Agent Provocateur

by Christopher C Tubbs

  He knew that Armand would go after the Zebecs as he had the firepower to take them down. He would have to try and use the cutters manoeuvrability and enormous firepower to keep the smaller Dhows off their backs.

  “Load all carronades with double ball. Reload with that until we are within a cable then canister over ball,” he ordered, “You will have to load as fast as you can and keep those bastards from boarding us.”

  He looked to his marines.

  “Get every swivel we have and load them with grape. Keep them firing at anything within pistol shot. Concentrate your fire on the crews forget the hulls.”

  He looked down his deck at the confident look on their faces. Even the ships boys had an attitude that spoke of confidence and faith in him. He swallowed and looked from face to face, fixing them in his mind.

  “You are my men, and I will not let you down. Now, let’s get to it and murder those bastards!”

  He ordered the tiller over, so they separated from the Alouette to Larboard. He kept on that tack until he was heading to the most landward edge of the approaching fleet. He knew Armand was edging over toward the seaward edge. At a range of four cables, he swung around to starboard to run along the of the approaching ships.

  “FIRE AS YOU BEAR,” he yelled, and the carronades coughed and jerked back on their slides. The routine set in.

  Reload – Fire – Reload - Fire – Reload - Fire.

  Damn, they were firing at better than two rounds every minute and a half!

  “Cannister over Ball!”

  Fire – Reload – Fire – Reload

  He could see the Alouette, smoke belching from her guns as she raked the line of ships on the opposite tack. Then he saw her turn to take on the biggest of the Zebecs.

  “We will cross her stern and take out any boats that try to get behind her,” he told John Smith, who was at the wheel.

  He looked behind and was gratified that they had evened the odds a bit. He could see at least half a dozen boats that weren’t going anywhere except down to Neptune’s locker. But there were still plenty of boats to worry about and a couple were working their way around to get behind him. He would worry about them when they got closer

  There were three that he was concerned about as they were racing in towards the Alouette. He changed course to run between them and his friends. Armand must have seen them too, and he fired off his long guns on that side when the pirates were five hundred yards away damaging one but not stopping it. He saw the Lark approaching and waved to Marty before turning his attention back to the Xebec that was almost in range.

  Marty swung across his stern just in time as the other two Dhows were swinging into line. That’s when he realised that some had cannon mounted. It was hard to miss the puffs of smoke and the shriek of shot across the deck.

  His gunners responded without orders. They knew what to do and made sure they aimed well. At least two of the carronades must have aimed for the nearest Dhow as it just disintegrated in a cloud of shattered wood. The second staggered and swerved away as it was hit by a storm of cannister.

  He looked around and realised the two that had been working there way around behind him were only a couple of hundred yards away and closing fast.

  He yelled to tack and swung the ship to larboard. He made it half way and the wind dropped!

  The turn continued under their momentum, but it wouldn’t be enough to bring the guns to bear.

  The Alouette was exchanging broadsides with the xebec. Well he could damn well help her! As his guns swung across the big pirate ship, he ordered the crews to give her one for the boys!

  Blaez’s barking brought his attention back to the other Dhows. One was almost up to them. They had sweeps and were rowing themselves in to board.

  “Swivels to the stern!” He called, and the marines responded immediately. Four of the nasty little guns were quickly mounted and fired, dealing a load of death at the crews of the approaching boats. He heard a couple of the carronades fire again then there was a grating noise as a Dhow ran along side.

  A head appeared over the rail and a seaman shot it at point-blank range with a pistol. The head exploded and disappeared only to be replaced with half a dozen more. Marty yelled and ran into the attack. Shooting his pistols on the move and taking out a couple more. Then he was in amongst them as they poured up the side. He went to work with frantic ferocity. Either side of him were Tom and the Basques. Blaez was savaging any pirate that got past them. Marty staggered as a pirate got in a lucky thrust that ran across his ribs.

  He smashed the sword away with his hanger and was about to thrust with his knife when both the man’s hands were hacked off by James Campbells sabre.

  He didn’t have time to thank him as James kicked the handless man in the chest sending him over the side and turned to take on another screaming savage.

  The boat rocked, and he felt wind on his cheek. It gusted stronger and the cutter started moving away from the boarder’s boat.

  They boys finished off the last of the boarders and Marty took stock of what was going on. The Alouette was wining the fight with the Zebec, which had large shot holes at her waterline and was sinking. It looked to Marty as if there were still around half the Dhows left and the other Zebec. Armand looked as if he was preparing to move on and take on another target. He wouldn’t have to go far as the pirates were closing in on them.

  He also guessed that they had about ten minutes respite before it all started again. He moved around the crew checking who was hurt and if they needed treatment of could go on fighting. He also ordered all pistols and swivels reloaded.

  The surgeon’s mate stopped him and made him take off his shirt so he could check his wound. Marty was surprised to see the gash in his skin and then remembered the sting as something had hit him. He got the mate to just pour raw spirit on it to cleanse it and to wrap a bandage around his chest.

  He had lost two men so far. One of them was the Basque, Pablo, who had taken on three pirates and had killed two before the third stabbed him in the side. The other was one of the new men that had joined just for this mission. He would mourn both later. The rest were walking wounded, and all said they could fight on.

