HMS Vigilant: A Charles Mullins Novel (Sea Command Book 5)

by Richard Testrake

  Mullins was impressed and told the lad as much, placing him by the helm to offer suggestions as they approached the haven. Nearing their destination, the draft of the ship had not yet been greatly affected by the inrush of water into the forepeak and the ship approached the beach quite closely before she touched bottom.

  Immobilized by an anchor at her stern and cables running forward to the shore, bent onto sturdy oak trees, the ship seemed to be safe enough for the moment. There had been no time to recover the materials sent ashore earlier, so the immediate problem was to send the boats, under command of midshipmen, to the site of the stranding to recover their property.

  One of the first priorities was the recovery of guns and ammunition so they could establish batteries on the nearby headlands for protection. While awaiting the recovery of the materials left behind, the ship must be prepared for her repairs.

  Because of the abundance of feral sheep and goats on the islands, there were no young trees or brush. There were however some oak trees, too large for these animals to damage. The carpenter took a party ashore with axes and saws to find timber that might replace the damaged frame in the forepeak.

  An old oak was selected, its trunk already bent to near the correct curvature by the constant winds here. After axe men had been told off to fell the tree, the carpenter went back to the ship to commence his work there.

  Vigilant had to be turned onto her side, so that her starboard planking in the bow could be removed without flooding the ship. Before doing this, her topmasts were brought down and cables sent ashore to sturdy trees. Then, she was pulled down gradually until more water could be pumped out than entered through the damaged hull. As she was lightened, she was pulled down still more. The outer planks, some of them badly damaged, had to be removed, and replacements fabricated. As before, she had to be lightened as much as possible. Luckily, the carpenter had some timber in his stores that would serve, else it would have been necessary to saw new planks from green oak.

  Once the broken frame was exposed, it had to be carefully removed in order for the new timber to be placed into position. The carpenter did not wish to completely remove the old frame until the new one was ready to fit into place. Accordingly, Captain Mullins and the carpenter went ashore to see how the axe men were coming along.

  This oak had been standing for centuries, being constantly stressed by the fierce winds that blew in these parts. Slow-growing under the severe conditions, its wood was hard and dense, making it difficult to bring down. Even by relieving the axe men frequently, it was still very slow going. A few of the ship’s crew had been woodsmen at one time and were familiar with the work, but few others were able to swing an axe with much effect. Axes and adzes would be the tools to rough-shape the heavy frame.

  It was another storm off the African mainland that actually brought down the tree. The ship, held in place by anchors behind and cables to large trees ahead, remained mostly immobile and was not harmed. But, when the axe men went out at first light to continue their work, they found the massive tree on the ground.

  The carpenter marked out the shape of the required timber on the trunk with chalk, then the men went to work with axes and adzes, removing the surplus wood. It would take several days for the un-trained workers to produce a satisfactory product. While this was going on, the carpenter finished removing the damaged timber and the new frame, now carved free of the log, could be set into place to examine the fit.

  It was necessary to remove it and carefully remove wood slowly, until finally the new repair seemed to fit correctly. Wedged firmly in place, now it was necessary for men with augers to bore holes where treenails and iron bolts could secure the new frame.

  Several weeks later, the hull was tight again, with tarred oakum driven between the new planking. There had been a few storms when Mullins was greatly concerned over the safety of the ship but, held firmly to the bottom with the tons of seawater in her hull, and secured to trees on shore, she suffered no damage.and now was the time to remove the ship from her sandy berth.

  The cables holding the ship forward were removed and replaced with lighter lines that could be taken in or paid out as needed. The cables holding the ship down in the sand were also removed. Freed from their tension, the ship tried to regain her equilibrium but she was still embedded in the sand and could not rise completely.

  A strain was made on the after anchor cable then the pumping resumed. The ship had tons of seawater in her hull, which had been holding her solidly on the bottom while repairs were being made. Now, it was time to remove that seawater and hope for the ship to float.

  The task was much easier now than what it had been when the frigate was still on the rocks. With her hull tight now, no additional seawater could come on board and the constant pumping reduced her hold on the bottom.

  Eventually, the grip on the sandy bottom released and the ship suddenly was free. Now it was the task of the sailing master to re-stow the ship to a seaworthy condition. Extraordinary labor by the crew began bringing the contents of the ship, landed and under canvas for weeks, back into the ship. It was soon necessary to tow the vessel farther out into the harbor so her greater draft would not cause her to touch bottom.

  When it became time to send up the topmasts, even the greenest hands realized their imprisonment was over and they would soon take to the sea. There was no protest when both watches worked all night to make the ship ready. When the last of the provisions were brought aboard, it was time to leave.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  While the ship had been stranded, the men had been required to work extremely hard and had consumed vast amounts of the ship’s stores. Mullins hoped to locate the missing Freya, which had last been seen the night of the storm that stranded Vigilant. It was just possible the brig had also been stranded or wrecked and it might be possible to rescue the survivors. While the ship could make Malta without re-provisioning, a long search would exhaust their supplies.

