A Certain Threat (The Merriman Chronicles Book 1)

by Roger Burnage

  “Aye-aye Sir, in ten minutes” Oakley disappeared below.

  When all the officers squeezed into Merriman’s tiny cabin there was barely room to breathe. Merriman had the chart spread on the table under the lantern swinging from a deck beam and the men gathered round, some sitting and the rest standing with bent backs beneath the low deckhead.

  When they could all see, Merriman said “Gentlemen, we are going to take the ship we saw in the bay yesterday.” There was a murmur of approval and pleasure.

  The only person who appeared to have doubts was Lieutenant Jeavons, who greatly daring, asked “Are we certain that really is the ship we have been looking for Sir?”

  “We don’t have to be Lieutenant, I am sure and if I am wrong you will carry no blame” said Merriman sternly, once again wondering about Jeavons’ abilities.

  “Sorry Sir, I meant no disrespect” he mumbled, ashamed of the implied criticism.

  “Very well then, this is how we shall go about it. You will see on the chart that the ship is partially concealed behind this small headland, in a small bay on the east side of Kenmaes Bay. I intend to land the marines in another small bay, Porth Wen, about one and a half miles further east. Mr St James, you will have your own men, now sadly reduced by one, together with a small party of seamen under one officer. You will be in overall command and it will be your task to move quietly along the coast to take up a position overlooking the bay where the ship lies. If any lookouts are found they are to be silenced, but not killed unless absolutely necessary. Mr. Jeavons, have we any men aboard who have been gamekeepers or even poachers, men who might be able to move quietly at night?”

  “Two Sir, Salmon a gunner’s mate and Jackson, foretopman, both were poachers Sir, who preferred life at sea to prison.”

  “Good, then they must be in that party and they must deal with any lookouts. Make sure they each have a stout club.”

  “Your party Mr. St James, must signal to the boats when you are in position. The signal will be three flashes from the headland.”

  “The main party will be in two boats approaching from the east. The boats will lie well offshore until you see the signal from Mr. St James, when you will pull round the headland which we trust will now be controlled by the marines and round into the bay to take the ship, one on either side. I want all oars to be muffled with rags and the thole pins greased to keep sound to a minimum. Only the marines will have firearms, officers too of course, and the men with their preferred weapon, cutlass, pike or boarding axe.”

  “The two boats must be round the headland before dawn breaks. so as to achieve maximum surprise. The marines will be able to give supporting fire if needed.. Once you are certain that the ship is ours, Mr. St James, move down to the small village there to stop anyone trying to escape. Remember, I believe these men to be the ones who murdered the revenue men. They must be brought to justice. Mr. Jeavons will command the boat party with Mr. Andrews in the second boat. Mr. Oakley, you will be with Mr. St James. Are there any questions Gentlemen?”

  “One thing Sir, are we to apprehend everybody in the village including women and children?” asked the marine officer.

  “If some of the women escape with their children it won’t matter, it is the men we want. Don’t forget that these men are killers who will fight viciously to escape, so see to it that your men are warned what to expect. I expect some of them will be simple Welsh villagers coerced into helping the smugglers to hide, but certainly any man with an Irish accent is to be taken, or killed if he won’t surrender. It’s possible that there may be some Frenchmen amongst them. If found you must try to capture them alive.”

  “Finally, once the attacking party has gained the deck, I want a second signal flashed to the ship. I’ll then bring Aphrodite as close to the mouth of the bay as I can. A cannon shot may convince them that there is no point in further resistance. Now if you are all certain of your duties Gentlemen I suggest that you start your preparations.”

  Chapter 18: The Cutter recaptured

  Lieutenant Edward St James crouched uncomfortably in the lee of a small group of rocks with his sergeant just behind him. The rest of the marines were lying in the short tussocky grass a few yards to the rear. Mr. Oakley and his party of seamen were somewhere ahead. As far as they could tell, the landing in the small bay had been unobserved and apart from one marine falling full length in the water and most of them getting their feet wet the landing had been uneventful. The boat had been hauled well above the water and secured for picking up later.

