Distant Gunfire Page 4

  Robert looked at Captain Juarez, who paled.

  “I’m sure the Captain will be only too happy to open the door for you, Mr. Hansen.”

  “Oh, but sir, that door has no key. It is just a place where we throw the odd scraps of sail and timber. There is nothing there to see. You… you have seen the manifest there is nothing else in the cargo.”

  Robert stood. “Do you know, I am curious about this ‘Glory hole’ in the hold? Come, Captain, show me where you keep the junk on your ship.”

  Nearly weeping, the little captain accompanied Robert and the masters mate down to the hold, where two of the boarding party stood beside a solid iron hinged door with a large padlock.

  “Break it.” Robert spoke with a sharpness that reflected his suspicions. The heavy maul smashed down on the hasp and staple, breaking the staple and sending the broken lock from the door across the deck.

  As the door swung open it revealed a long low ceilinged room with a several figures scattered on the bare deck. The smell was appalling and for a moment Robert did not realise that all the figures were women; white, black, and coffee-coloured. When counted there were thirty-two, all naked, crammed into the space.

  “Why, what is this?” Robert took the captain by the scruff of his neck and thrust him into the doorway. From the woman a low growl came as they saw their captor. The Captain wriggled in Robert’s grasp and tried to get away from the door.

  “Perhaps you would like to visit the ladies for a while?” Robert suggested.

  The cry of terror at this suggestion was all it took for Robert to drop him in disgust.

  “Mr. Hansen, bring the crew below and strip them. Hold then in the fore part of the hold. Erect a screen round the companionway on deck and rig a seawater hose to the pump. Mount it over the screen. Then come and escort the ladies to the deck and start the pump. As soon as the ladies vacate this room, invite the gentlemen of the crew to inspect it, and incidentally, remount the lock.” Robert returned to the deck and instructed that the Spanish flag be lowered and replaced with the British Ensign.

  The women all came on deck—some being helped by others. The water showering the group had revived them and gave them the chance to clean themselves. A search of the ship revealed heaps of women’s clothing; they were draped over the top of the screens for the ladies to help themselves.

  After nearly an hour all had washed and dressed. The screen was removed and the food prepared for the ladies who it seemed had been kidnapped in Cuba and were destined to be sold to the garrison at Puerto Plata on Haiti. This was a practice that had been started when many of the civilian population had departed the Island following the worsening of the revolt by the slaves.

  The schooner was, as suspected, a pirate ship and they had kidnapped the women from two small settlements on the north coast of Cuba, wiping out the men of the village on each occasion. The only two white women had the misfortune to be passengers on a coastal craft with their husbands when their boat was captured by the pirates. Their husbands had been murdered and the two women taken and kept with the other females captured in the villages.

  The ships sailed in company to Grand Turk, and at the largest settlement on the island, the people of Cockburn Town received them with considerable excitement, Visits from naval ships were few and the small population of the area gladly offered their hospitality to the ladies. The balance of the population was woefully short of women and the addition of the rescued women would make a welcome difference.

  So, to the relief of the Witch’s captain, the ladies agreed to be settled in Grand Turk. Since they were without homes—their families were gone—they had nothing to go back to.

  The Island’s Chief Magistrate was pleased to hear the case for piracy and murder against Captain Juarez and his crew. HMS Witch delayed her departure while Lieutenant Graham gave evidence, and Lieutenant Archer surveyed the port and harbour, checking the existing survey figures. The ship stayed there long enough to see all forty pirates hanged.

  A prize crew under Lieutenant Archer took the schooner sailing; at first in company with the Witch and the Hermione. Promising a return visit before the voyage back to Jamaica, they departed Grand Turk Island to continue on their mission.

  The schooner Hermione, named for the wife of Pyrrhus, was known in the islands and her agility made her useful for searching out and reporting bays and harbours in use along the otherwise lonely coastlines.

  The captured schooner Christophe, named—of course—for Christopher Columbus, was finally despatched back to Kingston. The delay in sending her, Captain Dawson confided to Robert; was just to make sure that Archer had everything under control.

