“As well you should,” the officer shot back. “All you mariners need to be reminded of that fact now and then. I am tiring of this ridiculous parley. Our purpose is to inspect your ship. Let us get on with it.”
“Ah, but colonel, I have come rowing to your vessel to make amends for our unfortunate mishap as a courteous gesture to make right a wrong. May I make it up to you, sir, by offering a humble gift of patronage to your vaunted Royal Navy?” Heinrich said as he upheld a leather pouch. The army colonel stared at it, and Drope could see the man’s curiosity as he calmly thought it through considering it.
“It may be a small pittance to someone of your rank and military stature, but a treasure to a lot of men such as us.”
The colonel’s eyes narrowed as he pondered the offer presented. It was obviously lucre of some sort. He wished this sailing master had not held the offer up publicly for everyone to hear and see. Now he could not claim it all for himself. Perhaps there was another way to proceed with this affair.
Still holding up the pouch with an extended arm so that those onboard the nearby frigate could also clearly see, Heinrich said, “Colonel, I hope this small token will be taken as a gesture of good faith on our part and will help to ease the tension between us for this incident.
Playing the part of a respectable English officer, the colonel made as if he wasn’t all that interested in the peace offering. “Daftness is carelessness with whom you face at times, and I can assure you that my patience with your ilk is short. Must I teach you a lesson in proper manners also for trying to bribe my favor?”
Drope lowered the pouch and raised his free hand with opened palm out in response.
“Oh, no, dear colonel; please do not misunderstand me. This is not a bribe. If it were, surely, I would not have presented it so carelessly. It is a, shall we say a … donation to the brave men under your command for protecting these waters. It is but one of the reasons I hurried subserviently to come to your ship, and present it with my sincere apologies for causing such a stir.”
A faint grin crossed the colonel’s face as he paused a moment as part of his performance to cunningly act with a false apprehension.
“Hmm, possibly I have misjudged you as an unworthy sailing master in the frightful excitement of almost being rammed by your ship. Since I am a considerate man, I will allow you a brief audience along with the ship’s captain. We English are far from impolite behavior after all.”
“Thank you, kind sir. We are most grateful for your gracious manner.”
“Follow us then. Turn us about, and take us back to the Hampshire,” he ordered his men.
Both boats rowed the short distance to the warship, tied them off, and climbed aboard. Heinrich had stashed the pouch with the black pearls by giving it to Anton, who put it inside his waistband pouch. When they were all on board, a portly naval officer with captain’s insignia strode over as men parted to let him through. Alongside him was his first officer if Heinrich read his uniform correctly. Both men looked regal as their straight backs, and their mannerisms spoke of distinguished personage. Six redcoat marines, musket armed, stood semi-circled around the two officers as escorts. While the colonel straightened his outfit ignoring the rest, the captain shot the army man what Drope thought to be a slightly undignified glace, then looked back to him, and introduced himself and his second. No love was lost between the colonel, and most likely everyone aboard.
Taking his decorative hat off as a courtesy, he smiled, and said, “I am Captain Ethan Hennessey, and this,” as he pointed, “is my second in command, Senior Lieutenant Patrick O’Shea, of the HMS Hampshire. I take it you are the captain of that splendid vessel yonder?”
“I am, sir. She is named the See Wolf, sir. We are of German extraction with a handful of Dutch and Spanish sailors. I am Heinrich Drope, and am very pleased to meet your acquaintance, captain, and Lieutenant O’Shea.”
“Ah, yes; I can readily tell by your heavy accent,” remarked the captain. “And your ship, sir, is quite a marvelous sight. I have sailed many seas, and I have never seen a schooner so large, and I must say, displaying well over forty gun port slats. Do they all have cannons behind them?”
“Every one of them; yes, sir. That is the original armament complement that came with the ship when we commandeered her.”
