The Threat in the Baltic (The Merriman Chronicles Book 5)

by Roger Burnage

  Nearing the house George drew the horses back to a walk and pulled them into the stableyard. Another man came forward to help her down and she turned to George and said “Thank you George, you did well, without your quick thinking who knows what those fellows might have done. I'll not forget what you did”. Not until she reached her own room did the reaction set in. She dropped into a chair, weeping and trembling violently. A frightened Jennifer tried to console her but without success so she ran off to fetch Annie the housekeeper.

  The motherly figure of Annie quickly managed to calm her down and soon she managed to give them a coherent account of what had happened. They were horrified, asking questions in a babble before she quietened them. “I'll come down when I have changed and washed so you Jennifer can help me while you Annie, have a stable boy ride to fetch Mr Hedges here, but don't use the main gateway. When he is here, please have all the servants gathered together and I will speak to them”.

  When all were gathered together, she told them what had happened and what they must do. “We must be on our guard especially overnight. Those men threatened to get even so it may be just idle threats in anger or worse. Mr Hedges, if you will ride round the estate and warn every one of our tenants that there are villains about and to be on their guard. You could also call at the Dower house and ask my father to bring his pistols and the two servants here right away. Those men attacked me and so all the womenfolk must be kept close. Most of the men will have muskets or fowling pieces so they should keep them loaded and handy. Those of you who live in the stable buildings must keep a watch out in turns and keep the gates to the stableyard locked and bolted”.

  “Yes Ma'am, we can do that, I'm an old soldier so I can organise that but we've only got my old fowling piece between us” said old farmer Brown, “Although we have pitchforks and clubs” he added thoughtfully. “If they try anything round the stables we can give them a warm welcome”.

  “Very well Mr Brown, we have a few muskets in the house so you can have two of them. In the house we can secure all the doors and shutters tonight and keep watch in turns. Can anyone else use a firearm?” she asked. “Aye Ma'am I can” answered a footman, Edwin by name “and so can Will here. We were both seamen aboard old Captain Merriman's last ship Ma'am. When he retired he brought us here with him. I was his Cox'n.”

  “Good, Edwin, you take charge of all the pistols in the house, I know there are several so have them all loaded and then each man can keep a loaded weapon ready. I have my own upstairs so I too will be ready”. She turned to the maids and kitchen staff, “You can help by being ready to provide food for the men on watch, but all of you people remember, there are villains about, we saw only three but there could be more”.

  And so it was settled. The house bedded down for the night with lanterns placed in suitable positions so that the guards could see. Helen lay awake for some time before dropping off to sleep, wondering if there was anything else she could have done except for sending a man to warn the magistrates which she would do as soon as it got light enough in the morning. She was woken by the noise of splintering wood and breaking glass downstairs and gunshots. Quickly rising she threw on a robe and seized her pistols from the bedside table and cocked them. Hardly had she done so when she heard a scream from her maid outside and then the door to her bedroom was flung violently open and her attacker from earlier appeared.

  He grinned when he saw her standing there holding the pistols and said with a leer, “Pistols eh, a woman doesn't know pistols, I bet they aint even loaded” and he stepped towards her. With no hesitation she raised one of her pistols and fired at him. The ball hit his shoulder and threw him back but he quickly recovered and lunged for her again. Again she fired, and this time there was no mistake, the ball hit him in the chest and he collapsed, bleeding over the floor.

  She rapidly reloaded her pistols, mentally thanking her husband for his insistence that she learned to shoot. Ready, she looked out into the balcony overlooking the hallway and saw three roughly dressed men kneeling with their hands clasped behind their heads and threatened by Edwin and Will with pistols. Two women and a houseboy were in one corner and Annie was trying with shaking hands to load a pistol. Two other men were on the floor in the huddled attitudes of death with her father checking that they were indeed dead. Then gunshots and screams were heard from behind the house where the stables were. Obviously there were more villains than the six in the house and they were attempting to get into the stables.

