HMS Seawolf

by Michael Aye

  She’d wanted to be left with child. “Your leaving will be almost unbearable,” she’d said.

  “I’ll worry everyday, but if I’m with child, I believe, it would be much easier.” Deborah was nearly thirty while Anthony was thirty-eight. Neither were old, but old enough. Waiting would only worsen the risk for Deborah, Caleb had said. Well, if she were not with child it would not be from lack of trying. If she was, Anthony wondered when he would be home to see his child. How old would he or she be? God! So much to ponder.

  “Deck there!” the lookout again. “Merlin has come about and is headed our way. Looks like she’s got a small prize.”

  Anthony turned to his flag captain, “Signal, have captain repair on board, once the rest of the convoy is up with us, Dutch.”

  “Aye, my lord.”

  “Bart!”

  “Here, sir.”

  “Let’s go on down and get out of the captain’s way. We’re taking up space like gear adrift. It’s not quite noon yet, but I think a glass of wine might be refreshing.”

  Bart muttered a reply, but Anthony didn’t hear it due to the bosun yelling at some oaf for banging a bucket of water and spilling it on the deck.

  “I’m sorry, Bart, what did you say?”

  Looking somewhat sheepish, Bart answered, “Me said, it’s bound to be noonish ‘sumwheres.”

  Chapter Two

  Anthony was on Warrior’s deck when SeaWolf took station just to windward of the flagship. Anthony immediately noticed the ship handling was not the smooth crisp seamanship Gabe normally demonstrated. Then, when he saw Lieutenant Hazard and Dagan being rowed over, he knew something terrible was wrong. He felt his chest tighten and became nauseated. It was hard to catch his breath. Bart also knew something was amiss and his experienced eye picked out the various repairs that had been conducted on SeaWolf as a result of battle.

  Moving up close, Bart touched Anthony’s arm without being conspicuous. “Let’s go below, sir, Cap’n Moffett can talk with Mr. Hazard. That way Dagan can come on downs to ‘us uns.”

  Anthony felt half in a trance when he gave Moffett the order to keep Lieutenant Hazard occupied until he sent for him. Then he made his way to his cabin.

  ***

  “He’s alive, my Lord. I feel it in my bones…my soul. I don’t want you to listen to Hazard, Lavery, or any of them,” Dagan said addressing Anthony in his day cabin. “He may be hurt or a captive but he’s alive.”

  Dagan had told the entire story as Anthony, Markham, Bart and Silas sat and listened without interruption, drinks untouched in their hands.

  “This slave, you say you recognized him?”

  “Aye,” Dagan replied. “At first, I couldn’t place him, but then it come to me. The man who let Commodore Gardner use his house at English Harbour.”

  “Mr. Montique?”

  “Adam Montique,” Markham added.

  “Aye, that’s him. It was his slave and I believe he was there on the beach. I didn’t get a look at him because he was in the back of the group of men that had gathered, but I’m sure it was him. He kept saying Gabe was a goner but I felt different. I was torn between leaving the ship there and searching for Gabe or coming here to speak with you, then go back and fetch him home. I didn’t want any trouble with Mr. Hazard. I knew you’d have enough troubles without me causing more by hurting the young lieutenant’s feelings by jumping ship or disobeying his orders.”

  “So what do you plan?” Anthony asked.

  “I’d like to go to Petersburg in Virginia. That’s where my uncle is and I believe he can get me back to Port Royal.”

  “Why not take a ship?” Markham asked, not able to restrain himself.

  “Anyone seeing the ship would know who we are and likely know what we were about before we could get close enough to do any good.”

  “Who do you want to take with you?” Anthony asked.

  Dagan could see Bart and Markham were ready to go but said, “Caleb. He talks and sounds like a Colonial and he’s known to some. If anyone else came it would only slow us down.”

  Then looking at Markham but addressing Anthony, Dagan said, “The prize we took, the Swan, Gabe was hoping you’d take her in and maybe give her to Mr. Markham.”

  “Did he?” Anthony said, unable to hide a smile even with the heaviness he felt over Gabe’s disappearance. Then turning to his flag lieutenant he said, “Well, Gabe’s right, Frances. It’s time you were given a ship. The choice is yours. You can have Swan or you can take command of SeaWolf. Understanding either is only temporary for now.”

