HMS Athena: A Charles Mullins novel (Sea Command Book 4)

by Richard Testrake

  Chapter Eleven

  The women remained in Mullin’s sleeping quarters while he had the carpenter construct a hanging bed in the chart room for himself. The younger woman, Jane Rawlings, would speak to no one on board save Mister Archer. He had found the two women in their compartment in the sinking schooner and she apparently regarded him as an unthreatening youth.

  The other survivor, Ruth Hancock, after a few hours’ rest and a dose of laudanum, began speaking of their ordeal. Hancock seemed to have the more severe physical injuries but Jane Rawlings seemed to have mental injuries which were not understood. Mullins sat at Hancock’s bedside with the surgeon as she related the attack on the ship ‘President Adams’.

  Hancock had accompanied her niece on a visit to relatives in North Carolina. On the return voyage to their home in New Jersey, they met a pair of ship’s longboats, crammed with men, in the morning’s mist. The master of the Adams, thinking they were seamen in distress, backed his tops’ls to allow them to approach. The men in the boats swarmed aboard and took control of the ship. They later rendezvoused with the schooner in the lee of a barrier island near the mainland. There, the males aboard Adams were slaughtered, while the two women suffered indignities Mrs. Hancock would not speak of.

  Their treatment, harsh enough at the beginning, had progressively became worse as their ordeal continued, and Mrs. Hancock was certain it would have been a matter of days before their throats would have been cut, as had happened to the crew of the Adams.

  Jane had apparently been an attractive woman, before the abuse became so frequent and violent, and the pirate captain had kept her for himself for a few days. Imprisoned in his cabin, as she was, she noticed he marked a chart with their position every day. She took careful note of the chart one day when he went on deck to supervise their entrance to a tiny harbor on the barrier island.

  There was a small hamlet on this island, and the cargo of the Adams was unloaded there, before the ship was taken out to sea to be sunk. Jane Rawlings was no sailor and not familiar with charts or maps, but she had an hour to memorize the shape of this one. There was no name on the chart, but she told her aunt she would recognize the island if she saw it on another chart.

  After the pirate captain tired of her, he turned her over to his crew, to use as they wished. Now, with her mind damaged, the only persons to whom she would speak were her aunt and Mister Archer.

  Mullins was of two minds about his next duty. Of course, he really had no business in pursuing this matter further. The pirate vessel had been taken and the crew killed or captured. On the other hand, he might be able to locate the lair they had been using to receive the pirated goods. Perhaps there might be more pirates remaining there.

  The location of this lair was in United States waters, and there could be international outrage if a Royal Navy ship was discovered administering justice in a North Carolina hamlet. Of course, piracy was a scourge that affected all traffic on the sea, from any nation. Perhaps he could locate this place and then alert United States authorities of the matter. He was only a few days’ travel to the north of the location, and he was under no time restraints.

  Accordingly, the ship put about and made her way south against the current. This leg of the journey took longer than expected and Jane’s condition was beginning to improve. Her physical injuries were beginning to mend, if not her mental ones. But she would still speak only to her aunt and to Mister Archer.

  Midshipman Archer was furnished with a collection of the sailing master’s charts and took them to her. She at first would not look at them, but by treating her as an injured child, Archer was able to slowly proceed with her until one day she could examine them. She tired easily and Archer feared to press her, but one day she recognized the image on one chart as the island where she had been initially held.

  By this time, HMS Athena was close by this island and Mister Cartwright had found the passageway to the inland waterway between the island and the mainland. As they neared the location Jane had indicated on the chart, hands in the tops sighted a longboat traveling ahead of the ship in the same direction.

  The boat, upon sighting them, immediately turned to shoal water near shore, but the ship was faster than the tiring oarsmen, and the boat was overhauled before reaching safety. There were six men in the boat, all dressed in backwoods garb. All armed with long rifles, of a type Mullins had not seen in years. As a young midshipman, a former captain had owned one similar to these and allowed him to fire it occasionally.

  Ordered aboard the ship, the oarsmen were indignant and assured Mullins they would report him to the sheriff. Athena was not flying her ensign or commission pennant and her name on the counter had been painted over. He was not overly concerned that his actions would be reported to the Admiralty, but still, it was time to be discreet.

  Assuring the men, he meant them no harm, he invited them into his chart room for a drink of rum, to which they agreed. Seeing Archer at his post by the women’s door, he quietly told the lad to fetch the women.

  The women came into the chart room together, but it was Mrs. Hancock who first recognized one of the backwoodsmen. Hearing her gasp, Jane looked at the strangers and uttered a muffled scream.

  The chart room was crowded with all these people, but one of the newcomers attempted to raise his long rifle. There was not really room enough for a weapon of that length in the confined space and Mullins produced his double-barreled Manton pistol from his sash, shouting for Lieutenant Sawyer as he did so.

  The Marine officer came at the double with a file of his men. The occupants of the room moved out on deck where Mullins asked the women where they had seen the men before. Jane stood mute and shaking, while Mrs. Hancock pointed to the individual who had tried to threaten them with his rifle.

  “This one was on the schooner when we were put aboard. He attacked both of us.”

