Natchez Under-the-Hill by Stan Applegate

Author:Stan Applegate [Applegate, Stan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781561458509
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Published: 1999-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

You men take one more step and it’ll be yer last.

“They say that nothing short of war will stop it. But the U.S. Navy isn’t powerful enough to challenge the Royal Navy.”

As they turned to walk back to the sail maker’s shop, Zeb was suddenly overwhelmed by what might have happened. “Why doesn’t the constable arrest the press gangs? Why doesn’t he go out to the ship right now and force them to release their captives?”

“The constable and his deputy would have no way to force the captain to give up the men,” the sail maker replied. “Look, Zeb, they’ve already got men in the riggin’, gettin’ those sails ready to up-anchor and leave this port.”

Zeb nodded, then looked up the alley where the press gang had gone. “What about the locals workin’ as a press gang? Can’t the constable arrest ‘em?”

“I’m going now to talk to him. I should’ve talked to him earlier about my suspicions. But at least now, I know who the British sailors recruited into the press gang. The problem is getting proof. Those men on the docks can claim they were simply innocent bystanders forced to comply with the British. They did untie you….”

“I sure was lucky,” Zeb said, “that you and Lonnie Champ came along.”

“I’m not so sure it was luck. I got the feeling Lonnie Champ’s been watching out for you. He called you his partner, didn’t he?”

“I guess we are partners,” Zeb said. He thanked Mr. Yadkin again for his help. “Your voice sure sounded different when you told those men to untie me,” he said.

“I was bos’n—the officer in charge of the deck hands—in the Continental Navy and later when the U.S. Navy was formed. You don’t forget how to talk to sailors.”

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