For Love of Country

by William C. Hammond

  “Richard . . . ?”

  “It’s alright, Anne-Marie. The danger has passed. Our next port of call is Boston, three weeks from now. Sooner, if this wind holds.”

  “God be praised,” Gertrud murmured. She crossed herself repeatedly.

  “I’ll have some extra bunks brought in for Gertrud and your daughters. It’ll be cramped in here, and the food served by the ship’s cook is hardly royal fare. But it’s what we have and it will see us home.”

  Anne-Marie released her daughters and walked toward Richard, steadying herself against the rhythmic sway of the schooner. Her lips were trembling; her eyes were bloodshot from fatigue and worry; her hair had come undone in places, and long ebony strands hung in disorderly fashion upon her shoulders. Still, to Richard’s mind, she remained a figure of astounding grace and composure.

  She stopped short of him, took his hands in hers. “Richard . . . my dear . . . I fear you have burdened me with a debt I can never repay. How can I ever thank you for what you have done for me and my family?”

  He squeezed her hands.

  “You can thank me by loving my family in return, Anne-Marie. And by loving my country. You’ll see. A new and wonderful life awaits you in America.”

  Glossary

  aback A sail is aback when it is pressed against the mast by a headwind.

  abaft Toward the stern of a ship. Used relatively, as in “abaft the beam” of a vessel.

  able seaman A general term for a sailor with considerable experience in performing the basic tasks of sailing a ship.

  after cabin The cabin in the after part of the ship used by the captain, commodore, or admiral.

  aide-de-camp An officer acting as a confidential assistant to a senior officer.

  alee or leeward On or toward the sheltered side of a ship; away from the wind.

  amidships In or toward the middle of a vessel.

  athwart ship Across from side to side, transversely.

  back To turn a sail or a yard so that the wind blows directly on the front of a sail, thus slowing the ship’s forward motion.

  back and fill To go backward and forward.

  backstay A long rope that supports a mast and counters forward pull.

  ballast Any heavy material placed in a ship’s hold to improve her stability, such as pig iron, gravel, stones, or lead.

  Barbary States Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. All except Morocco were under the nominal rule of the Ottoman sultan in Constantinople.

  bark or barque A three-masted vessel with the foremast and mainmast square-rigged, and the mizzenmast fore-and-aft rigged.

  bar-shot Shot consisting of two half cannonballs joined by an iron bar, used to damage the masts and rigging of enemy vessels.

  before the mast Term describing common sailors, who were berthed in the forecastle, forward of the foremast.

  before the wind Said of a ship sailing with the wind directly astern.

  belay To secure a running rope used to work the sails. Also, to disregard, as in “Belay that last order.”

  belaying pin A fixed pin used onboard ship to secure a rope fastened around it.

  bend To make fast. To bend on a sail means to make it fast to a yard or stay.

  binnacle A box that houses the compass, found on the deck of a ship near the helm.

  boatswain or bosun A petty officer in charge of a ship’s equipment and crew.

  bollard A short post on a ship or quay for securing a rope.

  bowsprit A spar running out from the bow of a ship to which the forestays are fastened.

  brace A rope attached to the end of a yard, used to swing or trim the sail. To “brace up” means to bring the yards closer to fore-and-aft by hauling on the lee braces.

  brig A two-masted, square-rigged vessel having an additional fore-and-aft sail on the gaff and a boom on her mainmast.

  Bristol fashion Shipshape.

  buntline A line for restraining the loose center of a furled sail.

  burgoo A thick porridge.

  burnoose or burnous A long, loose hooded cloak worn by Arabs.

  by the wind As close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing.

  cable A strong, thick rope to which the ship’s anchor is fastened. Also a unit of measure equaling approximately one-tenth of a sea mile, or two hundred yards.

  cable-tier A place in a hold where cables are stored.

  canister-shot or case-shot Many small iron balls packed in a cylindrical tin case and fired from a cannon.

  capstan A broad revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable.

  caravel-built Describing a vessel whose outer planks are flush and smooth, as opposed to a clinker-built vessel, whose outer planks overlap.

  cartridge A case made of paper, flannel, or metal that contains the charge of powder for a firearm.

  casbah or qasbah A general term for the walled citadel of many North African cities, the Qasbah of Algiers being the most famous.

  cathead or cat A horizontal beam at each side of a ship’s bow used for raising and carrying an anchor.

  catharpings Small ropes that brace the shrouds of the lower masts.

  chains or chain-wale or channel A structure projecting horizontally from a ship’s sides abreast of the masts, used to widen the basis for the shrouds.