  Accordingly, as much to reward his people than anything else, he informed his crew that he would give any man that wished a musket and ammunition to conduct a hunt ashore for meat to replenish their supply. There were numbers of goats and sheep on the island. Their meat would go a long way into making the ship self-sufficient again. The main difficulty was the small amount of salt available to preserve the food.

  Mullins knew there were only a few kegs of the substance on board ship. This would not perfectly preserve any large quantity of meat, but perhaps it could protect the food for the limited time needed.

  With the ship ready to sail, and her guns ready for action if any enemy came into their inlet, the hunters prepared to go ashore. Lieutenant Baker, the Marine officer, would be in charge of the expedition. All who wished to hunt could not be accommodated, since there were not sufficient muskets. However, fifty men, armed and ready, would take part.

  Only minutes after the first men went ashore, guns began to sound and a few men were seen to drag their prey down to the shore. When the evening gun sounded from the frigate, ending the hunt, only a dozen animal had been brought to the boats. This was far fewer than the expectation, and did not come close to satisfying their needs. A discussion with Lieutenant Baker revealed most of the few animals brought back were harvested by just a few hands. Accordingly, these men were sent out again, with a party of unarmed men to serve as beaters and to carry back the harvest.

  The harvest this time was more substantial with enough meat going into the casks to finish their supply of salt. The remaining meat was served to the men for as long as it lasted. With plans made to leave the island on first light the next morning, a celebratory feast was laid on for the hands. It began late in the afternoon and was scheduled to last into the night. Those men who could play a musical instrument entertained the others and there was competition in singing and dancing.

  While this entertainment was going on, Mister Drummond had posted lookouts in the ship’s maintop, in order to make certain no surprises were in store. Just befo
re the sun dipped below the horizon, the current lookout shouted, “Sail in sight!”

  Few heard the alarm, but Mullins did and he ran up the portside mizzen shrouds with his good night-glass hanging over his shoulder. The sun was about ready to dip when he reached the top, but he was able to train his glass on the area indicated by the outstretched arm of the lookout and catch a brief, upside-down glimpse of a sail, far out at sea.

  An instant later, the sun had set and the image was gone. He thanked the alert lookout and descended to the quarterdeck, his officers gathering around. He told them what he had seen and guessed it might be a local vessel with a lateen rig. Probably innocent, but with the possibility it might be a pirate, he ordered an advanced state of readiness that night. As for the ship, he ordered she be towed out to sea by the boats. Once offshore, she would clear for action and be ready for whatever the morning brought.

  Few hands got much rest that evening. Although all hands had experience in combat against other vessels, it had been a long time and there was always concern when dealing with what might be pirate ships. Vigilant stood slowly out to sea, every hand awake at the rail, hoping to be the first to see a potential foe. It was not until the sun rose, right after the morning lookouts had been sent aloft that the officers and men learned more of this stranger.

  Mister Flowers had gone up to the maintop with his glass and was the first to spot the intruder. Unfamiliar with the type, he called out its characteristics. “Pole masts, lateen rig on the fore and mizzen, square sail on the main. Queer looking craft.”

  Howard commented to Captain Phillips, “Sounds like some kind of poleacre.”

  The new vessel was curious, sailing boldly toward Vigilant. Mullins turned to Mister Howard. “Quickly, bring the ship about. We are in a panic and are going to flee for our lives.”

  Mister Howard did not quite understand what his captain was about, but Mister Flowers did. He had stripped much of the skin from his hands, sliding down the mizzen backstay. The damage might have been worse, except the stay had been freshly tarred. As officer of the watch, he took Mullins at his word, and gave the orders to take the ship about and escape from this probable pirate. Concerned at the message this flight might send to an enemy, Howard tried to halt the evolution, but Mullins stepped in.

  After making certain the ship was on a course away from the now-pursuing poleacre, he explained. “I doubt if we could catch this fellow, and even if we could, it would take more time than I want to spend on him. We will let him chase us. Mister Flowers, will you bring our clumsiest midshipman aft and put him in charge. It may take some awkward sail handling to allow this fellow to come up to us.”

  Mister Drummond quipped, “Perhaps I should take the ship. I am probably the least skilled ship handler on this quarterdeck. I am sure I could convince the captain of the poleacre that I am a fool.”

  The hands all knew what was happening and used their own kind of showmanship to convince the enemy the frigate was indeed crewed by fools. Every hand had his own idea of how to slow the ship without revealing the purpose. Enemy she was, though. Early on, she began banging away with a forward twelve-pounder. Vigilant had hoisted her ensign, which made any ship firing on her either an enemy or a pirate.

  When the first ball from the foe swept over the quarterdeck, inches above their heads, Mullins decided she was close enough. Ordering Mister Flowers to get the men to their guns, he ordered the ship put about. Her port lids swung open and the guns were run out. The pirate came on for a moment, then she dowsed her sails and deployed oars, trying to turn into the wind. She had left it too late though. Larger and heavier than the agile xebecs she tried to emulate, she was clumsy. It was necessary to get past Vigilant’s broadside first and that was not healthy. Both vessel’s guns fired almost simultaneously. Vigilant’s men were well trained, having practiced at the guns using live fire for tens of hours.

