Winds of Fury

by Peter Duysings

  “How are my favorite first officer and boatswains this wonderful evening?” Heinrich greeted the three who were standing on deck staring at their captain as he walked past. He felt lighter than air, as if his feet had sprouted wings.

  “Another tough laborious day in town for the captain, I see,” Otto said facetiously while shaking his head.

  “I would like to have just one of those ‘laborious’ days myself,” remarked Fritz with his eyebrows raised.

  “That lucky Heinrich seems to attract the pretty wenches wherever he goes. The only ones I attract are the toothless-type,” complained the other boatswain, Ernst Mayer.

  “Well sailor, you ought to lose a few pounds, and maybe you’ll get lucky,” Otto said to Ernst.

  “Ha, you should be one to talk about weight. Helga must enjoy bouncing off that belly of yours as she tries straddling you,” Ernst shot back at Otto. Otto turned on him, raising his riding crop as if to strike him. Ernst brought up both hands in mock defense and laughed incessantly. Shrieks of laughter emanated from sailors nearby having heard the banter. Otto twisted around and snarled at them, and they immediately turned back to their work.

  “Damn lackeys,” Otto thundered. “You best return to your chores, or there’ll be the devil to pay. That made the sailors work at a faster pace for no one wanted the task of caulking pitch on the longest seam of the ship’s hull, which was the denotation of the term, devil to pay – a most unpleasant task. Otto had not seriously meant his sharp remark, but the sailors did not know this.

  “Maybe you should go see the captain and find out about the gorgeous woman,” Ernst suggested to Otto.

  “No way. I’m staying clear of this one, mate. What I really need is a little filly for myself and have my way with her.”

  “If you do find one, I don’t think she will be a little filly,” Ernst commented and quickly jumped out of Otto’s reach. In fact, he decided it best to run off the main deck as Otto shot him a menacing look and was ready to whack him a good one with the crop.

  “You best keep your distance. I’ll wring your neck when I catch you,” Otto yelled after him. The sailors nearby could not contain their laughter. Otto turned on them, and one of the men took off in a dead run toward the stern. Seeing their fellow mate retreating, the others followed suit. Otto was about to say something, but he stopped, deciding to let the poor saps go without any more castigation. Hell, how could he blame them for reacting as they did? Fritz was grinning from ear-to-ear. Otto just shook his head and stomped off in the opposite direction.

  * * *

  It was later that afternoon when Reiner and Diego came back to the ship from their trip into the city and reported to Heinrich of their search for weapons. They had gone to his quarters and found it empty. The two men inquired of the captain’s whereabouts. They found Heinrich sitting on the bowsprit conversing with several sailors. Heinrich spotted them and excused himself from the men and walked toward them.

  “Capitán, we have found all and more than what we were searching for. They are well supplied here. Before we make the purchase, we want to know for sure how much you’re willing to spend.”

  “We want to purchase enough long blades and daggers to arm every crewmember plus a number of spares. Also, extra arrows for our longbows if they are to be had. Ultimately, I leave it up to your judgment.”

  Reiner and Diego both nodded in agreement. “It will not be a small sum, Heinrich,” Reiner stated.

  “I understand. Herr Albrecht will not be happy spending so much money, but he is never happy when I raid the coffers. The man is a faithful manager of the funds but can be a nuisance at times not letting me near my own money. It took a lot of persuasion to get the funds for Conrad’s cannon supplies. So, the weapons meet your approval?”

  Reiner answered, “They do. We have found fine blades made in England and France. There is a handful of Spanish swords but at a premium price. I suggest we get the English and French ones and only a few of the Spanish blades as spares for the boarding unit leaders.”

  “That seems reasonable to me. Everything else on the list has been obtained, so let’s finish the bargaining for these as soon as you can. I will do battle with Peter Albrecht.”