  clap on To add on, as in more sail or more hands on a line.

  close-hauled Sailing with sails hauled in as tight as possible, allowing the vessel to lie as close to the wind as possible.

  commodore A captain appointed as commander in chief of a squadron or station.

  companion An opening in a ship’s deck leading below to a cabin via a companion way.

  cordage Cords or ropes, especially those in the rigging of a ship.

  corvette or corsair A warship with a flush deck and a single tier of guns.

  course The sail that hangs on the lowest yard of a square-rigged vessel.

  crosstrees A pair of horizontal struts attached to a ship’s mast to spread the rigging, especially at the head of a topmast.

  cutwater The forward edge of the stem or prow that divides the water before it reaches the bow.

  deadlight A protective cover fitted over a porthole or window on a ship.

  dead reckoning The process of calculating position at sea by estimating the direction and distance traveled.

  dogwatch Either of two short watches on a ship (1600–1800 hours and 1800–2000 hours).

  East Indiaman A large and heavily armed merchant ship built by the various East India companies. Considered the ultimate sea vessels of their day in comfort and ornamentation.

  ensign The flag carried by a ship to indicate her nationality.

  fathom Six feet in depth or length.

  felucca A small Mediterranean vessel with lateen sails on two masts, used chiefly for coastal trading.

  fiferail A rail around the mainmast of a ship that holds belaying pins.

  figgy-dowdy A pudding with raisins popular in the West Country of England.

  flag lieutenant An officer acting as an aide-de-camp to an admiral.

  fo’c’sle or forecastle The forward part of a ship below the deck where the crew was traditionally quartered.

  foot-rope A rope beneath a yard for sailors to stand on while reefing or furling.

  furl To roll up and bind a sail neatly to its yard or boom.

  gangway On deep-waisted ships, a narrow platform from the quarterdeck to the forecastle. Also, a movable bridge linking a ship to the shore.

  gig A light, narrow ship’s boat normally used by the commander.

  grape or grapeshot Small cast-iron balls, bound together by a canvas bag, that scatter like shotgun pellets when fired.

  grapnel or grappling hook A device with iron claws attached to a rope and used for dragging or grasping, such as holding two ships together.

  grating The open woodwork cover for the hatchway.

  haik A large outer wrap worn by people from No
rth Africa.

  half-seas over Drunk.

  halyard A rope or tackle used to raise or lower a sail.

  hawser A large rope used in warping and mooring.

  heave to To halt a ship by setting the sails to counteract each other, a tactic often employed to ride out a storm.

  hull-down Another ship so far away that only her masts and sails are visible above the horizon.

  impress To force to serve in the navy.

  jack The small flag flown from the jack-staff on the bowsprit of a vessel, such as the British Union Jack and Dutch Jack.

  jolly-boat A clinker-built ship’s boat, smaller than a cutter, used for small work.

  keelhaul To punish by dragging someone through the water from one side of the boat to the other, under the keel.

  langrage Case-shot with jagged pieces of iron, useful in damaging rigging and sails and killing men on deck.

  lateen sail A triangular sail set on a long yard at a forty-five-degree angle to the mast.

  laudanum An alcoholic solution of opium.

  lee The side of a ship, land mass, or rock that is sheltered from the wind.

  leech The free edges of a sail, such as the vertical edges of a square sail and the aft edge of a fore-and-aft sail.

  Levant Name for the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Egypt.

  lighter A boat or barge used to ferry cargo to and from ships at anchor.

  Maghrib Arabic term referring to the coastal regions of the Barbary States, literally “the west.”

  manger A small triangular area in the bow of a warship in which animals are kept.

  muster-book The official log of a ship’s company.

  ordnance Mounted guns, mortars, munitions, and the like.

  orlop The lowest deck on a sailing ship having at least three decks.

  parole Word of honor, especially the pledge made by a prisoner-of-war, agreeing not to try to escape or, if released, to abide by certain conditions.

  petty officer A naval officer with rank corresponding to that of a noncommissioned officer in the army.

  pig An oblong mass of metal, usually iron, often used as ballast in a ship.

  polacca A two- or three-masted merchant vessel of the Levant and the Mediterranean having a lateen sail on the foremast and sometimes on the mizzen.

  poop A short, raised aftermost deck found only on very large sailing ships.

  privateer A privately owned armed ship with a government commission authorizing it to act as a warship.

  prize An enemy vessel and its cargo captured at sea by a warship or a privateer.

  purser An officer responsible for keeping the ship’s accounts and issuing food and clothing.

  quadrant An instrument that measures the angle of heavenly bodies for use in navigation.