  Blaez was fine and had blood all over his face but none of it his. Tom had a cut or two and the other three Basques were unhurt but very angry over the death of Pablo.

  He ordered the deck cleared of bodies and the dead pirates were thrown overboard. Just then, a huge grey and white shape launched itself out of the water, catching a body in its gaping maw. It was the biggest shark any of them had ever seen and must have been twenty feet long!

  Marty looked over the side and saw that there were dozens of the big grey shapes under the water. Then the screams started from the ships that were wrecked as the survivors came face to face with their worst nightmare.

  He had no time to worry about them as the other Dhows were closing in. He called the men to action again.

  He noticed the three remaining Basques had separated, one to either beam amidships and Matai at the bow. Then Matai threw back his head and gave out a cry that started slowly and got faster to its climax.

  “Eye, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy ,Yiy, Yiy , Yiy Yeeehhhaaa!” echoed across the water.

  It was answered by Antton.

  “Eye, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy ,Yiy, Yiy , Yiy Yeeehhhaaa, Yiy!”

  Then Garai.

  “Eye, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy ,Yiy, Yiy , Yiy Yeeehhhaaa! Eye, Yiy.”

  The sound was earie and compelling and strangely uplifting.

  Then the whole crew stood and shook their weapons in the air and screamed their defiance at the approaching craft.

  “Eye, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy, Yiy ,Yiy, Yiy , Yiy Yeeehhhaaa!”

  They finished with a cheer as the Lark ploughed between two Dhows, and the carronades on both sides roared their battle cry.

  The fight got down and dirty from then on. Marty sailed his ship to cover the stern of the Alouette and they fought like daemons. The carronades we
re too hot to touch and they had to swab them extra carefully to avoid premature detonation of the charges. They ran out of cannister and were loading chain and langridge instead.

  It seemed to go on forever, and Marty’s arms were leaden from swinging his sword. But then, suddenly it was over. No more screaming pirates were trying to board, the carronades had nothing to shoot at, the swivels were silent.

  He stood, and Blaez nuzzled his hand. He automatically reached down to rub his head as he looked around at the absolute carnage. He was too numb to feel appalled at the scene before him.

  The deck was stacked three or four deep around the rail with dead pirates. They look like a wall, he thought. The sea around them was covered in wreckage and floating bodies. The sharks weren’t feeding anymore. They had had their fill.

  He looked at the Alouette and saw Armand stood at the rail. He waved, and Armand waved back and then beckoned for them to sail up alongside.

  Marty didn’t need to tell the crew to clean up the ship. James was already organising the men in to parties and the dead were being dumped overboard, or, if they were their own, laid out amidships. Marty noticed that James was limping and had a bloody stain on his right leg.

  John Smith was still at the wheel and Marty checked he was alright as there were more than a few dead bodies around him.

  “I be fine, sir. Just had to take care of these few unwanted visitors.”

  Marty counted at least ten bodies and wondered at the man who could kill that many and still steer the ship. The giant Wilson was leaning on the rail just staring out to sea then shook himself nodded to Marty and started throwing the bodies over the side.

  They used the deck pump to wash the gore from both the ship and themselves then buried their dead at sea well away from the battle to be clear of the sharks. Both crews had lost men but for Marty the loss of Pablo was particularly hard.

  He asked Matai what the call meant that he had made. He explained that in the mountains, they would communicate with those calls and the one he made was a farewell to a friend and a promise of revenge.

  Two days later Marty, Armand and their two midshipmen sat on the beach at their impromptu base eating a meal of some dear like animal a couple of the marines had shot. The crew were either lazing around or playing an impromptu game of cricket. They had already had their lunch.

  “So, the two Zebecs came from Madagascar,” Ryan Thompson stated, “Does that mean that all those extra Dhows came from there as well?”

  “Probably,” Armand answered, “But we won’t know for sure unless we have a look.”

  “Why did they attack us en-masse?” James pondered out loud.

  “We are a threat to their operation and would cut into their profits. I believe Marty’s comments triggered a, how you say, field war,” Armand quipped.

  “Turf war,” Marty corrected automatically “Armand is right. They think we are here to take over the piracy business and they obviously don’t like that.”

  “When will we go to take a look?” asked Thompson.

  “Well, we need to restock with powder and shot first,” Marty observed, “We damn near emptied the magazine of everything in the last fight.”

  “Yes, and our gunners need a rest. They almost killed themselves with the effort they put in,” Armand added.

  “We will return to Cape Town tomorrow and then decide what we will do next once we are replenished.”

  Chapter 14: Finishing Up

  It took them over three weeks to make the return trip as the prevailing wind was all wrong, but they eventually got there. Marty took the time to write a detailed report for Wickham and added a chapter or two to his letters to Caroline, his mother, the De Marchets, and Miss Kate.

  When they arrived and tied up at the dock, they saw a British Frigate anchored in the bay with half a dozen East Indiamen. They looked to have had a hard voyage and were making repairs.

  The Lark and Alouette were both carrying the scars of their battles and the crews walked proudly, if a little unsteadily on the docks.

