by Dudley Pope
Stafford partly understood it, since Jackson had pointed out that a burglar rarely knew what he would find when he broke into a house. Usually he had only a few minutes to decide whether he would take a set of bulky silver candelabras and cutlery from the dining-room table or waste time looking for jewellery that might be hidden anywhere in the house. Staff, who freely admitted that he turned his skills as a locksmith in such directions as burglary "when times was 'ard”, had chuckled then, but this morning, before the squall, he had been like everyone else in the ship's company, trying to guess the Captain's plan.
Jackson growled at the men at the wheel and they hurriedly heaved at the spokes to bring the ship back on course. The wind was following the coast, steady from the east. Curious how that squall suddenly came up from the south: a miniature gale, really, with the wind switching back the moment it cleared.
It had been a close call: some of the men reckoned the Jocasta heeled over so far that the ends of her lower yards had touched the water. Jackson had to admit he had not been looking; he had grabbed a ring bolt with both hands and prayed that one of the guns on the windward side would not break loose and come skidding across the deck to crush him.
He grinned happily to himself. One day he would count up how many times he had been quartermaster when Mr Ramage took a ship into action. Meanwhile he must remember to keep an eye on young Mr Orsini; if anything happened to him the Marchesa's heart would break. It was hard to know whether the lad was brave or stupid, but the way he set about those Dons in Santa Cruz - on the deck of this very ship - with a dirk in one hand and a cutlass in the other. . . He had plenty of courage, and Jackson was thankful he had been able to cut down the Don who had got behind the boy and was about to spit him with a boarding pike. It had been all over in a second, and Mr Orsini never knew how close he had been to death.
"I can make out the Trinchera Bastion, " Ramage said casually.
"You should be able to see into the anchorage in a few moments, " Southwick said.
"I can already, " Ramage said. "It's empty."
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Jocasta was hove-to on the larboard tack half a mile off the landing place in front of La Guaira, her bow heading directly towards the town, which was a large cluster of white houses built on a flat ledge between the hills and sprawling down towards the water's edge.
Ramage shut his telescope with an impatient snap and Southwick gave a disgusted sniff.
"What do you think, sir? Hasn't the ship arrived yet?"
Ramage shrugged his shoulders. He thought that he had anticipated every possibility, ranging from finding that a Spanish ship of the line had arrived unexpectedly to discovering the "particular cargo" had been unloaded and locked up somewhere on shore under a heavy guard.
Aitken coughed, his usual modest preliminary to offering a suggestion: "Perhaps they've been warned from Santa Cruz and the ship has sailed."
"No, " Ramage said, "no messenger could have beaten us here, even if it was a flat road all the way - can you imagine what it's like having to cross all these mountains?"
All three men looked gloomily at the rows of peaks disappearing in the distance to the eastward.
"It's very strange, " Southwick growled. "We know from all those Spanish letters that up to a couple of days ago Velasquez thought that damned merchant ship was waiting here."
"Aye, but anything could have happened since the last of those orders was sent from La Guaira or Caracas, " Aitken said. "They're three or four days old by the time a messenger delivers them in Santa Cruz."
"The place is so empty of ships that it's almost as though they're expecting an English attack, " Southwick commented.
The thought had already crossed Ramage's mind: was there another British frigate cruising along this coast, sent out from Jamaica by Sir Hyde Parker?
"The ships that were here - the merchantman we're after, and the usual droghers and sloops - would have had to go somewhere to escape. They'd have come along the coast towards Santa Cruz, but we saw nothing, " Ramage said.
"Not the Dons! " Southwick said scornfully. "To them, safety means getting into a harbour and relying on forts. They'd have made for Santa Cruz."
