“But …, but there must be a different way to show we are not opposing them. Must we show this much indifference to their request? Anyhow, what good is arming ourselves when they have no way of catching us? It is all for nothing.”
“Request! They mean no request. They mean to order us about.”
The See Wolf was fast approaching a massive solitary rock stack jutting out of the water just off the first island in the chain when a shout emanated from the mainmast lookout. “Deck there, captain! Deck there, off port side.”
Heinrich and Otto quickly bounded to the portside railing. The lookout bellowed louder, “Sails in sight! British warship! British warship! Captain, British warship … frigate type, dead ahead. She’s turning into our heading! Belay that; coming broadside, broadside!”
Not three hundred yards ahead, a three-masted frigate had slid out from behind the rock formation, slats open and with her starboard guns coming to bear. The same signal flag was flying directing the schooner to heave to.
“Sails insight? Damn it, man; I can shake their hands from this distance! These British scoundrels are a nasty lot,” barked out Heinrich in anger. “They have no right!”
“Right or not, Heinrich, they have us blocked, and the frigate is in cannon range!” raged Otto. “And most likely manning well over fifty guns!”
Heinrich voice thundered, “Helmsman, bear ninety degrees to starboard, now!”
“Jawohl, captain. Ninety degrees to starboard,” Ebert instantly replied.
The order was relayed all over the ship, and instantly the crew sprang into action. Boots pounded the decks as sailors ran to man tasks and the rigging became a whirlwind of activity. With expeditious efficiency, they performed their duties.
The sharp upwind tack was felt throughout the ship. Sailors stabilized themselves by widening their stances and balancing their weight. The creaking of wood from the strain was heard, but the See Wolf would handle the turn flawlessly as she cut through the shimmering water. Although tacking to starboard was executed, their forward momentum still carried the schooner closer to the frigate before their turn could gain distance away from her. There was but two hundred yards between the two ships, with the See Wolf continuing her turn when suddenly a whooshing sound was heard by those near the helm and a hole appeared in the sail halfway up the number five mast right in front of them, followed by a single thunderous roar. The unseen cannonball had been hurled at great speed, punching an invisible path through the air.
All those aboard the schooner were stunned by the action of the military vessel; now an arrow’s shot off their port; close enough to clearly see the cannon bores and movements of men behind them. Heinrich was also shocked. Cupping both hands to his mouth, he screamed out, “Where are my cannons?”
“Checking now,” answered Otto and looked around toward his relay men standing at the stairways leading to the main deck. As if the men had heard Heinrich and Otto’s exchange, they whirled around and ran up yelling that the guns were ready.
“Cannons at the ready,” Otto echoed the words but wondered what good they were as the port side would not face the frigate long as the schooner was rapidly turning away.
“At my order …”
“You can’t be serious, Heinrich,” Otto bellowed. “This is completely insane!”
“I am only readying them, just preparing us for the worst.”
“But … but it could very well be seen as an act of aggression!” Otto blurted out.
“Aggression? They fired at us first, Otto. And, just maybe they meant to hit us, and the shot went high across our deck.”
“It was a warning shot!”
“They aren’t being threatened. Besides, all our firing slats were closed.”
Otto didn’t know what to say next; he just froze in place eying his captain and friend, hoping this was not going to get much worse.
“Arrogant bastards!” Heinrich shouted in the frigate’s direction with fists balled up in anger. “They know we are not a warship,”
As the See Wolf continued the turn, Heinrich swung his attention aft to the stern right behind him where cannon crews led by Manfred Rhine were hard at work loading. Heinrich thought, leave it to Manfred to be so resourceful by thinking to ready the guns at the stern without being told.
“Report when our guns are at the ready, Herr Rhine! Aim two of the guns high over their bow and await my further orders!”
“Ja, ja sofort – Aye, immediately, captain!”
“Helm, maintain bearing!” shouted Heinrich
“Ja, captain. Maintaining bearing,” came the reply from Ebert.