  A boat came across from the Frigate, which turned out to be the Seahorse under Captain Stewart, who had escorted the convoy down from England.

  The midshipman brought mail and an invitation for them to dine aboard.

  The mail was distributed, and Marty saw he had private letters from Caroline, Miss Kate, and the De Marchets along with ones from his bank and prize agent. There were also official packets from the Admiralty, Wickham, and the palace.

  He opened the one from the palace first. It was an official confirmation of his barony and a letter informing him that he was being enrolled in the order of the bath. He didn’t know what that was, but it sounded kind of odd.

  The letter from the admiralty was just the usual updates of signals and requests for the lists.

  The one from Wickham was more interesting and in code. Once he had decoded it, he read that:

  Their explosive endeavours in Paris hadn’t caused the Coup d’état by Napoleon as they had now received new information that it had been in planning for a long time. Napoleon was indeed suing for peace and the government was desperate to agree one as the war was bankrupting the country. However, they had secured the future of the S.O.F. and any good news that they could bring back would help as well. He also told that he had discretely discussed their mission with the senior members of the Honourable East India Company and if they were to be successful, then a significant reward would be forthcoming. Unofficially, of course. He was to look out for two of those honourable gentlemen who were heading to India.

  Marty wondered what that meant. Had Wickham used this mission to enlist the support of the company in keeping the S.O.F. going? If he had what did that mean for the future?

  The letters from the De Marchets were filled with news and details of the preparations for Evelyn’s wedding. There were also copies of newspapers with the announcements. Marty put them aside to enjoy later.

  The letter from Miss Katy was full of news about his family and how his marriage to Caroline and his Barony had made them local celebrities. His mother was being pestered by suitors who suddenly found her to be a ‘good catch,’ but he need not worry as his brothers were fronting up and protecting her from unwanted attention. That had resulted in a few bruises and even a broken arm so far. She passed on a message from his brother, Arthur, who said that he was doing well in the forge and had a commission to create a pair of large wrought iron gates for a big country house. He had to take on a couple of helpers to make them, but he hoped that it would lead to further work of the type.

  Last, he read the letters from Caroline. They told of how much she missed him but understood he had his duty. The pregnancy was progressing normally and just after he left, she started getting morning sickness. That didn’t sound nice, he thought. The distribution of brandy and wine ‘imported’ by the Deal boys was going well and she had come to an agreement with Bill Clarence that she would be their exclusive distributor. Marty wondered at the legality of the whole activity but it was her hobby, so he let it pass. She also said that Bill was helping her with the distribution business and was now more a business partner than a supplier.

  If he didn’t know that Bill was madly in love with his wife, Stella, he would have been jealous.

  He suddenly realised that the baby was due in July, and there was no chance that they would get home in time for the birth. That upset him quite a bit, and he immediately added a paragraph to break the news to his letter to her.

  He sealed his letters and put them in the mail bag that would be left with the port admiral to be put on the next ship home.

  That evening, he met Armand on the Alouette and asked him whether he had received a letter from Wickham. He hadn’t, so he had filled him in on what it had said. Armand didn’t appear to be bothered that Wickham had written to Marty and not him.

  They boated across to the Seahorse and were greeted by a full side party at the entry. They were escorted down into the captain’s dining roo
m and found themselves in the company of not just the captain but also two men who were introduced as commissioners for the Honourable East India Company. Sir Rodney Chapman and the honourable Stanley Winchcombe esquire.

  Winchcombe started to call Marty M’Lord, but he was quickly corrected by Marty, who insisted that he only use his Navy rank. Captain Stewart looked relieved as he had no idea how to cope with someone the rank of a baron who was also a lieutenant.

  They sat down in comfortable chairs over glasses of Madera and, after some small talk, Sir Rodney asked if their mission had produced any results. Marty looked at Captain Stewart and saw he looked interested.

  “I have had a letter from England,” he opened, “Are you the gentlemen referred to?”

  “Yes, we have spoken to your – aah – sponsor. He advised us to talk to you directly. The good Captain is sworn to secrecy,” Sir Rodney smiled.

  Marty exchanged a glance with Armand. Curiouser and curiouser, what the hell is going on? He thought.

  “Under the guise of French privateers, we made contact with a nest of pirates on the mainland just where the straights between there and Madagascar are the narrowest. We were fortunate to meet with two Moroccan gentlemen who purported to be envoys for the Sultan of Morocco.”

  “Did they, bedamned!” exclaimed Winchcombe.

  Marty ignored the interruption and continued,

  “We implanted the idea that we were privateers, licensed by the French government to ‘work’ the straights and take East Indiamen to disrupt British trade. They then let slip that they had an exclusive agreement with the revolutionary government that they had those rights. So, we told them that there had been a change of government and they were out of business.”

  “Oh, that’s rich!” Laughed Sir Rodney. “And what was their reaction?”

  “Well, Armand was also in Port Antisiranana at the same time. Spreading the word that the revolution was over and that there was new management in place. A dhow arrived, we think from the emissaries, and all hell broke loose. He left town quickly and we rendezvoused to the south.” Marty paused to take a sip of drink.