High on the List (The Call of the Sea Book 11) by Andrew Wareham

Author:Andrew Wareham [Wareham, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: PublishNation
Published: 2024-02-10T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Half a glass, continuing to make a good ten knots and more ships disclosing themselves to the north, the French convoy showing as large as most Nick had ever seen.

“Five and twenty of merchantmen, sir. Harding reports them to be of all sorts from little coasters to great four-masted ocean-going traders of more than a thousand tons. In escort, sir, he has identified six of sloops, but nothing greater. All are still holding their course.”

Dampier was openly puzzled. The French were busily in process of committing suicide, it seemed. They must have seen Hawke by that point, could not have failed to recognise her as a heavy frigate, able to destroy all of the sloops together in a few minutes. Continuing their course unchanging was surely the action of lunatics.

“They must have orders they dare not disobey on pain of death, Mr Dampier… As well, they think we are less likely to kill them than their own masters… They must have a reason for that belief. Mr Harding! Sweep the horizon to the south.”

Dampier showed puzzled.

“They might have a rendezvous, possibly with a substantial part of the Spanish fleet. If they are to join with a dozen of two-deckers just a few miles south, then they may feel justified in pressing on, knowing that anything we take will soon be clawed back again.”

That was a logical argument. Horribly so. Dampier did not like it at all, and found it utterly convincing.

“The Dons in Barcelona were showing signs of sailing, sir. They might well have orders to head north. We assumed they were looking to the south, but we may have been mistaken there.”

“We may indeed, Mr Dampier. Even so, we shall set about the Frogs and take all we can before facing a hopefully imaginary fleet of Dons. If an escort does appear, then be prepared to burn anything we have taken before we do our absolute best to disappear into the northeast. Some of those Dons are remarkable sweet sailors, of course – outrunning them might be an interesting task.”

Dampier nodded gloomily. A chase to the northeast was all very well, but the presence of the southern coast of France, and Corsica, and then Italy itself, said it could not be a particularly long excursion.

“On deck. A single small ship to our south, under t’gallants.”

Topgallants suggested a naval vessel. Few merchantmen sported a third tier of sail.

There was no point to questioning Harding. He would have told all he knew.

They waited.

“Ship is a small frigate or post ship… She is a Don. She has fired a gun to leeward.”

Traditionally, in the Royal Navy, that was a request for one ship to speak another. Nick wondered if the Spanish held to the same traditions.

“Shorten sail, Mr Scott. Do not heave-to as such. We may wish to make sail very quickly again. Bring the Don alongside. All guns! Grape over ball. Insert priming quills. Be ready immediately against my command. Carronades, at my word only, sweep her quarterdeck. Fighting tops! Swivels ready.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.