Seething with anger, part of him wanted action, and he wanted it now! The other part of him reasoned not so much a full-fledged sea battle, but something to let the British know how he felt about being infringed upon. He watched as the frigate changed bearing and her guns would shortly come to bear to the stern of his ship. He could have ordered more maneuvering to present a more difficult target, but that would also take his guns off target. It frustrated him to wait while his guns were readied, but he forced himself to stay composed; to conquer his emotions to remain in command of his ship. He anticipated the frigate’s guns blasting away at them, and the thought of waiting was nerve-wracking, but he was not giving in to their demands.
A loud crack pierced the air as a cannonball smashed into the See Wolf, accompanied by the roar of the distant cannon blast. Several shouts erupted at the stern. Drope saw two sailors taking turns bending over the side and pointing downward starboard of the rudder, indicating where the shots had hit.
“Steady men!” yelled Heinrich at the top of his lungs.
He was furious at the British for firing at them again. Heinrich, now, had no doubts as to the British frigate’s intention. He pounded his clenched fist on the railing. He wished now he had told Manfred to ready all four cannons on the stern to press home his point.
“Cannons at the ready, captain. Sighted high as ordered,” Manfred shouted.
“Thank you, Herr Rhine,” Heinrich responded. “Damn, no time to adjust aim.”
He took in a deep breath. “Fire at will!”
At the very next upward roll of the ship, two cannons blasted as one, their roars exceedingly loud so close by. His ears were ringing, but he forced a shout to Ebert to tack to port sharply and to keep the vessel steady; then broke into a run toward the main deck portside. All the while he shouted out, “Herr Geiger, fire all guns high at will at their masts and rigging!”
Even though there was no need for his order to be relayed because he was repeating the command as he ran, both Otto and the portside relay man shouted the same words out of trained habit.
Without hesitation, Conrad’s steady and booming voice answered back. “Jawohl, captain, firing at the masts and rigging it shall be.”
And immediately the chorused refrain was repeated by Otto and the relay man.
Heinrich couldn’t help but think how competent his cannon crews were performing. The training was paying off. It gave him an extra jolt of aplomb, which he desperately needed. He ran up to where Conrad was standing at midships. The See Wolf’s portside would soon be facing the frigate. Geiger’s voice was solid and determined as he continued to shout out commands and encouragement to his gun crews. They, in turn, answered back with a stream of confirmations. Heinrich was not surprised in the least how well in control the man was given his warfare experience. “Now here is a true leader. I could take a lesson or two from him.”
“Open all gun slats!” Conrad ordered, knowing soon they would be seeing their target and having to make swift aim adjustments. Manfred Rhine had rushed over to assist the crews, particularly the aim points of the cannons. Otto came alongside Heinrich still staying quiet.
“Cannon shots from the stern crossed the decks, captain.”
“Danke, Herr Rhine.”
As he watched the last preparations, Heinrich thought about how the rest of the crew was doing. Looking above, he saw his men movi
ng about the sails and riggings. Casting quick glances to all areas of the ship all looked as it should his mind said. He turned to starboard and saw how Manfred’s starboard gun crews were busy ensuring their readiness when called upon. Everyone seemed to be at their stations. He marveled at how controlled and tempered it all looked. “Is this how normal combat is?”
The See wolf was now finishing the turn, and Heinrich broke out of his reverie and became focused on what would happen next. As cannon crew leaders lined up their guns, Conrad and Manfred scurried from one to the other checking cannon aim. Knowing there was not enough time to check all of them, the two leaders assisted only those they thought required it, for some of the cannon crew leaders were better at it than others.
“Top deck cannons at the ready, captain!” Conrad shouted.
“Fire at will, Herr Geiger.”