  Sailing to Puerto Rico—their next destination—they passed inside the series of banks that ran just offshore along the approaches to the northern coast; carefully navigating past the shoals until they were able to relax as the Navidad Bank dropped astern, leaving clear sailing to the north shore of Puerto Rico

  The coast of the island provided a serious harbour on the north coast in which three ships lay. All were barques and all armed heavily with cannon. Such was the security of the anchorage; the biggest of the ships openly flew the black flag as she lay at anchor.

  Having been told of the ships and the harbour by one of the fishermen that were contacted by HMS Hermione, the naval ships anchored in a deserted cove several miles down the coast. There they made plans to destroy the pirates and clear the harbour.

  The crew of HMS Witch had been reinforced by men from the Kingston garrison under the command of Ensign Michael Grey, a likeable young man just eighteen years old with fair hair and a lively sense of humour; well-liked by his 20 men of the West Indies Regiment—smart in their red coats and armed with muskets and swords. The conference in the great cabin of the HMS Witch was attended by all the officers of both ships and the master’s mate and bo’sun. HMS Hermione was detached to cruise offshore to warn Captain Dawson of any nasty surprises in the form of additional returning pirate ships.

  Between the remaining groups, they devised a plan to infiltrate the harbour after a last reconnaissance by Robert and Hansen. Having arranged rendezvous and alternative pick up points, the two set out, being carried with their dinghy on one of the fishing craft that moved up and down the coast of the island.

  The small boat ground into the sand on the shore in the small bay of Higuillar. The three pirate ships moored out in the bay showed lights, though it seemed most of the crews were ashore. There were several men lounging about the waterfront, but they took little notice of the two men, both dressed in the cast-off clothes of the pirates hung in Caicos.

  Even the sword at Robert’s side was the long Italian Epee formerly owned by the mate of the pirate ship. Hansen, wearing a headscarf over his straw-coloured hair, walked ahead; the big man clearing the way for Robert as they made their way up to the tavern overlooking the anchorage.

  The room was packed with men and women; the air thick with the smoke of the many pipes being smoked around the room. The noise was loud and bursts of raucous laughter pierced the general hubbub.

  At the back of the room sat the big man.

  Robert thought, there was always a big man. This big man had a girl on his knee, her breast firmly gripped in his right hand and a tankard in the other.

  He was surrounded by other men with the look of leaders in the same group, and when Robert asked the serving wench who they were, she said they were the captains of the ships lying in the anchorage.

  The two men sat in the corner out of direct sight and weighed up the other men in the tavern. After a single drink the pair left and wandered idly around the bay. On the point they found a small battery of guns commanding the narrow entrance by the deep water channel. The islands scattered beyond the deep channel were separated by shoals and shallow water, useable for small boats in places but impassable for deep-keeled ships.

  The battery was manned by a group of men sitting around drinking and smoking. Three women were keeping them company
while they lay about. One man with a telescope was leaning against the front wall looking towards the village and commenting on the condition of some of the drunken men wandering about.

  Robert and Hansen did not reveal their presence. As they withdrew Robert heard one of the men say something that made him stop and turn back to the group. The man . was saying “….he will be sailing tomorrow night because the bullion ship will be in the convoy, I don’t know why we don’t try for the bugger. Why should Cap’n Mace get all the loot? I know his ship is bigger but there are two of us, I’m sure we could manage if our pansy skipper had the guts.”

  “I know that’s the drink talking, William, otherwise you would be a bit more close-mouthed. So just you shut up and keep your comments to yourself. I for one do not want to upset Cap’n Mace or his mate!”

  There was a growl of approval from the others in the group and they all fell to playing with the women or the dice, some even sleeping.

