“Was that what Ms. Lucy told you?”
“Ja, indeed. She said even if her father does not need another ship, he knows other plantation owners who may. That way you get to see Helga again possibly.”
Otto was silent for a moment before he looked back at Heinrich with a serious look. “I miss her greatly. I hope she is doing fine.”
“I’m sure she is, Otto. I still feel somewhat guilty for pulling you away from her to sea. I knew you wouldn’t see her for a long time.”
“I had a hard time deciding to leave her. But for us to be partners in a business, we had to. I didn’t have much choice but to sail off together. It will be good to see her again though. I never thought I’d miss her this much having sailed over so many years to other places. The voyages to different ports in Europe were shorter ones, and I knew when I’d be back in Bremerhaven by a certain date. Right now, we don’t know yet when we will be back in Germany again.”
“Hopefully soon, my dear friend. I couldn’t have sailed without you. You are more than my right-hand man, Otto, you know that.”
“I do know that. We are brothers, you and I. We just have a lot riding on this endeavor to become successful. If Master Bainbridge needs more ships for his cotton, then that tells us already that if we are unsuccessful in the Caribbean, we have cotton shipments to count on. That is a start at least.”
“Ja, it could be our calling waiting to happen. We will see.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
RUMBLE on DECK
Heinrich was almost to his cabin when he heard a shouting commotion coming from the bow. He quickly made his way down the deck to find several figures silhouetted in the moonlight wildly cursing each other. He recognized Klaus’s voice and then Dieter’s and Roderick’s. As he got closer, he saw Klaus trading punches with the other two boys. A fourth, Jan, was watching the fight from a safe distance. It was a scuffle on deck.
Suddenly, Klaus was deftly caught with a fist to his chin by Dieter, which momentarily stunned him. His two opponents capitalized on the opportunity and pounded him as fists flew. Klaus went down, and the other two pounced on top of him and drove punches into him. Heinrich was about to grab Dieter and Roderick, but suddenly halted and backed up into the shadows. He was curious to see what Klaus would do in this predicament.
Suddenly, a kick launched Roderick backward, and he landed soundly on his back. Dieter’s head was suddenly knocked back with a solid punch and Klaus was able to roll away from his tormentors. He got to his feet just as Dieter shook off the punch and charged. Roderick also dove back into the fight. Dieter swung a blow that Klaus averted by stepping to one side and countered with a hard right that landed squarely on the nose and temporarily froze him up. Roderick threw two punches at Klaus, landing the first one to the body. Klaus blocked the other with a forearm and followed with a vicious kick into Roderick’s ribs that doubled him over.
Heinrich was impressed with Klaus’s actions. The lad had catlike quickness and agility, not to mention explosive power in his strikes. It brought a sense of pride to him. Several sailors had come running but stopped at Heinrich’s side when they saw him allowing the fight to proceed.
Klaus swiftly stepped towards Roderick and drove a massive undercut to his chin, snapping the boy’s head back. He stumbled and landed squarely on his back, smashing his head on the deck with a loud thud, and put him out of the fight. Klaus now pursued Dieter who was still reeling from the dizzying punch to his nose. It was bleeding profusely. Klaus didn’t let up, and with a two-punch flurry, he decked Dieter. The boy stayed down holding his head with both hands while sobbing. Klaus took up a defensive stance, his fists balled up and his teeth clenched together. He was breathing heavily from the exertion, but apparently ready to continue the fight. After a moment the lad determined his two antagonists were not getting up. He put his hands on his hips, flipped his head back facing the night sky and breathed in deep gulps of air. He was spent.
Jan rushed over to Klaus and asked if he was all right. Klaus could only nod his answer. Apparently, Jan was on Klaus’s side, but he had not helped him fight the other two boys.
“Well, well, well,” Heinrich said. “What seems to be the issue here?”
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Klaus spun his head in the captain’s direction, but he was still trying to catch his breath and could only shake his head back and forth. Jan spoke up instead.
