He called a weary and damp officer of the watch to him, it was the First Lieutenant. Trying to be cheerful he said “I've had enough of this David, we must find a sheltered place to anchor, I'm going below to see the Master and look at his charts. As soon as possible the men must have a hot meal and try to dry their clothing. The hatches can be opened to get rid of the stink.”
“Aye-aye Sir, we all need time to recover and dry out. I've noticed how much slower the men are to get aloft, they are worn out but will still do their best for you Sir”. “I know David, I know. It will encourage them and cheer them up a little if they are told what I intend, so pass the word along. I also remember that though all the chickens were drowned and eaten, I do know I still have the last pig somewhere. As soon as we can I will have the cook deal with it and I shall invite the officers to dinner. Enlarging on his theme he said “Two dinners I think, so that the officers on watch the first time can join me on the second evening”. A big grin appeared on Andrews' face, “That would be fine Sir, I'm sure we shall all relish some hot pork, especially the crackling”.
However it took another day and a half of fruitless searching for the French ship before they found a good sheltered anchorage for the Lord Stevenage and the men could rest for a while. Of course the Duty Watch had to keep the deck but Merriman ordered that no man should spend more than two hours on watch in the cold. It was surprising how much a hot meal and a rest improved morale aboard and soon the Bos'n and his party were up aloft checking for anything that needed repair while the men below dragged their damp hammocks out to dry in the wind and then opened the hatches to let a blast of cold, fresh air through the ship and set about the many tasks to do to clean the ship up.
That evening Merriman's great cabin was filled with laughter and the smell of roast pork as the first selection of officers joined him. They were Lieutenants Andrews and Merryweather, Midshipmen Small and Evans, the marine Captain St James and the ships surgeon Alan McBride. Peters and Tomkins served the meal, not without some difficulty as the motion of the ship was still quite lively. Some of Merriman's fine claret soon had the conversation flowing and Merriman smiled as Andrews said “Sir, you met Admiral Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen when he came aboard but he was too busy with Admiral Parker to have time for us. What kind of man is he?”
“Well, I met him first at the Admiralty when he was kind enough to congratulate me on our work mapping the defences of Copenhagen. You all know that he is a fine sailor and will keep sail on when many others would reduce it. He is also a good tactician which is why he has won so many battles. As to the man himself, he is friendly and alert and will listen to his officers' suggestions. You all know that he lost his arm which is made obvious by his empty sleeve and he is blind in one eye but not disfigured. Indeed you would not know it unless you were quite close to him and could see the eye is bright but cloudy. I believe he is a great Admiral who will win more battles yet”.
All of them were listening keenly including Peters and Tomkins, but the two Midshipmen were sitting there wide eyed and with mouths agape, doubtless dreaming of being an Admiral. Alan McBride the surgeon said “I'm sure that all that is right Sir, but he blotted his copybook with his attachment to Lady Hamilton didn't he”. There were angry glances directed at the surgeon but Merriman said sternly “That is enough of that Doctor, he is a fine officer and his foibles are no concern of ours”. To change the subject he turned to the marine officer “Edward, how are your marines? Cooped up below in all this bad weather you haven't been able to parade them on deck”. “Oh, they are well enough Sir. If needed they will still be able to give a good account of themselves”. The conversation continued long after the plates and remains of the meal had been cleared until Merriman said “Thank you for your company Gentlemen, it has been a very pleasant evening”. That was the signal for all of them to leave, thanking him for his hospitality, all except McBride who Merriman asked to stay.
“Mr McBride, you crossed a line back then. I will tolerate no criticism about a senior officer in public. In private you may say what you like but the Navy and the men love Nelson and if you had made that remark on deck and the men heard it you might have found yourself swinging from the yardarm. Do you understand?” McBride nodded shamefacedly “Yes Sir, I'm sorry, it won't happen again”.
The following day the sun appeared and its slight warmth was appreciated by all. By the time darkness fell the ship was as smart as new paint, the 'tween decks well ventilated, the hammocks and the men's clothing dry and everything checked for damage. There had been some repairs to do but Merriman declared his satisfaction. The men had had hot meals, only boiled salt meat and biscuits to be sure but they were well used to that sort of fare. In the evening the second half of the pig was served in the great cabin to the officers who had not been there the previous time and Merriman was well pleased with the evening.
