‘Ain’t like no sugar I ever saw.’
Harry shook his head slowly, then looked around him. The empty boxes that had contained the mess had been thrown carelessly into an untidy pile. Dreaver lowered a lantern into the hold to reveal that all the containers still inside had their lids torn off, with deep indentations in the contents as though some of each had been removed. A great deal had spilt down the sides of the bales of cotton which formed the next layer of cargo, and where it had come into contact with damp it formed an unpleasant sludge. Harry could hear the water sloshing around at the lower levels, but it was clearly confined, since a quick calculation of the total number of barrels he could see, added to what he suspected still lay below, showed that the Gauchos had left port with a full cargo. It was a thoughtful Harry Ludlow who examined the empty bread room and the barren meat and dry goods stores. Returning to the main deck, idly casting an eye towards the forepeak, he observed that the manger was empty. No pigs, cattle, or goats filled the space, though the odour from the disturbed straw bore witness to their recent presence.
‘Dreaver, a word to my brother, if you please. Inform him that we will be towing the ship. Ask Pender to take charge of a party aboard to secure the cable as well as a man to ease the rudder. If my brother wishes to come aboard himself, he may do so.’
James, having learned all about the layout of the main cabin from Pender, joined Harry in the set of cabins immediately below. There were two on each side of a large oak table. Harry was in the one furthest from the door, fingering the garments that he’d laid out on top of some crisp linen sheets. The smell of camphor was quite strong. A sea-chest lay open before him, the bright colour of expensive material gleaming in the fitful light that filtered through the salt-encrusted casements.
‘A woman?’ said James.
Harry nodded. ‘It may be that you will know more than I about this. But my guess is that these are the property of someone reasonably young. The garments are exceedingly vivid, though not what I would term fashionable.’
James took the piece that Harry was holding, fingering the elaborate embroidery that edged the upper part of the dress. ‘This is made of some form of very fine animal skin, Harry. No trace of any kind of struggle?’
‘None. I can’t even say for certain that this cabin was occupied. The cot is made up but appears unused.’
James looked around, noticing the mirror above the chest, with combs, pins, and some lace hanging beside it.
‘There was certainly a lady next door, but I think she’s older, judging by the clothes. Certainly she was untidier and may well have been sea-sick.’ James needed no telling about that. A cabin occupied by someone who’d suffered that affliction had a smell all of its own which lasted for days after the event. ‘And we’re overburdened with art. There are two paintings in the main cabin, and a case containing a portrait in the cabin opposite. It would be interesting to know if it was painted recently.’
‘Shall I have a look?’ asked James, curious to know why, but prepared to wait for an answer.
‘By all means.’
He was gone less than a minute. The crumpled, sick-stained sheets in the corner overbore the vinegar which had been used to contain the smell. Returning with the round leather container, an object specially designed to carry rolled-up works of art, he pulled the portrait out gently and opened it. The light wasn’t good but both could see the pale features of a young woman who was quite a beauty. Her eyes, modestly cast down, indicated rigid Spanish decorum. The chair in which she sat had a high back with an armorial carving at the top. A dog wearing a jewelled collar sat at her feet, while in the background a white wooden mansion stood surrounded by trees draped in moss.
‘It’s of a tolerable quality, Harry,’ said James, ‘and not very old. There are no cracks in the surface at all.’
‘That bed has been used and the chest in there contains garments which are rather more grand in style, certainly more Spanish. There were several mantillas like the one in her portrait.’
Harry put the things he was holding back in the chest and took the seamed edge of one of the white, folded sheets, peering at it. ‘The cot was remade with the same linen after the occupant was sick. If you look closely, you will observe that it carries an embroidered message.’
James took the sheet from Harry and carried it to the grubby window, but there was insufficient light to read by.
‘Anything in the other cabins?’ asked James, as he handed the sheet back. Harry folded it untidily and stuck it under his arm before replying.
‘The master, probably. The other was unoccupied.’
‘Just the single officer then, barring a Captain?’