“That is quite amazing. She strikes me more of a warship than merchant vessel, Captain Drope. If your men are worth their salt as gun crews, I would avoid such a vessel if I were a marauding sort. You are a lucky man at such a young age for your company to put their trust in you as captain. And these men with you …?”
“Excuse my terrible manners, captain.”
Drope introduced his four sailors, as both officers nodded their greetings.
“I must ask you, captain, what if any products are you carrying in your holds?”
“A mix of spices, sir. We are on our way to San Juan to -”
“Well, sorry to break up all the pleasantries, gentlemen,” the impatient colonel cut in.
Captain Hennessey and his first officer didn’t turn toward the colonel as he spoke. Both men’s mouths tightened, and eyes narrowed to slits at the rude interference.
Stepping closer, and looking Drope directly in the eyes, the colonel stared him down. Heinrich wondered how the miserable swine planned to get his hands exclusively on the pearl pouch without anyone else’s knowledge. Oh, he figured that was the officer’s real goal when he saw the shine in the man’s eyes back in the boat. Not allowing the colonel to hold the initiative, Heinrich casually swung his attention back to the captain who was staring past him with a faraway look across the water at the See Wolf. The man was just biding the time as he was obviously outranked somehow by the army officer on his own ship. Drope found this strange. The two men were of the same rank, so who was this colonel?
“So, Captain Drope, should we go inside my cabin, and conduct further business as we discussed? The formalities won’t take long, and then you and your men can be on your way.”
Captain Hennessey’s head whirled around, a questioning expression on his face.
“Colonel Thomas, should it not be my official duty to question merchant mariners as standard naval policy?”
“Well, in a normal situation it would be, captain, but alas we all know this wild, and untamed part of the world requires special treatment at times” Thomas stated tersely and went on arrogantly. “And ah … Captain Drope has confided in me as a confidant, and told me of a delicate political matter in San Juan, and I am the provincial military commander in the Caribbean, so I take such subjects seriously. It is of confidential content, and it must stay that way until I discern the issue otherwise. I am sure you have much to content with running the ship. For that matter …”
“Ah, by thunder; this is the man in charge of the defense of all English possessions – and interests for the whole Caribbean posted out of Kingston, Jamaica.” Drope swallowed hard and furtively glanced at his men, who in turn looked back at him with the same realization.
Captain Hennessey became unglued at being treated with such abhorrent behavior as a ranking officer-of-the-line, and even from Thomas, who was technically his direct superior. His facial muscles flexed twisting his expression into a grim demeanor.
“Colonel Thomas, ridiculing one’s officers especially in front of their crew is outrageous? It is not becoming of your position, sir,” almost slurring the ‘sir’ out to make more emphasis.
Thomas stepped in closer and was barely a foot-length from Hennessey’s face.
“Stand down, mister!” he seethed through clenched teeth. Raising his voice even more, “I am in charge here! That better be crystal-clear, Hennessey. You may be a ship-of-the-line officer, with even at best, some hearsay hero’s record of decorations, but out here in this new world,” his stretched-out arm swept in an arc around him, and spittle flew into the captain’s face, “all that you see and beyond is my domain to control. Mine alone! While you have this … this wooden shipwreck to r
ule over. You and your sailors are at my bidding. Don’t you ever forget that!”
Hennessey recoiled from the brow-beating he had just taken but was not backing down. He stood straight and firm, jaw fiercely clenched, and jutting out at Thomas, while his eyes felt like burning coals. His entire being seemed to Drope and his men to be in defiance against his superior. The marines standing about seem to shrink back with eyes cast down not wanting to look at the embarrassing display taking place before them. Cannon crews and other sailors mixed about in groups looked up stunned at the thrashing their captain was getting, and from an infantry officer of all people. All decks were hushed as quiet as a church on a Monday.
