by Brian Cain
CHAPTER TEN
Fial flew the black flag signalling he would show quarter if the ship surrendered; he brought the Ghost to within a few yards of the City of Hull on the Ghost’s port side and could see the captain and crew on her rear deck. They grapple-hooked the ship and tied up alongside it, being of equal stature and deck height.
"I would be Fial McMurrin, captain of this ship; any attempt at hostility and you will be sunk. Your captain’s name please!" shouted Fial. A tall man in the uniform of the royal navy stepped forward to the side of the schooner.
"That is I, Captain Mallory. You look familiar, like Fial McGuire."
"True, I have no time to discuss that; who is aboard this ship to warrant such an escort?"
"This ship is in the service of the King transporting members of government!"
"I have no time for your petty statements about the realm. Who do you have on board!?”
A well dressed man stepped forward to the side of the ship next to Mallory. He had a rather large, bulbous nose, a slit chin and collar length, white hair. His high collar, black jacket, cream waistcoat and white, round neck shirt were perfectly tailored. He put his hand on Captain Mallory and beckoned him to step back. Mallory took a couple of steps back from the railing, standing behind the man.
"I am William Wilberforce, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire, on my way to London."
Fial wore a slight smile. "William Wilberforce! You would be the Wilberforce pushing for laws to protect the likes of these fine black men I have on board my ship?"
"Yes, you are well informed!"
"I have read of you often, ever since you first wrote letters to newspapers; this is indeed an honour. You are a fine man Mr Wilberforce. I invite you to come aboard my ship." Mallory grabbed Wilberforce from behind but Wilberforce put his hand down, smiled and shook his head.
"I accept. I don't know what kind of a man you are Mr McMurrin but any man who takes on a line of British warships with a ship the size of yours is a man of great substance. I have never seen a crew of black men before; I wish to know what you stand for Mr McMurrin. I have never seen such bravery or open mindedness!"
"This man fought at the battle of Trafalgar sir, on the quarterdeck of the Victory with Nelson. His name is Fial McGuire," added Mallory.
"Forgive me if I am not familiar with the ranks of the navy Mr McMurrin but I am a politician!"
"Come aboard Mr Wilberforce, Number Seven help the man aboard." A black deck hand came forward to the railing and extended his hand to Wilberforce. He took his hand and scaled the railing onto the deck of the Ghost.
"Thank you my friend," said Wilberforce. The black deck hand looked puzzled.
"Tell Seven what the man said Bongo," instructed Fial. Bongo spoke the tongue of the Congo. The black deck hand went to his knees and kissed Wilberforce's feet. Wilberforce was extremely moved and helped the man to his feet. "Cast off the grapples, make full sail. We go with the wind!" ordered Fial.
Mallory shouted from the railing of the schooner as the Ghost broke loose, "You will be hunted down McGuire, we will show no quarter you scoundrel!"
"When my armies have murdered and raped the families of your crew, only then will we talk on an even footing. I vow now to never show the black flag to a British ship again. I vow the flag will be red!" shouted Fial. Cameron shouted to Fial from the stern.
"Two frigates on the horizon to the north Fial, do we continue to head south?"
"No turn to engage them. Set a course directly for the bow of the lead ship." The Ghost turned and headed towards the warships. Wilberforce watched in amazement from the helm next to Cameron as the black crew prepared the ship to fight. The Ghost was well south of the schooner now breaking full sail but turned north toward the men of war.
Fial knew the schooner would signal the frigates that Wilberforce had been taken; he had not expected this and would use it to his advantage, knowing the ships would not fire on him if he had Wilberforce on board. He made distance on the schooner, still some three knots faster than it, and drew across her bow then continued north past it. The Ghost was now only half a mile away from the leading ship; she turned to port but was slow, allowing the Ghost to pass under her starboard bow, delivering a volley to the waterline from her short light carronades and puncturing the ship’s hull.
The Ghost turned away heading south west away from her cannon in a near about turn. Wilberforce took cover under the steel roofing as musket balls whizzed around them; the frigate began to take on water and the Ghost went after the schooner heading north.
The schooner headed north for an hour then turned directly with the wind hoping to out speed the Ghost. The Ghost went to full sail, raising her foresail and easily overtaking the schooner and coming back on her, crossing her bow at full speed and delivering a volley from four cannon. The schooner’s hull cracked as the balls entered the ships hull and she caught fire.
The Ghost then made a heading south for the frigates. The second frigate was busy taking on crew from the sinking lead ship and had laid sail, calm in the water. The Ghost appeared in a flash over the horizon from the north east, slightly off course from Fial’s calculation by half a mile. He corrected and headed for the frigates under full sail.
The captain of the second frigate the Corsican heard the cry from the crow’s nest and used his long glass to see the Ghost bearing down on them under full sail. He ordered the ship to make sail but the Ghost was cutting with a stiff wind under full speed and all that could be done was to make preparations to engage her while the Corsican was still calm.
The Ghost suffered a volley of deck cannon and musket fire from the Corsican as she flashed past her stern firing back and turning away to the North West, rendering the Corsican badly damaged and taking on water.
The Ghost raised the red flag and turned on them again, this time coming at the Corsican from the south below her bow. The first frigate was some three hundred metres to the west of the Corsican, listing to port with the gunwales of the lower deck just going below water line.
The Ghost slipped under the Corsican’s bow, delivering a final blow then turning North West and making for the coast. A railing-mounted light cannon on the Corsican backfired, setting fire to the quarterdeck. The ship was in complete confusion. Conflicting orders on whether to open fire on the Ghost or not due to the presence of Wilberforce also hampered proceedings for the frigates. The Ghost made full sail south east, just keeping the coast in sight.