‘That’s all that a merchant vessel requires. They don’t stand watches with the same rigidity as we do, and they shorten sail at night. In a Spanish ship the Captain does very little of the actual sailing. He considers himself too much the gentleman. Such things as navigation and sail plans are left to the master and his mates, who double up as common seamen to save on the wage bill.’
James turned to leave, followed slowly by Harry. ‘What did Dreaver find in the hold that was so interesting?’
‘Come and have a look.’
James examined the brown granules, which had some of the feel of coarse, rough gunpowder. Like Harry he thought the taste and smell reminiscent of sugar. ‘But what it’s called, heaven knows. I thought all the plant discoveries had been made decades ago in this part of the world.’
‘A mystery substance to go with a mystery ship.’
‘Are you in a position to speculate?’ asked James as they made their way back up to the main deck.
‘Only very slightly. They’ve abandoned ship for no discernible reason, so I have to assume another vessel. Having said that, the ship that approached them was known to the Captain at least, since he clearly anticipated no danger. If he laid down his fork to go on deck and greet them I’d be surprised. Those who took him wanted neither the vessel or the cargo it seems, since they have tried to sink her.’
‘Without success.’
Harry, now back on the upper deck, stated that the list had not increased while he been aboard. ‘It’s almost certain that some of the cargo has shifted and blocked any gaps they made in the planking.’
‘How permanent is that?’
‘Without knowing what’s in the lower holds I couldn’t even begin to form an opinion. We just have to hope that it’s stable. But the water could penetrate at any moment. We’ll get some warning if it does, so I don’t consider it dangerous.’
‘You were speculating, I recall.’ James took the sheet from under his brother’s arm and let it fall open.
Harry smiled at his brother’s singlemindedness.
‘Whoever approached the Gauchos wanted something and it’s my guess that they had a very clear idea of what it was. It certainly wasn’t that sugarlike substance we’ve just tasted, because that was all over the deck. Yet each cask was open and disturbed. Did they succeed in finding what they wanted? I can’t say with absolute assurance, but the chest that contained the sheet you’re holding was open but undisturbed, just like the other cabins, including the Captain’s foot-lookers. That indicates the answer is yes. But I do know one thing. Whoever came, in whatever vessel, though not starving, was in need of stores. I would also advance the theory that the ship that came alongside was rather small.’
‘How can you tell?’
‘One thing at a time,’ Harry replied, holding up a hand to count off the points on his fingers. ‘There are the remains of a fully cooked meal on the Captain’s table, practically untouched, with more in the steward’s gallery. Not something a hungry man would turn away from. But every storeroom on the ship has been cleaned out and both the manger and the hen-coop are bare. That blood by the bulwarks forward is where they slaughtered the animals.’
‘Just the animals?’
Harry shrugged. ‘You know the odour of pork as well as I do. It smells like animal blood, but
of course I can’t be sure.’
‘And what does that indicate?’
‘That whatever else they sought they decided to take the food. But their ship lacked the space to accommodate live creatures.’
‘Piracy?’
‘Possibly. Certainly theft.’ Harry fingered the edge of the sheet and held it up. ‘And, very likely, with women aboard, an abduction.’
‘Or murder,’ said James. ‘After all, you’re not absolutely sure about the blood.’
‘No. But with no evidence of even a minor struggle …’
James pointed questioningly to the spots of blood on the deck that formed a square on the deck.
‘You haven’t been in a lot of fights, brother. But you’ve done enough in the cockpit to know that a fighting, or even a struggling man, once wounded, sends blood in all directions. And a man and two women, leaving a meal, either in panic or because of force, tend towards creating a mess. There’s not a drop of food on the cabin floor, no sign of wine spilt or chairs tipped over.’
‘A small boat?’
‘Yes.’ Harry nodded slowly. ‘It would be helpful to know how far she drifted, of course. But at a guess I’d say that whoever took over the ship could easily have come this far in an inshore type of vessel.’
‘Which adds up to what?’