Although the vast majority of the crew on English naval vessels usually had no love for their shipmasters who worked the tar out them and tended to treat them as lesser creatures, they were not at all used to having their captain bullied so. It was a rare scene. Many of the sailors onboard the HMS Hampshire actually considered themselves luckier than sailors assigned to other ships, for this particular captain happened to be a decent officer than most. There hadn’t been a soul tied to a masthead, and lashed in months. Most infractions had dealt out extra work duties as a punitive measure. This didn’t mean that Captain Hennessey was a softy and a loose master. He happened to be a man who didn’t stand for bullying and unjust punishments. He ran a tight ship with brains rather than with brute brawn. This the men respected. Those sailors who had sailed under his command before knew his background enough to know he had distinguished himself with extraordinary courage in numerous sea battles and was highly looked upon by the Admiralty.
The See Wolf’s men also kept quiet, still asserting their low profiles at pretense. All were tense as nerves spiked freely. Five of them in the midst of some four hundred English navy sailors was a bit unsettling if it came to push and shove. Escape was not an option by force. They had to plot their way through this dilemma, and it seemed far from over.
Drope noticed the first officer, Patrick O’Shea, expressing an angry look toward Colonel Thomas, and surreptitiously had his hand on the grip of his sword. Yet he knew better than to unsheathe it and face the huge consequence of a court-martial. He must have felt pitifully impotent having to stand down and witness his captain being verbally thrashed.
Heinrich’s original plan to play coy, and hope the colonel would be satisfied with the pouch of pearls dissipated in his mind after what he just witnessed. He now strongly sensed that this haughty fellow, Thomas, would not be pleased with this single bag. The man was a scoundrel. He would want more. That would mean a thorough strip-down search of his schooner. He could not allow that. It would be the end of their lives in the literal sense by being arrested and jailed, while he and his band of leaders would hang from the gallows. The thought of that happening had played over many times since that fateful incident with the British frigate, which led to their sad predicament.
The very thought incensed him as he stood there. He felt sorry for Hennessey, though he had to consider him the enemy. It was his ingrained attitude regarding bullies as Thomas had shown in fine form. The colonel even now evidenced a slight smirk as his face portrayed loathsome anger at the captain. The man had no class, let alone a strand of shame for dressing down the ship’s master in front of his men to witness such abuse.
Heinrich decided on the spot on a completely different action plan, and depend on the integrity of Captain Hennessey’s sense of fairness, and the present angry attitude against his superior. Or was it a gamble at best? He went with his senses and prepared himself to act on it. As Hennessey’s lips quivered incessantly in wanting to strike back at the colonel’s disgusting behavior, Drope dropped the insolent bucket of slop on top of Thomas’s head.
“So, colonel, as you were saying before your affront with Captain Hennessey; you wanted to discuss the consideration of overlooking the incident of my ship almost ramming your vessel over what sort of payment I can render you in overlooking the mishap?”
The level of silence that had blanketed the British ship was now compounded if that was possible by his spoken words of personal graft. Astounded by what his ears heard from the mouth of this nobody, the colonel swung around to face Drope. If his anger had been peaked by what he saw in Hennessey’s challenge to his rank, Thomas leveled pure hatred at the schooner captain.
“How dare you … suggest such a vile accusation!”
Thomas’s eyes quickly scanned the reactions of Hennessey and O’Shea at having heard Drope’s words. As sure as anticipated, and certain that not just the two navy officers, but all those nearby heard what he had said, Drope acted unbelievably stunned at being admonished. With the natural flair of a veteran actor, he jerked his head toward all those in attendance with an expression that portrayed pure innocence. Looking back at the colonel, he began to stammer and stutter.
“I ah, ah … but Colonel Thomas, did we not agree to … to some sort of a … let’s say a peace offering to dismiss my ship’s in … intrusion into your affairs?”
“You accuse me of conspicuous intentions? Yes, you incriminate my professional character!”
Heinrich feigned innocence and balked at the implication.
“Colonel, you charge me with dishonesty in public … in front of all these men for something you gave me your word about? I thought you to be trusted.”
