The funds would be guarded by an escort of Portuguese soldiers while on shore. At the quay, it would be loaded in to the ship’s boats, where it would become the responsibility of the Royal Navy in the person of Captain Phillips until it was delivered safely to London, where it would become part of the treasure that was maintaining Britain’s financial stability.
The delivery of the treasure was by wagons drawn by mule teams. A troop of cavalry preceded the wagons, with companies of foot soldiers marching alongside and behind the wagons. The ship’s boats were already in the water and the Marines were loaded into the boat to prepare for their task of guarding the specie. Seamen accompanied them in case they were needed to load the casks. Arriving on the quay, the heavy casks were lowered into two of the boats, while others lay in the water to shield the treasure boats against any water-borne attack.
The boats filled with Marines escorted the treasure to the ship where lines were attached to the individual casks and hoisted aboard with the assistance of the capstan. Lowered through an open hatch into the hold, the casks were rolled into the treasure room and secured so they could not possibly shift in heavy seas. When all was secure, the captain and first officer inspected the arrangements, then the carpenter nailed the inner door of the treasure room closed and affixed a heavy lock on the outer door.
There had been some discussion whether HMS Active should return to England with the convoy when it sailed, but the decision decided upon had the frigate returning by herself. It was felt she had the speed to elude any vessels that might attempt to take her. Then too, there was another dramatization to be played out after she left.
A further scenario would have a similar escort deliver some heavy casks aboard Ardent. A rumor was floated in Rio that the cargo loaded into Active was merely a decoy, intended to draw any potential attackers, while the real treasure would be in the third-rate battleship, Ardent.
When her role in this play was finished, had been taken, Active slipped her mooring cable and proceeded to sea. Outside the harbor, she spread her wings and set sail for home. It had been planned she would not touch land again until she moored in the Pool of London.
Phillips was exhausted from the load of responsibility he had been carrying thus far, and after Sugarloaf Mountain had dropped below the horizon, decided to take his rest. He left the ship in the hands of Mister Clifford and took to his bed. When he awoke the next day, he was feeling miserable, with a fever and was sick to his stomach. Dragging himself on deck, he found many of the crew in the same straits as himself. Calling the ship’s surgeon, he learned the sickness had fallen upon them soon after sailing. The doctor suspected the water taken aboard in Rio was the problem. Mister Fitzwilliam, the ship’s sailing master, was called. He had been the one who had arranged for the water to be delivered to the ship and had handled its stowage. He reported it had been furnished by a dockside chandler, and no suspicions had surfaced in the transaction.
The surgeon was asked to investigate and did so by having a recently emptied water cask swayed up out of the hold. When the barrel’s head was removed, a foul stench emerged and several inches of sediment were apparent in the container’s bottom. Apparently the chandler had merely pumped the filthy river water directly into the casks before delivering them to Active.
With half the ship’s crew ill and several in serious condition, it was evident they could not continue using this water. The master reported there were still a few barrels of the old water in the lower tier which had been brought all the way from home. Although now brown in color, it was still preferable to the disgusting liquid recently brought aboard.
With only a limited supply of water that could be safely used, it was necessary to find another source. Together with Mister Fitzwilliam, Phillips pored over the master’s charts. There were plenty of islands in the area where they could water, if they did not wish to re-visit Rio. However, with the crew aware now of their cargo, Phillips feared word would leak out if they visited any populated place. From the master’s charts, an island was selected a few day’s sail ahead.
It was tiny, and there was no mention of any people living there. A small inlet offered sufficient draft for the ship if she used caution approaching. Winds were capricious while making for this island and the ship’s crew was existing on half rations of water when they found the tiny bay. Not wishing to attempt to sail inside, he sent in a boat to make soundings and lowered the kedge anchor down to the launch. Lashed to its side, the boat pulled into the harbor, trailing the long cable.
Reaching a satisfactory location, the cox’n cut the anchor’s seizing and let it fall to the bottom. With the hands at the capstan, the ship pulled its way up to the anchor and came to rest in the center of a tiny, protected haven. From the quarterdeck, a stream was seen descending from a steep height, and a small rill was seen coming to the beach. A boat was sent to that area with a string of empty barrels. On shore, the heads were removed and the barrels were scoured out with sand and seawater and pumped full of clean water. When filled, they were towed back to the frigate and the thirsting crew allowed to drink all of the fresh water they wished.
Another boat crew took more barrels ashore to be filled. With so many men ill, it was a lengthy process filling the casks but days later the task was finished. With most of the men now recovering, they pulled up their anchor and put out to sea again.
Phillips did not drive the ship or crew now. He knew they were already late and it would be impossible to recover the lost time. He thought about putting into one of the Caribbean ports to report their progress but was deterred by the order to refrain from revealing their cargo. With every man of the crew knowing full well the treasure room was filled with precious metal, there would be no way to keep a secret once touching land.
Hardening his resolve the ship avoided the sugar islands and continued up the American continent, remaining well off-shore to stay away from the frequented shipping lanes. He was not concerned about being intercepted by American privateers, and most of the American warships were blockaded in port. The Americans did have some heavy frigates that any wise frigate captain should remain well clear of, which Phillips firmly intended to do. There were those captains in the Royal Navy who believed any British frigate should be able to defeat any other nation’s frigate.