Heinrich waited with anticipation. The fifteen port main deck cannons – his ship’s cannons – bellowed in staggered order. The deafening roars were nothing short of a volcano erupting, with ears taking the brunt of the booming guns. Already in the habit through the training, most of the men had their hands pressed against their ears. Orders to reload was issued, though barely heard through their ringing ears. Some of the cannon smoke that had exploded from the muzzles blew back over the deck by the wind and drifted aft down the ship.
Heinrich and Otto quickly stepped up to the wooden railheads. Bringing their scopes to their eyes and bracing their elbows on the wood to keep the scope steady, they searched the frigate for damage. To Heinrich’s excitement and Otto’s distress, they saw a cannonball had struck the foremast near its base, and it was in the process of splitting apart as it leaned more and more. His first officer brought his scope down, swung around and looked at his Captain.
“You hit them! You actually hit them, Heinrich,” Otto yelled with a voice that sounded horror-stricken.
“That’s what cannons do, Otto,” Heinrich answered calmly, still looking through the scope.
“This is the message you want us to convey to the Brits? That we stand ready to fight, shoot it out with their navy? You know how absurd this is? You think they will merely sail away and forget this ever happened?”
Drope straightened up and looked at his friend, while the cannon crews nearby stood by listening to the exchange between their two shipmasters.
“Must you always despair? Would you rather have had them rake us with cannon fire at will without defending ourselves? You saw their intention as all of us did.”
“I saw a ship flying a flag requesting us to heave to.”
“With cannons at the ready aimed at a merchant ship and then without provocation, they fired at us.”
“Most likely as a stronger signal for us to heave to as the signal flag was not enough for us to do so.”
“Listen to what you are saying, man. Are you that daft! That was not a shot across our bow to signal us. It was a cannon volley that fortunately landed short of our ship. Otto, this is not the time and place for this. The ship requires your assistance as first officer to face this threat and get us all to safety first. Then we can discuss everything that’s happened and put it in the proper order and perspective. Right now, get yourself together.”
Heinrich’s words sunk in and Otto’s focus swung back to the British frigate. Again, through the scopes, they watched as the mast broke apart, the splintered end slamming into the deck. The mast fell over and came to a stop at an angle precariously held in place by rigging lines.
“Cannon fire! Enemy cannon fire!” came the shouts from several sailors from the rigging above.
Cannon blasts from the frigate now close to five hundred yards away sounded ferocious. Looking up from their scopes, Heinrich and Otto scanned around the See Wolf for any damage and not seeing any.
Sailors again from above shouted, “No hits. No hits! All in the water!”
“Cannons ready, captain,” shouted Conrad.
“Hold your fire, Herr Geiger! Hold your fire!” Heinrich shouted.
“Ja, ja, captain. Holding fire, it is,” responded Conrad. “All guns hold fire!” His hoarse voice commanded.
The British naval vessel was dead in the water, and the broken mast would deny them any serious sailing. Soon the See Wolf would be out of their effective cannon range. A quick check showed the other British warship on a heading their way, but over a mile off. Knowing that no more was needed here, Heinrich decided to put as much distance between the British and them as fast as possible. He was not worried about the larger British Ship-of-the-Line far behind them, still in pursuit. It had no chance of catching them.
Still standing next to Heinrich, Otto simply asked, “What now?”
“Put us on the course of the same heading we had before, my friend.”
Seeing Heinrich composed and not angry at him, Otto held his temperance. He would wait till later in the day to discuss the incident.
“I’m going aft to check on the damage. Have the boatswains and carpenters meet me there. I will have Herr Bauer figure out how to fix the damage.”
“Jawohl, Heinrich. I will see to the rest of the ship.”
They parted in different directions, and Otto’s voice was heard booming with authority again as he began walking the length of the ship inspecting the vessel.
“Lookouts, keep your eyes peeled for other ships. Section heads, inspect and report. Get me the boatswains. Where is Bauer?”
The cannonball had smashed through the hull just above the copper sheeting and came to rest within the aft storage compartment, destroying several foodstuff containers. The entry hole was high enough on the ship’s hull that it would not affect the ship’s ability to stay afloat.