  Edwin shouted to the women, “There is rope in one of the store rooms, fetch it here and we can tie these men up, quickly now”. The women disappeared into the back of the house as Helen came down the wide stairway into the hall. “Have any of our people been hurt?” she asked her father. “Nothing serious in the house Helen, but of course I don't know what is happening outside. I heard shots from upstairs, what happened there and are you alright?” “One of them, I think the leader, broke in through a window in a room up there but I shot him. I think he is dead”.

  The women appeared with several coils of rope and while Will kept his pistol ready, Edwin turned one of the bodies over and removed a knife buried in the man's chest and wiped the blade on the man's clothing before taking up the rope and cutting it into pieces. Helen was amazed at how quickly the knife cut it but then she remembered it was a seaman's knife, always ready and sharp though she had not seen him wearing it before. He tied the three men up with typical naval thoroughness using knots that they would never be able to get free from, then he turned to Helen and said “Would you like me to go and see what has happened at the stables Ma'am?”

  She was just about to reply when a gunshot sounded and a pistol ball barely missed her and thudded into the body of one of the tied men. Without a pause both Edwin and Will spun round and fired as one at the figure leaning over the railing at the head of the stairs. It was the man that Helen thought was dead and he was thrown backwards by both balls that hit him and then he bounced off the wall behind him and crashed over the railing and down on to the hall floor. This time there was no mistake, he was dead.

  The men left to find out what had happened outside but were soon back. “All's well Ma'am” reported Edwin, “they tried to get into the stables but your people there shot two of them dead and overpowered another one. He is safely tied up but they tell me that they think there were two more that got away but one of those is certainly wounded”. Two men from the stables appeared pushing their captive ahead of them. One was the ex-soldier Brown and the other George the stable boy who was prodding the captive with a pitchfork.

  It was all over. Helen sat down with a bump on one of the hall chairs, her legs trembling too much to stand but this time with relief. Edwin appeared in front of her and said “Ma'am, we have four men prisoners and five men dead and two escaped. That is eleven of them Ma'am, if you hadn't prepared us so well some of us would be lying there instead. We have you to thank for our victory”.

  She nodded, taking control again, “Thank you Edwin, and thank you all. Now get these bodies out of here and have the prisoners put somewhere secure. You girls, get some hot water and clean up the mess here and also in my bedroom. Father will you come upstairs to see what happened to Jennifer my maid. I heard her scream before that man burst into my room but what happened to her I don't know”. The girl was alive but nursing a badly bruised face. The Doctor examined her and announced “She has received a bad blow but nothing seems to be broken. Her bruises will heal in due course but she should rest”.

  Once the bodies had been removed and the blood cleaned up Helen asked all the men into the big room and offered them all a glass of brandy which they accepted instantly. “Thank you all Gentlemen for what you have done, I will ensure that Captain Merriman hears about it in due course. George, I want you to ride in the morning to the magistrate in Neston and report all of this. He will send some men to take the prisoners off our hands. The dead can be buried but not before he has seen them. Meanwhile I think one or two of you shoul
d keep watch until daylight and then we can have the windows and shutters repaired”.

  Chapter 10 - Capture of brig running arms to France

  A few days after the Dunkirk raid found the Lord Stevenage far past the south coast of England and well out into the North Sea heading north-east. The weather was fair but wisps of fog were still slowly clearing under the sun's warmth. Merriman was on deck, looking keenly about him. All seemed to be in order with seamen busy cleaning everything. Even the rack of leathern fire buckets glowed, well-polished. The Bos'n and a party of men were tightening the new shrouds on the lee side and the Ship's Master Tom Henderson was instructing the two new Midshipmen whilst keeping an eye on his Mates on the big wheel.

