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Allison; Taking Control Chapter 44
A few last words out of context were all the sailor at the counter could hear as Scott’s voice was drowned out. The fiddler near the hearth had decided to strike up a rather loud and sprightly tune to which a couple of spirited locals decided to dance. A man was cutting a lively jig with his hands folded behind his back while a woman circled around with him, swirling her skirts as she spun. They were quickly joined by more people while other tavern patrons clapped and whooped in time with the fiddler’s music.Undaunted, the sailor slipped his pipe back into his pocket and slid deliberately off of his stool. He grabbed the rum bottle and slowly walked toward the blithesome commotion. Stopping at a small table, he took a generous swallow of rum from the bottle before setting it down. He then began clapping along with the others, stamping his foot in time with the rhythm of the buoyant strain. His attention, however, was still firmly fixed on the gentlemen in the corner who went on with
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 45
Four men were grouped together, apparently looking over a collection of documents when a slave laborer, lifting a large sack onto his shoulder to take it off of a cart near the foot of a pier, dropped the object, causing it to burst wide open with a sharp pop. Almost instantly two of the men who were involved in the deal began yelling at the poor fellow at the top of their lungs. One pulled out what looked like a riding crop and began to beat the slave, ushering him quickly away from the scene. Allison , disgusted, did his best to look disinterested as he was slowly walking past, but his eyes were drawn to one thing in particular.As the remaining three men resumed their discussion in a much louder and more animated fashion, Allison noticed that the cloth sack contained a white powder, which had spilled out in a heap on the surface of the pier after it burst open. Small reflective glints could actually be seen within the big clumps, as they lay in the sunlight. This could only be sal
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 46
Later, after the sun had gone below the horizon, Allison sat in his cabin with his two naval lieutenants and Master Washburn going over the direction they had received from Semple as well as the signals he and Suggs had devised. Bosun Tallow already had men hard at work cutting, sewing and painting their new signal pennants which he had been assured would be ready for use by the time they weighed anchor. Allison was just going through the list of basic messages they would generate with those pennants when a hurried knock came at the door.“Come!”Midshipman Hardin walked in to deliver a message.“S-sir, Mr. Bannon sent me to let you know... there’s a dinghy approaching from Allison . There’s... there’s one man aboard. He said you wanted to know immediately, sir.”“Indeed I did. Tell Mr. Bannon to call the men to deck and prepare to receive one person onboard amidships and then recover the dinghy. I will be there presently.”“Yessir!” Hardin answered in the nervous, overly-quick fash
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 47
“I remain a bit puzzled on one detail, William,” Allison said to Weyland as the six men sat around the table in his small cabin again. “Why would these men simply bring legal documents like these to a public place and openly discuss issues that might only serve to bring suspicion upon many of them? Even if these sessions of theirs were actually sanctioned by some act of the government, which I almost certainly doubt, they seem to pose a great risk for both the completely legal and the illicit affairs in which these men might be involved.”Weyland smiled the smile of a man who seemed to be saying ‘I know something you don’t.’ It reminded Allison somewhat of the ever-present grin that nearly always covered Caldwell’s face.“Well sir,” Weyland began, “this meeting of theirs apparently happened in the exact same locale, on the same day of each week for quite some time. Anyone who knew about it, from tavern-goers to the gentlemen themselves, would have found it odd and out-of-place if th
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 48
“As I’ve said before,” Weyland started, “it was the matter of underhanded profit-taking that formed the basis of the whole argument Thorpe had with these gentlemen that night. The proprietor of the establishment even went so far as to say that they were so jealous of the fact he was outstripping them in that way, the whole matter almost devolved into a fight. This, of course, is to say nothing of how he probably outshined them in legitimate ways.”Allison now knew what he was saying.“So Thorpe might have learned that they were planning to undermine him in some fashion and he decided to confront them all at the meeting in question,” he said, finishing the lieutenant’s thought. “Now, with him thought to be gone, they’re planning on seeking reparations for his crimes in the name of the government... from his wife and the estate he leaves behind?”Weyland nodded. “From the parts of their conversation I was able to hear, that’s what I gathered. No doubt each of them would find a way to p
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 49
“We’ve been given little, if any, direction from our superiors, I know,” he started, turning back to look at his officers, “and I understand, in light of that fact, why we may feel the need for greater assertiveness at times. Mind you, I’m not at all saying that I find that particular characteristic detrimental or undesirable. You are all here, obviously, because you have talents and skills that allow you to see things where others may not. Even so, I caution you, yet again, not to let yourselves be completely swayed by suppositions which, no matter how compelling, simply fit the available facts but lack corroborating evidence.”Allison paused once again, taking a deep breath.“Gentlemen, I firmly believe we were not brought together as a unique command on this vessel of the Royal Navy merely to solve a simple crime on one small island, no matter how illustrious its alleged victim. We were given this small, maneuverable ship for a reason. We were given valuable navigational implement
