time to barely see a black form leap from the roof of a two story building. He thought he heard a distant voice shout his name, even as the creature landed running at an unbelievable speed and was on him like a whirlwind. He stabbed straight into its belly as it hit, nearly knocking him breathless. While falling he felt a sharp bite on his neck even as he drove the long blade of his knife to its hilt in the creature, twisting and pulling it upwards. There was a scream from it as they hit the cobblestones together, Ian landing on his back under the thing.
The blade of his knife felt as if it was caught in some tough clothing because he was having trouble ripping and cutting flesh where it should have been easy. He smelled the foul, fetid odor of its breath as it screamed again while grabbing his knife hand in a grip of iron. Li had stepped forward and was stabbing the creature in its’ back repeatedly. It turned and half-rose in the blink of an eye to reach out and backhand Li, knocking him against the side of a building with such force that he slumped, dazed. Scarcely three seconds had elapsed, so quickly had everything happened.
Before the creature could renew its’ attack on Ian though, he had plunged his knife into its belly again and was ripping upwards. He was certain that his knife was once again stuck through heavy cloth since it still didn’t cut as it should. The creature screamed and like lightning, pinned both of his arms in its iron grip. Even as its’ head began to dart toward his throat a dark figure bowled into the creature, toppling it. Ian rolled to his feet and saw two figures fighting, the newest arrival wielding a large knife. Their movements were so fast as to be barely seen as a blur. Unearthly screams erupted again as he ran to the two and began to help the latecomer stab the creature. Ian stabbed it furiously with his now-diminishing strength, realizing that the newcomer was doing more damage than he, as a creeping numbness began to spread throughout his body. Li had recovered and had joined in stabbing it with his knife. The creature separated from the stranger, howling as it hurtled away in the blink of an eye.
Ian was tottering now, and was certain that it was circling back to attack again. He tried to speak, but a growing numbness seized him and he could suddenly no longer even hold the knife. As he sank to his knees he thought is this what it’s like to die? He thought then of his uncle and how he came to be in this land. As he collapsed his mind drifted back to a day at sea scarcely three weeks ago, just before dawn……
Chapter 2
July 1767, 70 miles east of Gibraltar, Mediterranean sea
“Sail ho... astern!” came the cry from the crow’s nest. The lookout’s cry electrified the entire crew of Elsie’s Cloud. Captain Angus McCloud, himself at the helm since midnight, gave over the helm to Ian McCloud, his nephew. He turned and quickly took a collapsible spyglass from his breast pocket and opened it, peering back into the pre-dawn misty air.
“Only one, Uncle Angus?”
“Nah laddie, I see two.” As if to confirm it a second cry from the crow’s nest “Two sails astern!”
“To battle stations, Ian” Ian repeated the command in a shout, repeating the command three times while ringing the ship’s bell to punctuate it each time.
“Spanish?”
“Nah, laddie…..pirates, Moroccans likely.” A short hesitation, then “Two Xebets…. look to be riding high….full sails.” Then after a few seconds, “Belay that, Ian. One riding lower in the water than the other……mmmm both Xebets, close to the same size…both with two masts. What do ye make of that?” he said, handing the glass to Ian.
Ian studied the pursuing vessels for a bit and then said “Lower in the water to be sure. Has it taken on water, or is it carrying cargo?” he asked as he handed the glass back to his uncle.
“Cargo is my bet. Why chase us in a leaky ship?”
“Likely celebrating a kill late into the night and spied us before making it back home?”
“Could be. That second ship…her sails are ragged looking on the aft mast. Likely she is a prize they took recently. No matter though, we have to get ready to fight.”
They had just traded scotch whiskey for ivory in West Africa near the equator, and heading homeward, had slipped through the Strait of Gibraltar overnight, heading due east. A fair westerly wind and no moon had seemed to be a good omen to Angus McCloud. Britain held Gibraltar and had a small fleet there to assure the safety of British merchant ships.
