The Sea Hawk

by Brenda Adcock

  By the time she reached the bow she felt calmer. The sea was a beautiful place on days such as these. Despite the knowledge it could turn on them, constantly warning them of its silent power, Simone knew there would be times she would miss it.

  "Excuse me, Captain," she heard from behind her. Turning around, she saw Julia offering her a piece of fruit. "Joaquin told me you haven't eaten all day."

  Taking the food, Simone smiled. "I sometimes forget to eat when I am occupied with my own thoughts. Merci."

  "Are you worried about a British attack?"

  "We are as close to Jamaica and the British fleet as we will be the remainder of our journey. Laffite saw a few ships during his voyage to Margarita. It pays to be vigilant in the face of one's enemy."

  Julia cleared her throat and looked at the water passing beneath them. "I love the ocean," she said. "I have since I was a child."

  "Where is your home? You said you were an American, despite your accent."

  "I live in Georgia. A small place called Tybee Island. I have a home there."

  "And that is where your family has settled?"

  "No. My parents live in Virginia."

  "Do you live there alone?" Simone asked as she stepped down from the bow.

  She thought she saw a flicker of sadness in Julia's eyes as she answered, "Yes."

  As they strolled back along the deck, Simone seemed to be in deep thought, glancing periodically at the ocean around them and checking the position of her other ships.

  "Are you concerned about Anton if we should encounter other ships?" Julia asked.

  "He is still young and untested. Perhaps I should have let Archambault take command of the Northumberland," Simone said. "Do you have siblings, Mademoiselle?"

  "A brother, two years older than I," Julia answered.

  "Faucon!" a voice high above them called out.

  Simone looked up and saw the crewman pointing toward the eastern horizon. Quickly she ran to the wheel deck and picked up her telescope, scanning the horizon until she saw three sets of sails turning in their direction. Moving to the half rail of the deck she called out, "The British! Make ready all cannons!"

  Julia watched as members of the crew began rolling the deck cannons toward the rail. Elevating the barrels slightly, each cannon crew of four men moved quickly and quietly about their business. Archambault walked purposefully from one cannon to the next, making sure each was prepared to engage the enemy.

  "Signal the other ships!" Simone ordered. "Turn into the approaching ships!"

  As the sails snapped in a steady breeze, Julia felt the ship turning.

  "Archambault! Raise all cannon ports!" Simone dashed down the steps to the main deck. Taking Julia by the arm, she led her toward the stairs leading to the lower decks. "Go to Joaquin. He will know the safest place to go. Do not return until I send for you."

  "But, Captain--"

  "I do not have time to argue or debate with you, Mademoiselle. Please do as I have asked." Seeing the look of concern in Julia's eye, Simone said, "We will be fine, but I cannot worry about either you or Joaquin. Please keep him, as well as yourself, safe until this is ended."

  Nodding, Julia went down the stairs, dodging crew members rushing to their assigned posts. She knocked on the door to Joaquin's room, but entered before he could open it. The boy knelt on his bed, peering out the porthole.

  "The Captain has asked me to remain here with you until it is safe on deck," she said as she walked across the small room.

  "Come," he said with a smile. "We can watch from this porthole."

  "Shouldn't we keep it closed?"

  "Do not be concerned, Julia. Faucon has good plan."

  SIMONE WATCHED FROM the wheel deck as the distance between Le Faucon de Mer and the British ships narrowed. Not quite yet. She had gone over her plan many times, but knew no plan was perfect. The one thing in her favor was the predictability of British captains. By turning directly into their path she was projecting the hostile intent of her ships. She quickly glanced at her remaining three ships and smiled. They were perfectly aligned behind her and beginning to alter their course to draw to a right angle to the approaching British vessels. As soon as Laffite rejoined them the British would be outnumbered three to one. Good odds even against trained seamen aboard the larger enemy ships.

  Le Faucon cut swiftly through the water, her billowing sails propelling her forward. A volley of cannon fire from one of the British ships splashed harmlessly into the water ahead of her vessel. They were still out of effective range of the British cannons as the British maneuvered into a line facing Simone's vessel. Timing and speed would be critical if her plan were to work.

  "Get down!" she ordered as they drew even closer to the three ships. "On my order drop the mainsails and fire cannons in staggered volleys!"

  The helmsman turned the ship's wheel to guide Le Faucon between two of the British ships. Simone raised her arm, all eyes of the deck crew awaiting her signal, anxious for the fighting to begin.

  As much as Simone wanted to leave the sea, she couldn't deny the excitement a battle held for her. "Prepare your weapons! Chain shot to the masts!" Judging her speed and distance she counted to five. "Lower the sails! All cannons fire!" she ordered, dropping her arm. Half of the deck cannons and those below deck fired, followed a few seconds later by a volley from the remaining half while allowing the first group to reload and continue the firing. Return fire from the British ships struck Le Faucon, but the British, under full sail moved quickly past. Chain shot struck two masts of one of the ships and crippled it. Simone ran to the railing of the wheel deck.