  Merriman walked over and stood watching for a moment before asking “Mr Henderson, how are these two young men doing?” “Well, they seem keen to learn Sir but they have a lot to learn. I decided to teach these new lads separately from the two older boys who already have a good knowledge of navigation and seamanship Sir. They'll soon be ready for their Lieutenant's Examination when they are old enough”. “Good idea Mr Henderson, and how do you find your new Master's Mate Mr Sorenson?” “He's a good man Sir, I would have no fears about leaving him in charge. I think he would be well able to teach these youngsters while I concentrate on the older two Sir, with your approval of course Sir”.

  “Very well Mr Henderson, make it so. You two boys must remember all that Mr Henderson tells you and remember also the old saying 'knowledge is a treasure but practice is the key to it' ”. Both of the boys were looking at him with flushed faces, doubtless promising themselves to do the best they could.

  At that moment Grahame appeared on deck and saw Merriman at his usual exercise, walking up and down in his 'quarter deck walk' and avoiding by instinct the numerous ringbolts and other impedimenta on the deck. “And how are you this fine morning James?” “Well enough Sir, have you determined where we are to go first?” “Yes I have, perhaps we should adjourn to your cabin to discuss it”.

  Down below, seated and with coffee supplied by Peters, Grahame began, “I have determined to go straight for Copenhagen to the British Embassy there. We are not exactly on the best of terms with Denmark-Holland or Sweden but as we are not yet at war it should be safe enough. It might be wise for you to arrange to purchase something from the dockyard there as an excuse for being there, fresh water perhaps or something else needed for a ship. While I am ashore it would be a good opportunity for you to make a note of the defences there and plot them on your chart. It would be very useful if we have to attack there. Count the number of ships there of all kinds and look for any signs of new earth works for cannon and the disposition of the forts, but, and I stress but, do not go ashore, just note what you can see from the ship. I am accredited as a diplomat so I should have no difficulty reaching the Embassy. How long I shall be I don't know but stay at anchor until I return, but be ready to sail at a moment's notice”.

  “That should be easy enough Sir, but if my ship is fired upon or any hostile moves made I must move away. I think the best thing for me to do is to start some water casks and take them ashore for refilling. That may give us a closer look into the dockyard”.

  “Good, James, that is what we will do. Do you think it will take more than a few days to get there?” “Normally no Sir but you may have noticed that the wind is dropping and that will slow the ship down and we may encounter more mist or fog which is quite common at this time of year”.

  The next morning Merriman was wakened by the duty Midshipman, Evans, “Lieutenant Shrigley's compliments Sir, but we have run into thick fog and he has ordered Action Stations Sir, very quietly”. “Very well, thank you, I'll come up” replied Merriman.

  It was a thick fog and it was hard to see anything beyond a few yards but Merriman knew that any number of ships could be close by. “I'll have extra lookouts aloft Mr Shrigley and more ahead”, he said “and keep the men at their stations for now. Can't take chances you know”. Half an hour later, though nothing was seen from the deck, a masthead lookout also barely seen from the deck hailed “Deck there, I can see a ship's masts Sir, sticking up out of the fog to starboard”.

  “Send another man up there with a telescope if you please Mr Shrigley, maybe he can see more. The man was soon back, “It's a brig Sir or a small sloop, only two masts but we can see only the top of them Sir”. “Well done, now go back aloft and report anything you see when the fog lifts”. “Aye-aye Sir “, the man said and ran up the shrouds like a monkey. Merriman thought for a few moments then ordered a slight change of course to starboard to gradually close with the other ship. There had been little wind for the past few hours but suddenly a strong breeze sprang up from the south-east and the Lord Stevenage's sails filled and she surged ahead. The fog quickly began to lift and revealed the other ship which even as they watched set more sail and turned to starboard..

  “I recognise that ship Sir”, said Shrigley, “she left Portsmouth the day before we did, can't mistake her Sir, her main tops'l is a different colour and probably cleaner than the others”.