Chapter 20 - The Plague Ship
Merriman was up on the quarterdeck the next morning as daylight was only just appearing in the east. There was no sun to be seen, the sky was a solid mass of grey cloud and the wind was freshening. He sniffed the air and decided that they were in for another gale. The officer of the watch was Lieutenant Bristow with others coming onto the quarterdeck, so Merriman ordered that as soon as the men had had their meagre breakfast he wanted to get underway to continue the search. Men were already busy on the gundeck preparing for action stations which was the normal exercise aboard a King's Ship first thing at daybreak. Lookouts were aloft as soon as there was enough light for them to see beyond the bay in which the ship was anchored. One shouted down “Deck there, nothing Sir, no sail in sight”.
An hour later the ship was sailing northward with courses furled and with a strong wind on the starboard quarter. The short break had certainly refreshed the men and Merriman was pleased to see smiles on their faces with the usual badinage between them. “It won't last, they'll be wet and cold again soon enough” he told himself gloomily. The gale he had forecast was soon on them but they were well clear of the coast and so had plenty of sea room.
Fortunately the gale was not as bad as Merriman had expected and by the middle of the day it had blown itself out and the sun came out in time for the officers to use their sextants to confirm their latitude. Merriman and the Master insisted that even the midshipmen practised the art of position finding although the two new boys had widely differing results, the calculations of young Evans eventually succeeded in placing the ship down in the middle of Denmark. They would learn!
Two more days of searching yielded no sign of the ship they were seeking and so Merriman decided against going any further north, it had not been possible to search every inlet and island and they had probably missed it so he had the ship turned to head south again to look further, possibly in places they had missed. Three more days passed with the weather improving every day until by the third day they had plenty of sunshine and it became quite warm, more than expected so far north and by the next morning the ship was shrouded in fog.
As Merriman appeared on deck in the early hours of the morning, Officer of the Watch, Lieutenant Shrigley, reported their course and weather details as normal and he added that he had sent more lookouts aloft and on to the fo'c'sle. “Can't see a thing Sir, could be a fleet out there and we wouldn't see it. Might get better when daylight appears though”. “Quite so Mr Shrigley, but have the men prepare action stations as usual but quietly, no shouting or drumbeating to warn any enemy who may be out there”.
“Aye-aye Sir, no noise, when this damned fog lifts we might see our quarry”. There was only a light breeze and the fog hung on until almost ten o'clock in the forenoon watch when finally it began to thin out. Immediately the foretop lookout shouted “Deck , there,” he pointed forward to the starboard side “Masts Sir, three of 'em, but none of topsails look right”.
“Mr Shrigley, aloft with you and take your glass, tell me what you think”. The agile young officer climbed the shrouds like a monkey and as he watched
Merriman mused that he himself couldn't do that as fast as he used to. The fog was now rapidly disappearing and it didn't take long for Shrigley to return to the deck. “It is a seventy-four Sir, by the look of it a French ship but I can't read the name on the stern. As you can now see Sir, the courses are furled, somewhat messily and the topsails are not even drawing properly and not braced round and she isn't making much headway. I couldn't see anybody aboard either Sir”.
“Most unusual Alfred, most unusual. I wonder –--”, he summoned his officers to him and told them what Shrigley had seen. “Must be something wrong Sir, I would expect to see their gun ports open at least and they must have seen us” said Andrews. “They could be luring us into a false sense of security” said the marine Lieutenant St James. “That is possible of course so we shall take no chances” replied Merriman. He thought for only a moment before ordering “I'll have the courses furled Gentlemen. Mr Henderson, bring us abreast of her, slowly, but out of gunshot and keep us on the windward side of her”. “Aye-aye Sir” replied the Sailing Master shouting orders to the crew and helmsmen.
“What do you think may be wrong Sir?” asked a daring Midshipman Edwards. “I don't know Mr Edwards” replied Merriman “But I do have an idea. Mr Merryweather, Mr Shrigley, I want you both aloft, as high as you can go and take you telescopes with you. There must be something you can see to explain that ship's condition”.
