The astonished mid explained the officer did not recognize this paper, it had no force here and Andromeda must immediately sail from Spanish waters.
Phillips asked the lad to explain the ship was low on water and offered to lead the officer below to examine their water stores. The teniente refused the explanation with vigorous shakes of his head.
Benson reported the officer was now going to leave, that the Perla would open fire as soon as he boarded unless this ship of heretics was standing out to sea by this time. Sending Benson below to inform the gunner, in his lair in the magazine, the ship might soon require plenty of powder cartridges, he had his officers take their places at the guns. Unhurriedly, Andromeda was stripped down to fighting sail and the ship brought to the wind on a course of ENE. This did not suit the Spaniards, since with a spout of smoke, a gun sounded angrily and a shot put up a splash just forward and short of the hull.
Not to be outdone, Phillips stood next to the forward twelve pounder and asked the gun captain, “Do you think you could pitch a shot a bit closer to her than she did to us, Higgins?”
“Aye Captain, close it is!” he muttered, sighting down the barrel. As the ship lifted on the swell, he pulled the firing lanyard just before the peak of the motion. The shot bellowed out, deafening those who had not covered their ears. The ship was now moving ahead, and for a moment Phillips thought the Spaniards might ignore them now, having made their point.
As he spotted the shot splashing just fathoms before the frigate’s cutwater, her whole side erupted in smoke and flame. In return, Phillips nodded to Lieutenant Gould who ordered the guns to open on the enemy.
Surprisingly, only one shot of the barrage hit Andromeda, this one smashing through the railing amidships and showering some people with splinters. A few of Andromeda’s answer splashed before the Spanish hull, but more struck. He could make out some ragged holes in the side, and the frigate’s fore staysail had come adrift.
Andromeda’s gun crews were in their well-rehearsed gun drill, loading the big guns like automatons. Her next broadside sounded a full minute before the Spanish answer. A ball from the Spaniard smashed through the hull and struck the base of the mizzen below deck. A carpenter’s mate rushed up from below with a report. The mast was not severely injured, having only a splintered notch from a twelve pound ball in the mast’s base.
The exchange kept up at a furious pace, the enemy taking half as long again to fire off a broadside as the Andromeda’s. Their accuracy was improving however, and shots were coming aboard. Much of the damage was being done to their hull, not hindering the ship’s sailing qualities. In contrast, a few significant hits had damaged the Perla’s rigging. Her fore top mast was damaged and Phillips watched her topmen taking in canvas.
At that moment, a shot clipped the frigate’s main yard. The main course pulled the damaged yard free before that canvas could be secured and now the frigate’s captain had another matter to deal with.
Mister Gould wanted to turn back and try to bow rake the frigate before she could get herself back into order again.
Phillips gave the idea not a thought. His own ship had its share of damage now, and he could imagine the furor that would erupt back home if Andromeda was seriously damaged or lost. The enemy, while temporarily incapacitated, was still much larger and better armed, with a larger crew. She was by no means beaten. Had he a consort to assist, he would have continued the action. As it was, he considered it prudent to sail away and leave her alone. Long after sinking her sails below the horizon, some fishing boats were sighted off to port.
Mister Benson was called back to the quarterdeck again to try his communication skills. These fishermen spoke a patois that the lad had difficulty understanding, but one of the boats approached with a crewman that spoke a more universal type of Spanish. From this man, it was learned the revolution had probably failed. The spokesman thought Spanish forces were about to seize Caracas, although Puerto Cabello, to the west, might still be in rebel hands. Señor Bolivar had been in command there and perhaps still might be in control.
Mister Harding, the sailing master, was asked to produce his charts of the area. With little intelligence that could be relied upon, Phillips was dubious about continuing the mission, but Forsythe was in favor of continuing on to Puerto Cabello. Water was still a continuing concern. There were nearby islands, some of them originally Dutch, which had been taken by British forces. Water and other supplies could be taken on but there was the question of security.
With the disparate elements of the population, it could be almost assumed there would be people reporting to both French national sources as well as Spanish. Until Forsythe had made contact with the rebel group, it was not desirable to have knowledge of their mission leak out.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Mister Gould was of the opinion the encounter with the Spanish frigate had destroyed any chance of succeeding in their mission and they should immediately proceed to Antigua to report and re-supply.
Listening to the others, Phillips decided to follow the envoy’s advice. They were not much more than a hundred miles away and would look very foolish returning to a British port, only to learn they had missed an important opportunity.
Sailing on up the coast, they saw the smoke miles before coming in sight of the port. Numerous small craft of all types were escaping the harbor, many so loaded with refugees there was little freeboard. One small fore-and-aft rigged craft they approached and asked for the news.
This was a well-appointed boat, probably a sort of yacht to some wealthy person. A prosperous looking individual on her foredeck announced in excellent English the town had fallen to government forces and he himself, Señor Simon Bolivar, was now on his way to Cartagena in New Grenada.
Apparently, the plan was to re-constitute his forces there and then continue the struggle for the independence of Venezuela.