  “I’ll take Swan, sir. It was in Gabe’s mind when he took her, that she’d be mine, so I feel she’s the one I ought to have. Besides, sir, I wouldn’t want to take away SeaWolf from Lieutenant Hazard.”

  Anthony looked at Markham, “You wouldn’t be. He’s too junior and inexperienced for command. If you take Swan, I’m going to put Steve Earl in temporary command of SeaWolf until we get Gabe back. Hopefully, Earl will have his own command soon, but for now it’s SeaWolf. Now, go pack your chest and make a list of anyone special you’d like to have. I’m not sure about a lieutenant but a senior midshipman and a good master’s mate. Ask Mr. Oxford if you don’t have anyone in mind.”

  “Only one, sir.”

  “ Just one?” Anthony queried.

  “Aye, my Lord. I’d like Mr. Davy if possible but no one else in particular.”

  “Very well, he’s yours. Now on your way up pay my respects to Captain Moffett and have him and Lieutenant Hazard come down as soon as convenient.”

  “Silas.”

  “Aye, my Lord.”

  “Do you think you can round up Vally, Captain Moffett’s clerk, and the two of you give us a legible set of orders.”

  “Aye, my Lord, we’ll see to it, ‘us’n will.”

  While waiting on the clerks to draw up the orders for Lieutenant Markham and Lieutenant Earl, Anthony listened quietly as Lieutenant Hazard gave his report. After finishing his report of the explosion and Gabe’s disappearance, Hazard went on to tell of a chance meeting with the brig of war, HMS Hatchet.

  “Her captain told me after Admiral Parker had failed to take Sullivan’s Island, the fleet hauled their wind.”

  “What of Lord Clinton?” Captain Moffett interrupted.

  “I’m not sure, sir. I caught up with the convoy and sailed on to Norfolk. There’s still a large British presence there but there’s also open defiance and unrest. I then sailed on to New York after a brief skirmish just off the coast at Philadelphia. I spoke with Admiral Graves at New York, sir, and I have his messages for you. His flag lieutenant told me the admiral is in a state of humours about how things are going in the southern colonies and in Philadelphia as well.”

  “Did the admiral say anything about the Swan?” Lord Anthony asked.

  “No sir, but I wrote my report in such haste I may have forgot to mention her, sir.”

  Hearing this Moffett slapped his knee and crowed, “Well, damme, this boy’s got promise, my Lord.”

  Before dismissing Hazard, Anthony explained why he was putting Lieutenant Earl in temporary command of SeaWolf. “Your day will come and when it does I’ll not forget your loyalty.”

  Chapter Three

  Along the beach, a young girl and her nanny search for shells.

  “Bring that lanthorn closer here nanny, how am I to see if you’re standing so far up on the beach.”

  “Huh, child! You don’t need to be sashaying down there in dem dark waters. You can’t see nothing and one dem whales’l be done come up heah and swollered you.”

  “Well, I certainly can’t see if you keep the lanthorn so far up on the beach. Now Sarah Livingston comes here at night and she’s got three big conch shells. I want at least six. She’s always so prissy. Did you see how low her dress was in front the other night? Made that Luke Tarlton’s eye bulge. If she’d took a deep breath, her ninnies would have popped out for sure.”

  “Hush, child, how you talk. Yo blessed mother
would have me washing yo mouth out with lye soap if she hadn’t done gone on to be with ‘da angels. Now get on up here.”

  “Oh, nanny, ain’t no whale going to come up on this beach and swallar me. Uncle Adam said a whale hasn’t got a mouth big enough to swallow a man.”

  “He don’t, do he! Well, you jus tell that to po’ old brother Jonah, what be in the Bible. He done got swallowed by ‘de whale. ‘Sides, iffen a whale don’t get cha wona dem crocogators what Mr. Hindley talks about will. Now come on. You already done got foh ‘o dem shells. Dats one moh than dat nasty Sarah done got. You knows I told Lum we wouldn’t be long when he fetched us over here in dat boat. You knows dat Mr. Hindley will give Lum what ‘foh ‘iffen we’s get caught. Lawd, I don’t knows hows I let myself get talked into ‘yo shenanigans. Huh! Cause I loves ya, I guess and I gave my solemn word to ‘yo blessed moma foh she went onto Jesus.”