"The place is too empty, " Ramage said, thinking aloud rather than making a comment; ominously empty. Something had happened - an order from the Port Captain or the appearance of an English frigate, perhaps - which had scattered all the usual collection of ships one would expect to find in a place like La Guaira, which was the province's main port. There should be half a dozen droghers, part of those plying between La Guaira and the villages along the coast, collecting hides and coffee, tobacco and dyewood. There should be smaller sloops, doing the same thing. And a few larger vessels bringing cargoes from places like Cartagena and Santa Marta. Even if there were few cargoes, the vessels had to be somewhere, and the most likely place for at least a few of them was here at La Guaira, the masters waiting patiently for their agents to find them something to carry. Yet there was not even a fishing boat.
Fishing boats! He was angry with himself for not having thought of that before, and opened the telescope again to look along the shore. Starting from the beach below the Trinchera Bastion he moved the telescope slowly westwards towards the landing place. There were a few rowing boats hauled well up the beach, higher than one would expect if they were being used daily. There were no buoys marking moorings, but surely they did not haul up the bigger fishing boats? And no fishing boats at the landing place.
He paused a moment. There was one boat, end on now and under oars, which had obviously left the landing place in the last few minutes. And it had passengers on board; men in uniforms, the sun glinting on gold epaulets and tassels.
"We have visitors coming out, " he said. "Rig man-ropes on the starboard side and warn the men not to talk in front of strangers."
Aitken hurried away and Southwick said: "I can't get used to it, sir" - he gestured up at the Spanish flag. "Here we are, hove-to in a Spanish port, with Spanish officers rowing out to us! "
"Just think of the surprise they're going to get, " Ramage said with a grin.
"You're going to let them on board? Of course, the man-ropes! But what if they raise the alarm, sir?"
"They can hardly do that if we have 'em on board, " Ramage said mildly.
"But we'll have another handful of useless prisoners, " Southwick grumbled. He was not questioning the Captain's judgment; he was so disappointed at the empty anchorage that he was looking for scapegoats.
"They're the only ones who can tell us what has been happening, " Ramage pointed out. "I'm not particularly anxious to go on shore and ask the Port Captain."
"But supposing they won't tell us?"
"They will, " Ramage said grimly. "They left their own beds this morning and they can probably see their houses from here. If they think they won't be going home tonight . . ."
Southwick nodded. "Yes, they'll tell us what happened, " he said contentedly.
"They'll confirm it, anyway, " Ramage said dryly.
The Master's eyebrows shot up. "Confirm what, sir?"
"That the caldereta hit the anchorage as hard as it hit us."
"Aye, that could be, " Southwick said cautiously. "I don't know how far those things extend."
The boat took more than twenty minutes to reach the Jocasta, and as it came alongside the half a dozen seamen idling about along the frigate's gangway were in fact a group under Jackson with the pistols tucked in their belts hidden by loose shirts worn outside their trousers.
Ramage stood at the top of the gangway, out of sight from the boat but where he would be seen by the first man to reach the deck.
There was a shout in Spanish from the boat and one of the Jocasta's seamen threw down a line to use as a painter. Another shout, and a line was thrown from aft as a sternfast. Ramage smiled to himself; he had guessed that the boat would not have long enough lines.
He waited patiently, Aitken standing behind him and Southwick waiting on the quarterdeck. The gu
ns had not been run out, but the locks were fitted and the trigger lines were neatly coiled and lying across the breeches. Seamen were busy on the fo'c'sle and main deck coiling ropes and polishing brass.
The first man up, fat-faced and puffing, was not in uniform. As he climbed to deck level Ramage saw that his clothes were made of expensive material and well cut. He stepped on deck and looked around crossly, obviously expecting to see Velasquez. He was followed by a painfully thin, tall man in Army uniform with the insignia of a colonel who looked blankly at Ramage, eyeing his uniform but obviously not recognizing it. The third man was clearly the Port Captain, and the trio stood staring round them as though they had just stepped out of a coach in a strange town.
Ramage stepped forward and asked in Spanish: "Can I help you?"
"Yes, " the man in civilian clothes said crossly. "Where is Captain Velasquez?"
"In Santa Cruz."
"But - why is he not on board? Who are you?"
Ramage smiled politely. "He is not on board because this is a British ship and I -" he gave a slight bow "- am in command."