  quarterdeck That part of a ship’s upper deck near the stern, traditionally reserved for the ship’s officers.

  quay A dock or landing place usually built of stone.

  queue A plait of hair; a pigtail.

  quoin A wooden wedge with a handle at the thick end used to adjust the elevation of a gun.

  ratlines Small lines fastened horizontally to the shrouds of a vessel for climbing up and down the rigging.

  reef A horizontal portion of a sail that can be rolled or folded up to reduce the amount of canvas exposed to the wind.

  rig The arrangement of a vessel’s masts and sails. The two main categories are square-rigged and fore-and-aft rigged.

  rode A rope securing an anchor.

  round-shot Balls of cast iron fired from smooth-bore cannon.

  royal A small sail hoisted above the topgallant sail used in light and favorable winds.

  scupper An opening in a ship’s side that allows water to run from the deck into the sea.

  sheet A rope used to extend the sail or to alter its direction. To “sheet home” is to haul in a sheet until the foot of the sail is as straight and as taut as possible.

  ship-rigged Carrying square sails on all three masts.

  shipwright One employed in the construction of ships.

  shrouds A set of ropes forming part of the standing rigging and supporting the mast and topmast.

  slops Ready-made clothing from the ship’s stores.

  slow-match A very slow burning fuse used to ignite the charge in a large gun.

  stay Part of the standing rigging, a rope that supports a mast.

  staysail A triangular fore-and-aft sail hoisted upon a stay.

  stem The curved upright bow timber of a vessel.

  sternsheets The rear of an open boat and the seats there.

  studdingsail or stunsail or stuns’l An extra sail set outside the square sails during a fair wind.

  swivel-gun A small cannon mounted on a swivel so that it can be fired in any direction.

  tack A sailing vessel’s course relative to the direction of the wind and the position of her sails; in a “starboard tack,” the wind is coming across the starboard side. Also the corner to which a rope is fastened to secure the sail.

  taffrail The rail at the upper end of a ship’s stern.

  tampion A wooden stopper for the muzzle of a gun.

  thole pin or thole One of a pair of pegs set in a gunwale of a boat to hold an oar in place.

  three sheets to the wind Very drunk.

  top A platform constructed at the head of each of the lower masts of a ship to extend the topmast shrouds. Also used as a lookout and fighting platform.

  topgallant The third mast, sail, or yard above the deck.

  top-hamper A ship’s masts, sails, and rigging.

  topsail The second sail above the deck, set above the course or mainsail.

  touchhole A vent in the breech of a firearm through which the charge is ignited.

  tumble-home The inward inclination of a ship’s upper sides that causes the upper deck to be narrower than the lower decks.

  waist The middle part of a ship’s upper deck between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.

  wardroom The mess room onboard ship for the commissioned officers and senior warrant officers.

  watch A fixed period of duty on a ship. Watches are four hours in length except for the two two-hour dogwatches.

  wherry A rowboat used to carry passengers.

  windward Facing the wind or on the side facing the wind. Contrast leeward.

  xebec A three-masted Arab corsair equipped with lateen sails. Larger xebecs had a square sail on the foremast.

  yard A cylindrical spar slung across a ship’s mast from which a sail hangs.

  yardarm The outer extremity of a yard.

  About the Author

  WILLIAM C. HAMMOND is a literary agent and business consultant who lives with his wife and three sons in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A lifelong student of history and a longtime devotee of nautical fiction, he sails whenever possible on Lake Superior and off the coast of New England.

  The Naval Institute Press is the book-publishing arm of the U.S. Naval Institute, a private, nonprofit, membership society for sea service professionals and others who share an interest in naval and maritime affairs. Established in 1873 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where its offices remain today, the Naval Institute has members worldwide.

  Members of the Naval Institute support the education programs of the society and receive the influential monthly magazine Proceedings or the colorful bimonthly magazine Naval History and discounts on fine nautical prints and on ship and aircraft photos. They also have access to the transcripts of the Institute’s Oral History Program and get discounted admission to any of the Institute-sponsored seminars offered around the country.

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  © 2010 by William C. Hammond III

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hammond, William C., 1947–

  For love of country / William C. Hammond.

  p. cm.

  eISBN : 978-1-612-51012-5

  1. Ship captains—Fiction. 2. Merchant marine—United States—Fiction. 3. Pirates—

  Africa, North—Fiction. 4. United States—Foreign relations—1783–1865—Fiction.

  5. United States—History—Tripolitan War, 1801–1805—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3608.A69586F67 2010

  813’.6—dc22

  2010022130