There was no current war with Spain, but there were some heightened political tensions between them and Britain, especially around Gibraltar. That was a rumor they had picked up from a Dutch trader while in Africa. It would be a lot less expensive to buy the wine he wanted at Marseille than if bought from the French along the Atlantic coast. The wine would top them off for the trip home, a truly rich cargo for their maiden voyage no less, when added to what they had brought back from China. Now though they had a life or death fight on their hands.
“We have the sunrise in our favor, Uncle Angus.”
McCloud eyed his nephew. “Aye laddie, the sunrise will help us, and I have an idea. Tell Gunny to load port guns one, five, and ten with half charges. Get MacCarr and one other man stationed at the port side bow rudder.” Ian raised both eyebrows at that. The bow rudder was simply unlatched and dropped into place. It caused the same effect as a giant oar being thrust into the water at one side or the other of the bow, causing a rapid turn. In all of their travel so far, they had not had occasion to use either of the pair. No other ship that he had ever seen even had a pair of them.
“Aye-aye” said Ian and leaped down from the high aft deck, sprinting towards old Leon McLamb. McLamb had been a gunner’s mate in the Scottish navy and had served in the British navy as well, where he had learned the science of maritime artillery warfare. He was a small, dour looking man, of few words, and was a master at aiming and hitting a target from a moving vessel. Upon hearing the commands, he raised his eyebrows, and then he gave his characteristic but rare crooked smile. The gunnery crew smartly loaded the guns as ordered even as MacCarr got his orders and ran to get a helper and both of them went to the port bow station.
Back at the helm Angus peered intently through his telescope at the approaching pirates. He gauged the wind in Elsie’s sails as the distance between the pursuers and pursued grew less by the minute.
“Will they use bow cannon and try to knock out our rudder then?”
“Aye, they will if they have ‘em.”
A universal naval warfare tactic of the time was
to stay behind a ship and bombard it with cannon fire hoping to knock out the rudder so as to easily take it for a prize. To that end both war ships and pirate craft had bow cannon. Elsie only had two light 4 lb. swivel cannons fore and two aft, but she had ten guns on each side, all of them sixteen-pound cannon.
“Gunny smiled just now when I gave him your orders.”
“Hah! He knows a trap when it is being laid………..a crafty one and a better shot with cannon never sailed either.” Periodic practice with cannon while at sea was a part of the crew’s routine. Although the cannon weren’t fired, they were handled and readied at battle speed twice a week under Gunny’s watchful eyes. Live fire practice with muskets and reloading stressing speed was done once a week as well. This had come in handy in two skirmishes with pirates near China. No merchant’s ship could come close to the combat readiness of this crew.
“Tell gunny to fire number 10 first. Order Macgregor to get men aloft and stand by to furl all top-gallants and the mizzens. Make sure MacCarr knows not to drop the bow rudder this time but to be ready to drop it the next time we turn.”
After doing that, Ian rejoined his uncle at the helm.
“Take the helm and stand ready.” said Angus while watching MacGregor’s men move to their positions aloft and on the mizzen masts. Minutes dragged by as the pirates drew nearer. The lead ship had separated herself from her mate by a little distance now. Gauging the wind and the position of the pirates for yet another minute he suddenly shouted “Furl all top-gallants and mizzens! Gunny, prepare to fire number ten!” Then he handed the helm to Ian and said “Hard aport lad.”
Elsie’s Cloud tipped to the left and began her turn, appearing as if she was turning, dropping sails and slowing radically to engage, using her heavy cannon. The seconds ticked by, and then “Fire number ten, gunny” hollered Angus. The rearmost cannon fired, not even close to aiming correctly. A thick cloud of smoke obscured the view of the port side of Elsie. The two other cannon fired maybe nearly 30 seconds later. The lead ship had already dropped some sail by then and started to also turn to port. They were maneuvering to avoid a broadside from Elsie. The combination of gunpowder smoke and the blinding sunrise behind Elsie served to hide armaments and size of crew from the pirates. The three shots had just made it a little over halfway to the lead craft, badly off target. This made it appear that Elsie was simply a fat merchant ship, poorly commanded, and manned by sailors who were terrified and poor gunners to boot. The true number of cannon was concealed by the smoke from the first shot fired as well. The bait was on the hook.