“Herr Captain, it wasn’t Klaus’s fault. He didn’t want to fight, but the other two forced it on him. And they didn’t fight fair at all by both jumping him from the rear when Klaus was walking away. They ganged up on him and -”
“What was the fight about, Jan?” Heinrich’s voice cut in.
“It was just a stupid disagreement, captain. It just got out of hand that’s all.”
“Go on, there’s obviously more to it than that.”
The other sailors went to check the two lads who were still down on the deck, conscious but hurting enough not to get up.
Jan continued to explain, “Dieter and Roderick were questioning Klaus’s ability to fight even though they both knew Klaus had been part of the training. I think they were both jealous because they had not been included in the training sessions Herr Mannheim and Herr Cordoba are teaching; they were complaining that we boys were left out. They didn’t think that was right because if we get into a battle, we also wanted to be able to know how to fight. Klaus agreed with them and said he would talk to you about it. But they wouldn’t leave it at that and began complaining about him being taken under your wing, and they started arguing about his special relationship with you. They are mainly very jealous of him, captain. It got heated, and they jumped him out of anger.”
“So where do you stand in all this?”
“I tried my best, sir, to stop their quarreling, but they wouldn’t stop. I know I should have helped Klaus when they started fighting, but Klaus insisted I stay out of it; telling me that it was his fight. In fact, he ordered me not to get involved, or he would see to it that you would punish me,” the lad said hanging his head in shame.
Klaus finally got his breath back and said, “Jan is telling the truth. I tried at first to … avoid a fight, but Dieter and Roderick did not stop.”
By this time Dieter and Roderick were sitting up and Dr. Strobel, who had been summoned, was looking them over. The boys were alert even though they were injured; both were hanging their heads in the presence of the captain and would not look at him out of fear.
Heinrich stepped closer to them. “Look at me lads.”
The two slowly lifted their heads in Heinrich’s direction and began to tremble.
“Did you both hear the account that Jan just told me? Is it the truth?”
“Ja … Jawohl, mein Herr … captain,” Dieter spoke through his sobs.
“And you, Roderick?”
“Ja, captain. Wha … what Jan said was … true.”
“Well, telling me the truth was the right thing to do. It takes a man to own up to what took place.” Heinrich turned towards Siegfried, “How are they, doctor?”
“I suppose they’ll both live, captain. Dieter has a broken nose, and both have multiple bruises.” He made his way to Klaus and said, “Let me take a look at you, lad.”
After checking Klaus, who also had bruises and a cut on his chin, the doctor took his leave knowing full well Heinrich was not through with the boys. The rest of the sailors also faded into the shadows.
“So, you think this little brawl helped settle things or was it a wasted effort? But before you answer me, I am sending you to your quarters to think about it first. Then all four of you will meet in my cabin first thing in the morning with your answers. Now, I do not want to hear another peep out of you until tomorrow. And there better not be another punch thrown. Is that clear?”
All four answered in the affirmative, nodding their heads in unison.
“Now get out of my sight!”
They went as quickly as they could in light of their i
njuries; Klaus and Jan walked off, while the other two boys hobbled after them. All were glad to be out of the captain’s presence, but their minds focused on the meeting with feelings of trepidation. That’s precisely how Heinrich wanted them to feel. He wanted each one to consider what they had accomplished in fighting each other. Heinrich watched them depart while shaking his head and then he went to his cabin. It was very late now, and they were to sail in the morning. The last fleeting thought he had before he succumbed to sleep was about Lucy Bainbridge under the maple tree. He lapsed into sleep with a smile on his face.
* * *
Morning came way too fast as far as Heinrich was concerned. A knock at his door awakened him. Although the sun was in the sky, his body felt the need for more rest.