It was not realized yet, but the worst damage from the brief but deadly encounter with the British naval ships would be administered by government decree.
* * *
Heinrich ordered a slight directional change heading southwest and many nautical miles from their encounter with the British naval vessels. He had Gunter plot a course toward Andros Island, further south in the Bahamas Island chain, where they would search for a cove for temporary refuge. The See Wolf was able to maintain a speed close to fifteen knots with a strong tailwind. Late in the afternoon of the next day, they found a perfect hideaway on the northeast side of the island. They sailed into a small bay with a peninsula protecting it from the sea. At the very end of the bay off to port was an even smaller and shallow lovely isolated pear-shaped cove, which they entered.
There was no pier anywhere to dock; just the strand of white beach all around. No boats, canoes; nothing that hinted of the presence of man was in sight.
Once anchored, Heinrich instructed one rowboat led by Diego and Manfred along with a party of twelve men, all armed, to go ashore to search for fresh water. It was many hours later when they came back. They had found two sources for water; beautiful waterfalls cascaded down sheer rock escarpments less than a quarter mile from the beach. Manfred led more men in two boats together with both boatswains, Fritz Huber, and Ernst Mayer, to shore with containers to fill with fresh water. This went on for several trips until darkness consumed the day. They would make more water runs the next day.
* * *
It was late that evening and the night was pitch black with a thin crescent moon. Otto was talking with Heinrich in his cabin. Both men had a day’s time to settle their nerves and control their emotions. They had been discussing the previous day’s incident with the British warships.
“I must say, Heinrich, the future does not look bright for us. I do however want you to know I stand fully by you.”
“I know you do,” Otto. “You always have, and I am grateful for that. Starting tomorrow, we must come up with a plan. How is the rest of the crew taking all this?”
“They are in a foul mood over what has happened. The section heads have met with their men to discuss the matter. They are trying to lift their morale.”
“It will take time. A new plan will get the
men to come around.”
“Heinrich, don’t be so naive! It is now a difficult situation for all of us!”
Heinrich nodded evenly.
It bothered Otto that Heinrich did not look overly concerned about what they had just discussed and there was no outward indication of remorse.
“The men are confused and disillusioned that your decisions may have ended the opportunity to start our merchant business. They put their trust in you, lock, stock and barrel. Now they do not know what to think.”
“My decision was based solely for our collective welfare.”
“The goodness in your heart is one of your most commendable traits. However, your nemesis – your dark side, got the best of you. The least you can do is admit your decision was partly based on pride. Is that so difficult for you?”
“My decisions came from a matter of principle and sensible reasoning.”
Otto leaned forward, “Listen to what you are saying. Principle and reason! Principle and reason of what? Proving who the most stubborn captain on the high seas is?”
Heinrich rolled his eyes while shaking his head.
Heinrich repeated, “It was a matter of principle together with sound reasoning to what the British were doing to us.”
Otto blew what could only be a sigh of sheer frustration, paused briefly and then continued, “I want you to listen to what I’m about to say. I will not be kind. I am …”
“I do not expect you will be,” interjected Heinrich. “At times we seem worlds apart on things. Is it just to argue? I am just as frustrated over what happened.”
“But for different reasons, I’m afraid. It is not for argument’s sake. Look, I am saying this as your closest friend. You are the captain. You do not have to take a consensus of who onboard is in favor or not of a command. But you owe it to yourself and the crew to listen to those close to you.” Otto was saying this as much to Heinrich as to himself. “I was possibly wrong for not countermanding your order to fire.”
“I decided, and I gave the command. I did so with full faculties.”
“All right, but, just because you felt you had to decide under pressure, does not mean you cannot consult your officers. I was scared out of my wits, too.” Otto took a deep breath, “I blame myself for not being more forceful to state my objection vigorously enough.”
Winds of Fury Page 32
