“Is the surgeon aboard, Mr Wickham?”
“Yes, sir. I sent for him yesterday, sir.”
“Good. Let him report to me when all is done.”
It was reasonable to expect that none of the quotamen would be in such poor health as to be refused for service. All would have been examined when mustered in their home county and they would have been further observed as they walked to Portsmouth, but some would be too old or young to be turned into topmen and any number might be stupid to a point barely less than imbecility and incapable of learning any complex skill. They would mostly be made into gun crew and forecastle hands – both requiring more of strength than knack – or into waisters who would pull on ropes and sweep the deck and polish and clean unceasingly. They would perform necessary jobs, but they could not be expected to supply the skills that were missing, except for a few who might have been selected rather than balloted, troublemakers sent away from their quiet towns and villages, and often brighter than the average run of men and consequently bored.
“We are to go to the Gun Wharf in the morning, Mr Wickham, to pick up our chasers. I will want a full guard of Marines against deserters. We return to our mooring for two days and then, I much hope, we shall sail on Thursday. All captains to be warned to be ready for squadron conference in the forenoon of Wednesday.”
Frederick had shared a dinner with Sir Iain aboard Winchester earlier in the week and knew her strengths and weaknesses first hand.
“Old and slow but now possessed of the ability to do great damage at close range, sir. I am if anything slightly overmanned, sir, as a result of the carronades which need four men rather than seven in their crew.”
“Excellent, Sir Iain! Train up a large boarding party, if you would be so good. We can assume the probability of hand-to-hand work when hunting pirates!”
“Very good, sir! I shall have a word with the Ordnance people, sir. I am sure there will be some extra pistols and such spare and needing to be issued to get them off the books. Boat guns as well, Winchester having no more than nasty little four-pounders in the launch and cutters.”
Frederick made no response – both knew that gold was about to transfer into pockets in the yard, but there was no need to make public mention of the fact.
“Are you well situated for officers, Sir Iain?”
“I have the correct number, sir. More than that I cannot say of some of them! Worn out by long service on blockade, all initiative forgotten but very good at polishing the brasswork!”
Blockade was the death of officers, except perhaps for the few on frigates working the Inshore Squadron and forced to be continually alert on a lee-shore and with the occasional opportunity for a raid or cutting-out. Most of the lieutenants, and no few of the captains, had no more to do than to maintain a distance of two cables on the next in line and to find work to keep the hands busy, often for years unbroken. They saw no action, exercised their brains not at all except in times of storm, and they might drift into a waking doze, going through the motions of their duty and no more. It could be very hard for the officers of a ship that came off blockade and was sent to detached service.
Normally a blockader went into the dockyard for very necessary repair and maintenance before going off overseas – but Winchester and Endymion had come out of the yard less than two years previously and were not due for another stay, the pressures on facilities being so great.
“I am very well off for young gentlemen, sir. The previous captain of Winchester was quite enthusiastic in his appointment of Captain’s Servants, it would seem. No fewer than eight, sir, and all of them juvenile and with a mid’s equipment hopefully packed away!”
“Was the gentleman promoted out of Winchester, Sir Iain? Yellowed, perhaps?”
“No, sir, he was not high enough on the List to become an admiral just yet. He has gone to his half-pay for having fallen out of love with the service. He no longer wishes to be a sailorman, or so it would seem. I believe the urgency to leave the sea had been growing for some time, sir.”
“And he sold places on his quarterdeck to mids and Captain’s Servants to fund his retirement?”
“Probably, sir.”
“I am short of youngsters…”
The arrangements were made very quickly and three young men of twelve and thirteen years found themselves made midshipmen and put aboard Endymion, together with two other, smaller children who simply transferred in their original status to wait their turn.
A captain was rationed officially for a number of servants, depending on his seniority and the rate of his ship; Frederick now had four of his seven, counting Bosomtwi and Olsen. It was reasonable to allow for a mid or two to die and for others to be promoted or sent away on prizes and they were useful on a large ship rather than a nuisance on a small. There were more boats and far more guns needing a midshipman in charge.
“Mr Wickham, I have places for three more servants. Do you have knowledge of any boys who could come to sea and eventually take a midshipman’s warrant?”
Most lieutenants could be expected to have acquaintance in their calling in Portsmouth, many of them with families and spare sons looking for an occupation. Wickham could become a great man in the lower ranks of nautical society with such patronage to offer. He accepted gratefully, produced three moderately threadbare nine and ten year olds next day.
“Only small yet, sir, but they do tend to grow at this age!”
“They do indeed, Mr Wickham, or so one expects! A long voyage and they will fill out quite remarkably, I do not doubt, and will certainly become uniformed officers.”
There was no need in the children’s actual presence to say that they might quite equally die instead.
Four of the quotamen tried to run while they were tied up at the Gun Wharf, delayed for a while by the need to rework ports and ringbolts to accommodate the big new chasers, Admiral Fenton having been conscious of his obligations to Frederick.