  Merriman immediately ordered one of the big bow-chasers to be loaded and be ready to fire a warning shot ahead of the brig. “Mr Merryweather, have a boarding party told off and a boat ready. You will board her as soon as she stops and take Mr Goodwin and some marines with you”. The gun fired and the ball splashed into the sea ahead of the brig which took no notice of it and stubbornly continued on her course. “Another shot Mr Shrigley if you please”. Again the other ship ignored the splash and continued on its way. Merriman thought about it. The brig could be a neutral Danish or Swedish ship and to fire into her could bring about the sort of incident that would bring about the war they hoped to avoid, but------ !

  He made up his mind, saying “Bring her level with the brig Mr Henderson, but only two hundred yards away and reduce sail to keep us alongside. As the Lord Stevenage drew level, Merriman ordered the portlids lifted and the starboard guns run out to show the ship's teeth. That was too much for the Captain of the brig and he ordered his crew to drop the sails. The boarding party was soon alongside and climbing on deck to face the sullen crew, eight men and the Captain who was swearing and practically dancing about with rage. Lieutenant Merryweather was used to that kind of behaviour and waited until the man ran out of breath before asking where the ship was bound and what her cargo was.

  That provoked a further blast of swearing and shouting amongst which Merryweather could pick out words such as 'Bloody pirates' and 'Heathen British Navy think they own the sea' and indeed swearing such as the Lieutenant had not heard before. Becoming conscious that the English sailors and marines were grinning at him he quietened down and Merryweather repeated his questions.

  “None of your damned bloody business, the sea is free to all traders so why should I tell you what we are doing damn you. It's my ship and I'll go anywhere and carry whatever I want to, so clear off and take your pansy crew with you”. Finally that roused Merryweather who said “If that's the way you want it Captain –-------------- “ he ordered some of his men to open the hatches to inspect the cargo whilst others kept a close watch on the crew.

  The hatch covers were soon off and one of his men shouted “Lieutenant Sir, I think you'll want to see this”. Merryweather looked down to see new boxes of muskets, bayonets, and field guns with their wheels removed, kegs of powder and boxes and boxes of shot. Some of the boxes were marked in English and what Merriman thought might be the Dutch language or some such. Amazed he turned to Lieutenant Goodwin of the marines, “Mr Goodwin, have your sergeant keep all these men under close guard, if anyone objects or argues you have my permission to shoot them and that includes the Captain”.

  “Aye-aye Sir” was the reply as he ordered his men to make the prisoners sit down with their hands on their heads including the Captain. Merryweather went down to the Captain's cabin with Goodwin to look for any papers or documents that would help to explain the cargo and for whom it was intended. He fou
nd nothing until he looked into a low cupboard under the Captain's bunk and dragged out a leather wallet full of papers. Together they scrutinised the papers, some merely routine, crew list, the watch-bill, and a bill of lading showing that the cargo had been loaded in Boston and the Captain's log of daily details of the voyage. Under everything was a sealed envelope addressed in French.

  Thinking quickly Merryweather said “I must take these to the Captain right away. Take command Mr Goodwin, see if you can find any Frenchmen amongst the crew. You have some good seamen in your party who can deal with any problems with the ship”.

  Back on board Lord Stevenage, The Lieutenant showed the documents to Merriman who immediately ushered him below and called for Mr Grahame to join them in the great cabin. “Mr Grahame, it seems that we have stumbled upon something that will interest you”. He had Merryweather recount all the details of what he had found, the cargo and the documents and then he showed the sealed envelope to Grahame. “This is addressed in French Sir, perhaps you would like to open it, and maybe it will tell us something which may be more to your interest.”

  Grahame slit it open, glanced at the contents and then exclaimed “By all the Gods James, this is amazing, we must study it closely, it is a report about Portsmouth harbour, our ship movements and even tells of the Admiralty plans for a fleet to assemble to go to the Baltic although those plans are far from finalised”.

  “Very well Sir. Lieutenant you have done well, when this is all over I will require a full report. Now go back to the brig, your orders will follow when we have decided what to do with it”. “Aye-aye Sir” was the reply and Merryweather left.