Both officers were quickly aloft and studying the ship keenly as the Lord Stevenage slowly passed. Suggestions were bandied about between the officers on the quarterdeck and some of the gun crews were hanging out of the gun ports to see better. Incensed, Merriman bellowed “This is serious Gentlemen, we are supposed to be at action stations. Have those gun crews at station, not behaving like washerwomen. We don't yet know but that we shall be fired on”. On the quarter deck the chatter died down and the crew sheepishly returned to their places.
Merryweather hastily climbed down and white-faced he reported “Sir, I think they are all dead, bodies are lying all over the deck and nothing is moving. Most of them seem to have removed their clothes and seem to have scars on their bodies”. “Have they now? Mr Bristow, my compliments to Mr McBride and would he please come on deck immediately”. The Surgeon soon appeared and Merriman drew him aside out of earshot of the others. “Mr McBride, I have a suspicion that there is fever aboard that ship” and he related all that had been seen. I will turn the ship and we'll pass back alongside her but well away on the windward side. I would like you aloft with a glass to see what you think”.
“But Sir, I've never been higher than the side rail , I'm not a topman”. “I know that Alan but it is important, I'll send two experienced hands up with you to keep you safe. We don't want to lose our only Doctor do we?” McBride nodded, “I'll try Sir but I must confess that I am scared of heights”. So Merriman detailed two good topmen to assist the Surgeon and when well past the big seventy -four he had his ship turned to pass back alongside it so that McBride could have a good look. Once past he climbed slowly down with the men holding him and crossed to Merriman.
“Sir, It is as you thought, it’s a plague ship, we must keep well away”. “Tell me exactly what you saw Mr McBride, exactly”. “Well Sir, from up there I could see all that Merryweather reported but I was able to deduce more. The men are mostly dead, just slight movements from a few of them. I think it is either typhus or typhoid, both cause a red rash and or swellings in the groin and armpits. Most of them will have thrown off their clothes to scratch themselves more easily. I've not seen anything like it before”.
“Poor devils, what causes it David?” “Well, as you know Sir I was unable to finish my medical studies but I have read as many medical books as I could get hold of and it seems that these fevers are caused by drinking contaminated drinking water or polluted shellfish. They also spread rapidly in the crowded and cramped conditions below deck where men are breathing the breath of already suffering men. We have no cure for it Sir”.
“What would you recommend I should do then?” “We can't help so I would suggest that the whole ship should be burned, but none of our men should go aboard to do that, and I repeat, none of our men should go near it” replied the Doctor. “Thank you, now I must think about it”. Merriman paced up and down the quarterdeck, frowning and with a scowl on his face. Every man on the quarterdeck kept well out of his way and tried to look busy in case they drew his attention.
At last he stopped his pacing, “Mr Andrews, I believe we can finish with action stations but keep all the lookouts aloft. See to it if you will”. “Aye-aye Sir” replied Andrews, turning away to shout the orders. Merriman beckoned to one of the Midshipmen on deck, “Mr Evans, please go down to the magazine and ask the Gunner, Mr Salmon to come up on deck, I wish to speak with him. And John, don't run, just walk”. “Aye-aye Sir” stuttered the boy disappearing below in amazement, the Captain knew his name, that lofty figure remembered his name. He must write home about it as soon as he could.
The Gunner duly climbed up to the quarterdeck to report to his Captain. “Mr Salmon, as I'm sure you already know, that ship is a plague ship and must be burned but nobody must go near it to set it afire. This is what I propose”. He proceeded to discuss various ideas he had before asking “Mr Salmon, you should know the capabilities of our carronades probably better than I do, what do you think?” The man thought for a few moments before replying, “I don't think a normal shot will set it alight Sir, a round shot wouldn't and a grape shot wouldn't unless one of the musket balls happened to hit some of the ready use powder, if there was any lying about on deck anyway Sir, but your second idea could do it. If I could have a few minutes to make some calculations Sir, I'm sure it can be done”. “Very well Mr Salmon, calculate away and then tell me what you will need”.