  “Nanny!”

  “Yes, child.’

  “Are you sweet on Uncle Lum?”

  “Hush, child, LAWD!!! What foolishness. What was that?”

  “It was some kind of explosion, nanny.”

  “We ain’t being attacked by ‘dem Britishers is we girl?”

  “No, nanny, but something blew up. What did Uncle Lum say they was unloading off that ship, nanny? Was it gunpowder?”

  “I don’t know child, but we’s got to hurry along now. Lum will be worried show ‘nuff.”

  ***

  All was still in the predawn hours. The inlet was bathed in moonlight and like giant fireflies pieces of burning debris would flicker on the receding waters then hiss as the tide carried it on. Then the smoke seemed to roll in with a faint offshore breeze. Gabe opened his eyes. It took a moment for them to adjust to the blackness before him. His ears were ringing. He hurt. He was lying flat in a foul smelling mud. He could smell smoke as it came in off the water. The salt from the sea, the mud, and the smoke, all of these odors seemed to fill his nostrils and burn his lungs as he tried to breathe.

  His service coat was plastered to him. The sleeves were singed and blackened. He rolled over to his back. God it hurt, but his breathing seem to be easier. It was only when he moved he felt the sharp pains in his ribs, probably broken. He felt the tide as it rushed past his head, some going in his ears and causing him to shake his head to clear them. He had felt numb but now his feelings must be returning. He could feel the cold with the wet and caked mud. Lying there, he went over what happened in his mind.

  He was lucky to be alive. Luck. His hand went to the leather pouch tied around his neck. His luck. The ruby was still there in its pouch. He turned back over onto his stomach and even though it hurt he half-crawled, half-slithered through the mud and seaweed up toward the beach. He must have passed out because he suddenly heard voices, female voices and footsteps. Gabe panicked, tried to crawl faster, but now not only did his ribs hurt but so did his leg. Afraid to feel but also afraid not to, Gabe reached down and found a gash in his leg. Damn, he thought again; an open wound and crawling around in this muck. If he didn’t get help he’d surely lose his leg if not die.

  Friends. Could they be loyalists? As soon as the idea occurred common sense told him otherwise. The voices and footsteps grew louder. Loyalist or Colonial, he needed help.

  “Help!” It was hardly more than a whisper. Gabe clinched his teeth against the pain as he tried to raise himself. Impatience gripped him and with all his strength he shoved his body forward and gasped, “Help!”

  “What’s that?”

  “What’s what!”

  “Over there, nanny, look.”

  “Come back heah child. I don’t want you ‘et up by no crocogator.”

  “Oh!” Gabe let out a groan.

  “It’s a man, nanny; now get over here with that lanthorn.” Faith had never spoken with such firmness so nanny hurried over. Gabe lay there, the pain had once more taken his consciousness.

  “Help me, nanny; let’s get him up on the sand outta that mud.” As Gabe was pulled up on the sand Faith turned to nanny, “Go get Uncle Lum and tell him we got a hurt man. Get back here quickly now. I’ll stay with him till you get back.”

  Realizing that there was no point in arguing, nanny did as she was told but muttered as she went back. “Jus like her mama, always coming up with a stray.”

  “Oh…Oh!” Gabe groaned twice as he tried to sit up. Without a lanthorn to see the man’s wounds, Faith did as much as she could to comfort him by tearing off a lower portion of her dress and wiping the mud and debris from his face. She then sat down on the sand and helped the man sit up by holding him. This also would help warm him. His body seemed chilled and he was shaking.

  “Who are you?” the man asked in a barely audible whisper.

  “Faith, Faith Montique. Who are you?”

  “Lieutenant Gabe Anthony.”

  “What cha doing here?” Faith asked.

  “Explosion, ship exploded,” Gabe uttered.

  “What happened, what happened,” Faith asked again but Gabe had become unconscious once more. Faith could see the lanthorn coming down the beach toward her before she could actually see Uncle Lum and nanny. They had been the only two slaves her mama had kept when her daddy had died. Mother had turned everything over to Uncle Adam, who was her father’s brother. Now her mother was gone having succumbed to pneumonia. Uncle Adam was kind but distant and Faith always felt he stared at her like he was undressing her with his eyes. He’d never said anything or touched her, but nevertheless Faith had seen him with the town’s women. There was also a few times when Mr. Hindley would bring him women off one of the ships. Then after a few days they’d disappear.

