The iroh chain ps-2

by Jim DeFelice

  And so the Devonshire native waited grimly for the whaleboat. Though his orders were to lead it away, he was determined to put up enough of a fight that the damn Americans would be close enough to feel the flash of fire from the explosion — a mere taste of the reception that waited the bastards in hell.

  The man's attention was so focused on the boat making its way to his left that he did not hear Jake's breast strokes to his right, nor realize where the true danger lay until Jake's hand was on the side of his canoe. By then, it was too late, for summoning all his strength, the patriot yanked the boat out from under its occupant, sending the seaman tumbling over him into the Hudson.

  The sailor's foot kicked Jake's head as he went over, hitting him in the eye and raising a welt. More importantly, the blow knocked the ruby-hilted knife from Jake's hand, throwing it into the river and leaving Jake without a weapon save his own battered hands and legs.

  The patriot pushed the canoe forward, attempting to board it, but was grabbed around the waist by the Briton, who flailed not only for king and country, but life itself. Like many sailors in His Majesty's navy, the man could barely swim.

  Jake smashed his elbow against the man's face twice but could not loosen his grip. The canoe slipped from his hand and the two men plunged downward into ice cold blackness, their arms and legs tangling against each other like a pair of maddened octopuses, each blinded by the other's ink.

  The suddenness of the plunge made Jake swallow water into his lungs, and his chest began to explode. The sailor's grip tightened as they sank; though Jake kicked upwards with his feet, the man was as heavy as a howitzer, and about as buoyant. Jake reached his hand toward the sailor's face, trying to jab at his eyes or throat, anything that would provoke him into letting go. The patriot's own right eye was swollen shut; while that was not a handicap at the moment, since the left, open, could see nothing in the pitch darkness of the water, it added to a general feeling that bordered on despair. His lungs were now close to bursting, and his limbs were showing the full effects of fatigue.

  Ah Liberty, how swift you are to inspire those in most desperate need of your charms! For how else to explain the suddenness of the idea that knocked on the door of Jake's brain and won ready admission: if you can't get to the surface, sink.

  Sink like a stone, and let the other man's instinct for survival take over. Jake ended all effort to escape, curling his legs together and making his arms go flaccid, as if he had given up the will to live.

  It took the brute, in his panic, a moment to realize what was happening. In the next, he let go of Jake and kicked desperately upward.

  The moment he was freed, Jake coiled himself into a spring and shot to the surface. The air that filled his lungs was as welcome to him as the Greek shore was to Odysseus, and the rain felt like a refreshing warm shower in Circe's cave.

  The sailor also had found the surface of the river and was trying with awkward strokes to reach the canoe.

  Jake got there first. The boat, though it had taken water, had righted itself and sat high enough on the river to block him from the sailor's view. As the Briton reached his arm for the boat, Jake shoved it away, and kicked his leg forward in the water. Though the blow was not severe, it caught the sailor by surprise.

  The spirit Busch had inspired drained with that kick. The man began blubbering and crying that he was going to drown; he prayed for salvation and cursed the king.

  Jake took him by the neck and hauled him to the boat, bending his shoulders over it before climbing aboard himself. Dazed but conscious, the sailor clung to the side, the fight gone out of him forever.

  As Jake fished a pair of oars from the bottom of the craft, he heard a challenge directly to the west — the whaleboat of Americans rowed up belatedly.

  "Take this man," Jake shouted. He slid an oar into the sailor's hands to keep him afloat until they arrived and pushed him off the side. "Then quickly follow me to the chain!"

  The Americans' answer was drowned by an enormous peal of thunder as the sky overhead was illuminated by a vast sword-stroke of light.

  Chapter Forty-three

  Wherein, Nature is tested and overcome, leaving only Liberty to fling Herself against her Joe.

  The storm clouds vied in a brilliant show of electricity, clattering against each other like oaken ships determined to batter themselves to oblivion. The rain turned to torrents, falling with the stink of burnt air. But Tory Captain John Busch was so focused on his goal that he noticed none of it. He lifted his heavy arms again and again against the fierce river, driving himself as the ancient Irish hero Cuchulain had against the waves. Despite the weight of the bomb before him, despite the force of the water and the wind that kicked spray in his face, he was able to reach the wooden floats that supported the heavy barrier.

  Busch found the weak point of the barrier he had spotted the previous night. The thick chain lay nearly two feet below the water here, and if it were not for the alterations and the weight of the front of his craft, he would have been able to pass right over it.

  Busch felt the bow of the canoe scrape the top edge of the chain. But he could not ground the canoe on the float as he had initially hoped, and so was forced to fall back to his secondary strategy, tying the bomb boat to a nearby raft.

  To do this, he had to first paddle the canoe parallel to a log and hold it there while he grappled with a stiff rope and hook. The river's current turned violently against him, pushing him away while the rain spit in his face. Busch made his first try with one hand on the oar, trying to hold himself in place; the toss was pathetically short.

  By now his arms were so weak he could hardly lift them to pull the rope back in. The river sent him too far away for a second try without more paddling. He moved nearly to the tip of the raft before trying and missing again.

