The Distant Ocean by Philip K Allan

Author:Philip K Allan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penmore Press LLC
Published: 2018-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

*****

‘And you received no further reply then, captain?’ asked Montague, regarding his subordinate over the top of his desk.

‘No, Sir George,’ said Clay. ‘A large patrol of French soldiers appeared on the beach at that moment, and whoever was signalling wisely decided to take down the flags. I put the ship on the other tack, so as not to draw any more attention to that portion of the shoreline, but we kept a good lookout on the tree. No further signals have been sent.’

‘That is vexing,’ said the commodore. ‘What would you have done, if you had been able to establish who had signalled you?’

‘Once I ascertained who was present, my next action would have been to pose a question to which only they would have known the answer, Sir George. I might have asked Mr Sutton for his father’s name, for example.’

‘Quite so,’ said Montague. ‘For without such reassurance, how are we to know if this message is genuine? It is quite possible that it could all be a trap of some kind. The French may have captured the signal book of the Rush and be seeking to make game of us.’

‘That is possible, sir, but if so I struggle to see to what end. The passage through the reef undoubtedly exists, and my ship’s master has now plotted it with some accuracy. It is difficult to see what the enemy stands to gain by gifting us such a valuable piece of information.’ Montague sat back in his chair and stroked his neatly shaped sideburns as he thought about that.

‘Might it be possible that they have revealed this passage to put us off our guard?’ he said. ‘Perhaps they seek to conceal a greater lie within a small truth. They want us to concentrate our forces against this passage tonight, while they shall try to escape in a quite different direction?’

‘Perhaps, but such a ruse is easy to counter,’ said Clay. ‘If the information conveyed to me is accurate, it is only one enemy that will try and break out down the passage. So we need only deploy the Titan to oppose such a move. If I can catch one of their frigates in this narrow passage, with reefs all about them, I will be able to make them most uncomfortable. You and the Echo can cover the main exit to the harbour, and we can signal to each other if it is indeed some manner of trap. Then one force can come and assist the other. At no stage will we be particularly far apart.’

‘That might answer,’ said the commodore. ‘How do you plan to frustrate the French?’

‘I will head away from the coast at sunset, shaping to join the rest of the squadron. As soon as it is dark I will return and anchor at the end of the reef, with my guns pointing down the line of the passage, ready to rake any ship that comes through it. There will be no moon tonight, and it looks like it may rain.

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