The four had attached themselves to the working party carrying extra shot from the magazines, had rather cleverly worked for an hour before quietly walking past the magazine entrance and to the main gate that exited the dock. They made their way past the ordinary sentry party and straight into the hands of the Marine detachment waiting for their like. There was a boatswain’s mate in their company, one who knew the new hands and could provide immediate identification. They were brought inside again in irons with a subdued efficiency that they found most dispiriting. Facing the First Lieutenant was even less to their fancy.
“Captain’s Table, tomorrow forenoon. They were caught actually outside of the Dockyard, sergeant?”
The Marine confirmed that they had been picked up outside of the gate.
“The charge will be desertion of their ship when under orders for Foreign Service.”
That made remand to court-martial a strong probability, with a possibility of hanging and almost a certain alternative of flogging round the fleet, which would amount to twenty or more doses of two dozen at a time. The four were dumped in irons in the small cell that the ship possessed, their future explained to them as they were taken down to wait.
“Damned fools, Mr Wickham! Landsmen, all, of course – are any of them of use to us?”
“Larkin and Lee, sir, are both brighter than average and powerfully built. I had some hopes of them; either looked as if he might eventually make a gunner's mate, which we need. The others are their followers, from the same small village, I suspect, friends of many years standing.”
“Annoying! I shall deal with them aboard ship, I think. We cannot afford to waste men.”
Endymion was still short-handed, a problem that was in some ways solved soon after noon.
There was a roaring of martial orders on the quayside, the ordinary denizens of the Gun Wharf all standing back in amaze, fascinated by the show. Frederick was called to the quarterdeck, stood hands behind his back and watching interestedly.
He estimated one hundred of Marines, commanded by a major and w
ith four other officers visible and surrounding rank after rank of non-uniformed men. A closer look suggested that the men were wearing purser’s slops, the almost standardised cheap woollens and cottons from the northern mills that were to be found in every purser’s stores. Each man had trousers and a short-sleeved shirt and a short coat and wore a little round hat; as well they carried a small bag.
The major marched himself to the gangway and asked permission to board. He saluted the quarterdeck, very properly and brought himself to attention before Frederick.
“Captain Sir Frederick Harris?”
“I am he, Major. I believe these must be my new men from the prisoners-of-war, sir.”
“They are, Sir Frederick. Fifty-two, sir, claiming variously to be Polish, Italian, Brunswickers and Spanish, as well as two Turks and one who says he is of Montenegro. All have volunteered, sir, stating that they had been conscripted into the French forces and are now happy to fight against them as free men. Most have only a few words of English, but some few are quite fluent, sir.”
“Very good, Major. Please to bring them aboard and I will sign for them.”
“With the boys from the orphanage, Mr Wickham, we are now up to complement, I believe. In numbers at least. The boatswain is going to be a busy man, I fear, with far more landsmen than ordinary or able, but we have a long voyage to the Cape which will give him a good three months to make something of them.”
“I am sure he had rather have unskilled hands than no hands at all, sir. We will all be better off for their presence, I have no doubt.”
“Such enthusiasm, Mr Wickham! I am glad to see it in you, sir.”
“Three nights of eight hours of sleep, sir, have done me a great deal of good!”
“I am glad, sir. I am sorry that neither of the gentlemen responsible for your fatigue can be brought to book, but they have political relatives, or so the admiral tells me.”
“The bottle will kill both before too many years go by, sir. I wish them good luck!”
“Well said, sir!”
The captains met in Frederick’s cabin next morning for a formal conference. He had inspected each vessel and had met each man; now it was time to bring them together as a squadron.
“I have received orders, gentlemen, and we must expect to sail in two days from now. We are to provide escort to a round dozen of East Indiamen who have been held together to take advantage of our fortuitous presence. There is a possibility of activity in the Bay, due to the French wishing to send ships to Toulon, or so the Admiralty informs us. The action at Trafalgar reduced the numbers of the French Mediterranean fleet rather substantially, as we know, and they are despatching vessels from Bordeaux and Brest to re-establish themselves. It is always possible to slip single ships past the blockade, as we are all aware, and it is thought that several have escaped over the last month. They may have entered the lesser Spanish ports or have passed directly into the Mediterranean. If they are in Spanish waters then we shall be busy, it would seem.”
They nodded, very gravely.
“The small ships will form a line, a sweep from convoy to coast, each within signalling distance. Should you see anything then you will report, obviously, and then take yourselves to a position where, if possible, you will keep in contact with the enemy. You will not, equally obviously, hazard your ships unnecessarily.”
“What of merchant ships, sir, prizes?”
“Very few exist in Atlantic waters, Mr Dench, though those few may be expected to be very rich, from the Indies. If the opportunity arises then you will not refuse it I believe. Do not neglect to inform me of the occurrence and also seek all the aid that may be available from the others of the squadron.”
Vereker enquired then whether it would be a good idea to pool all prizes among the whole squadron.
“We may not all be in sight of a prize, sir, yet it could well be the case that the sloops, for example, were at a distance because they were scouting for all of us. Sharing will be fairer, I believe.”
“It has always been my habit to do so, as you know, Captain Vereker, but I must demand that all captains be willing if it is to be so.”