He shrugged, then smiled at James. ‘Nothing more than I’ve already said. But the Gauchos sailed from New Orleans, and passed Fort Balize, which is our destination. The least we can do is try to take her in with us. Perhaps those in authority there will know more about such matters than we do, and by taking her in we will at least convince them of our peaceful intentions. Certainly, if there are pirates operating, they’d know who they are, and where they berth.’
James thrust forward the sheet, indicating the thin blue embroidery that was not the usual initials. Instead it was a name, or perhaps a word, Hoboi Hili Miko, which made no sense. Unfolding it, he saw that the embroidery continued, this time more recognisably.
Harry leant forward to read it. ‘Vent!’
‘That’s “wind” in French,’ added James.
‘Which is what we’re whistling for,’ replied Harry, with a grin.
‘You’re sure, of course, that it was another ship?’
‘Don’t tell me that you believe in ghosts, James?’
‘I don’t. But you’ve referred to the gullibility of sailors many times. I might as well tell you now that there is hardly a man in your crew who is not muttering darkly about that very thing. And our Frenchmen have gone very silent indeed.’
Harry grinned and fingered the linen sheet again. ‘Shall I don this and come aboard in the dark?’
‘Not without all the boats over the side, brother. The sight of you in that sheet will cause them to abandon ship.’
‘No one should be exposed to such temptation.’
CHAPTER NINE
THE DECISION to tow the ship only deepened the crew’s curiosity, and that was heightened when they heard Harry order the party he put aboard to take their own rations and touch nothing, either on the deck or below. Lanterns, rigged at the ends of the yards, caused several sailors to speculate on which particular kind of banshee feared the light. Harry, who knew the answer to be much more prosaic, couldn’t bring himself to tell them the true reason, since his men seemed to derive so much pleasure from their superstitions. The dark mutterings increased as they ran a stout cable out of the tier, all the men who handled it fearful, and quite convinced that whatever had seen off the crew of the Spanish ship would have little trouble in walking along the thick rope to seal their fate. Some strong words were required to counter their reluctance.
Once in place it ran from the bitts below decks on Bucephalas, out through the aftermost porthole and came aboard the Gauchos forward, there to be lashed to the capstan. Towing was never easy, but of all the ships ill designed for the purpose, a caravel, with its old-fashioned design and high forecastle, could be numbered amongst the worst. This was a situation made more troublesome by her condition – she was forever yawing to the side at the slightest pressure of wind or water – so a journey that had taken Gauchos little more than one day looked set to take Harry at least two.
He’d gone to bed and was sound asleep before danger threatened. Called from his cot he knew as soon as he reached the deck that Gauchos was in trouble. The angle of the lanterns he’d rigged on the yards told him that, by towing the ship, he’d opened up whatever was stopping the water from coming inboard. Gauchos was further down by the head and had definitely increased her starboard list. But what was peculiar was that Pender, with whom he’d left specific instructions to cover such an eventuality, seemed to be still on board. Neither had he signalled to say he was coming off.
‘Dreaver. Man the barge. And put a party ready to cut the cable, just in case the tow sinks suddenly.’
The moon was up, a thin sliver low in the cloudy night sky. Uncovered, it barely illuminated the seascape. But once behind a cloud total darkness descended, leaving the ship a ghostly shape lit only by the faint lanterns still on the yards. It was at such a moment that they approached the side. His calls to the party on board went unanswered, which caused him to wonder and the barge crew to suddenly cease to row.
‘Pender!’ he shouted again.
‘They’ve been got to,’ cried a voice behind him, as the clouds cleared to reveal the silhouette of the bowsprit dipping towards the warm blue water.
‘Belay that nonsense and head for the side,’ barked Harry.
‘Don’t, your honour, or we’ll be taken.’
He tried a more soothing tone of voice. ‘There’s nothing there to be afraid of.’
‘Then where’s Pender?’ said another oarsman.
Harry snapped then. ‘He’s probably below, damn you, carrying out my instructions. Now stop behaving like a bunch of old women and put the barge alongside.’