“You are a miserable liar! You thought this childish prank would stand against my reputation in front of these men, who are under my authority? You must take me as a total -”
“Fool – a most despicable one at that,” Hennessey concluded. “You have played the devil’s advocate. What say you, Colonel Thomas?”
“You watch your words, Hennessey. You actually believe this … this scoundrel? He is nothing more than a two-bit scab. You take his word over mine?”
Hennessey’s expression said it all. “And you readily expect me to believe your innocent nature, colonel, knowing your reputational character? You forget I know you much better than that. I seem to recall your personal testimony on several occasions at Captain’s Mast when you have spoken … let’s say ill of my naval duties. You of all people; who knows nothing of naval regulations. I was fully acquitted if you remember at every one of those witch hunts of your doing.”
“You bring up things of the past, Hennessey. You still hold a grudge as a flag officer after all this time?”
“I do, sir. Especially when I was innocently incriminated and castigated by vile assertions you had simply made up against me. You speak of honor and duty only when it serves you. I believe this unbeguiled merchant captain.”
“Then you are also a fool, Hennessey!” Thomas barked out not being able to hold his voice anymore. “You will both suffer for your insubordination, captain, and you, Drope; you will cry for mercy on the gallows.”
Heinrich could only hope this turn of will exhibited by Captain Hennessey would favor him and his crew. His men still stood by and continued to express neutrality. Excellent actors themselves Heinrich was thinking. He knew well that it was extremely difficult for them to put up with the actions that had been going on. He knew too well though that he must press the situation much further to get out of this predicament. He continued to pit the colonel against the captain with his shenanigans. Without subtlety and a surly look, Drope took a step toward the colonel and slapped him across the face. Immediately red-coated marines responded forward but were halted by both Hennessey and O’Shea.
If the goal was to turn the tide in their favor at all, the See Wolf’s crew was severely stunned by what had gone on so far, but now they must have thought they were surely cast headfirst into a nightmare of which was no return.
In a loud commanding voice, Drope carried forth his charade and addressed the army officer.
“It is a terrible pity that you are so inconsiderate, colonel. I believed and trusted your word as a man of honor. You have surely erased that image from my mind altogether. To think I took you as an officer and gentleman, to be beyond scrup
les. You are nothing but a petty thief.”
“You … you have just written out your own death certificate, you dim-witted German swine! Now you shall pay with your life!” yelled an irate Thomas.
“Is that part of your English justice, sir?”
“It is my justice as High Commissioner of this region!”
“Now, now, colonel. You have me utterly confused by the many ranks of title you have been bestowed. I am a simple man of the sea. Unlike you, I do not pretend to be someone I am not. Next thing you’ll try to convince me you are the King of England.”
Small groups of sailors couldn’t keep their emotions in any longer, and bits of laughter swept across the decks. They were quieted by numerous shouts from those who had charge of them. Heinrich continued and strove to do so with some complimentary words for Hennessey and crew. Colonel Thomas’s face was scarlet red from embarrassment and anger. Every time he had opened his mouth, Heinrich overrode him with his stinging words.
“At the very least, I will not take the word of a scandalous man like you. And if I am indeed under your judgment, it would be of little courtesy on your part to tell me why as a mere merchant as you state, was our ship halted. Were we a military threat to you? Shouldn’t the British navy be more inclined to seek out murderous pirates instead of simple merchant mariners? I and my men as frail of mind as you may think, clearly understand the need of utilizing this magnificent warship under the command of a heroic captain, and an honorable first officer to go after pirating scum and purge the Caribbean from them. Even a humble German such as me can readily see the sense in that and would be proud to serve under this ship’s skilled and dedicated leadership. You must be the one that’s daft, colonel. Now what do you say, sir, shall we simply forget punishing unimportant seamen, and settle our private deal behind closed doors, and be done with it as you first suggested?”
Winds of Fury Page 51