  Mullins then asked if either woman had ever seen any of the other men previously.

  Mrs. Hancock again replied, “I do not think we have ever seen these other men before.”

  Mullins ordered the Marine officer to place the individual Mrs. Hancock had identified with the other pirates, while the other five men were to be kept under guard on the foredeck.

  Approaching this group, Mullins announced, “Men, this ship is here investigating instances of piracy. One of your party has been identified as having participated in such piracy. He will be transported to Halifax with the other pirates we have in custody to face his accusers. What I want from you men, is an accounting of why you are here in this place, armed and in company with a known pirate. You will now be held separately, to be interviewed by my officers. I may well release one or all of you, once I have received truthful information about any of your possible involvement with this piracy.

  Segregating the five men on deck so they could not conspire together, he went back in the chart room to reassure the women. After saying what he could to them, he went onto the quarterdeck where Lieutenant Farver was interviewing one prisoner and Lieutenant Sawyer another. When the officers were finished with these men, two more prisoners were called for their interview.

  The questioning continued until early evening. The consensus was all of the prisoners were lying, all of them telling significantly differing stories. However, one fact had become evident. The pirate captain had decided he needed some men skilled in long range shooting. These would pick off crewmembers of merchant vessels they were attacking. One of the pirate crewmembers was an American backwoodsman. This man received money to hire as many men as he could. An incentive for these new recruits was the gift of a new rifle for each man.

  Draper, the pirate’s recruiter, had gone to a gunsmith on shore and ordered the necessary weapons, while he had scouted for the proper men. This activity had taken the better part of a year, during which time he had gone back to the ship twice, making forays with the rest of the crew both times. After the last raid, he went back inland, collected his men and gave each of them a rifle.

/>   Each of these new men told a different story, hoping to escape justice. Deprived of the opportunity to compare stories though, each had his own version. Deciding he had accomplished what he had set out to do, Mullins ordered Athena set sail. He freed none of them. Deciding that all of the new recruits had voluntarily chosen to become pirates, he secured them below with the others. It would be up to a magistrate to decide their fate. Their rifles, he sent below to the armorer to care for.

  He wished to clear this coast before being spotted by any warship of the United States. While he had been working to suppress piracy, he had in fact, operated inside American territorial waters, which might be difficult to explain to the Americans. Accordingly, as soon as the new prisoners were secured below, Athena set sail.

  Athena was twenty miles east of Philadelphia when she was signaled to ‘heave to’ by the US Revenue Cutter Vigilant. Knowing he was in international waters, he elected to ignore the command. The cutter came alongside and its deck officer questioned Mullins what his ship was doing there.

  Mullins picked up the speaking trumpet and announced he was about the King’s business, in international waters, which involved suppressing piracy at this moment. After some delay, a more courteous request came from the cutter, requesting permission for an officer from the cutter to come aboard Athena. This permission was granted and a boat soon delivered a short but trim officer in the uniform of a United States Revenue Service officer of the grade of Master/Commander.

  After the welcoming ceremony, Mullins invited the officer into his chart room for a drink. Once the opening greetings had been exchanged, Master/Commander Schultz wondered about the piracy Athena was suppressing.

  In answer, Mullins shouted for Midshipman Archer. “Mister Archer, would you ask the ladies if it might be possible for them to meet a guest from their own country?”

  A few moments later, Archer reported the women awaited their visit. Mulling quietly warned the American captain. “Sir, these women you will meet were taken recently from their American ship, the President Adams and held against their will by pirates on the pirate schooner ‘Trois Freres’. The younger of the women, Jane Rawlings is in a fragile state of mind and finds it difficult to speak of her ordeal.”

  “Mrs. Hancock, the elder, was also brutally handled, but will speak readily.”

  Schultz asked, “These women, I presume are British?”

  “No sir, actually both are American. From New Jersey, I think. We took them from the pirate schooner that mistook us for a merchantman and attempted to attack us.”

  Entering the main cabin, Commander Schultz introduced himself to the women. Jane remained silent but Mrs. Hancock readily answered his questions. Satisfied, the American thanked Mullins for his courtesy to the women and stated he would now deliver the ladies to their country.

  Mullins replied that while he would not hold the women against their will, he earnestly requested them to continue on to Halifax where their testimony might well be vital to obtain a conviction. Schultz wondered why he could not just take delivery of the pirates himself. He thought a United States court could prosecute the pirates properly.

  Mullins vigorously stated he had captured these pirates, his crew shedding blood in the endeavor. He assured Schultz he would deliver the pirates to a British court in Halifax.

  Bowing to the inevitable, the American asked the women if it was their wish to go on to Halifax or return to the US.

  Hamilton answered for both. “Sir, if it will mean watching these men at the end of a rope, we will travel to Halifax a hundred times.”

  Captain Schultz was pulled back to his cutter and the Vigilant sailed off in the direction of Philadelphia while Athena continued her voyage to Halifax.

  Chapter Twelve

  HMS Athena swung at anchor in Halifax harbor for several days before the shore authorities paid any attention to her. The admiral had taken his fleet to sea and initially no one ashore felt he had the authority is issue any orders to a vessel that had appeared on the doorsteps with no orders or instructions.