  Oakley had sent the two erstwhile poachers ahead into the darkness and they had returned a few minutes later with the news that a narrow track had been found leading along the coast in the direction they had to go.

  Progress had been slow but steady, the only incident being when they had startled a small group of sheep lying in the darkness. The animals had run off making plenty of noise in their haste, occasioning loud whispers from the men about it being time they had a taste of lamb instead of ship’s salt pork. They were quickly silenced by the sergeant’s snarled threats of dire misfortune to the next man to break the silence.

  Now they were close to the headland and waiting for the two advance scouts to return. The smell of tobacco had warned them that there was someone ahead and the men had been sent to investigate. Midshipman Oakley, uneasily conscious of the responsibility which was his, nervously checked for perhaps the tenth time the covered lantern he carried whilst he wondered what was keeping the men.

  Jackson suddenly and silently materialised out of the darkness. “All clear Sir. There were two on ‘em, supposed to be on lookout. It was easy Sir, they were drunk, but they won’t bother us again.”

  The man’s breath smelt of alcohol and Oakley surmised that he had finished off the bottle that the unfortunate lookouts had been using.

  “You’ve not killed them have you Jackson?”

  “Lord, no Sir. Just a little tap on the head with me club and they’re sleeping like babies. We tied an’ gagged ‘em to be sure and I left Salmon up there with ‘em.”

  “You’re sure that there are no more of them there?”

  “Yes Sir, we looked all round but saw no-one. I could see the cutter clearly from up there Sir, but couldn’t see anything moving.”

  “Good man, we can move ahead again then. You, Smith, back to the marines. My compliments to Mr. St James and tell him the sentries have been dealt with and he can come up now.”

  By the time the marines had caught up with them, Oakley had already taken a look round with Jackson to guide him and could see that they would be in an ideal position. The marine Lieutenant took his own look round with the sergeant and announced himself satisfied. “I’ll get the men settled in position Mr. Oakley, while you go and make the signal.”

  Whilst the midshipman scurried off to signal to the waiting boats, the marine officer placed his small force overlooking the few poor cottages which formed the village of Kenmaes. From there they could also see the ship. “Sergeant, have the men load their muskets, quietly now, I want no man discharging his piece by accident.”

  The midshipman returned, “I made the signal Sir, and waited until I could see the boats pulling for the shore. They should be here in about ten minutes or so.” There was nothing to do now but wait.

  Eventually the two boats could be dimly seen gliding round the headland under slow but powerful strokes of the oars. Absolute silence prevailed, not a sound broke the stillness until the boats separated and pulled alongside the ship, one on each side. There was a shout of alarm from a sleeping sentry suddenly woken by the sound of men climbing over the bulwarks and leaping down onto the deck.. His shout trailed off into a scream and then a gurgle as he died without realizing that he was pinned to the rail, transfixed by a boarding pike wielded by a tall seaman.

  The dying man’s shout had succeeded in waking men below who began to pour up on deck clutching what weapons they had managed to find. The boarders were yelling like fiends, adding to the
confusion as the dazed men sought to form some defence, but they were overwhelmed by Aphrodite’s men, enraged by the thought of the seamen murdered aboard this same ship. Those that chose to make a fight of it were quickly despatched and the rest threw down their arms and cried for quarter.

  “Mr. Andrews, take some men and secure the magazine and clear the lower deck of anyone hiding down there” shouted Lieutenant Jeavons.

  “Aye-aye Sir.” Andrews tumbled below followed by half a dozen seamen eager to find more work for their bloodstained cutlasses to do. All they found was one terrified man cowering behind water casks in the hold. Leaving two of his men to guard the magazine, Andrews returned to the deck, prodding the prisoner in front of him

  The other prisoners were sitting in a group on the deck, hands clasped at the back of their neck and looking thoroughly frightened, surrounded as they were by men obviously ready and willing to use their weapons again.

