Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Asecond knock at the door forced her to pull herself together. It was Lin Chen this time, her Bosun and effective second in command, as they lacked a quartermaster. She was filling the role herself as no-one else had the literacy and numeracy needed for the job, let alone the leadership skills.

She smiled at Chen. The woman was in her thirties and an experienced sailor. She’d served under the notorious female Pirate Li Cheng Sao, before the legendary pirate queen retired. It was Chen that brought the Sea Devil most of the female crew when her father’s men deserted her on his death.

“Nice work on Furness, Chen.”

Chen smiled, her almond eyes crinkling at the corners. “That one was easy to put down. But he won’t stay down Captain.”

“Yeah, Mick said the same thing.” She grimaced. “We’ll find a way to manage him. This crew will learn to get along.”

“Nice touch with the knife Captain.”

Callista grinned. “It’s my party trick. Men are sensitive about their equipment. Threaten their cods, and they become remarkably docile in my experience.”

Chen chuckled in appreciation. “Man, who is separated from his balls is unhappy man indeed.”

Callista nodded agreement. “What did you need Chen?”

“It is a matter of the cabins, Captain. By rights the new Gunner should have the gunner’s cabin, but that will put Mrs Harwood and her daughter in with the rest of the female crew. On top of the demotion, I thought that might be a crushing blow?”

“I see what you mean. But the fact is the Gunner is entitled to both the position and the cabin, he does have more experience than Mrs Harwood. She was a gunner’s wife, everything she knows she learned from her husband, she’s not seen actual battle. Coats was a Lieutenant in the British Navy and has seen action in multiple battles. I’ll speak to both of them and sort it out. Send them to my cabin.”

Chen nodded and turned to leave. On impulse Callista said, “What did you think of the Irishman?”

“He took teasing well. He has confidence that one. And muscles. You want I find out his skills?”

“Test him certainly. I’ll interview him when he’s found his sea legs. He’ll not be at his best until then. Get Njinga to test him on the rigging, I imagine he will do well.”

Chen smiled, gave Callista a little bow of respect and left.

Callista prowled to her desk and finished off her whisky. She had just set the glass down when her door opened again to admit Mr Coats and Mrs Harwood.

Coats was a tall man, in his forties, with brown hair greying at the temples and faded brown eyes, crinkled from the sun. She suspected that he was no happier about being on the Sea Devil, than Furness, but he was better at hiding it. He seemed to be a thorough gentleman, and so far in her dealings with him, he had been nothing but polite. He even took it well when she explained that the democratic nature of the ship made it impossible for them to recognise his title of Lieutenant.

Ellen Harwood was in her thirties, with soft brown hair that refused to stay neatly in a bun, and blue eyes that told a tale of suffering of which Callista only had fragments. The woman was very private. Since coming aboard the Sea Devil with the other female crew in Jamaica, she had only said that she was a gunner’s widow and offered to manage the ships guns, when it was clear that to secure her place and one for her daughter, she needed a skill the ship couldn’t do without. Her daughter, Katie, served as powder monkey.

Since the fight with Perez that cost her father his life, they hadn’t had to fire the guns in anger, but Mrs Harwood had staged several practice runs with the female crew with mixed success. It had been that, among other things, that prompted Callista to take the decision to press the men while they were in London. They needed the men, not only to sail the ship but to take down Perez and his crew, the women alone, as strong and brave as they were, would not be enough.

Ellen Harwood bobbed a curtsy. “Captain, you wished to speak to me?” She cast a sideways look at Coats, who bowed with punctilious courtesy.

“Captain.”

“I did. I wanted to speak to both of you. I’m not sure if you’ve been properly introduced?”

The two eyed each other and shook their heads.

“Mr Coats, Mrs Harwood.”

“A pleasure ma’am.” Coats bowed.

Ellen curtsied with a nod of acknowledgement.

“Coats, Mrs Harwood has been acting as our gunner.”

His eyes widened in surprised.

“My husband was the gunner aboard the Mary Jane, lost off the Cape of Good Hope.” She swallowed. “The Mary Jane was a convict ship, bound for Australia. When she began to founder, my husband put me and my daughter in a lifeboat to escape the sinking. We pulled Jenni Wade out of the drink, she’d jumped overboard, but her shackles almost caused her to drown. The current took us to St Helena and from there, we caught a ship to Jamaica. We joined the Sea Devil there.”

Mrs Harwood maintained a ramrod straight back and stoic expression throughout this recital, the longest string of words Callista thought she had heard from the woman in three months acquaintance. Her comments about Jenni Wade, their cooper, confirmed her suspicion that the girl was a run-away convict. Wild to a fault Jenni. Almost more trouble than she was worth.

“Mrs Harwood, you should know that Coats was a Lieutenant in the British Navy and has served as gunner for many years.”

Ellen pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. “I see. You no longer require my services.”

“On the contrary. I would like you to serve as gunner’s mate under Mr Coats guidance. Is that acceptable to you?”

Ellen darted a look at Coats. “I think you’re asking the wrong person.”

“Mr Coats, do you have any objection?” Callista asked him directly.

Coats appeared speechless for a moment. But he made a quick recovery. “It is most unusual I must confess. But then everything on this ship is unusual.”

