The enemy captain was not about to take any chances. At the risk of damaging timbers, he sent his corvette slamming against the towering Indiaman. The twelve-pounders started their thunder, then the swivel guns made their ontribution. When the ships collided and the boarders began their climb up the ship’s side, the individual weapons of the passengers joined the chorus. Weapons designed for killing tigers began delivering their deadly loads at point blank range into the boarders.
Not only men, but women also took their place, firing at the enemy coming up the sides. One gaunt woman of fifty or so, who had spent much of her adult life on the Indian frontier, fired off both loads from her bird gun, then dropped that and went to work with a carving knife, slashing at any arm or hand that appeared on her section of the bulwark.
The action had almost been decided when Aurora crashed into the corvette. It had been a hard fight across the Indiaman’s deck, but meantime some few members of the French boarding party had gained access to Calcutta’s fore-deck, where they were holding forth. Doris was there with Mrs. Cooper. The women had left Alfred in the care of Amala, down in the ship’s depths.
The women were not familiar with this area of the ship, but knew, in order to penetrate to the compartment where Alfred was hidden, any of the French boarding party would need to come though this hatch and climb down a series of ladders.
Of course, by this time, the thoughts on this group of Frenchmen did not concern harming passengers or children. They well knew their messmates were being slaughtered left, right and center by the passengers they had come to loot. They merely wished to find a compartment where they could find a hiding place until the blood-lust aboard this ship was quenched. There were only four of them and they all knew none of their party would survive longer than a heartbeat on the ship’s deck.
Of course, Doris and Mrs. Cooper did not realize this. They were sure these French boarders were ravening beasts who would spit their infant on their bayonets.
Doris had seen her husband’s ship dealing death and destruction to the other French warship and decided she must do the same to these ravishers if they were to save the baby.
From the deck, Doris recovered a musket, dropped by one of the slain servants, who had been detailed to defend the passengers. The peaceful man had not known how to fire the piece, and had dropped it unfired as he fell from a sword slash to his neck.
Doris did know how most firelocks worked, although she had never fired a weapon as heavy as this one. Beside the body was a strange looking blade, deadly looking, with a large ruby imbedded in the bloody hilt. Knowing she would have only one shot with the musket, she took the knife too.
Mrs. Cooper did not wish to fool with any heavy musket, but she did take up a seaman’s cutlass. When the desperate band of Frenchmen encountered the women, all would have surrendered immediately had they had the chance. They did not receive one. Doris leveled her musket and fired it blindly at the men, who were but a pace or two away. The massive ball penetrated the body of one man, killing him instantly, then passed into the body of another behind him. This man was not killed immediately, but his body was ruined and he would die of shock and blood loss before nightfall.
Doris dropped her musket and went after the third man with her dagger. He tried to defend himself with his cutlass, but Mrs. Cooper was there with her own and slashed his neck as Doris imbedded her blade in his chest. The fourth man stood there paralyzed by fear. Mrs. Cooper brought out her little pistol and fired it into his chest.
The women were still there when Mullins dropped through the hatch. Doris had worried the dagger from the bony chest of the man she had stabbed and Mrs. Cooper had recovered her cutlass. Both were ready to resume combat at any minute and nearly attacked Mullins when he came upon them. Fortunately, the blood lust had gone from Doris’ mind and she recognized her husband.
Mullins had his sword in his hand and he withdrew a step and raised his blade inn salute to the women. Doris did not quite know how to reply with her little dagger, but Mrs. Cooper answered the salute adequately with her cutlass. Then, they went below to find Alfred Charles, who was being entertained by Amala, a lovely young woman from the subcontinent.
The young woman gasped at the sight of all the blood but Alfred was unaffected, laughing with delight when he saw his father, and held up his arms hoping to be flung into the air.
To Be Continued
Additional works available
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
Ships of Oak, Men of Iron (print version available)
Thunder on the Sea (print version available)
Sea Command Series in Kindle and print
HMS Aphrodite
HMS Valkyrie
HMS Aurora
On to Berlin Series in Kindle and print
A Road to St. Lo
Assault on the Rhine
HMS Aurora: A Charles Mullins Novel (Sea Command Book 3) Page 17