  "Hoist the sails! Bring us around quickly!!" she ordered. "Prepare to board! No prisoners!" As her ship turned to reapproach the stricken ship she saw her other vessels open fire with withering volleys against the two remaining British vessels. In the distance five sets of sails moved to join them from the west. "Ready the cannons and fire at will!" she commanded as they approached the British ship. "Grappling hooks!"

  The first cannons aboard Le Faucon opened fire directly on the hull of the crippled British ship, firing in sequence to disable the British cannons. Grappling hooks flew through the air and attached to the ship. As soon as the ships were close together Simone's crewmen swung or jumped aboard the British vessel, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with soldiers and sailors of the British fleet.

  Simone ran down the steps of the wheel deck, stopping atop the main deck railing to fire her musket, killing a red-coated British soldier. Drawing her cutlass she jumped onto the deck of the British ship and joined her men, slashing her way across the deck. There was nothing to plunder. There was only the assurance that fewer British soldiers would live to fight another day. Faced with a more determined fighting force many of the soldiers chose to jump overboard. As the sound of the fighting diminished, Simone and Archambault made their way around the main deck assuring themselves there were no survivors.

  "You are injured," Archambault said, pointing to a red plume spreading along Simone's sleeve.

  "It is a scratch. Send some men below to ferret out anyone attempting to hide."

  "If they find someone?"

  Simone squinted and watched the two remaining British ships, both on fire. "Kill them," she said calmly, striding across the deck toward her own ship. "I will check Le Faucon to see how badly she is damaged."

  JULIA COVERED HER ears as she tried to protect Joaquin. The sound of the cannon fire was deafening. She lost track of time and had no idea how long the firing continued. They heard the sound of splintering wood and she was certain the ship was struck by cannon fire more than once. The firing ended abruptly, followed by the shouts and screams of men and the sound of pistol fire and metal striking metal. Unexpectedly, an eerie quiet fell over the ship, followed by sporadic gunfire and the smell of something burning. Julia wasn't sure what to do when Joaquin broke from her arms and ran to the porthole.

  "What is happening?" Julia asked. "Have we been boarded?"

&n
bsp; "Never," Joaquin said. "Faucon would sink the ship before allowing it to be captured."

  Well, that's reassuring. The waiting made her nervous. She was startled when the cabin door banged open and jumped to her feet to pull Joaquin behind her.

  "Faucon!" Joaquin said when the captain entered the cabin. Dark sooty smudges marked her face and shirt as the boy ran to her.

  She picked him up and swung him around, laughing. "Were you worried, little one?"

  "Of course not," he answered, looking indignant. "Mademoiselle Julia was worried, but not I."

  "You are very brave, Joaquin. Thank you for protecting Julia," Simone said as she set him down and flashed a smile at Julia. "You may go on deck now, if you wish."

  Joaquin left his cabin and ran toward the ladder. "Are you all right?" Simone asked as Julia sat down abruptly on Joaquin's bunk.

  "Was anyone injured?" Julia asked, trying to calm the adrenaline still coursing through her body.

  "Some of my men have been injured, yes," Simone answered solemnly. "We must leave this area quickly and I must tend to my crew," she said as she turned to leave the cabin.

  Grasping Simone's arm Julia said, "I can help, Captain. I have some training in caring for injured people." She saw the captain wince and looked at her more closely, finally seeing blood seeping through her shirt sleeve. "You've been hurt!" Her eyes flew to Simone's.

  "It is nothing more than a scratch. It will--"

  "It will get infected if we don't clean and bandage it. Sit on the bed," Julia ordered. She pulled the hem of her dress up and tore a strip of cloth from the petticoat beneath. Dipping the cloth in a basin of water near Joaquin's bed, Julia turned her attention to Simone's arm, carefully pushing the sleeve up. She washed away the blood running down Simone's arm and cleaned the wound. "After we see to your injured crewmen I'll replace this with a better bandage." She wrapped and tied the cloth over the cut on Simone's arm.

  Simone stood and strode toward the cabin door. "Your assistance will be most appreciated," she said as Julia joined her.

  Julia paused at the cabin door. She wanted to wrap her arms around Simone and feel her strength, but couldn't. Stepping past the captain she made her way down the hallway and up the ladder. The sight on the main deck stopped her momentarily. She knew the ship received rounds from the British ships, but wasn't prepared for what she saw. She looked onto the deck of the British ship beside them and turned away quickly, covering her mouth.

  "Cut us away! Simone ordered as the last of her men stepped onto the deck. "Hoist the sails!"

  Julia brought her eyes up to meet Simone's. "Are they all dead?"

  "We have no room for prisoners," Simone answered.

  Debris littered the deck and the pungent smell of gunpowder still hung in the air. Large holes in the railing indicated where the British cannon balls had struck Le Faucon. Julia was careful where she stepped as crew members scurried around already working to repair the damage. As the ship moved through the water to rejoin the other ships Julia looked over her shoulder at the British vessels. Two were on fire and the third was motionless in the water, her masts no longer rising from her deck. She watched sailors from the burning ships swim toward the lone survivor and turned away. A hand on her back brought her attention once more to the deck of Le Faucon de Mer. The ship was damaged and injured men were being tended to by other crewmen. "How many are dead?" she asked, almost to herself.