“Hold on there,” he barked out. “I’ll get to you in a moment.” He forced himself to roll out of his cot and stumbled around while getting his pants and boots on. His eyes felt like hot coals. Why he felt so spent was beyond him. Perhaps it was due to the stress of readying his ship and crew for the voyage south. He got to the cabin door and swung it open to see four young lads standing together, their eyes averted, not wanting to look at their captain. “Ah, ja. The brawling quartet,” Heinrich remembered. Only Jan was without fight marks, while the other faces wore bruises, cuts, black eyes, and a swollen nose.
“Come in and sit down in front of my desk,” he told them in a gruff voice.
They scooted inside, and each one grabbed a chair or stool, cautiously set it in front of their captain’s desk, and sat down, not saying a word the entire time. Before Heinrich started with them, he went to the wash basin, splashed his face with water and wiped himself dry with a small towel. His stomach growled, and he just dismissed it; breakfast would have to wait a while longer this morning. He rounded his desk and sat down. Whether or not his bloodshot eyes were evident made no matter to him as he got down to business with these four young rascals.
He looked at each lad measuring their attitudes. What he saw were empty vessels, needing to be filled with qualities that their world required to stand up to its adversities. He made a silent promise to himself and to these young men to see to their upbringing into a world filled with both wonder and uncertainty, love and hate, joy and sadness, comfort and pain. There was so much of life ahead of them.
“Now, where were we? Oh, ja, I ordered all four of you to think about what happened last night and to come up with mature reasons as to the importance or unimportance of your quarrel. Have each of you taken the time to do that?”
Four heads earnestly bobbed up and down.
Heinrich paused and wished for a moment that Otto was here. As first officer, Otto should be present, and Heinrich could even hand the lads over to him for some sort of punishment.
“So, lads, you like to fight, heh?”
The four looked at each other, wondering how to reply, hoping another would answer the question.
“It’s a simple question,” Heinrich said keeping his demeanor serious. “Do you like to rumble?”
Klaus decided to answer first, “Nein … not to the extent of hurting each other, only play-fighting when we are horsing around.”
“What about the rest of you?”
“Just play-fighting like Klaus said, captain,” Dieter answered.
Heinrich looked at Roderick next, prompting him to answer.
“I agree with both Klaus and Dieter, mien Herr.”
“Me too,” stated Jan quickly.
“You boys have become close friends and gotten along nicely until last night. Was the brawl justifiable?”
Questionable expressions appeared on their faces.
“What do you mean by that, captain,” Klaus asked. “What does ‘justifiable’ mean?”
“Oh, for goodness sake! It means, was the fight for a good reason?”
“Nien, Herr captain. I do not believe so,” Klaus said.
Before Heinrich even had a chance to say anything, they all agreed with Klaus.
“And why do you believe it was not proper?”
“Because … we did it out of anger, mien Herr,” Dieter stated.
“And friends should not fight each other, captain,” Roderick added.
“Gut. I’m glad you have given the incident serious consideration and came up with well-thought-out answers. Now I am going to advise all of you on something very important. I hope what I recommend will be embraced by you if you want to be a member of this crew, of which each one of you is a critical part, even at your ages. Hell, you are all young adults.
“If a ship’s crew cannot get along and do not respect each other they will not support one another. A crewman is handpicked, not only for his seamanship but also because he has integrity and can be trusted. We are all depended on each other; otherwise, a ship cannot function properly. It has to run as a finely-tuned instrument or else it is out of control. All of us, you four included, must be able to back up each other whether it is a simple matter of ensuring the ship runs smoothly or in a more critical situation that may come up during a voyage.”
That got their attention real fast. “Such as the ship being attacked?” asked Jan.
“I do not want you to focus on us being attacked, but ja, of course, including being attacked. With all the talk going around, you all know that there are pirates whose intentions are to rob us of our cargo and possibly capture our vessel if they have the chance. That is why the men are being taught combat skills; learning how to protect the ship and her crew in the event we are indeed attacked. It may never happen, but we have to be prepared in any case. Do you want to be part of that training so you can do your part?”
