Tide of War by Hunter Seth

Author:Hunter, Seth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McBooks Press
Published: 2010-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Into the Swamp

THE SWAMP HAD ITS OWN kind of mist. A grey-green fungus that clung to the surface of the water, rolling away from them in every direction as far as the eye could see. The boats moved through this vapour almost silently, the oars rising and falling like the wings of some clumsy, amphibious bird that could not gain enough momentum to take off. Looking up, Nathan could see stars and a full moon but there was so much moisture in the air, he had the impression he was looking down on them like shells and tiny stones at the bottom of a rock pool, dimly reflecting the light of the sun.

There were five boats in the expedition, each with its complement of marines and seamen, each joined to its neighbour by a long length of rope in case they lost sight of each other. They were crossing a lake—Lake Borgne, the French called it, according to their guide. In fact it was not really a lake at all but a lagoon, separated from the sea by a chain of sandbanks and small islands, more pieces in the Devil’s Jigsaw.

Nathan shifted slightly in his seat, moving the sword at his hip to make himself a little more comfortable. The air was oppressively humid and he was soaked in sweat already, though he had none of the rowing to do. Despite the protests of Lieutenant Pym, he had insisted on leading the expedition himself, arguing that he must take the responsibility if it all went wrong. In truth, he could not have borne to have stayed behind on the Unicorn while Pym led half his crew into the swamp. Besides, he knew he was better at this kind of thing than Pym, better than he was at commanding a ship, perhaps.

At Nathan’s request, Escavar had drawn a rough map showing the fort occupying a narrow promontory on the northern tip of the island overlooking the Rigolets where the channel merged into Lake Pontchartrain. It looked impressive on paper. A timber stockade with blockhouses at each corner surrounded by earthworks in the shape of a five-pointed star—and inside each of the points two 6-pounder cannon firing through embrasures. The garrison was normally about eighty men but there had been fifty more in the Governor-General’s party. The main problem for the garrison was the quality of their powder—much of it was damp and unusable.

The rebels had come up through the Rigolets. Several hundred of them in a fleet of pirogues and flatboats, landing on the neck of the peninsular with their artillery—six 12-pounders and four large mortars, according to Escavar, that they had been given by the French.

Nathan wondered if the Virginie had depleted her own broadside to supply them. It might make a difference if and when they encountered her.

Escavar was still rattling on in Spanish.

“The bulk of the force is concentrated on the right flank,” Imlay translated after a while. “On a long stretch of beach, just out of sight and range of the cannon in the fort.

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