“Resume course Ian, and unfurl all sails! Unfurl flank sails on all cargo booms now!” Elsie tilted to her starboard and began to pick up speed, then straightened up as she resumed her easterly course, under full sail, looking as if she was running away. The three rounds falling short had done the trick. Ian saw that the lead ship had again unfurled all sails to pursue. Soon Elsie had four added sails, two on each flank mounted to the cargo booms. She looked like she was running for all she was worth. Taking the helm, Angus said “Tell Gunny all guns full charges and stand by. Station two more men on the foredeck for the swivel guns there, and have him send two more for these two behind us as well. Ian, be sure MacCarr is ready with that port bow rudder. I want light fireball loads in the bow guns and grapeshot in these two. And tell Gunny to ready the grapple mortars.”
The fireballs were a specialty that Gunny had devised strictly for starting a fire on an enemy ship. He made them while in port somewhere from time to time. After finding the proper kind of clay he would make a thickish round clay bottle of sorts with no neck. He would score each one deeply with a knife before baking it to make it easier to burst on contact. Lamp oil, phosphorous, and an additive which he kept secret were contained in each one. They would burst into flame on contact as long as the vessel was broken.
“Aye-aye” Ian said over his shoulder as he leapt from the stern deck to relay the orders. Shortly Angus handed over the helm to Ian again as he rejoined him, and watched through his glass as the lead pirate craft closed the gap once more.
“She’s got bow cannon, Ian!” Handing his spyglass to Ian he said “Keep an eye on that as they get in range!” Ian looked back at their pursuers, watching them as several minutes passed. Suddenly he saw a flash of light from her bow. “All hands take cover!” shouted Ian. In less than four seconds a cannon round whistled past, narrowly missing the stern rail, and followed by a distant booming sound.
“Hah! A lucky shot, but too close! She’s in range now for sure! Now again Ian, hard aport!” Then he shouted “Furl top-gallants and mizzen and trim to half mainsails! Drop port bow rudder, drop port bow rudder!” The commands were punctuated by the ship’s bell. Again Elsie’s Cloud tilted to port and slowed in a turn so sharp that even the lighter, shorter Xebets couldn’t hope to match. Her deadly cannon were being brought to bear far faster than seemed possible. The lead pursuer this time was within range, and only then began to drop sail and turn to port. The bait had been taken and hook set. The lead craft continued, well within cannon range of Elsie.
In maybe eight unbelievable seconds Elsie was broadside to the pursuers, thanks to the combination of her oversized rudder and Ian’s bow-rudder device. The lead pursuer was closing, and continuing to turn to her port, presenting a broader target. Her turn to port was yet another fatal mistake as it turned out, ensuring that the two ships would converge. The captain on the lead craft was in a panic as he looked through his glass. He saw the broadside of Elsie coming to bear on them before they could hope to return fire. Gunny’s crew had already adjusted the guns to fire at a low target at a shorter range. Here Angus deferred to Gunny again, shouting “Fire at will! Fire at will and reload! Hoist bow rudder! Hoist bow rudder.” MacCarr and his man cranked the winch furiously to raise the bow rudder from the sea. In some ten seconds then the roar of Elsie’s cannon shook the deck beneath Ian’s feet and he felt a surge of energy course through his body.