“Jawohl, captain, we do,” Dieter said without hesitation, all excited to hear this.
“All right then, all of you will be included in that training starting this week. But I expect the very best from each of you. If not, I will see to it that whoever does not give their full effort will get assigned extra work. Do you understand?”
They all answered in the affirmative and Heinrich saw their expressions were ones of excited anticipation.
“When you are training with weapons, I fully expect you to act maturely. I do not want you using them in anger. I cannot and will not allow my crew to fight one another. If you want to be treated like men, then you better act maturely and responsibly. I must trust each one of you to do your part. We are preparing for the possibility of fighting a real enemy and that demands we stick together and back each other up. Is that understood?”
Again, the lads acknowledged what Heinrich demanded from them.
“Sehr gut, Jungen. No more bickering if you want to be part of this crew. In fact, I expect you to practice together in your free time so that I can depend on you to help run this ship. That is one way you can make me proud and win respect from fellow shipmates. This meeting is over and will expect nothing short of the very best from all of you. Now go.”
With a new sense of purpose and pride, believing they were seen as active crewmembers; the boys went out smiling and full of youthful enthusiasm, ready to do whatever was needed to please their captain. Heinrich was sure he got through to them and was pleased with the result as evident by their new attitudes. He would see how they would fare under the authority of their section heads and trainers. He would meet with those men and make sure they would treat the boys just like the others. But, first, he needed to feed his growling stomach.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SAVANNAH BOUND
The schooner’s bow plowed through the large swells, generating a deluge that drenched anyone who was topside. The ten to fifteen-foot waves tossed the ship about as a bucking horse would a rider. A wild horse eventually could be tamed, but to the men that sailed the sea, she would always be a brazen beast; beautiful to behold yet impossible to handle completely. They thought of the ocean as a mysterious creature, which kept them coming back for more as if under her spell. But the sea was not necessary a friend and never gave away all her secrets.
Heinrich and Otto were standing together on its quarterdeck. “Nothing like the spray of the ocean on your face, ja?” Otto yelled out.
“Ja, this weather can change a man’s heart to seek a job on land,” Heinrich shouted back over the roar of the wind and ocean.
Otto nodded and in a booming voice said, “It looks like Reiner and Diego have their hands full with the training. Should be interesting while riding these waves.”
“It helps simulate a real situation; I suppose if nothing else.”
They watched as the men fought with wooden swords. The sailors were tossed about as they practiced hand-to-hand combat. More than once, a fighter would lose his balance, overcome by the rocking motion of the ship riding the swells. As soon as he tumbled to the deck, his opponent would pounce upon him without mercy. At times it was humorous; both antagonists would fall and continue to swing and kick wildly in mock attack at each other while down.
“Helmsman, keep this heading and make sure she stays well away from shore,” Otto instructed.
“Jawohl, mein Herr. Not a problem at all. She rides the swells well,” shouted Ebert Fiedler, the head Helmsman.
Old Gunter Dietz, the ship’s sailing master, strode over to stand with Fiedler. It was common practice on the See Wolf to man the helm with two men to assist each other especially on days when waves were cresting so high.
“Let’s go to your cabin, Heinrich, I’d like to discuss a few things with you,” Otto said, trying to make his voice heard over the blustery wind.
On experienced sea legs, Heinrich and Otto made their way along the afterdeck house to the main deck and into the captain’s cabin. They sat in chairs that swayed with the rolling waves.
“We should reach Savannah by nightfall,” Otto remarked. “We’re making good progress in spite of the conditions.”
“Since Savannah is our last port before heading to the Caribbean, let’s make sure we find the items that remain on our list. I do not want to be lacking anything important. I would rather buy extra than fall short. That means plenty of extra cannon supplies for Conrad and Manfred so they can continue their drills.”
Winds of Fury Page 21