Phillips enquired if Señor Bolivar would wish to travel to New Grenada in HMS Andromeda, but the rebel leader assured him he was comfortable in his present craft, but he would welcome an escort if that were possible. HMS Andromeda escorted the vessel to Cartagena, where Lord Forsythe decided to leave the ship and put himself in the hands of Bolivar. Phillips had some misgivings about leaving the rather helpless individual alone in a torn country, but the fellow was an envoy and had his job to do.
Promising Forsythe he would mention his situation to the British authorities at any station he touched at, they made their farewells and Andromeda put out to sea.
The mission now complete, Mister Harding set sail. The first order of business was to secure water. The men had been on short rations for too long and their welfare must be considered. Of course, in the absence of Spanish shore installations or ships of war, it ought to be possible to land the ship’s boats in either Cartagena itself or in some shore-side creek mouth on the mainland and load water there.
However, fever was prevalent in these regions, and Aruba, a former Dutch island close by was another possibility. It had a drier climate and British forces had taken the island soon after the war resumed when the Treaty of Amiens had ran its course. Phillips knew there was now a British presence on the island, and he should at least be able to obtain water.
With no encounters with anything larger than small fishing vessels, the ship made her way to Fort Zoutman on the western side of the island. There, Phillips reported to the British garrison commander. He learned there had been no serious obstacles to the British occupation of the island since its seizure from the Dutch after the renewal of the war. There were some dis-affected citizenry in the area but they had presented no major problems so far. Water was available, and the crew members were given their fill the first day from the quantities of fresh water brought aboard.
With limited shore leave granted for the hands, there was a chance for the men to remove themselves from ship’s discipline for a few hours. Mister Gould wondered about the wisdom of giving the men the opportunity to desert, but Phillips reasoned any men who drif
ted away could be easily gathered up again with the assistance of the Army garrison.
Actually, the ship gained a few men. A small, dilapidated fishing boat came alongside the anchored Andromeda just before dawn, a day after anchoring, its Black crew wishing to join. These were all slaves of a local owner. Only one of the newcomers could speak English. This individual was a servant of the fishing boat’s owner who had been purchased on one of the British Windward Islands, and could speak the English dialect prevalent there.
An investigation found these men fished for their Dutch owner who had the catch salted down to feed his other slaves. They were required to be out daily in their flimsy boat in all kinds of weather with the hurricane season now upon them. These men had, of course, no formal education, but all were careful seafarers. They knew the sea and the winds and some were able to make educated guesses of tomorrow’s weather. Nevertheless, the owner insisted they go out to sea in fair weather or foul.
After some debate amongst themselves, it was concluded if they must go to sea, it would be better to do so in a well-built ship. There was a certain amount of hesitation, but some felt their lives were forfeit anyway, so they might just as well test their fate on a King’s ship.
Phillips had to consider the situation. Of course, the protests of the Dutch owner need not necessarily be given much weight, but the British commander of the garrison might not wish to incur antagonism with his subjects and decide to order him to return the slaves to their owner. A discussion with Mister Harding followed. The forthcoming weather was debated and it was the sailing master that predicted a blow would manifest itself soon.
Accordingly, Mister Gould read the new men in and they were assigned to watches. No one expected the new hands to be especially useful for a period. All were exceedingly thin, almost emaciated. All were horribly scarred with lash wounds. Doctor Baynes, who had remained on the ship after losing his prime patient, pronounced himself outraged at the condition of the men, and refused to allow them to do any physical work for at least a week. They were committed to Doctor Baynes’ care and were not permitted to appear on deck while in harbor.
The barest mention of the voluntary recruitment of the men was entered into the log, with no mention made as to their previous condition of servitude and no mention was made to the garrison commander or the slaves’ owner. Each of the new hands was given a new English-sounding name which was entered in the log. Hopefully, there would not be more than a cursory inspection of the log months later at the end of the voyage.
Andromeda’s launch was hoisted over the side and set out under sail on the early land breeze, towing the empty fishing boat to sea. Out of sight of land, the craft would be cast loose and left to the whims of the current.
There were very limited resources for ship repair on the island. But a few island cattle, small and thin, were purchased for consumption by the crew. Salt was available, and the hands, except for the former slaves, were set to work butchering and salting down the meat. Then it was time to depart. The only mention made of the missing slaves or their boat was a comment by the military commander to be on the lookout for a missing fishing boat and crew, feared lost in the recent blow.
Making their way up the chain of islands, they came to Antigua where Captain Phillips saluted the flag of Governor Eliot and learned the admiral of that station was at sea.
Reporting to Government House, he had his audience with Eliot and handed over all the documents concerning his last mission. Eliot, who had known Lord Forsythe previously, was concerned about the envoy’s safety, and assured Phillips he would endeavor to determine the safety of Forsythe, whenever possible.