  * * *

  Not long after, Conrad and Manfred made it back from town. They had purchased enough powder and cannon balls to outfit a small armada. Heinrich had told them to stock up for he was not sure where the next supply would be available. They purchased a surplus, knowing that a lot of firing practice was planned in the weeks to come. The goods purchased took several large wagons to deliver to the ship. The men had made a relay line from the wagons to the storage areas onboard ship. Heinrich had come over and watched the unloading process.

  “Herr Geiger, it looks as though you are expecting quite a bit of activity.”

  “Captain, Manfred and I decided to take you up on purchasing plenty in case we need it. We figure approximately a quarter of it will be utilized for practice, the rest reserved for battle. We will be at sea for some time, and you said yourself that we do not know where in the Caribbean we may find replacement stock.”

  “Sie haben recht – you are right. I just have never seen so much powder and shot in one place before. It looks as if we are going to war. Do we have enough room to store all of it?”

  “Well, I figure whatever is left after filling up both armories and allocating enough at each cannon, we can store the rest in the cargo holds within since they are empty.”

  “That will work.”

  “Besides the cannon balls, we purchased a wagon load of various metal pieces, to be used as grapeshot.”

  “Oh yes, we used grapeshot when we were ship to ship against the Baltic pirates,” Heinrich said. “I remember how deadly effective those shards are flying across a ship’s deck.”

  Conrad continued, “The mayhem that grapeshot delivers to those unfortunate enough to be in its path can be quite extensive. I have also witnessed the results, its devastation. It is not a pleasant sight to see. The destruction that it causes can also create great fear in men. That fear can have a great effect in battle.”

  “If it’s that effective, then why not use that type of load all the time?” asked Ernst Mayer, who was supervising the unloading.

  “Because grapeshot is only effective at close quarters. Its range is very limited.”

  “I see. I hope we won’t have to witness its debilitating nature.”

  “It is something that no man desires to see,” added Conrad.

  Heinrich took in Conrad’s words and began reflecting. Conrad was right, no one of sound mind wishes for combat. Their plight, however, was in the winds of fate. Better to be prepared for the worse or be the direct recipient of it.

  The thought had Heinrich in a pensive mood as the wagons were being unloaded. He imagined what would happen in battle. He visualized cannons being fired, rifles discharging, and then as the two ships closed with each other – the boarders jumping over to the other ship, storming across the deck, and entangling themselves among the pirates while they hammered away at each other with zeal. The closest he came to that scenario was against the Baltic pirates. This crew, however, was spared that aspect; at least for now. He wondered, would it be an insane free-for-all or an energizing rush? In the midst of battle, would he freeze up out of fear? What would it really feel like having one’s flesh pierced and bone shattered by a musket ball? Would excruciating pain break a man down and force him to scream in agony as his life ebbed away pitifully? Suddenly, he felt a sense of dread, was aware that he was acutely sweating and panting; trying to catch his breath. He thought of how he would personally react in battle. Would he suffer debilitating fright? Would he be able to cope with the mental anguish? Would he be able to deal with the perilous horror of men trying to tear each other to pieces?

  He had been involved in numerous fights in ports of call; some as a group participant and some as one-on-one brawls. None were particularly enjoyable, yet those occasions he had n
ever backed down out of fright. In fact, the disturbing aspect was the element of excitement; he felt … what would one call it - eagerness? It was somewhat abnormal, wasn’t it? Was it evil or wicked to feel that way?

  Was battling pirates no different than brawling? Was it simply men using any means to best one another? Was it justified violence? Or was his mind playing tricks, trying to justify his former acts? He was at an impasse as he tried to reconcile the dilemma he was facing; searching for an absolute answer was not to be found as he wrestled with the thought. The more he dwelled on the subject, the more anxious he became. Heinrich shuddered to think that his past brawls could be equated to the destructive power of such weapons he had onboard. The comparison was maddening. Who was he to be the judge, anyhow? He was no philosopher, trying to measure the two aspects. He told himself, “I am but a simple sailor on a journey that, on occasion, balefully distresses me with unsolvable puzzles. I can only make judgments on the things that are within my realm of reasoning. Yet, weapons are tangible items that are … no, no more of this! I will go crazy if I attempt to find the meaning of life itself. I am the captain of my own ship. This is my realm, and I will decide what is best for our welfare. The men have put their trust and confidence in me. I cannot let them down. Lucky, I have men … friends … that can advise me. Others have been through raging storms caused by the hand of man’s cruelty. I must continue to rely on the likes of Reiner, Diego, Conrad, Manfred, Bruno, and Arnold. They have met fire with fire and came through the virulent tragedies.”