  This didn’t count all the times Faith had also seen young slave girls being taken to his room at night. Sarah Livingston had said she had caught Uncle Adam looking down her bosom then letting his elbow touch her breast like it was an accident. So far, she hadn’t been touched but she knew it was only time until something happened. She was eighteen and had filled out over the past two years. Nanny would say you's a child in a woman’s body’.

  ***

  Getting Gabe back to the boat and loaded on board had been a chore. Uncle Lum followed the channels back going past Lady’s Island into the Broad River, then on into Beaufort. Once they landed, Uncle Lum rounded up the mule he’d left hobbled and grazing. Then he hitched up the wagon and with some difficulty got Gabe in the wagon.

  “Is he heavy, Uncle Lum?” Faith asked.

  Lum was huffing and puffing from the exertion caused by trying to load the unconscious man. “He be heavy, mizzy, but he’s got soggy clothes and boots. Dat don’t hep none plus I’m a bit tired rowing dat boat on a tide what be going out. Come on tho, we’s got to git foh Mastuh Adam starts asking questions.”

  Looking up, Faith could see the sun as the fog was breaking. “We should have done been back.”

  “Yesum, we shoulda, it’s gotta be nine o’clock or ‘atter.”

  By the time they’d made it to the plantation the fog was nearly gone. A little was left swirling about the low lying areas that were so much apart of the area around Beaufort. Spanish moss hung low from the trees on both sides of the road creating a natural canopy. At intervals rays of light would shine through a gap causing the dew on the moss to sparkle. Gabe opened his eyes and caught the view. Looking up at the girl who brushed his face with hands as soft as velvet he was sure he’d gone to heaven and had an angel before him.

  The girl was small and dainty but almost voluptuous. She was tanned yet seemed radiant. A small nose covered with a few freckles that made her look bright and innocent. She had a small provocative mouth but a large pretty smile showing perfect teeth. Blonde, lustrous hair showed beneath her bonnet. Surely, she was an angel. Had he gone to heaven?

  The stiff mule drawn wagon hit a pothole that caused pain to shoot through Gabe making him cough. No, he hadn’t made it to heaven yet.

  “Damn, Uncle Lum, must you hit every hole? You killing this poor man.” Well, maybe she wasn�
�t an angel after all, Gabe thought.

  “Hush ‘yo mouth chile, ‘ain’t no use you takin’ on like Mister Hindley,” nanny fussed. “I hope ‘yo mama wasn’t lookin’ down at you ‘jus now.”

  Chapter Four

  It had been a quick trip for the Swan traveling south from Nova Scotia to Norfolk. Markham was a new man.

  “She’s a fine ship, cap’n,” a smiling Mr. Davy had said when he’d first boarded Swan. It was hard for Markham to recall the shy, angry little boy who’d been a fellow midshipman on Drakkar. They had both grown and matured under then Captain and now Admiral Anthony.

  Markham was happy with all about but still anxious about Gabe. Getting Gabe back would make Markham’s world complete again. Dagan had said Gabe was alive. Markham would never question Dagan. He’d seen too much happen in the past to ever doubt Dagan, but still he worried. Markham was sure no one would ever know but he’d went to Dagan with the idea of ‘creating an accident’ for Lieutenant Witzenfeld when he had been tormenting Mr. Davy and Gabe back in the early days on Drakkar.

  Dagan had put his hand on then midshipman Markham’s shoulder that day and quietly by firmly stated, “Mr. Witz’s time on this earth is nigh, young sir. I thank you for your concern but it’s time the lieutenant gets a taste of his own medicine. Mind you now this is between us. I tell you so you and young Davy don’t go getting yourself in trouble.” The next day, Witz went mad and jumped overboard.

  “Commodore’s signal, sir, repair on board.”

  This broke Markham’s thought. “Very well, Mr. Harrell. Prepare my gig while Mr. Davy gets the dispatch bag. Dagan?”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Whenever you and Caleb are ready let the bosun know. He has the jolly boat ready with a crew to put you ashore.” Dagan could see Markham wanted to say more but the emotion seemed to be building and he was in danger of losing it.