Page 10 of The Scandal of the Deceived Duchess
Amelia thought of asking Anna how she knew all of this, but the sight of the enemy ship that was obviously larger than the one she was on, made her swallow the words. All she could do was watch on in horror as the vessel came bearing down on them.
It was an elegant ship with meticulous lines. She glided over the water like the dorsal fin of a shark. The hull was black with a thick white segment where one line of gun ports resided. Below that, there were more guns. Her sails were pregnant with the wind, propelling the vessel forward at an astounding speed.
“BEAT TO QUARTERS!” yelled one of the midshipmen after Captain Wimple had given the go-ahead.
The order to prepare for battle induced even more activity on board the HMSCapricorn. Men ran hither and thither, completing their tasks of readying the ship. The marines came up from below deck in their red uniforms and armed with muskets. They would provide enfilading fire on the enemy as the cannons shot.
Nearly all of the sailors moved about at the behest of the officers and midshipmen. The entire vessel was a beehive of industry. The gunners (a crew of twelve per gun) took up their positions by the cannons as ordered. The deck was swabbed over with water to prevent fire and the men up in the masts did the same with the sails. Barrels and other equipment were fastened into place as if a storm was on the horizon.
“RAISE THE GUN PORTS!”
Amelia gulped when she heard the familiar voice belonging to the first lieutenant. Just when she thought the two ships would align, the American ship changed tack to portside and slipped in the other direction in an attempt to cross the British ship’s bow.By God, this man knows what he is doing,thought Amelia, admiring the American captain’s skill and audacity. She did not know much about sailing, but the maneuver intrigued her nonetheless.
“Oi, ladies, what areyestill doing out here? Come along, the deck of a ship about to engage the enemy is not the place for ladies.”
It was Simon Biddle the friendly master’s mate, a petty officer with extensive nautical experience and in charge of the ship’s supplies and seafaring capabilities. He had noticed Anna and Amelia by chance as he was completing a final run of the ship’s readiness.
“Come along aft toyercabins; tis the safest place.” Biddle broached no room for argument as he somewhat too roughly urged the ladies to the back of the ship where the cabins were located.
“What’s going to happen now, Simon?” asked Anna.
“We’re going to engage the enemy…I can’t for the life of me understand what an American frigate is doing this far north. Wewastold that they were all bottled up in port or captured.” He shuddered.
Amelia saw the gesture as she worked her way down the steep stairway to the cabins. “What…what?”
“It’s gotta be ‘Black Joe’,” vented Biddle.
“Who is ‘Black Joe’?” asked both women in unison, as they exchanged nervous glances.
“The scourge of the Atlantic. Theysaysthat he is like a ghost, appearing out of nowhere and then he is uponye. We had blue skies and perfect vision, but he still appeared like the ghosts of his parents.” The color on Biddle’s face was as white as a sheet. He hastily pushed the two women into Amelia’s cabin that had been kindly placed at her disposal by the second lieutenant.
“The ghosts of his parents?” Amelia frowned.
“Yes, they were killed during the War of Independence by a ruthless English colonel who massacred the inhabitants of entire farms. He is here for revenge.”
With those words, he darted down the gangway and mounted the steps to the deck. When he disappeared, the first cannon sounded. Amelia and Anna screamed when they felt the frame of the HMS Capricorn shudder.
Chapter 6
A Twist of Fate
The cacophony of the belching cannons had only recently come to an end. Amelia and Anna could smell the acrid stench of smoke eddying toward them from up above and beyond the shattered partition that separated the officer’s section from that of the main body of the ship.
The sound of muskets being fired raged on. There were shouts, screams and the clash of metal objects against one another. Anna reached out to hold Amelia’s hand. As if reading one another’s minds, they both took a few steps back into the far reaches of the small cabin until their backs touched the wooden planking.
“What are we going to do?” asked Anna, her teeth chattering with fear.
Amelia reluctantly turned her head away from the open doorway, leading to the gangway and looked her friend in the eye. “Captain Wimple will protect us,” she said without conviction.
“Against a ghost…how?”
“I don’t know; he just will.” Amelia thought a moment as the noises up above them became more powerful. The sound of hundreds of feet on the deck resounded like the charge of a herd of bulls. There were more cries of anguish interspersed with the feral shouts of those men still in combat.
“You see, it sounds like we are winning,” said Amelia, feeling a little more confident.
“How canyetell?”
Amelia shrugged. She thought of something to calm herself and her friend.Talking, yes that’s it. Talking always takes the mind off things.“This seems very much like what you dreamt, Anna?”