  For Heinrich, it was not so much the fear of battle as it was the ability to envision it the same way as someone who had experienced it. He wanted to learn to place it in the proper perspective. “Enough for now; I must shake off this uneasiness and dwell on other matters.”

  * * *

  The crews of the three rowboats returned to the ship after a day of fishing. The men made sure they had a boatload of fish; they did not want to face their first officer’s wrath for failing their mandated duty. They hauled up the fish in eight wooden barrels they had filled and then requested a couple of smaller containers for the additional fish strewn across the bottom of the boats.

  A smile creased Otto’s mouth as he watched the men unload their catch. He was surprised by the amount of fish being hauled up; it was resplendent. Otto observed they had taken his mocked harshness seriously and he also noticed they were looking at him for approval. The men in the boats tried to gage Otto’s attitude as they saw him observing them from the bulwark railing. After they finished unloading, they stood around the copious amount of fish while Otto made an exaggerated display of carefully inspecting the catch. The men’s expressions soured, and they began fidgeting. They were now truly worried the catch did not meet Otto’s expectation. They had labored hard all day, and they considered what they brought back a worthy catch. Yet, here was their first officer acting as if they had lolled the day away when all the while they had been in the mosquito-infested marshes swatting away the irritating insects and wrestling the slimy fish.

  Otto continued pacing back and forth, pursing his lips as he did so. “Hmm, you call this a fine day of fishing? I sent out three dozen men this morning on a simple fishing expedition and this …,” he motioned to the fish, “and this … is all you bring back. How do you expect to feed the entire crew? Don’t you find it a bit shameful coming back with this little pile?”

  All the fishermen were despairingly shocked at Otto’s assessment. Many of the men held their breath at what they anticipated was to come – they had seen Otto in action when he was mad – and Otto clearly was not satisfied and would soon erupt. This was not at all going well. They had believed they had outdone themselves with the amount of fish caught, but their effort meant nothing unless their first officer was gratified. Every one of the men feared what sort of punishment awaited them.

  Heinrich was standing alongside Günter, Fritz and the helmsman, Ebert Fiedler near the helm; all were fixated on Otto’s performance.

  “That Otto sure enjoys the authority of his position, doesn’t he?” Fritz said while shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.

  “Yes indeed, he can’t seem to help deride the crew. He gets a kick out of teasing whoever happens to be around,” Heinrich replied. He knew his rotund friend was only getting back at the men for their teasing him at times.

  “The man is a natural actor. He should have taken up the art of bardolatry,” Günter stated.

  “Bar… what?” Fritz asked, confused.

  “Bardolatry – someone who idolizes Shakespeare’s work.

  “Never heard the term before,” Fritz said.

  “That is an excellent comparison, Günter,” commented Heinrich. “I think Otto has overlooked his real calling.”

  How long Otto would keep up his performance was anyone’s guess. He had three dozen men frozen with fright and was having a heyday making them miserable.

  “He confided to me many times, it relieves his stress,” Heinrich explained to the two men. “It also breaks the monotony of his daily grind.”

  “Well, I must say he certainly tries to be authentic in the role he plays,” commented Günter. “Maybe we should think about him doing a full Shakespeare performance to entertain the men some evening. It may be comforting for the crew to have him off their backs for a while.”

  “Otto enjoys this too much,” said Heinrich.