  “Ah, Mr. Andrews”, said Jeavons, “We are about to have visitors, take a look.” He pointed to the village and the beach. The morning was now becoming light enough for them to see where twenty or so men were pushing two boats into the water. Another group of men, armed with muskets, was running along the beach towards the headland with the obvious intention of being able to shoot down on the ship.

  On the headland the marines had remained hidden but watchful, but in the face of this threat Lieutenant St James rose to his feet, “Marines will form line” he ordered. As they rose from concealment one of the men on the beach saw them and shouted a warning to his fellows. They hesitated for a moment, but on seeing how few marines there were, came on with a rush, shouting to encourage themselves.

  St James would not be hurried. “Marines will prepare to fire, take aim ----”. The attackers hesitated at the sight of the uniforms and the threat of the aimed muskets but came on nevertheless. “---- Fire” The muskets belched flame and smoke. Four of the attackers dropped and several more dropped their weapons to clutch at their wounds.

  The value of the hours of training by St James and his sergeant showed as the heavy muskets were reloaded in seconds. “Marines will fix bayonets,” a pause as the long steel blades were fastened to the muskets, “Marines will advance.” As the line of disciplined men moved forwards with their muskets held before them, each musket with its long blade glittering evilly in the growing light, the men on the beach, disheartened by their losses, began to back away. Some of them discharged their muskets at the marines before turning to run and two marines were flung backwards as the heavy balls hit. “Marines will halt, halt. Prepare to fire ---- fire.” More men fell, ignored by their comrades as they fled.

  Meanwhile the men at the boats were pulling towards the ship. The sudden boom of a cannon caused them to stop rowing and peer over their shoulders to see Aphrodite under topsails only, moving slowly across the mouth of the bay. There was heated debate for a few minutes and then the boats turned and made for the beach.

  Aboard Aphrodite Merriman studied the situation. His mind had been in a turmoil since the boats had left for the shore; he desperately wanted to be with them but he dare not take the chance of being wounded, even killed, whilst the only other man who knew what was at stake lay senseless below. Besides he had to be sure of Lieutenant Jeavons and it was only right that the lieutenant be given his chance to show his abilities.

  He was beginning to appreciate the loneliness of command, the need to show utmost confidence in his officers and the orders given to them and to appear calm and unconcerned when men may be dying as a result of those orders. Lieutenant Laing and the Master were on deck and the watch was kept busy making constant sail adjustments as Mr. Cuthbert endeavoured to keep the ship in roughly the same position against the tidal stream.

  They had seen the first signal to the boats and Merriman allowed the ship to move closer to the bay as the first pale streaks of dawn appeared in the eastern sky. The sound of musket fire reached them and as the second signal flashed from the headland Aphrodite slowly moved across the mouth of the bay. Laing looked expectantly at Merriman.

  “Very well Mr. Laing, let them know we are here.”

  Laing turned and pointed at Hodges the gunner who was waiting for the word of command. Bending down, he jerked the lanyard and the small cannon jerked backwards as it vomited flame and smoke. Watching, Merriman saw the two boats in the bay turn for the shore, the men rowing desperately to reach safety before the advancing marines could stop them.

  “Mr. Hodges, take another shot, try and place the ball between those two boats if you can.”

  “Aye-aye Sir” replied the gunner, adjusting the angle of a second cannon with a handspike. Again the flame and smoke and Merriman saw the splash as the ball fell between the boats, smashing some of the oars to splinters.

  “Well done Mr. Hodges,” called Merriman, as the two boats drifted together, the men making no further effort to escape. “Mr. Cuthbert, bring the ship to anchor if you please. Mr. Laing, I’ll have my gig lowered, I need to see for myself what is happening over there. Have Mr. Hodges keep a cannon trained on those boats in case they have ideas of escape. Don’t hesitate to fire if they move. Mr. McBride, you’ll come with me.”

  Climbing aboard the recaptured cutter, Merriman was greeted by his First Lieutenant and a grinning Andrews. “All went well Sir”, reported Jeavons. “We lost only two men and a few wounded although none seriously. You were right, it is the Revenue cutter, the Pilote. The name’s been painted over but it can still be made out. My apologies Sir, I was a fool to doubt you.”