  Mullins used the opportunity to refresh his water supply and obtain a few casks of salt pork to augment his supply. While they were waiting, Lieutenant Sawyer came to him and wondered if he could borrow a few of the captured long rifles with a view to determine any possible usefulness to Marines.

  Mullins could see no reason why the weapons could not be tested. Technically, they were captured enemy weapons and might be required to be handed over to dockyard authorities on arrival in Portsmouth, but now surely they could be used in the interim for service to the Crown.

  A detail of Marines was dispatched below to bring up the weapons. This was the first Mullins had seen of them since they had come aboard. The armorer had cared for them correctly and most of the rifles appeared to be in new condition, gleaming softly in their light coating of oil. One of the weapons’, that carried by the pirate recruiter, had a hole bored in the side of the stock, which had been filled with tallow.

  Not knowing what to do with this, the armorer had left it in place. Seaman Fletcher, the armorer, said he had asked one of the pirates during his exercise on deck the purpose of the grease. He was told it was used to grease the patches used in wrapping the bullets.

  Each of the captured woodsmen had carried some type of pouch, which contained the paraphernalia needed to use and maintain the weapons.

  The ship was anchored well out in the harbor, away from the shore and other ships. The wardroom’s servant produced a variety of empty wine bottles that could be used as targets. Mullins had fired a rifle similar to these years before, and Lieutenant Sawyer was familiar with the principal.

  A flask of powder was taken from one of the pouches. The pouch also contained a greasy square of linen, probably meant to serve as patching material, a small horn cup that appeared to be the powder measure, a few extra flints and a hundred lead balls.

  Captain Mullins thought it might be best to examine the rifle to determine whether nor not it was loaded. The weapon’s pan had no priming in it, but when the ramrod was thrust down the bore, it did not go all the way down to the breach plug, indicating a charge was probably in the bore. Putting a pinch of powder in the pan, Mullins cocked the piece, aimed in the air and pulled the trigger. After an eye-blink’s hesitation, the weapon fired, the brass butt plate slamming back into his shoulder.

  Searching in the pouch that came with the piece, Mullins found a ‘worm’, a tool made of coiled steel that threaded into the end of the ramrod. Having no clean cloth to use, he pulled a wad of tow from a supply furnished by the bosun, wet it with water from the scuttlebutt and snagged it onto the sharp worm, thrusting the wet material all the way down the bore and back out again.

  Showing the now blackened fiber to the Marine officer, he explained. “We do not have to clean after every shot. The rifle will however collect dirt after every firing, so eventually it will be difficult to load another ball. It is a good idea to clean after every few shots when you have a chance.”

  Powder was measured out in the little horn cup and poured down the barrel. The piece of linen cloth was wiped in the greased hole in the stock, then placed over the end of the barrel. A ball was placed on the greased area of the cloth then pressed down into the bore. Cutting the cloth off flush with the rifle’s muzzle, the now-patched ball was then shoved home with the ramrod. A pinch of powder dropped into the pan completed the process.

  Mullins had never fired this weapon before and had no idea how it shot. Sawyer tossed one of the empty wine bottles over the stern rail. Mullins waited a few minutes until it drifted away from the ship. At a distance of perhaps twenty paces, he decided to take his shot. Cocking the piece, he lined up his sights and squeezed the trigger. After the expected slight delay, the powder in the pan flared, the main charge fired and the bottle shattered. The men around him cheered but he had to tell them his old captain could do the same at a hundred yards. There was some disbelief when the men heard this, since a good man with a musket coul
d have difficulty performing the shot at half the distance.

  After demonstrating the proper loading and firing of the weapons to the Marine officer, he went back into his quarters while the Marines continued their practice with their new toys. Sawyer came to him later, asking permission to have the sailmaker fabricate some sailcloth pouches in which the Marines issued the rifles could carry the necessary kit needed for the weapons. He thought using the differing hunting pouches carried by the backwoodsmen did not look professional.

  Sawyer had all of his men train with the rifles, selecting the best six men to whom he would issue the weapons. Mullins warned him he could not promise the dockyard officials at Portsmouth would allow the Marines to keep the rifles, but he would see what he could do.

  Eventually, a British Army officer from shore was pulled out to the boat. Colonel Hastings-Broadhurst met with Captain Mullins and learned of the piracy incident. Extremely pleased with the apprehension of the culprits, he assured Mullins he would have his provost come out to the ship to take custody of the felons and he thought he could promise respectable local church members would offer to watch over the women during their stay in Halifax. Insisting the court proceedings against the pirates would be expedited, he assured Mullins the women would be given every assistance in their journey to their homes after the trial.

  Mullins himself escorted the women ashore and spoke to the judge who would be presiding over the trial of the pirates. He informed Justice Hatcher of the severe trials the women had suffered and the mental anguish especially suffered by Jane Rawlings. Hatcher assured him he would not permit the defense to bully or disparage the women. Mullins himself might be needed to attend the trial and probably testify. The mere fact of the schooner firing upon a King’s ship was itself evidence of piracy, and perhaps his own testimony would be all that was required. The logs of the sailing master and lieutenants might also be needed.