Ellen straightened her shoulders. “I know my business, Lieutenant. I can be of assistance to you. And my daughter too.” A navy man’s wife, Mrs Harwood had no problem recognising his rank. But she would need to be reminded it wasn’t accepted on the Sea Devil.

Coats observed her for a moment in silence and then nodded. “I’ll take your word on that Mrs Harwood.” He turned back to Callista. “I take it you expect to see action during this voyage?”

“Our mission to take down the Esperanza will involve a fire fight, that is certain. Perez won’t go down without a fight.”

“And when we have completed this mission?”

“You will be returned home Mr Coats, if you wish to go.” Callista smiled. “You have my word on it as a Montmayne. We keep our promises” she added. “And you’ll be paid, we are on official British Government business, there is prize money to be had and ships to be taken. Slaves to be freed.”

He bowed his head. “A worthy cause indeed Captain.”

“I’d like to think so.”

“Mrs Harwood, I look forward to working with you.” He smiled and Ellen blushed.

“There is one other matter, sir. You are entitled to the gunner’s cabin; Mrs Harwood and her daughter have been using it -”

“And they should continue to do so. I will bunk with the crew.”

“You will?”

“Of course. I would not turn a lady out of her bed.”

Callista smiled. She had suspected Coats might prove to be a gentleman. It was a breed Callista did not have a great deal of acquaintance with. It was refreshing to meet one so thoroughly upstanding as Coats.

Connor layon the deck staring up at the stars and trying not to think about how miserable he was. He could hear the murmurs of the other men who had, like him, chosen to spend the night on the deck rather than in the berth below where the mere thought of trying to sleep in a swaying hammock made his stomach heave.

“You’re really suffering, aren’t you?” said a quiet voice to his right.

He cracked one eye open and observed a tall young man in a shirt and waistcoat leaning over him. The man sat down cross-legged beside him and held out something.

“Take some of this, it will help.”

“What is it?” asked Connor suspiciously.

“Ginger root. It will help settle your stomach.”

“How do you know?”

The young man smiled. “Alan Chetwynde, apothecary’s assistant at your service Mr Mor.”

Connor sat up on an elbow and took the sliver of fibrous root and sniffed it suspiciously, he nibbled a bit and the fiery bite of the ginger hit his tongue. He chewed and eventually, with some trepidation, he swallowed. Mr Chetwynde offered him some water to wash it down, and he took a few sips. In his experience anything he swallowed had a tendency to reappear rapidly. He lay back down again and after a bit he began to feel less queasy.

“Helping?”

“Yes, thank you, it is.”

“It won’t last all that long but will give you a bit of relief.”

“How much of that stuff have you got?”

“Not enough unfortunately. I got it from the cook, Mr Adebayo.”

“Ye’ve had some yerself?”

“I don’t need it. I’m one of the lucky few who apparently doesn’t suffer from sea sickness. Who knew? I’ve never sailed before.”

“When does it stop?”

“I’m reliably informed in a few days. Most of the rest of the crew are through the worst of it now. You were the last man to be pressed.”

“Something to look forward to aye?” he tried for a lighter note, but he’d never felt more like sticking his spoon in the wall than the past twenty-four hours. “Thank you he murmured closing his eyes.

The next dayConnor was mucking out the animal pens on the third deck and trying not to vomit, when Furness stuck his head through the door.

“Got the short straw did you Irish? Cor what a stench!”

“You want to take over?”

“Not on your life!” Furness stepped over a pile of muck and lowering his voice he said, “You’ll have noticed the small boat on the upper deck?”

Connor nodded.

“A few of the lads are planning to take it tonight. We’re only a day clear of the English Channel, if we act now, we can be home in two days, are you in?”

Home? Holy St Mary yes!“Aye, what’s the plan?”

“We sleep on the deck again tonight. We’ll strike at midnight when they change the shifts. Four of us will take out the women and the other four will lower the boat into the water. Once the women are dealt with, we slip over the side, and we’re away.”

“Can anyone sail a boat?”

“Aye we’ve got a couple of the lads that were pressed from the Navy onboard.”

“How do we navigate?”

“Compass man!”

“What about water and food?”

“The boat is already provisioned, I checked.”

Connor held out his hand. “A good plan Furness.”

“Aye it is.”

Midnight took forever to arrive,and then it was all over very quickly, and not at all as the men had planned it. Seems the women had got wind of their plan and Connor’s team, who were assigned the task of lowering the boat into the water, didn’t even get a chance to act on it. The team lead by Furness assigned to take down the women were corralled and put down so quickly they wondered what had happened.

The captain appeared and inspected the four men on their backs on the deck.

“Don’t you like our hospitality gentlemen?” she asked, pacing around them. “Your rights to sleep on the deck are revoked!”

Connor thought quickly. “How can we help Captain?”

She glanced up at him and the other men with Connor followed his lead, all trying to look eager to please.

“Take them below and confine them to the crew’s cabin,” she gave a contemptuous nod to Furness and his team.

Connor bent over Furness who bared his teeth at him and muttered something rude under his breath. Connor hauled him to his feet and murmured in his ear, “Shut it! We can try again, but first ye need to find out who leaked the plan to the women!”

“For all I know it was you!” muttered Furness.

Connor shook his head. “I want off this damned ship as much as ye do!”