  The man who complained rose to his feet and began to open his clothes to relieve himself, the others seeing this yelled at him to bugger off into the dunes. Grumbling he wandered off, closely followed by Robert and Hansen. Still fumbling the man wandered away from the others and stopped and noisily emptied his bladder. He turned to go back and encountered the fist of Hansen, who caught him as he fell forward and, lifting him over his shoulder, carried him into the bushes down by the shore.

  Splashing him with seawater they woke him up, “Wha…what happened.” he said “Who are you? What are you doin to me?”

  “Why, I’m just going to save the hangman a job.” Said Hansen cheerfully, and he busied himself binding the man’s hands together behind him.

  “What do you mean? I’ve done nothin.”

  Hansen laughed “Why, you apology for a man, done nothing, raped women, killed men and women and children, I’ll be bound, I’m sure you’ve done nothing!”

  “Please. I don’t understand who are you?” The whine in his voice put Robert’s teeth on edge.

  “Why, we’re the nightmare you have now and then, when all your victims rise up to haunt you as you lie shivering in your hammock on dark nights. Now, who is Captain Mace? What ship?”

  Thoroughly cowed, the man said, “He’s the captain of the biggest ship in the bay the Eagle, 30 guns.”

  “Then who are the others?”

  “They’re Captain French and Captain Hollingberry, of the Swan and the Black Boar, both twenty guns.”

  “Do you all sail together?”

  “Sometimes, but only when Cap’n Mace thin,ks he needs us. If he can manage on his own, he sails alone.”

  “How did he know about the bullion ship? They keep that a secret from their own people, so how would a pirate find out about that?”

  “That I don’t know but I notice that whenever he decides he will be sailing it’s always after a small boat sails in; like last night. We sends the signal from here and he comes down and meets this handsome lady from somewhere and they go off to his house for a bit of you know what; she goes off and next day he sails after some juicy prize. Usually comes back with loot. Mind he’d better watch this time—there’s a navy ship on the coast. She’ll not be a pushover, I’ll be bound.”

  “A Navy ship here? Where did you hear that then?”

  “Fishing boat, I think it was, came through this morning.”

  Hansen turned to Robert, “Could you take a look up there behind us, sir? We don’t want to walk into any trouble on our way out.”

  Robert turned and crept up the path towards the track along the point, watching for any movement as he went. Hansen caught up with him by the time he reached the path.

  “What did you do with our friend?” he asked.

  “Took pity on him, Sir; saved him a lot of grief.” At Robert’s raised eyebrow, he shrugged. “Fell into the water, didn’t he? I cannot swim so I couldn’t help and he drowned.”

  Robert looked at him disbelievingly. Hansen’s innocent expression didn’t falter. “He had a lot on his mind I think!”

  Robert left it at that.

  They returned to the jetty and took the boat out once more, only this time they rowed out between the other islands, having to drag the boat over a shoal before they reached the open sea once more. It entailed more hard work rowing but they eventually rendezvoused with the anchored Witch, just off the coast beyond the bay, a little further along the coast.

  Chapter Four

  Back on board the ship Robert drew the location of the three pirate ships on the chart and also the battery at the channel mouth. With the information they drew up a plan to take the place by surprise.

  The party of soldiers under Ensign Michael Grey, with Hansen guiding them, would take the battery at dawn; a gunner’s mate would accompany them and realign the guns to cover the ships in the harbour.

  Assuming the Eagle would sail at dawn as suggested, the Witch would be ready with guns run out to support the battery if they were unable to stop the Eagle leaving. If necessary they should sink her in the mouth of the harbour and trap the other two ships within. The schooner Hermione was kept standing by to support HMS Witch if needed The overland party of soldiers set out for the battery that same night; a three-mile journey over a rough hill, it would need at least three hours to get into position. The Witch would sail at three, expecting to be off the channel by six in the morning.

  At five thirty the hands went to quarters. The gun ports were opened, and the guns run out.

  On shore the troops took the men stationed at the battery prisoner without a shot fired. The trussed-up pirates were laid out in a row and the guns swung round to command the three ships still swinging at anchor. At six am activity was noticed on the Eagle. Men appeared on deck and the anchor was brought up. As the ship began to drift the sails caught the wind and she swung towards the channel heading for the open sea.

