In Northern Seas by Philip K Allan

Author:Philip K Allan [Allan, Philip K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950586233
Publisher: Penmore Press LLC
Published: 2019-11-22T22:00:00+00:00

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‘Mr Blake reports that the guns are run out and ready for action, sir,’ said the first lieutenant to the shadowy figure next to him. ‘And the ship is now dark.’

‘Thank you, Mr Taylor,’ said Clay, looking around the crowded quarterdeck. Above him the spreading cloud had emptied the sky of stars, and no moon would rise for many hours. He glanced over the side, onto a lake of pitch, with only the gleam of floating ice to show where the surface lay. ‘Have the extra lookouts been positioned?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Taylor. ‘One at each masthead, all paired with a reliable hand to bring word back to the quarterdeck. I have another half-dozen men with night glasses manning the rail.’

Two bells rang out from the forecastle of the Griffin.

‘Very well, bring her up into the wind, and take in sail, if you please,’ ordered Clay. ‘But keep the hands ready to set the topsails again, the moment I give the word. And let that be the last time the bell sounds this night, Mr Taylor.’

‘Aye aye, sir,’ said the first lieutenant.

The frigate lay silent and dark now, her hull black beneath her empty masts, crouched amongst the little bobbing ice flows. The night grew colder, with an icy wind blowing across the surface of the water. Clay felt his gloved hands ache where they gripped the cold brass of his telescope, and his eyes started to water with the effort of staring into the dark. He thought of ordering Harte to bring him a pot of hot coffee, but then remembered that dumping the galley fire over the side was almost the first thing done when a ship cleared for action. Instead he stamped his feet on the deck to get some life into them, and moved towards the ship’s binnacle, the only light on board. He pulled out his watch and angled it in the faint glow.

‘Barely ten o’clock,’ he muttered. ‘What time did you suppose the enemy might appear, Mr Armstrong?’

‘They will have closed up a trifle at dusk, sir,’ said the American, ‘and we reduced sail considerably since then to allow them to draw near. Given that we have been stationary for the last hour, I reckon they should be up with us between one and two hours from now.’

‘As much as that?’ said Clay, wondering why he had cleared for action so long ago. He could have been taking his ease in his warm cabin now, and still have had plenty of time to prepare. ‘Well, at least this cold will serve to keep us awake.’

Time seemed to stand still aboard the Griffin. The gentle tap of ice against the hull was like the slow strokes of a clock. A few stars broke through a gap in the clouds, bright as diamonds, before they vanished once more. In their light Clay noticed that the mizzen shrouds seemed to glow a little. He walked across and examined the surface of the ropes. They were white with frost.

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