  “Well done Gentlemen, Mr. McBride can see to the wounded, theirs as well as our own. Now, what is the condition of the ship?”

  “Almost ready for sea Sir, although the topmast needs to be sent up again. There are plenty of provisions aboard and a dozen casks of water. The guns appear to be in good shape and there is ample powder and shot. She was dragged backwards into this little bay and she is moored by four ropes belayed to rocks ashore. We have sixteen prisoners and there are eleven dead apart from our own. Oh, and one of the prisoners, that one at the back, is an oddity. He won’t speak and is better dressed than the others, who by the sound of it are Irish.”

  “Right Mr. Jeavons, I want the prisoners below under guard, with a pair of swivels trained on the hatchway. Keep your oddity separate but keep a close eye on him, he may be one of the ringleaders. Our own men we’ll bury at sea but the other dead can be put ashore for burial. Use some of the prisoners for that. There will be more prisoners to come aboard later and I’ll let you have some of the marines. Meanwhile the ship is yours, so determine your prize crew and prepare the ship for sea..”

  “Aye-aye Sir, and thank you. Can I keep Mr. Andrews?”

  “For the moment, now I’ll go ashore.”

  As the gig passed the two boats in the middle of the bay, Merriman reminded the men in them that a cannon was trained on them with orders to fire if they moved. Ashore, he found a group of prisoners sitting in the sand guarded by two marines and Oakley’s party of seamen. A number of women and children were in a huddled group near the prisoners, and others weeping and wailing over the corpses lying where they had fallen to the marines’ muskets.

  The red coats of marines could be seen dotted around in twos and threes prodding prisoners back towards the village. The thatch of two of the cottages was on fire and Merriman found the marine officer and one of his men standing over two men wearing blue coats. One of them was clearly dead but the other, a younger man, clutched at his arm, his face twisted in agony as blood ran between his fingers.

  “Frenchmen Sir”, reported St James cheerfully. “Hiding behind some fishing nets. I gave them the chance to surrender but they wouldn’t, came at me with their swords so I had no choice but to kill one of them and prick the other. Sorry I couldn’t keep both of them for you Sir.”

  “No matter Mr. St James, we have one of them and a lot of other prisoners. These are the people responsible for the stealing of the revenue cutter and the
murder of her crew and so they must be taken back to face trial.” He looked at the prisoners that the marines had rounded up and did a quick count, sixteen on the ship, about twenty on the beach and another twenty or more in the boats. They were cowed at the moment but it would not be long before the bolder spirits among them began to look for a way of escape. Merriman reached a decision. He motioned for the Lieutenant to move out of earshot of the Frenchman.

  “Mr. St James, we must sort these men into two groups. First of all I want the Welshmen, the villagers in one group and the others whom I suspect to be Irish in another. This Frenchman of yours, have your man there bind up his wound before he bleeds to death and then keep him under guard away from all the others. Search both of them for any documents they may have.”

  Sorting the prisoners into two groups proved difficult at first, but after Merriman had the idea to let the village women join the men it became easier. They attached themselves to their own men which showed which were villagers and they were moved off to one side with one or two unattached men who, realising what Merriman was trying to do, moved with them. That left thirteen others.

  Merriman called one of his seamen to him. “Do you know if any of our men are Welsh and can speak Welsh?”

  “None ‘ere Sir, that I know, but there’s Thomas aboard the cutter Sir.”

  “Good, take another man and go and fetch him in my gig and as you pass the two boats out there tell them to pull ashore here, do you understand?”

  “Yessir, Go an’ fetch Thomas an’ tell the boats to pull ashore Sir.”

  “Good, be off with you then. Mr. St James, when those boats come in I want half of your men ready with their muskets to fire if there is any sign that the men are going to resist. They still have their weapons with them. Then have all of them line up and empty their pockets. Take any knives and all money you find.”