  From the battery the ranging gun fired and missed; the second gun was fired and it struck the Eagle at the foreyard, causing the yard and the sail to fall in a smother of canvas onto the foredeck. The Eagle’s head fell off and the ship gently surged into the shoal on her starboard side. There was confusion on the deck as men ran back and forth until a roar from the quarterdeck stopped the panic. Captain Mace’s voice gave orders and the men went to work clearing the wreckage from the foredeck and clearing the port guns for action. The four guns of the battery opened fire in a single volley that hit the portside of the Eagle with a crashing impact, dismounting two of the guns and creating havoc among the gunners. At the battery the gunner frantically drove his crew to reload all the guns, in time to pre-empt the broadside that he knew would be coming from the grounded ship.

  It was no surprise to him that they did not finish in time and by the time the loading was complete three of the ships guns had been fired and the battery wall had be damaged, luckily without actually causing injury.

  He carefully lined the guns up again and touched off the primer on each of the guns; his aim from the stable position on the ground was true. The impact on the Eagle made further hell on the gun deck strewing it with bloody ruin.

  The Witch sailed into the channel and added her broadside to the battle and the mainmast on the Eagle fell causing the mizzen to fall in sympathy smashing the length of the deck with rigging and sails killing and maiming.

  A flicker of flame appeared and the sails quickly caught, the charged guns sparked by the fire discharged one by one into the gathered canvas of the mainsail, causing even more fire, to add to the conflagration. The ready use powder by the guns exploded at intervals down the deck and the ship began to disintegrate. When the fire reached the magazine it was like the end of the world. The Witch had spun on its heel after the single broadside, and was protected by the first island, from the blast.

  The noise had woken the crews of the other two ships, and signs of activity were seen on shore. A boat put out from the jetty to the Swan.

  On the Black Boar men appeared on deck and began running about, preparing th
e ship for sea. Both ships were rocked and had taken damage from their exploding consort.

  A few survivors struggled to reach the shore from the wrecked Eagle. There was literally nothing left of what was once a fine ship, the remaining keel section still stuck into the sand of the shoal and a scatter of pieces of wood and bodies floating all over the surface of the harbour.

  The two remaining ships were now beginning to get in some sort of order. The gunner at the battery carefully sighted his guns and put a single shot across the bows of each ship.

  The message was obvious. Move at your peril. The furnace for heating shot was well alight at the battery and the thin trail of smoke reaching up to the sky, the pirates would be well aware, indicated the danger of heated cannon balls prepared to be fired at their wooden hulls.

  There was a hurried conference between the two ships, and the captains and many of their men went ashore to disappear into the tavern. The result of this gathering was the collection of a group of about 100 pirates armed with muskets, pistols and swords, assembled outside the tavern. Their intention was obvious; to march upon the battery and recover it, taking back control of the harbour.

  Captain Dawson had other ideas. When the Witch had sheltered from the explosion behind the island he noticed that despite the shoaling on the landward side, the seaward side of the island was steep-to and the depth of water was ample for the ship to lie close. By using a hawser attached to a point on the island he could swing the ship across the entrance channel and sweep the harbour with her broadside. This would also allow the ship to give covering fire to the battery if, or rather when, the pirates got round to attempting to retake it.

  Midshipman Abbot, the junior middy, was despatched to the battery in the longboat with two swivel guns and a supply of ammunition to use to help keep attackers at a distance. Robert went ashore on the island with a party of men carrying a heavy hawser, this they attached to a spear of rock that projected out of the folded strata that typified the shoreline. Letting out the hawser from the ship she drifted away from the shore and across the channel towards the mainland and the battery. At this point the bo’sun hurled a rope to the men of the battery with a shout to haul away, and a heavy hawser followed to be attached to a big tree, allowing the ship to be swivelled to cover every part of the harbour except the near shoals where the wreck of the Eagle still smouldered.