  Otto was not through yet and said to them, “Well I suppose this measly catch will just have to do. I hope your fellow mates won’t hold it against you for leaving them with hunger pains. Since you caught them, I expect you to clean them for our esteemed cooks. You don’t want them to come after you with their knives to slice open your gullets in anger. I will have a talk with Karl so I can calm his irritation. You will owe me big for protecting you from any ill feelings among the crew.” He paused for effect waiting for the fishermen to say something.

  “What? No word of thanks for absolving you. Otto barked out. His face showing a stunned expression, acting hurt by their ungratefulness.

  Several of the men immediately offered their thanks for Otto’s benevolent attitude toward them.

  “That’s more like it. I was beginning to wonder what happened to your manners. Now let’s get busy cleaning the fish as it’s getting late in the day. We will have them for tomorrow’s supper.”

  The men began the grueling chore of cleaning the fish, which would take many hours. Under their breath, a few men grumbled.

  Otto spun around. “Do I hear complaining after I have done you a favor?”

  “Nein, Herr Kleist. We were discussing what would be the best way to clean the fish quickly,” one of the men uttered.

  “All right then. It shouldn’t take long to clean the few small containers of fish I see laying on deck.”

  “Those are just the overflow that couldn’t fit in the barrels,” a different man spoke out.

  “You mean to tell me that the barrels are filled with fish as well?” Otto questioned. He stepped closer to the men.

  “Ja, of course, first officer. The barrels are filled to the brim with fish,” the same man stated, trying not to show his irritation for fear of reprisal.

  “Ohhh! Why didn’t you say so in the first place,” Otto stated in a smug tone. “Then you men did a better job than you led me to believe. Now, I do think we may have enough of fish to go around after all. And I thought I would have a disappointed crew on my hands at supper. You men mustn’t play tricks with me the next time and have me believe you were shirking your duties.”

  “We weren’t, first officer,” said Dieter, one of the boys. “We assumed you knew the barrels were full with fish.”

  “Well, men, you must always remember that this ship does not run on assumptions, but only on solid facts that are stated openly. Since your catch was better than you led me to believe, I will do you of all another big favor because that’s the kind of person my mother raised. I will get more men to help you clean the fish. Now
keep in mind I have a memory like an elephant and keep track of every leniency I provide you, so do yourselves a favor and from now on don’t hide anything from me.”

  A barely audible voice from one sailor in the back of the group was heard, “More like a body of an elephant.”

  Hearing the comment, Otto exploded and pointed his riding crop at the group of men.

  “Hey there! I heard that snide comment; you think that’s hilarious, do you? You won’t think so if I task you all to swab the deck for an entire week,” Otto barked out in anger. Or possibly have you the devil to pay by starting on decks tonight after you clean the fish. How would that suit you all?”

  “Please, first officer, nothing mean-spirited was meant by anyone. We will clean the fish,” one very exhausted sailor pleaded with Otto. But Otto wasn’t quite finished with them and continued dressing down the men. “If you men think that you can belligerently assail me, you have not yet experienced the wrath I am capable of,” he shouted out.

  The same sailor pleaded, “Mein Herr, we do not understand some of the words you are using, but we understand that you are upset. Please allow us to make things right and get all the fish squared away so that they can be prepared.”

  “All right then, get to work cleaning this smelly pile. I will honor my promise about rounding up more men to help. See how reasonable I can be when you do what you are told?”

  The knot of men nodded in unison just to get on with it and avoid any additional chores; they were exhausted after spending all day on the sun-scorched river.

  Still, on deck, Heinrich, along with the three men, watched the scene play out. They did so at times because when Otto lit into the crew, the situation could get very comical.

  “Fritz commented, “Otto certainly has a special way with people. He’s got the crew going forwards and backward all at the same time not knowing what exactly he wants out of them.”

  Günter began to giggle, which turned into laughter at the antics displayed by Otto. It tickled his funny bone and became contagious, as both Fritz and Ebert burst out laughing. All three could not stop the frolicking fit.