  "Four," Simone's voice answered quietly.

  "Faucon!" a voice called out.

  "Please excuse me," Simone said. She quickly walked across the main deck and up the steps to the quarterdeck. Julia looked around her and knelt next to the nearest injured crew member. She checked his injuries and even though he was bleeding profusely from a head wound, it was not life threatening. She saw Joaquin and called to him to join her.

  As he knelt beside her, she asked, "Can you bring me clean cloth and water?"

  He nodded and stood to leave, but she stopped him. "Is there rum on board?"

  "Of course," he answered.

  "Then I shall need that as well."

  Simone watched as Julia instructed the men in moving her injured crewmen to one area of the main deck and began moving from man to man administering to their wounds. One after another, she cleaned the wounds and used the rum to disinfect the injuries before wrapping them. While there were several men with deep cuts to their head or limbs, most would recover in due course. However, there were three who had sustained more serious injuries.

  When she was sure the ship was safely away from the scene of the battle, Simone made her way to the main deck to assist Julia. She recognized the crewman Julia was tending when she arrived. She dropped to her knees and ran her hand across the man's forehead. "How are you, Pierre?"

  The man, an older crewman, blinked and tried to give Simone a smile, but it came out as a grimace. Julia tied a tourniquet around his arm above his elbow and wrapped a bandage around the deep gash on his forearm. Keeping her voice low she said, "He's lost a substantial amount of blood and both bones in his lower arm are shattered." Looking at Simone she added, "I cannot save his arm and it cannot remain this way until we reach New Orleans. It must be removed or he will die from the infection that is certain to set in."

  Pierre's eyes darted quickly from Julia to Simone. "I will do it," Simone said calmly. "I am sorry, Pierre." Reaching behind her she picked up a bottle of rum and handed it to him. Julia stood and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

  Standing beside her, Simone said, "When he passes out from the rum I will remove the arm."

  "Have you done that before?" Julia asked.

  "Yes. Is he the last one?"

  Julia nodded and leaned against the railing around the deck and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Julia," Simone said. "You are tired. Please get

  something to eat and rest for a little while."

  "I'm fine, Captain."

  "I insist and would appreciate it if you would not continue to argue with me."

  When Julia looked up, prepared to say something, her words were stopped by the look in Simone's eyes. Instead she said, "Perhaps you are right. I will rest until you are ready to remove this man's arm, but expect to be awakened to assist you."

  Taking Julia by the arm, Simone led her to her cabin under the wheel deck. "I have much to do. Please rest in my cabin until I am ready."

  Once again Julia started to protest, but was overcome with exhaustion. Nodding, she entered Simone's cabin. Lying down on the soft bed, she was nearly asleep before her head hit the pillow. Simone drew a light duvet over her and couldn't resist observing the sleeping woman for a few moments before returning to her duties.

  IT WAS STILL barely daylight when Julia was awakened by a light shaking of her shoulder. Momentarily disoriented, she rubbed her face and opened her eyes. Simone stood next to the bed. "We are ready," she said softly.

  Julia swung her legs off the bed and glanced around. Spotting a water basin on a small table, Julia poured some water into the basin and splashed it on her face. When she turned around, Simone handed her a small towel. "Where will you do it?" Julia asked.

  "On deck. It will be easier to clean up than the crew's quarters." Simone placed her hand on Julia's back as she escorted her back onto the deck. As she knelt down next to Pierre, Julia saw an empty bottle of rum lying nearby. Four crew members were positioned near the unconscious crewman, another held a torch for additional lighting.

  "Where do I make the cut?" Simone asked.

  "Here, just above the elbow," Julia said. She tied a tourniquet tightly around Pierre's upper arm, then took the injured man's hand and turned it slightly, holding it firmly on the deck at a right angle to his body.

  Simone drew her cutlass and waited until the mangled arm was away from Pierre's body. Julia held her breath as Simone poured rum over the blade and nodded at the other crewmen. They grasped his remaining arm and legs and held them tightly. With a quick glance at Julia, Simone raised the cu
tlass over her head and brought it down in a single powerful stroke, severing the useless arm. She ran the blade through the flame of the torch, heating it, and then pressed the flat of the blade against the open wound to stem the flow of blood.

  The scent of burning flesh made Julia lightheaded and she blinked back the white dots dancing in front of her eyes as she wrapped the fresh wound tightly. Infection would remain a concern and she hoped the injured man would survive until they reached Bayou LaFourche. She felt a cold sweat break out along her forehead and felt suddenly nauseous. She began breathing through her mouth to make the feeling go away. She raised her head to take a deep breath and saw one of the crewmen toss the severed limb overboard. It was the last thing she remembered before she was engulfed in darkness.

  A COOL CLOTH covered her eyes and she raised her hand to move it. "No. Let it remain a little longer," Simone's voice said.