The three men stared blankly, but the Colonel was the first to react: his right hand swung across his body to his swordhilt, and he had the blade half out of the scabbard before ramming it home again and letting his hand drop to his side. Jackson was standing two yards away, a pistol in his hand, and the click as he cocked it had warned the Colonel.
"Forgive me, " Ramage said politely, "I must ask you to allow one of my men to look after your sword."
He gave an order to Stafford, who came up behind the Colonel, deftly unclipped the scabbard and then stepped back again.
"Now, gentlemen, let me welcome you on board his Britannic Majesty's ship Jocasta -" he pronounced the "j" in the Spanish way and saw that all three men recognized the name "- and if you will give your word of honour that you will behave, I suggest we dispense with guards and go down to my cabin and introduce ourselves."
The civilian nodded. "I give my word. So do these gentlemen."
Ramage looked questioningly at the Colonel. "You have my word, " he said stiffly.
The third man gave his word and Ramage said: "If you are the Port Captain, please call to your boatman that they will have to wait."
As the man went to the entry port, Ramage said to Aitken, "Put the boat astern for the time being."
With that he led the way down the companionway into the cabin. The introductions took only a few moments: the civilian was the Mayor of La Guaira, the Colonel commanded the fortress and the town garrison, and the third man was indeed the Port Captain.
Ramage sat the three of them on the settee, the Mayor in the middle. He sat at his desk, turning the chair to face the trio, and he looked at them expectantly but saying nothing. The Port Captain stared round the cabin with the concentration of a horse-coper inspecting a spavined nag before making an offer, and the Colonel examined the toes of his highly polished boots. The Mayor was, as Ramage expected, the first to break the silence.
"Where is Captain Velasquez?"
"I told you, he is in Santa Cruz." Ramage's voice was vague; clearly the topic bored him.
"But this ship - she is La Perla." The Mayor was truculent now.
Ramage shrugged his shoulders. "She is the Jocasta. You called her La Perla, but she is the Jocasta again."
"The Spanish flag - she still sails under the Spanish flag! "
Ramage yawned. "I really must change it."
"You are fighting under false colours! " the Colonel exclaimed, startling the Mayor with his vehemence.
"Hardly fighting, I assure you; just sailing. That is a legitimate ruse de guerre. If we were fighting, I assure you we would be doing so under our own flag."
"La Perla" the Mayor persisted, obviously completely bewildered and like a man trying to break a dream. "She was in Santa Cruz. We expected her here."
"Quite so. She was in Santa Cruz and she is now here."
"You know what I mean, " the Mayor said angrily, pulling a large handkerchief from his pocket and mopping his face.
"We sailed into Santa Cruz in another frigate, recaptured her and sailed her out."
"I do not believe you! "
Ramage gave a dry laugh and the Mayor flushed. "Well, I find it hard to believe, " he added in a voice strangely shrill for such a fat man. "Where is the other frigate?"
"Senor, " Ramage said, his voice taking on a harsher note, "although I am prepared to satisfy your curiosity, you are hardly in a position to interrogate me."
"All right, I believe you, " the Mayor said hurriedly. "But what is to become of us?"
"You are prisoners for the moment."
"But that is ridiculous! Why, we are close by the fortress -"
"Stop ranting, " the Colonel said curtly. "You are not addressing a junta. No one in the fort will open fire on a frigate flying a Spanish flag, especially since they know their commanding officer is on board. And this man said we were prisoners 'for the moment'." He looked directly at Ramage. "Do I understand you are not going to take us away?"
"I hope not, " Ramage said. "You have much to do after the caldereta. Repairing damage to the houses, finding the ship ..."
"The ship! " the Mayor exclaimed. "How can we search for her when we have no vessels -" He broke off, conscious that the Port Captain and the Colonel had both turned to stare at him.
"You have no need to worry, " Ramage said smoothly, thankful that the Mayor had leapt into what was at best crude trap. "She had not drifted far."
