“Warn the galley, Mr Knowles.”
Even a small wave in the sheltered waters of the river would be unexpected and could lead to spills of boiling water.
“Coming in ahead of Obelisk, sir.”
“Send a party to assist with her wires, Mr Knowles. No time to waste.”
Knowles gave the orders and then watched as the destroyer came in hard.
“Destroyer is Brave, sir. Captain Hawkins at the brow, sir.”
Hawkins jumped and ran towards the office. A seaman also hurdled the gap and came running to Obelisk.
“Captain Hawkins’ compliments, sir. Captain to SNO, sir. Quick, sir.”
“Make ready for sailing, Mr Knowles. Inform Mr Lockhart that I want pressure up as soon as may be. Feed the men if possible – don’t let their dinner get cold if you can avoid it. The food’s bad enough already.”
Magnus took off at the run, aware of the roar of orders behind him. He had the engine room on four hours’ notice for steam, hoped that Mr Lockhart could shave that. He trotted into the outer office, exchanged salutes with the leading seaman there.
“Am I expected?”
“Captain Hawkins said you was to go in, sir.”
Magnus winced – even the most senior captain should not be giving orders in another’s office. It led to a residue of ill-feeling. He stepped into the inner room, came to the salute.
Captain Hawkins spoke before Parker could open his mouth, overriding him in his own office.
“What’s your readiness, Eskdale?”
“Four hours, sir, maximum. I have given the order to raise steam, sir.”
“Good. You will be accompanied by Brave, Eskdale. I shall remain aboard her.”
That was a relief; it kept Captain Hawkins at a distance. He was outside the chain of command and could not give orders that would contradict a captain in his own ship – unless he relieved him of command, which was difficult but not impossible and must lead to court of inquiry at the very least – but he could scowl his disapproval in front of the junior officers.
“Yes, sir. Course, sir?”
“To intercept a cruiser travelling towards the Gulf of Pechihli at her full speed, probably sixteen knots, and at the moment about one hundred miles south of the mouth of the Yangtse.”
“Tight, sir. Given Obelisk’s condition, sir, she will be lucky to make seventeen knots, and that for only a few hours. What ship, sir?”
“King Yuan, a Chinese cruiser.”
“I was under the impression that she was sunk by the Japanese in ’95 sir.”
“She was. The French have sold a dated cruiser laid up in Cochin China and surplus to their requirements and she is now Chinese manned and under command of a gentleman known to be of a revolutionary persuasion. He is believed – strongly – to be in the pockets of the German Minister in Peking. It is suspected that she is to make one of the lesser ports off the Gulf and will there make an attack on any expeditionary force sent to the relief of Peking. The Boxers are moving, I am reliably informed.”
Captain Parker did not see what they were to do – a ship of the Chinese navy was simply that and was entitled to sail where she wished.
“We shall bring her in, Captain Parker. If she will not come willingly, she will be sunk. The French have not yet announced their sale and will not do so if they are shown to be in aid of a revolutionary grouping. The ship will simply disappear – disposed of to breakers, the French will say.”
“But you will need evidence of such, Captain Hawkins.”
“Easily obtained, Captain Parker. Don’t worry yourself about evidence!”
Parker did not understand, and Magnus made no attempt to enlighten him.
“Brave to make the initial contact, Eskdale. If King Yuan opens fire then you will have a free hand. Brave will attempt to torpedo her, of course. Her guns will not be of great value.”
“One twelve and three six pounders, sir?”
“A pair of Maxims as well – they may be the most useful.”
“If possible, sir, I shall bring Obelisk in from the stern quarter. That should enable five guns to bear, and the same of three pounders, not that they will make a lot of difference. What was the French cruiser, sir? What has she got?”
“She was one of the Sane class – twenty-five years old, wooden-hulled and about two thousand tons. Eight five point fives and six of one pound Hotchkiss revolving guns. She should have a crew of about two hundred, but I thought there were more than that aboard. Should be no great problem.”
“You saw her, sir?”
“Reported by a junk making harbour in Hong Kong. Went out to discover what she was and spoke her yesterday. They told me to get stuffed – she was a Chinese ship in Chinese waters. My people had heard word of something going on and I was given a name for the captain. He answered to it and told me that the internal affairs of China were none of my business. He is right, of course, but if he is going to support the Boxers, then he must be dealt with. The Boxers are within fifty miles of Peking, by the way, and pushing hard. The Imperial Army is in the field and is supposed to be guarding the approaches to Peking; some of them will do so. There is a degree of German influence there, still, but that is to be made less in a few days, I trust.”
“So, sir. You will speak her again and endeavour to turn her, to Hong Kong, will that be?”
“If possible. If he refuses, then you will finish her.”
“Yes, sir. What is the command, sir?”
“Difficult, Eskdale. You remain under the orders of SNO Shanghai. I shall send a cable to Admiral Seymour requesting that you be detached to act under my orders. That will take a good few hours to come through – time we have not got. At the moment, you are under no obligation to obey me.”
“Then, sir, the ideal would be for Captain Parker to detach me temporarily to assist with this particular task. He cannot very well place me under your orders, without the approval of the Admiral. Therefore it is best if I am simply sent off to evaluate the situation and take such action as may be appropriate.”