  The hard flashes of lightning threw distorted shadows to harass and confuse his aim. It was as if all the elements had conspired to stop the Tory, Nature herself taking a hand in saving the Revolution.

  "You will not beat me," he shouted when his third toss failed. "I will succeed."

  As Busch was battling the will of the elements, Jake struggled with the canoe he had taken from the British sailor. Dug out from an old pine tree, it was too long for one man to handle easily in the river at night, especially in a thunderstorm. The patriot's eye had not reopened, and his arms and legs were badly bruised from the sailor's battering. His lungs wheezed with the river water he had swallowed. The wind blew straight into his face, and the thunder punched at his temples like the sharp blows of angry boys.

  When he realized he was moving southwards away from the chain instead of north, he despaired of reaching the barrier in time. He dug into the water harder with the oar and changed direction, worried he would be caught in the explosion and die a useless martyr's death.

  Jake had no compunction against giving his life in the name of his Cause, but he wanted it to be a worthwhile sacrifice. And so Death himself drove him onwards, the hoary specter swinging his scythe with abandon at his back, his hot, relentless breath warming Jake's spine.

  A particularly wide burst of lightning sparked its jagged insignia but a few yards ahead, and in the short instant of illumination, Jake saw a figure stand in a misshapen canoe not more than ten yards ahead.

  Destiny had delivered him to his opponent.

  Though it actually struck the side of St. Anthony's mountain, the lightning seemed so close that Busch involuntarily ducked. He caught himself, and with a cry as severe as the archangel will use at the end of the world he gripped the grappling hook with both hands and hurled it forward. Rage renewed his strength, and the forged metal and its rope sailed beyond the barrier and its rafts; with two quick pulls he caught the back of one of the floats and began hauling himself forward.

  The canoe twisted with the current; Busch put his feet against the side and tugged at the rope, letting the back of the craft become the front but still moving toward his target. With every pull he gave a loud gr
oan and cursed the rebels, swearing that tonight King George would have his victory sealed.

  The chain was no more than three feet away when suddenly the hook slipped and Busch fell back against the bottom of the boat. His head rebounded off the deck with an agonizing smash. His senses returned in the next instant as he was yanked to the side of the canoe — the iron had slipped from the log and grappled on the chain itself, and as he had twisted the rope around his hands, he was literally being pulled out, the canoe trying to run with the river's flow.

  He nearly broke his elbow against the side of the boat, but managed to stop himself; then swinging his feet around for leverage he managed two great heaves and crashed onto the deck of the sunken chain support.

  In that moment, the energy drained from the storm. The rain softened to a fine mist. Though the lightning continued, the flashes were now confined to the clouds above, the thunder rolling up into the northern hills.

  Busch secured his rope against the canoe gunwale and then reached down and touched the iron links. They were cold, as cold as the snow from the worst day of winter, and somehow brittle against his hand. In that moment he felt the great triumph of his victory; the rebel defense was pitifully inadequate compared to the great force the bomb in his canoe promised.

  The device that would set off the charge was as ingenious as the canoe itself. The spark would be provided by a flintlock encased in a glass jar for protection against the hard elements; it had been tested successfully in a downpour twice as heavy as this. Loaded by a large, wound spring, the sort of mechanism the Swiss have perfected for their watches, it was set by a large brass rod inserted in a pitch-covered wooden box. The rod's hole was keyed; only the specially designed brass wand could be reinserted to defuse the weapon. Once removed, Busch had only ten minutes to reach safety.

  The plan had been for him to board the other canoe and paddle off to safety. But with the sailor busy with the rebels, Busch was on his own — he would run along the floats as quickly as possible, counting the time to himself. With luck, he would reach the shore, or at least be close to it, when the bomb went off. Without luck, he would die where his sister had so many years ago. There was a fitting irony in this; Busch paused ever so briefly to consider it, then stood and pulled the long pin from the bomb. Jake flew at him as he did.

  He landed across Busch's back. Both men tumbled forward onto the sunken raft next to the canoe, their heads and bodies smashing against the heaving blocks and metal of the barrier.

  Busch crawled away, forcing himself to the next float, dragging Jake with him. The patriot had the advantage; he had taken his enemy by surprise, was on top of him and stronger besides. But Busch had already removed the brass pin and started the timing device; without it, Jake could not prevent the canoe from exploding and destroying the chain.

  As Jake got to his knees and grabbed his arms behind him, Busch pitched the rod. It landed on the float only a few feet away, teetering on the edge but remaining on the wood. Busch cursed himself, then sprawled forward as Jake grabbed at his waist. The two men struggled against one another, reaching for the rod, the patriot realizing from Busch's struggles that it must key the explosives' trigger.

  Busch grabbed the metal, but as he tried to slip it over into the Hudson, Jake caught the other end. Busch wrenched his elbow back and flung himself forward, curling around the metal as if he were a kitten attacking a fallen piece of wool. He managed to slip it out of Jake's grasp; in the next second, he let it fall into the depths of the river. Instantly, something in the side of his neck cracked under the weight of Jake's fist. He smiled nonetheless. "I've set the bomb already, traitor," he said. "It will go off in seconds. Your rebellion is doomed."