No one moved. Looking back at them Harry could see the terror in their eyes. To him it was absurd. If the merchantman had been manned by a hundred wild-eyed pirates he could have called upon them to advance and they’d obey. Right now he wasn’t sure. But he knew he had to try, and opened his mouth. Just then an ethereal voice, which seemed to come from the lower decks of the ship, started singing a strange and haunting refrain. This was followed by hideous screaming.
Cries of ‘Oh my God!’ mingled with more blasphemous oaths as the barge crew reacted. Some grabbed their oars and tried to row. Others threw themselves into the bottom of the boat, cowering in terror.
‘Get us outta here, Captain.’
Harry, whose own certainty was shaken, and who’d nearly fallen back as the boat jibbed, couldn’t respond with his normal commanding voice. So when he called them to order he sounded as nervous as the crew, which did nothing for their morale.
‘It’s Old Nick hisself, your honour.’
That set off a bout of wailing in the barge, which only increased the noise coming from the ship.
‘Ho! ho! ho! ho!’ boomed the voice. ‘You’re all for the chop now, you fornicatin’, loose-livin’, pox-ridden buggers. I’ll suck the blood out of you afore this night is out, just like the lot that I saw to this very afternoon.’
‘Pender!’ Harry yelled, this loud enough to carry over the screams of his crew. ‘Belay that this second, or half these idiots will jump overboard.’
Pender stood up, probably quite forgetting that he’d covered himself in a white sheet. The cries of terrified seamen rose in a new crescendo and the barge tilted as some indeed sought the dubious safety of the surrounding sea. Only the loud laughter of the rest of Pender’s party averted what could have been a disaster.
‘Got you there, daft sods.’
Terror turned quickly to anger and the whole night was full of foul-mouthed insults, as those aboard the Gauchos jeered at the barge crew, who responded with dire threats. It was quite some time before Harry could make himself heard above the din, and a good deal longer before he could issue any or
ders that would be obeyed.
‘Cutter’s loaded, your honour,’ replied a breathless Pender to his Captain’s shouted enquiry. ‘Just as you ordered. Had to cut that big painting out of its frame to get it out the cabin door.’
‘Have you looked below?’
‘I have. She’s a goner, I reckon. Water’s up above the forward hatches. I’d say there was a rate of tobacco in the hold to begin with, an’ that’s what kept her up. Now some of it’s near the top of the hatches.’
‘Then cast off the tow, for God’s sake.’
The humour was still in Pender’s voice when he replied, ‘Just as you wish, Capt’n.’
They stood off in their separate boats as the Gauchos went down. It was a slow demise, with much groaning and cracking of overburdened wood which ended in a final hiss as the last air was forced out through the open companionways. Then the masts tilted suddenly as the sunken hulk heeled over. They held their buoyancy for a minute, then slid below the water, sinking through a morass of those brown granules mixed with tobacco leaf and cotton. Harry said a silent prayer, part of the burial service that he knew off by heart. He didn’t think anyone had died aboard the Gauchos. But it was something he needed to do just to ease his own mind.
Back aboard Bucephalas he tried to remonstrate with Pender, but having James in the cabin made that impossible and it wasn’t long before all three were helpless with mirth. It was some time before Harry could check that Pender had brought aboard all the things he requested be saved. He had the ship’s papers and manifests, the chart showing her course, some dried blood scraped off the deck into an oilskin pouch, the beautiful chronometers, and the dinner service from the Captain’s cabin, plus the rolled-up portraits. All these were piled on top of the sea-chests of everyone who’d been aboard and a box of the strange granules. Quietly he examined them, before instructing his servant to stow them somewhere safe.
The sky had cleared and was now a mass of stars, which allowed Harry a chance to establish, within reason, their position. Once he was satisfied that he’d taken a reasonably accurate fix he ordered the men to increase sail then stayed on deck till the first hint of grey touched the eastern horizon. Satisfied that Bucephalas was alone on the vast expanse of the sea he went below. By the time the sun rose above the rim of the earth he was asleep again, snoring gently.
The Scent of Betrayal Page 8