One round took out one of the two masts of the lead pirate craft. Another hit the stern deck squarely, obliterating the helm as it killed the helmsman. A great cheer erupted from the crew of Elsie. Angus hollered “Furl flank sails! Ready starboard cannon and stand by!” Gunny hastily called the command and two of his men ran to the starboard guns, already loaded when the pirates were still far away. They ran all ten of them out to fire position through their respective hatches. The remainder stayed on the port guns reloading them. For some reason the rearmost pursuer had added an extra oversize sail of sorts. Likely they thought to catch up and help to take the prize. From where they were there would only be a pall of smoke with a blinding sunrise behind it. They sailed closer, not realizing what had happened.
Elsie was going to sail between the two craft. They would then pass the first craft firing all of their port cannon for the second time and then engage the second craft with their starboard cannon. There was no stopping it now as the pursuers had the wind at their backs, being pushed to the battle full tilt by their sails and nearly blinded by the rising sun.
The second craft sailed full tilt into the fray which by now was well obscured by smoke, as the lead pursuer had fired all of her starboard cannon as well. Two rounds had struck Elsie’s Cloud on the port side, well above water line. One had made a hole, and MacCarr had dispatched a man below to look for any leaks. The wind had slackened somewhat so the smoke hung thickly over the scene as Elsie continued to tack across the light wind and close on the two craft.
The smoke was so thick and the sun behind it so blinding that not until the second ship saw the tops of Elsie’s masts above the smoke did they also realize how close to her they were, and worst of all, coming under her broadside starboard cannon. Aboard the second craft they began to panic, realizing too late that they were already within range of her deadly guns as Elsie moved between the two ships. They had no choice now but to try to help their fellow pir
ates.
“Fire all swivel guns” shouted Angus, then to Ian “Here Ian, I’ll take her” as he took the helm. He knew that Gunny would fire one more round from the port cannon as they passed the lead ship and would then move his crew to the starboard side cannon for the second ship. Fire had broken out on the lead pursuer’s remaining mast and sails. About the same time, the two swivel guns on the rear deck barked and grapeshot shredded sails and crew alike. Immediately after that Gunny gave command to fire cannon again on the port side and the first craft was devastated. She managed to send three rounds into Elsie, but again, well above water line. Musket fire crackled from the first craft, and musket balls flying past whined like angry bees. Several struck masts, but none hit a man. Not waiting for Angus, Ian hollered “Take another look below for a breach or leak. Stay at that post and report!”
They passed by that craft and in passing, Elsie’s stern guns again swept the pirates with grapeshot. A cheer erupted from Elsie’s crew as fire now began to spread rapidly on the lead ship.
“She’s crippled and on fire Ian, now on to our prize, God willing.”
“Tack to rake her with our starboard guns then?”
“Aye laddie” He thought Ian, you’re a born seaman. Ian leaped again from the stern deck to run again to Gunny who met him part way. “Be sure to keep all shots high Gunny. We don’t want to burn or sink her. Mark, call all hands down from aloft!”
“Aye-aye, Ian.”
“Ready all hands available with muskets Gunny, and see to it that they stay down well below the side rail. Let the starboard cannon do the work for us. Fire only when we’re in range, and then shoot the grapples.” The grappling hooks and ropes would be fired toward the second craft by means of hand held grapple mortars designed to fire those hooks further than a man could throw them. Looking like fat muskets, they were loaded and ready, lying on the deck behind the side rail, their ropes all secured to Elsie’s masts.
Elsie approached the second craft and raked her with grapeshot from the foredeck guns. Her advantage in height made the grapeshot even more devastating. As they drifted broadside to her, both ships let loose with all cannon. Ian felt another surge of energy as the deck shook again at the cannon’s roar. It was an elixir to his adventurous soul and he could feel the adrenalin surge through his body. Elsie took one at the water line and five more besides, but the broadside that she delivered to the second craft was devastating. One mast was broken, and the sails shredded. By now they were in musket range. Every available crewman positioned himself behind the side rail and took aim as Gunny’s men reloaded the starboard cannon. Their height advantage was coming into play even more now that they were within musket range.