Salmon was back on deck in less than five minutes holding a bar shot in his grubby hands. “Yes Mr Salmon, what have you decided?” asked Merriman. “Well Sir, I think this should be what you want Sir”, he held up the bar shot which was simply two half cannon balls joined by a bar and said “If we tie oily rags round this bar they should ignite when the gun is fired and we could perhaps increase the chance of burning if we could put a bottle of oil in last, also wrapped in oily rags, but the only thing I can suggest is a wine bottle or a rum bottle Sir”.
“That seems like the solution Mr Salmon, have you calculated the powder charge for that, considering that we want it to land on the deck which is much higher than ours, but not to overshoot and go right over the ship?” “Oh yes Sir, I calculate that at about three degrees elevation and two thirds of the usual charge it will be about right, we should stand off about three hundred yards Sir”. “Very good then, if you prepare three or four of these firebombs of yours in case one doesn't reach or goes over after which you could alter the charge”. “Yes Sir, have I your permission to use any bottles I can find and ask the Bos'n for some of his oil?”
“Of course you can Mr Salmon but make sure they are empty bottles, my steward can find some wine bottles for you. See to that Mr Merryweather if you will.” The officers had been listening closely to what had been said and Lieutenant Bristow ventured the comment “Do you think it will work Sir?” “Yes I do. Mr Bristow, the Gunner is very experienced and if his calculations are correct that will set that ship alight. He pondered for a moment and said “I want a pump rigged to wet the fo’c’sle before we fire and kept manned ready in case of accidents, and I want the ship kept at three hundred yards to begin with after Mr Salmon fires, until that ship is burning well and then moved off to five hundred yards or more”.
He walked to the rail on the starboard side which was facing the French seventy-four before calling Captain St James over to him. “Captain this could be a difficult thing to ask, but I want some of your marines, the best marksmen, on the quarter deck with their muskets loaded. You see, there may be some poor souls still alive on board that ship, but they will be infected and we can do nothing for them, therefore, if any man shows hi
mself I want him shot. His only other choice is to die of the fever or burn to death, shooting is the kindest thing we can do. Do you agree Captain?”
“Yes Sir, it would be best, we would do as much for a damaged animal. But the longest range our muskets can fire with any accuracy is less than two hundred yards though one or two of my men can do a bit better. A volley from the rest of the men as well might be best. I'll arrange it at once”. The gunner appeared again, carrying all he would need and he called the carronade crew to him to prepare the carronade for firing. The powder charge was rammed home, then a ring of wadding was rammed in and then the bar shot wrapped in its oily rags followed. The last item was a wine bottle wrapped in rags. The Gunner carefully checked the elevation of the barrel and the distance between the ships before he turned to Merriman and said “Ready Sir, but I would like all men to leave the fo'c'sle when I fire”.
Once that had been done and Merriman nodded to him the Gunner pulled the cord to the flintlock on top of the gun which fired. Every man who could watched to see what happened next. The missile burst into flames as it flew through the air but it fell short and struck the gunwale and exploded as the bottle of oil shattered. “A little more powder next time I think Mr Salmon, but that was well done, try again”. In minutes the experienced gun crew had the gun ready and the Gunner took hold of the cord again and looked to Merriman who nodded. This time the shot was perfect and it landed on the deck of the French ship. “Deck there”, yelled the lookout on the main topmast “It worked Sir the deck is beginning to burn”. “Mr Salmon, fire the rest and try and space them apart”.
That was quickly done and soon smoke and then flames were seen rising up. The gentle breeze fanned the flames which quickly rose higher and soon the flames touched the tarred shrouds and rapidly consumed them. Some small explosions were heard, probably from some ready use powder bags stored near the upper deck guns. The fire spread faster and faster and soon all three masts, the sails and yards were aflame. Suddenly five figures were seen on the quarter deck, waving madly for help but the marine Captain, with a face like stone ordered the marines to fire. “And do it properly, or I'll know the reason why not”. The muskets flamed as one, three of the men dropped back out of sight, one fell across the rail with his coat alight and the other simply stood there waiting to be shot. A marine volley soon obliged him and he fell back into the fire.
The Threat in the Baltic (The Merriman Chronicles Book 5) Page 11