“If it goes wrong, Eskdale, then you will be the sole responsible officer.”
“That will make the court-martial tidier, sir. If it does not go wrong, then my lady wife can cheer her bold husband again. If I am dismissed the service, then I have a job to go to with Blantyres, and a family to console me.”
Captain Parker snorted, could be seen debating whether he must conform or if he should go by the book and request permission from the Admiral. He needed an outstanding report from Admiral Seymour if he was to have a chance of putting his career back on track. Eskdale was a blue-eyed boy and Captain Hawkins was much respected…
“I will write the order now, gentlemen.”
The order simply stated that inasmuch as there was a Chinese-manned cruiser reported off the coast, bearing an obviously false name, Obelisk, Commander Lord Eskdale in command, was to investigate and take all action necessary to ensure that no piratical depredations ensued and that British interests and shipping were not placed in jeopardy. Eskdale was to escort the cruiser to Hong Kong if possible and was to prevent the vessel sailing further north towards the Gulf of Pechihli.
“Will that do you, Eskdale?”
“It is good of you, sir. It may place you in some jeopardy if I make a cock of it.”
“That’s the advantage of a dead career, Eskdale. There’s not enough there to see me dismissed the service, and I cannot be refused promotion more than once over. They cannot give me in effect a lifetime’s ban from the admiral’s list more than once.”
Captain Hawkins glanced at the order and made his thanks in turn.
“Was I you, Parker, I would ready the men for the expedition to the north. I know that the Admiral will be leading a landing party which will head directly inland, if the Legations are put under siege. There will be a need to secure a base, which will mean the Taku Forts again. Could be a good action there, Parker.”
Captain Parker agreed – to be first over
the battlements of the forts would set his career back on the rails again.
“Thank you, sir. Do you know when we should sail?”
“I know too damned little, Parker! I would guess within the fortnight. I will send word to Empingham in advance of the formal notification if at all possible.”
‘Wheels within wheels within wheels’, Magnus reflected, assembling his best smile as he turned to Parker.
“Can I indent for additional forty-five calibre Maxim ammunition, sir? We have used a little in practice. I now have eight men trained up as gunners and the same as loaders. It will keep them firing in action.”
“It will be aboard within the hour, Eskdale. Do you find the Maxims so very useful?”
“I have twice now, sir. The Maxims can keep the enemy’s heads down while the Marines use their rifles to take aimed shots at individuals. Add to that the machine-guns can suppress unshielded guns on the upper decks. The Chinaman has one pounder Hotchkisses, the revolving guns, and I met them on Otvajny and did not like them at all – but they are wide open to counter-fire. Gunner and loader both must stand upright and wholly exposed to fire the Hotchkiss – it would otherwise be a deadly weapon at close range.”
Captain Hawkins briefly agreed.
“Heard that myself, Eskdale. Read it in your report as well. The new pom-poms we are developing have full shielding for fire from the front.”
Magnus had not realised that his reports were actually read – he had always imagined that they existed solely to be filed and to make work for the clerks in the Admiralty.
Captain Parker had a final query.
“What is your coal state, Eskdale?”
“High, sir. I have more than four thousand miles in the bunkers.”
“Good. Shows forward-thinking, my lord.”
Magnus thought that Parker was a patronising tit – with the warnings they had had of war to come, only a complete idiot would have run down his bunkers. Thinking on it, there were more than one or two of those commanding naval ships…
“Thank you, sir. With your permission, sir, I should return to my ship.”
“Go, my lord, and my best wishes for your success go with you.”
Magnus jogged out of the office – if the ship saw him running they would know there was serious business in hand. As for success, to fight a newly manned ship was no great task, even if she did carry larger guns than his, unless, perhaps, the French had loaned some gunners to train up the Chinese. If her broadside was manned by experienced French gunners, then Obelisk might have her work cut out. He must speak with Guns as soon as he was aboard. He ran a little faster.
“Mr Knowles, have we got Admiralty recognition charts for the Sane class cruisers?”
“They are in the book, sir.”
“Let’s have a look at them.”
Magnus called Lieutenant Pattishall to join them.
“Where’s the engine and the boilers?”
They stared at the pictures and the accompanying text.
“Single boiler, sir. She is old. Midships, by the looks of it. Bowchaser and sternchaser and three guns on the broadside, sir. The French five point five will outrange us if they have the new model guns. If they are old, much the same as ours and probably less accurate at a distance.”
“So… fight at more than two miles, or closer than a cable, sounds best. If we have to close, then we must give the Maxims play, which means as near to her as possible.”
They agreed, gravely.
“Gunners to concentrate fire on the hull amidships, Guns. She’s wooden hulled, poor beast, and we should be able to set her alight at an early stage. Should never have steam engines in a wooden hull – unfair on the crew. No wonder the Frogs gave her to the Chinese!”
“What load, sir?”
“High explosive initially, until she is opened up. Then shrapnel. The three pounders to use shrapnel only.”
“Point of aim for the three pounders, sir?”
“Let’s have another look at that picture.”