In the meantime, he informed Phillips, the United States had declared war against Britain, and he should govern his actions accordingly. For now, Governor Eliot thought HMS Andromeda should be sent to Halifax where her further use could better be assessed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Several American merchantmen were encountered on the voyage north. He had no instructions as to his actions against the new adversary. He was well aware of the pre-war tensions between the two nations and realized the indiscriminate pressing of seamen from American shipping was a prime cause of the discontent. Of course, the harboring of deserters from the Royal Navy aboard the same shipping was another. Deciding not to do anything that might tend to inflame the situation, he remained clear of the merchantmen and continued on.
Off New York, a large schooner approached, flying the American flag, with her guns run out. She was to windward, to the west of Andromeda, and was free to do as she wished. She was situated so that she could run with the wind, almost surely outpacing Andromeda.
Phillips ordered his own guns run out. His ensign was flying as was his commission pennant, so the stranger could have been in no doubt as to his status.
The schooner immediately put herself about, sailing several points into the wind closer than Andromeda could be expected to manage. She nimbly dodged Andromeda and sailed back toward New York. Phillips ignored the stranger. He guessed this to be a privateer, rigged out hastily on the declaration of war. Until he could get some guidance for his actions however, he decided to let her go. It was doubtful he could come up to her anyway, and he had no wish to become tangled in the near shore coastline of the United States, of which he had insufficient charts.
It was with some relief they saluted the flag of Admiral Sawyer on entry to Halifax. Phillips was pulled ashore to the admiral’s shore side office where he spent an hour being briefed upon the situation.
He learned that not all Americans were vehemently in favor of the war. Many people, especially those in the shipping trade, were opposed to it. Much of the food exports from the United States, especially grain and beef, were being shipped up the New England coast to Canada or across the Atlantic. Wellington’s forces, now fully engaged with the French on the Iberian Peninsula, were largely being fed by these imports from America.
It was desirable to refrain from angering these potential allies by ill-considered actions. On the other hand, American privateers were fitting out by the hundreds, and the West India convoy was expected to be approaching Bermuda soon. This convoy must be protected at all cost. A serious loss from that convoy, could bring financial disaster to London. Therefore, Andromeda was to be hurriedly supplied with needed provisions, water and other needed gear and sent on her way to locate the convoy and provide such protection as possible.
Any privateers met should be prosecuted, but he must not go haring off on long chases if that might interfere with locating the convoy. Any merchantmen encountered should be examined closely to determine their destination. If bound for a French port, they were certainly to be seized. However, any sailing to a port controlled by Wellington or the Spanish Regency in Spain or in Portugal or any British port were to be sent on their way without hindrance.
The mizzen damaged in the encounter with the Spanish frigate was to be replaced. Spars were available in plenty here, and although it was not considered an emergency repair, it was decided to do the task now rather than wait until it did become an emergency. The dockyard superintendent indicated replacing the mast, along with setting up the standing and running rigging along with other necessary repairs would take a week, all men working to capacity.
While the work was in progress, Phillips decided to wander about the shops here to see what was available and stock up on cabin stores. He had negotiated a bill of exchange while in southern waters and now possessed a satisfactory store of Spanish dollars, such coin being in demand in a specie starved port such as Halifax.
He took with him one of the former slaves taken aboard in Aruba. This man Nero, had been savagely whipped at one time, which had so injured his body he was no longer capable of heavy work about ship. Phillips was using him as his servant, a task which he performed well. Hiring a two wheeled cart and driver, the two went off to do their shopping. It was a fine day and all seemed well. A chandler’s shop offered all the cabin stores Phillips needed, and
Nero directed the staff in stowing the articles in the cart. Among the supplies purchased was a store of Spanish cigars, of which Phillips secured several before sending everything else back to the ship, escorted by Nero.
Phillips found a light for his cigar, and began strolling about the town. Passing a weather beaten building with a sign above the door proclaiming it sold fine guns, he went inside. The proprietor was a young Scottish gun maker, recently come to the new world. His inventory was small, but Phillips was drawn to a pair of pistols on the counter. Their rather plain, outward appearance was unlike any other firearm he had ever seen. The ordinary assemblage of pan, cock and frizzen was missing. Instead, a small, discrete hammer-like affair was present and little else.
Mister Campbell explained. He told Phillips how a Scottish clergyman had invented a new ignition system for firearms using fulminate of mercury. This substance, when struck sharply, exploded and was capable of firing the powder charge in a firearm. The inventor had been having difficulty in utilizing the highly explosive substance though.
As a journeyman gun maker, Mister Campbell was employed by the clergyman to do much of the skilled work. One of his tasks was to find a better way to utilize the new ignition system in a safer manner.
Early on, Campbell had made a simple swage into which he could place little sheet copper disks and with a sharp rap from a hammer, form tiny cups into which he could place small amounts of fulminate. Sealed in with a drop of varnish, the little cups were nearly waterproof.
Expanding on his invention, he then developed a steel nipple upon which the cap could be placed. The nipple would be screwed into a forging at the breech of the gun. A passageway communicated through the forging to the weapon’s powder charge. The weapon’s hammer, which replaced the cock on a normal flintlock gun, upon striking the cap, exploded it, the flash then entering the weapon’s chamber via the passageway and firing the main charge.
Across to America: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 9) Page 4