Sir Iain immediately said that he was much in favour.
“My Winchester may well take a major part in an action, but only if the faster ships have found the enemy for me. It is only right that they must have their share.”
The lesser captains hastened to conform; each hoped for promotion as much as for prize-money, and disagreeing with one’s seniors was no way to progress in the Navy.
Prizes dealt with they proceeded to the details of convoying – all merest routine after so many years of war. They knew where they would be expected to be if in close escort and what to do in case of storm; it had to be said, the orders were to be formally given, but they could convoy in their sleep, they believed.
“One final point, gentlemen – that of courtesy. East Indiamen tend to have rather a strong sense of their importance in the maritime world; they will salute us, but they do expect the compliments to be returned. If we meet them ashore, in Gibraltar or on the Island or at the Cape, then please lift your hats to their captains. They will be very pleased if we do, and they do offer excellent dinners which can be most welcome after three months at sea!”
They laughed, obligingly. The pretensions of John Company could be very annoying, but if that was what Sir Frederick wanted, then he must be obeyed.
The convoy proceeded south, rather boringly. The Indiamen sailed in line astern, as if they were real sailormen, which irritated the navy. It annoyed them still more that the commercial fellows maintained their station at least as well as the navy could. They consoled themselves that many of the officers and crew had been trained in men-of-war.
They saw no French of any sort, and the only Spanish were fishing boats and thus not to be touched except to make purchases from them for silver, which they were very willing to take.
Frederick was frankly relieved; he had expected Endymion to be on the inefficient side, with her makeshift crew who could not all even speak to each other. He had not, however, allowed for the stumbling incompetence that was the reality.
“The last captain did let things go, sir!”
“I am aware of that, Mr Wickham. I did not perhaps realise to just what extent he had closed his eyes to his duty! Tell me, sir: the Gunner, was he ever on the Fever Coast, do you know? I have heard of an illness called the ‘sleeping sickness’ which is sometimes to be found there.”
Inspection of the magazine had discovered serge cartridges cut for no more than a dozen rounds for any gun, and actually filled for six. The effect had been to reduce the ship to the capacity to fight for no more than fifteen minutes. Frederick had not been pleased. Every experienced hand who could fit into the spaces in and around the gunner’s shop was now busily cutting and sewing serge and the Gunner and his mates had not left the scales where they were weighing out powder for the last sixteen hours.
“I will wish to exercise the great guns, Mr Wickham, but not for another day. The men must get some rest first. At least we have powder and to spare, none of the practice allowance having been fired off. What arrangements have you made for the gun crews?”
“I have put one quotaman and one foreigner to each gun, sir, on the broadside; one of either quotamen or foreigners to the carronades with their smaller crews. None to the chasers, sir, because they are worked in a more constricted space and demand far handier crews if they are to shoot quickly.”
“Very sensible, sir. Work them in dumbshow when possible, if you would be so good. How are the foreigners settling in?”
“Seventy-four guns gives us thirty-seven messes, sir, which has meant two or three of newcomers to each. I have spread them around as much as possible. The boatswain has established which of the foreigners have no English at all and has made some effort to ensure that they are in the company of one of their own people who can talk for them. He has passed the word that he cannot rate any man ordinary who cannot sp
eak to him and hopes that many will make the effort as a result. I have discovered that two of the foreigners were once surgeon’s mates, or similar, in their army, and I have put them to the doctor’s party. He is very pleased with them, he tells me.”
“What of our would-be deserters, Mr Wickham?”
“They are still in a state of amaze, sir. I believe they are inclined to tiptoe very quietly in your presence, for fear that you might remember them, sir, and change your mind.”
Wickham chuckled, amused now rather than apprehensive that Frederick’s act of mercy might destroy discipline.
The four had been brought before the Captain’s Table, in front of the whole ship assembled for Divisions. They had been charged with desertion, inasmuch that they had been discovered outside of the dockyard without orders. Two, Larkin and Lee, the leaders of the little group, had admitted their guilt immediately; they had begged for the others to be let off, saying that they had told them there were orders for them to collect stores from a warehouse in the town.
“You are telling me that you deceived these poor men?”
“Yes, sir. They comes from our village, sir, and they ‘as allus done what we told ‘em.”
“Is that so, Larkin? Do you agree, Lee?”
“Yes, sir. They ain’t got the ‘alf of a man’s know betwixt ‘em, sir, so we allus looked after they. Seein’ as we was goin’, they ‘ad to come wi’ us, like.”
“A strange way of looking after any man, suborning him to commit a capital crime! You leave me with little choice, however. I cannot punish men for being deceived by villains. Boatswain! These two are found to have committed no crime. Take them away and explain their duty to them, if you would be so good; they are not to be punished. Put them with the waisters until they have learned some of their trade.”
“Aye, sir. Beg pardon, sir, but Jemmy Ducks needs a hand, him not being so young as ‘e was, and the one, Bishop, ‘as told me that ‘e was a cowhand, back in the village.”
Far Foreign (The Duty and Destiny Series, Book 9) Page 5