Phillips was not one of these captains. The Americans had built some superior ships with a fully enclosed spar deck, which in effect made each frigate a two-decker, with heavy guns on both the gun deck and the spar deck. The American large frigate could almost be classified as a line-of-battle ship, nothing that he wished to engage.
Off the coast of Georgia, an American sloop-of-war came out to investigate. She had no business interfering with an enemy frigate, but her captain probably thought he could evade Active if necessary. When Active paid her no mind, the American apparently thought something was amiss and began making exploratory passes, sometimes firing off a gun or two, usually far out of range.
Seemingly paying no attention to the pest, HMS Active sailed blithely on. The sloop ranged closer and fired another round. This one impacted very close to its target. Active responded this time by veering to port and loosing her port broadside. It was very long range, but two balls struck. Learning her lesson, the warship turned away, but remaining in sight. Next morning the ship was gone and Active remained on course. Later that same day, the sloop was back, off on the starboard beam, accompanied this time by another sail. It was too far away initially to identify, but next morning it was still there and was seen to be a brig, most probably a privateer.
During the course of the day, both vessels came closer to the frigate. Normally, Phillips would have had no qualms with engaging either or both of them. Now, with the treasure on board, he knew he would face censure should he voluntarily risk that specie.
HMS Active was superior to either ship, but there was always the chance of a lucky ball disabling the ship, leaving it open to a combined attack. The best option would be to just remain well
away from the pair. Putting the wind on her quarter and setting her stuns’ls, he tried to sail away from his pursuers. With the ship loaded as she was with stores and the heavy cargo of specie, Active was just a bit too slow to walk away.
Her pursuers, seeing her attempt to escape, realized there must be a problem and decided to find what that problem might be. With the pair slowly closing, night was coming on, and Phillips hoped to escape in the dark. It was a dark night, with a heavy overcast, and with no lights showing there seemed to be a good chance of escape.
Accordingly, when Phillips decided they were invisible, he had the ship put about. Sailing on, he was confident he had successfully evaded the pursuing nuisances. Dawn, the next morning however, saw the brig hull down to port, while the sloop was forward of the frigate, distant, but hull up. Turning to starboard, she again tried to evade. With any luck, the brig would not see them and perhaps the pair could be separated.
No such luck though. With both pursuing again, Phillips knew he was going to have to disobey his orders and bring this nonsense to a conclusion. He continued his flight, but reduced sail to allow the sloop to overtake faster. The brig was still distant when he brought the frigate around to face that sloop-of-war. Her captain, already having faced her fire once, should have realized he had a problem, but continued his approach. Coming on, bow to bow, the sloop turned to port to bring her broadside into play.
Phillips had already made the same decision and the necessary commands erupted from his mouth almost simultaneously. The enemy sloop came around first and got off the first shots, but Active was almost around and began firing as each individual gun bore on the enemy. Both ships fired accurately, but the sloop fired high, with a view of disabling Active’s rigging so as to cripple the big frigate until the brig could come up to assist.
Many of her shot did strike rigging and canvas, but no important damage happened to slow Active. The American sloop had twelve guns on her broadside, all of them twelve pounders. Active had sixteen guns on her beam, two of them thirty two-pounder carronades. These guns fired one at a time into the smaller ship’s hull. The carronades especially doing desperate damage to the lightly built ship’s hull. The sloop’s foremast came down and to all intents, the fight was over. The brig had now come up and was hovering just out of range. Active sailed on out of range of the disabled sloop and hove to, commencing repairs on her rigging.
Phillips was tempted to continue the engagement, knowing another broadside would either sink the sloop or cause her to strike. He did not re-engage. He knew he was in no danger from these ships and felt no purpose would be caused by his continuing to fire. By the time he could take possession of the battered enemy, she would be so shattered as to be worthless. The sloop was certainly incapable of causing any danger to British shipping in this condition, and it was doubtful if she could get a chance. This war should be over soon. It would be better to just leave and get his cargo home.
Active sailed past the Nore anchorage, and after taking a pilot aboard, made her slow way up the Thames. News sped past her, allowing the proper welcome to be prepared in London. She fired off her salute, and picked up her mooring in the Pool.
Once moored, an admiral’s barge came alongside, with an invitation from Lord Melville to call on him at the Admiralty, where discussions concerning landing the treasure were to be conducted. Already shaved and wearing his best coat and hat Phillips left the ship in the charge of the first officer. As his gig approached the quay, he saw Dorothy Hamilton standing there in her most revealing gown
Other books by this author
War at Sea Series in Kindle e-book format
On The King’s Sea Service, print version also available
For the Honor of the Flag, print version available
Trafalgar and Beyond
Frigates of War
HMS Dreadnaught
HMS Resolve
His Majesty’s Brig Alert, print version available
Sails Across the Sea, print version available
Across to America, print version available
http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Testrake/e/B00J21XF8M/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1430881674&sr=1-2-ent
Ships of Oak, Men of Iron: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 10) Page 16