Command by Julian Stockwin

Author:Julian Stockwin [Stockwin, Julian]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: Historical Naval Fiction
ISBN: 9781590131442
Google: X0Z3hsknspcC
Amazon: 1590131207
Publisher: McBooks Press
Published: 2007-01-01T11:00:00+00:00

Command

167

north-westerly as it was possible to be. Kydd was bargaining that Teazer had the speed to overcome the disadvantage of being so tight to the wind compared to one slightly fuller, and thus claw back some distance into the breeze. It would take longer to overhaul their quarry but the advantage would be priceless.

By two in the afternoon the end was in sight. After miles of a sea chase Teazer was comfortably to windward of her opponent and was about to establish an overlap—the guns would be speaking soon.

Kydd had done all he could to prepare his ship and her company. Now it was time.

“Firing to larb’d,” Kydd warned. There was no doubt of their target, slashing along just ahead of them and to leeward, but by this he was indicating that he would not be putting his wheel over suddenly and crossing the enemy stern for a savage raking broadside from his starboard side—that would offer one chance only and, with six-pounders, it was not a battle-winning tactic.

Instead he would continue coming up, then pound away broadside to broadside until there was a result—one way or another.

And because of Teazer’s hard-won weather position his foe could not turn away from the onslaught as that would present his vulnerable stern-quarters to a double broadside. The French commander must have come to the same conclusion for he could see aboard La Fouine that they were shortening sail: it could only be in readiness for combat.

At last: no more tactics, manoeuvring, hard racing. This was the moment.

Kydd allowed Teazer to move ahead before he ordered sail shortened and their frantic speed faded to a purposeful trot as they squared away to their opponent. As he had seen his captain do at the Nile, he started pacing slowly up and down to throw off the aim of muskets in the fighting tops of the enemy picking him out as an officer.

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