"How do you know?" the Port Captain asked warily
"Senor, please! " Ramage said in an offended voice. “The caldereta drags her from her anchors, she drifts before the wind . . ."
"But she hasn't sailed back! "
Ramage thought quickly. "She could hardly sail back if she lost her masts and was captured by the enemy."
"Caramba! " the Mayor exclaimed, "we are ruined! What will the Viceroy -" Again he broke off, embarrassed that once again he had given something away.
"The fortune of war, " Ramage said philosophically, seeing
a clear picture of the merchant ship slowly beating her way back to La Guaira, perhaps even now in sight from the masthead.
"Well, gentlemen, " he said, standing up, "I'll see you back to your boat."
"You mean we are free?" the Mayor asked excitedly. He jumped up and, forgetting how low the cabin was, cracked his head on a beam. He subsided on the settee, glassy-eyed.
The Colonel looked down at him coldly and then turned to Ramage and said: "Thank you. I do not know how you captured this ship in Santa Cruz; I would not have thought even a rowing boat could get past the forts."
"The forts are now in ruins, " Ramage said quietly.
The Colonel went pale. "How many English ships made the attack?"
"One - a frigate similar to this."
"Who commanded her?"
"I did."
"Where is she now?"
"Waiting for us, " Ramage said. "One of my officers is commanding her."
"Your Admiral will be pleased to see you, " the Colonel said, his voice a mixture of bitterness and admiration. "The caldereta has made you a rich man."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The white houses of La Guaira were just dropping below the horizon as Ramage took the weights off the chart and let it roll up with a snap. He and Southwick had finally, at the end of a series of guesses, estimated the merchant ship's present position.
They had to assume that the caldereta had behaved in the same way at La Guaira as it had when it hit the Jocasta. It would have parted the merchant ship's cables and driven her northwards for about one and a half hours - providing she had not capsized. In that time she would have drifted up to eight miles. Then the wind had slowly backed, taking half to three-quarters of an hour to get round to the east. In that time the ship would have drifted another four miles or so in a north-westerly direction. After that, assuming she had not been able to set any sail, she would have drifted west
wards, carried by both wind and current, for four hours, covering sixteen to twenty miles. The cross on the chart showed where she should be at this moment.
Ramage had pencilled on the chart her probable track: a dog-leg about twenty-eight miles long, setting the ship well down to the west and about ten miles offshore.
"There's a lot of 'if’ and 'maybe', " Southwick had grumbled. "If she hasn't capsized, if she drifts at this speed or that, maybe her masts went by the board ..."
"It'll take us about five hours to get down to her, ” Ramage said. "If she can set any sail naturally we'll meet her sooner. We should sight her before it's dark."
"If she's still afloat. Do you think she’s likely to have capsized, sir?"
Ramage shook his head. "No, I think she was so close in to the shore that it might have saved her when it first started blowing. It was only during the first few minutes that we nearly capsized, until we could run off before it."
"It seemed like hours, " Southwick commented.
"Yes. Well, her cables couldn't take the strain and eventually they parted and she began drifting out to sea. They knew what to expect, and I think they might have been able to keep her under control. I hope so, anyway."
"I'm doubtful about our estimates of the speed at which she's drifting."
"I agree. I think she'll be slower. So we're likely to see her more to the south-west. But the visibility is good and the lookouts have telescopes."
The first hail from the mainmasthead three hours later warned that there was a small boat on the starboard bow, and the Jocasta bore up to find it was empty. The second hail, half an hour after that, told of three boats on the starboard bow, and they too were empty and nearly sunk.
Southwick plotted their positions and then came up to report to Ramage. "They drifted in the direction we expected, sir. A lot slower, but o' course they're half-full of water and don't have the windage of a merchant ship."
The next hail revealed a drogher drifting along, her mainsail in shreds and floating low in the water. The two men on board, taken off by one of the Jocasta's boats, reported that the other three men in the crew had been washed overboard. More important, they told Ramage that while the caldereta was blowing they had seen the merchant ship drifting past them apparently undamaged.