  Jake threw a second punch and let go of the Tory, stumbling backwards toward the canoe. Tied firmly to the chain, the vessel heaved with the waves that wrapped themselves around his thighs. Jake struggled to reach it, walking, swimming, with no thought of how he was moving.

  As his fingers touched the gunwale, he felt a hand grip his shoulder and pull him back; Busch had recovered enough strength to try and stop him. Jake shoved him back like a small dog. The Tory draped himself on his side, but Jake ignored him, crawling into the boat arms first.

  As his hand found the wooden floor, his side suddenly warmed. Then he felt a scrape against his rib — Busch had a knife in his hand.

  Jake only just managed to duck away from a swipe at his neck. He fell back against the black bomb works as Busch steadied himself to deliver another blow.

  "Your death warrant is already signed," said Busch, slashing the air in front of Jake's chest.

  Jake held his breath as he fell to the rear of the craft. The darkness and the injury to his eye made it nearly impossible to see Busch, let alone his knife, even though he must be no more than six feet away.

  "You're a brave man," Jake said. His voice was sincere, though his intention was to get a response — anything-to help him find his enemy. "I was being honest when I said you belonged on our side, not the king's."

  "I won't listen to your treachery anymore," shouted Busch, lunging at him.

  Jake pulled himself to the side but was unable to escape the knife, which plunged deep into the flesh just above his hip. At least there was no longer a question of where Busch was — Jake grabbed his arm and wrenched it back across his body. The Tory let go of the blade and twisted back, kicking at the same time. As the pair wrestled, the canoe rocked wildly, threatening to drop them both overboard.

  Busch, with his smaller, slippery body, was able to spin around and grab Jake in a headlock. Within seconds, the patriot spy felt his throat beginning to close, compressed between his enemy's arms.

  None of his blows against Busch seemed to have any effect. Pulling with his left hand against Busch's lower arm, he poked and punched with his right, trying his elbow as well as his fist.

  Jake could feel his lungs crying for air. Powerless to stop choking, he felt his right hand fall limp at his side -

  Against the knife, still lodged deep in his hip. As if he suddenly had been given a new supply of energy, Jake pulled it up and flailed backwards, sending the blade through Busch's cheek and instantly freeing himself. Even as his lungs gasped thankfully, he rammed the knife three times into Busch's chest.

  A dim spark of far-off lightning framed the Tory's face with the last blow. Dark sadness mixed with surprise as Busch's eyes grew glassy. In the next moment he coughed blood, the fight over.

  Even in that second, Jake felt genuine regret that this soul had been lost to the enemy. But it did not stop him from dropping the limp body to the floor of the canoe. He took the knife and looked down at his own hip, awash in blood.

  It would have given his mother quite a fright to see him now, he thought.

  Odd, to think of his long-dead mother at a moment like this. Her image flickered in his brain as he dropped to his knees along the side of the boat, fishing for the rope that bound it to the chain.

  At every second, he expected to be immolated in a resounding blast. It may have been three seconds before his wrist struck something wet and warm; it may have been three hours. By the time his brain realized it was the rope, his fingers were already sawing the knife through it.

  Suddenly he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He looked up in amazement. The only thought that seemed plausible was that he had died, and was being welcomed to heaven by his long-dead mother.

  But Jake Gibbs hadn't died — not yet, anyway. The rope had merely given way, and the current snatched the canoe with such force it was as if a dozen teamsters had grabbed hold of the boat and pushed it downstream. The tap he felt was the lash of the rope; when it brushed by him he was already flying into the water.

  Chapter Forty-four

  Wherein, rocks fill the air and other signs announcing the approach of the Apocalypse are seen.

  Claus van Clynne and his adopted band of Connecticut regulars had not been idle during Jake's heroic battle on the river. Indeed, the soldiers and
their general — if we may stretch the term a little longer — had found themselves hard-pressed by the retreating Tory raiding force. The storm warmed van Clynne's heart if not his clothes, as he understood the disturbance to be the product of certain former members of Henry Hudson's crew, but this old story was too long and complicated to be explained to his men under the circumstances. Nonetheless, he rallied them with every encouragement possible as the combined company of rangers and marines fell against the American interlopers in their rear.

  At first the British forces unloaded their weapons with great relish, whether they had a target in sight or not. Their enthusiasm at the chance to spill some enemy blood kept them operating more as individuals than as a massed group, which was fortunate. For so it is in warfare, that overweening energy can be as great a detriment as an asset; as long as the red- and greencoats stayed isolated in ones and twos and did not mass for a charge, the Americans caught between them and the shore were comparatively safe. Their officers soon realized the problem, and began trying to organize them into two brigades for a frontal assault, where their bayonets and not their weather-fouled guns would be the important weapons.

  The galley Dependence, meanwhile, had realized something was amiss on shore. She came up with her cannons and swivels loaded, ready to provide whatever support her ground forces required. The captain gave one good flash of an 18-pounder — a heavy cannon under the circumstances, but a mere child's weapon compared to the vessel's main armament — to alert her troops that she was prepared to assist. The ball sailed a good distance over everyone's heads, landing with a thud in the hills.