There seemed no obvious target for the smaller guns but there was a small bridge structure forward of the mainmast; they decided to hit that first.
“Conditions prevailing will determine whether I close her, Mr Knowles. What has Lockhart to say about our readiness?”
Mr Knowles called down to the engine room, was gravely informed that the furnaces were as hot as they could be.
“Another two hours, sir. Three hours and fifteen minutes from giving him the word.”
“Good man. Strip the ship for action, Mr Knowles. Not to full war condition but reduce the hazards as you can.”
The declaration of war would result in a massive reduction in officers’ comforts.
The bulk of the crew endured a Spartan existence, but the wardroom and captain’s cabins had floor coverings, the naval form of linoleum and actual carpets, both of which were flammable. They also had wooden furniture. The cabins would be reduced to bare steel and a minimum of beds and tables if hostilities were declared.
“Yes, sir. Best thing will be to connect up the hoses, sir, so they will be immediately available on the outbreak of fire. Stewards to man them, sir.”
There was no time to take the furniture ashore and Knowles was reluctant to throw it over the side. The linoleum – corticine in its naval form – was glued down to the deck and would be destroyed in the process of ripping it up, and there would be no funds available to replace it.
“You are President of the Wardroom, Mr Knowles. The decision must be yours.”
Magnus knew he was dodging responsibility but had no wish to vandalise his officers’ living quarters.
“Yes, sir. Defaulters, sir – what do we do with them?”
Four ratings who had had a more than usually enthusiastic night of leave were in the cells ashore, undergoing fourteen days of detention. The punishment involved solitary confinement at night, a limited diet and days of drill, under the command of brutal provost sergeants. The exercises normally involved wearing full uniform, including the boots issued to landing parties, all spotlessly presented, and carrying on their backs a rock-filled pack weighing the better part of one hundred pounds, and hefting a rifle; everything was performed at the double, without breaks, except for the sergeants, for the whole of the day. Collapsing was ‘idleness’ and resulted in additional punishment.
Had Obelisk been detached from station or was she going to an extended war cruise, then it would have been normal to take the defaulters back aboard rather than lose their services for months or forever if the ship was sent to another posting.
“Leave ‘em, Mr Knowles. None are vital, skilled men who cannot be replaced in their departments. You know the state defaulters are in when they come back from the cells – we would get no work from them for a week in any case.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
Mr Knowles did not approve, but he did not like the prison regime, thought it brutalised and ruined hands who might still be good seamen otherwise.
“I have no use for men who cannot, and will not, remain within reason sober, Mr Knowles. Each of those hands had been before me at least once and had records as long as my arm from my predecessor and previous ships. Next offence will be the last for me – they will go to court-martial and will get at least two years followed by dishonourable discharge, if they survive twenty-four months in the Hong Kong gaol.”
“It’s very hard, sir.”
“The old days are gone, Mr Knowles. We need men who can operate increasingly complex pieces of machinery. I don’t need muscles to turn a capstan or heave on ropes – I want thinking men who can pull the right levers and turn a valve just to the right degree. That means thinking men not pickled sots. If I had my way, Mr Knowles, I would turn the Navy dry, like the Americans – except in the wardroom, of course.”
Knowles was appalled at such heresy. He turned the conversation to one more tolerable.
“Course, sir? What charts will Mr Coulthorne require?”
“
Coastal waters to the north, I would expect. We shall conform to Brave in the first instance. Captain Hawkins will be taking the lead and will attempt to persuade the Chinese captain to dock in Hong Kong where his status may be discussed. If he fails, then we will take necessary action. I believe that sinking the ship with all hands will be the most desirable outcome.”
“Intentionally to destroy her whole crew, sir?”
“We shall save any men in the water, Mr Knowles. If she blows up, or sinks rapidly, well and good, but we will cease the action when she surrenders or can fight no more. We shall rescue every possible survivor, however inconvenient that might be.”
Mr Knowles was relieved. He had mentally prepared himself to refuse the order to kill men in the water, knowing that would finish him on Obelisk and probably leave a question mark on his record that would end his career. It would also create a scandal that would resonate through the whole navy, and he did not want that, either – he was a sailor and wished to be nothing else. Giving evidence before a court of inquiry would soon see him in an office on land, if he was lucky.
“Yes, sir. I will have the boats’ crews ready, sir.”
“That is your job, Mr Knowles – and you will be commended for doing it correctly.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Magnus whistled quietly to himself as he sat in his cabin and waited for the word that they could cast off. His own prospects would be materially lessened if he came back to Shanghai with a shipload of survivors from a ship of the Chinese Navy. The whole point of this operation was to deal clandestinely with a problem that could thereafter be denied – there never had been any Chinese cruiser – King Yuan had been sunk by the Japanese years before. A missing French cruiser would attract no attention – it was obsolete, written off the books, was no doubt in a breaker’s yard somewhere. There would never have been an action at sea, unless hundreds of half-drowned survivors suddenly appeared.
He was no murderer. If men died in battle, that was an expected side-effect, unfortunate, no more. If they survived the battle and were killed in cold blood afterwards – that was murder. Even if they were simply left to drown, he would be culpable.
Chinese Whispers Page 26