  The pirate, with her medley of differing sizes of guns, were not so prepared. Only a pair of her balls impacted the frigate. One passed through a gun port, damaging a gun carriage and killing or wounding five men. The other sailed high overhead, punching a hole in the fore tops’l.

  Nearly every one of Vigilants’ balls impacted their target, changing the poleacre from a swiftly-sailing predator into a fractured wreck. Coming around the enemy stern, the guns began firing raking shots into the pirate until she began to come apart.

  None of the pirates showed any sign of surrender, preferring to die rather than yield. At close range now, the gun crews were told to pick their own targets. Many guns, now firing grape, picked off the gun crews that were still trying to fight.

  At last, their ship disintegrating and most guns out of action, men began to throw themselves into the sea. Mullins asked Mister Drummond to board the hulk and endeavor to rescue any slaves aboard that he could. Armed with close-range musketoons loaded with small-shot, the boarders swarmed aboard the ravaged vessel, shooting at any pirate that showed his face. Some of the hands found their way to the rowing benches where they found slaves of all races and nationalities chained to their oars.

  Very low in the water, the vessel was sinking rapidly and the slaves were in deadly danger of drowning as the water level crept ever upward. Armed with hammers and chisels, the rescuers desperately tried to beat off the locks of the trapped slaves. One frantic seaman desperately trying to free a slave was unable to get a full swing of his hammer because the bonds were well under water. With the water coming over the drowning man’s face the seaman took desperate measures. Placing the muzzle of his musketoon underwater against the lock, he pulled the trigger.

  By any right, the priming of the weapon should have been soaked from all of the activity in the water. However, some fluke caused it to first smolder then flare, igniting the main charge in the gun’s breach. The muzzle of the gun, under water as it was, was blown off when the weapon discharged, but so was the lock of the bonds holding the slave. One instant the slave had been drowning, the next his face was in the open air and he was breathing.

  Only a dozen of the many slaves survived, but all of the bandits were left to sink or swim.

  Sharks were coming toward the carnage in the water and Vigilant sailed away from the scene. Mullins directed the ship on a course to the east, in hopes of encountering Freya. He thought probably, if the brig had indeed reached its destination, her duty had been completed and she was probably well on her way back to Britain.

  Sailing ever eastward they were well into Ottoman waters. Mullins did not know what the current attitude of Istanbul toward British ships might be at the moment, but decided any action he might make would probably be misunderstood. He resolved to remain as far away as possible from any Ottoman warships.

  Reaching the waters off the Nile Delta, an Italian ship was sighted. She was flying the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was currently allied with Britain, but of course, that might be a ruse. She could belong to any one of several other Italian countries conquered by Napoleon.

  She hove to when Vigilant signaled. Mister Drummond, with one of the Italian seamen as an interpreter, went over to her to learn what might be happening in this port.

  Upon his return, he reported the Italian captain had heard of the British brig coming into Alexandria harbor, but knew little of the circumstances, since it had entered and left before his own arrival. All he knew of was his cargo of Egyptian cotton and dates taken on before departure, for which he expected a good return if it were not taken by pirates or some French cruiser.

  Mullins, upon learning Freya was no longer in Alexandria, wished to search for her a bit longer before returning home. However, the mutton taken aboard several weeks before was gone and further supplies were needed. While he had funds to purchase supplies for the ship, which might even be reimbursed to him upon his return to Britain, he was reluctant to enter Alexandria harbor alone, without knowing the status that might exist between Egypt and Britain.,

  In the past, he had had dealings with smaller c
ommunities along the North African shore and had purchased cattle and other supplies from local rulers. He decided to sail westward just off the African shore in hopes of spotting a village where he might purchase cattle. As they made their way westward, a brig’s tops’l were sighted to the northwest. Mullins was anxious to approach any western vessel of equal or lesser strength than his own ship. If she were British or allied, he might receive valuable information. If she were French or allied, he might find a valuable prize.

  As they neared the brig, it was seen to come on the other tack and approach. As the brig closed, she seemed familiar to him. The masthead lookout reported, “On deck there. The brig in sight ahead, looks like Freya with a new foremast.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It was indeed Freya and all of the hands had grins on their faces when the two vessels came along-side. Captain Hakes was invited to Vigilant for a meal. Mullins was anxious to learn what had happened to his friend during their absence.

  With every officer in the cabin except the duty officer, and several of the crew serving the food, there was plenty of opportunity for the entire crew to learn all the details.

  Hakes related how his brig had searched for Vigilant for three days, with Mister Dalrymple becoming increasingly insistent he leave the search and proceed directly toward Alexandria. Upon anchoring in Alexandria harbor, their brig was strangely ignored. After a day waiting, a boat from the 74-gun liner, Thunderer, approached with news, the local potentate with whom Mister Dalrymple was to negotiate, had been deposed and another official was now in charge.