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 50
A referral to the navigational plot showed them to be holding on their intended track, traveling the shortest possible distance to their destination which would split the twenty or so mile distance between Anguilla and St. Martin to the North and St. Christopher to the South. It was effective and efficient in terms of time spent, but Washburn and his mates continuously grumbled over the necessity to constantly change course.“It’s just the man’s nature,” said Caldwell, who had the watch, as he and Allison stood on the quarterdeck one evening. “Give him some of the best charts to be had by humankind, not to mention two wondrously accurate marine clocks, and it will still never quite do. In his estimation, things can always be done in a better fashion.”“I think he’s just asserting what authority he can,” said Allison , speaking his mind. “We all know he’s the bullish headstrong type, so he’ll always have his own opinion. However, sailing through the Virgin Islands was a prudent measur
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 51
“I would certainly agree with your assessment of his overall ability, William,” Allison concurred. “In the short period of time I spent with the man, I believe he actually managed to teach me something as well. He mentioned that in the capacity in which we now serve, we would have to take actions that were unorthodox and irregular – a notion that was echoed by Lord Haig. If your foray to the Pink Conch is any indication, he was quite correct.”The two shared a laugh.“I only wish we could have seen your performance, Mr. Weyland,” Allison continued. “Anyone who has the ability to just walk into Louisbourg and collect intelligence must have been able to put on a fine show in a simple English tavern.”“I was quite glad that I didn’t have to speak French in this case,” Weyland explained, “and I believe my Cockney was quite good, if I can pay myself a compliment.”“Well, all I know is that we owe a great deal of what we now know to your talents, William. It was a job well done. Now we ha
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Chapter 112
“Qui êtes-vous? Parlez, maintenant!” growled the sergeant threateningly, insisting they speak.Caldwell was just about to feign a weak answer when a volley of musketry crackled from a nearby alleyway. Five of the French soldiers immediately crumpled to the ground, while the sergeant and the one remaining foot soldier wheeled around to face whatever it was that just surprised them. All at once a group of yelling, shadowy forms charged through the floating cloud of smoke left by the musket discharge. Seen in the guttering light of the lanterns which had been dropped to the ground, the last standing soldier uttered a disgusting gurgle as the blood-soaked point of a bayonet protruded through the back of his neck. At the same time, two attackers grabbed the reins of the sergeant’s horse while a third pinned the man’s sword arm and pulled him down bodily from the saddle. The third assailant then brandished his own sword and slammed the point into the sergeant’s chest several times before dr
Chapter 111
“Arrêtez!” came the shouted command in French to stop. Before the two disguised British officers could even react, five of the vigilant fellow’s nearby brethren had moved in to surround them. Taken unawares, Caldwell and James instinctively raised their hands. The discovered men were then promptly urged out into the clearing by the soldiers’ bayoneted muskets. The man who had originally discovered them made no effort to interrogate them or to find out who they were. He immediately began to call out to another a short distance away whom Caldwell could tell from the soldier’s address was a sergeant. The men who captured them then began to walk them in that general direction.This was dire. Everything the Philadelphia men had accomplished was about to be brought to nothing by a wretched barking dog. Almost as if to taunt the men it discovered, the vile scrawny creature was still milling about nearby yapping and growling toothily at them while wagging its tail. Both British officers knew
Chapter 110
“Well, what now?” James asked as he and Caldwell ducked back behind the pile of logs. “We can congratulate ourselves after a fashion for making it here under such horrid conditions, but that alone will serve no purpose. I’m forced to repeat my previous question: how do we determine just who or what is in there?”Caldwell looked as if he was about to reply with something less than definite when providence managed to intervene on their behalf yet again, though it was not at first clear exactly what was happening. Shouts and calls echoing up from further down the narrow road preempted Caldwell’s response. Both men ducked down and silently moved further to their right so as to observe the unfolding scene from the screen of heavy brush.A torch-bearing advance guard of marching soldiers, conceivably a detachment of the large unit which had come toward Saint-Pierre earlier, tramped up the slope. Following behind were even more men, with muskets at the ready, escorting what was clearly a gr
Chapter 109
Caldwell shook his head. “We can’t have more than three hours of darkness left to us at this point... but I’ll be buggered if I simply turn about and run off with our task undone. I couldn’t so much as face the Captain if we did that.” He then lifted his head and looked intently off into the darkness to the East.James grasped his thinking almost immediately and he didn’t like it one bit. “Oh... oh no! Not again! Henry, are you daft? I’d swear our last trip through the rills and ridges out there made me bleed far more than that splinter in the arm ever did!” He held out the still bandaged forearm to which he referred.“There’s no help for it, I’m afraid,” Caldwell told him. “Anyway, I do believe there’s another rise just east of here that will more than suit our purpose. It should be an easier ascent than the first ridge we scaled, at least at initially, and we should be able to move up onto higher ground by concealing ourselves on its southern slope and moving under the trees.” He r
Chapter 108
“Well, this is rather tedious – and distressing, I might add,” Caldwell told him. “Given the time we noted seeing the soldiers outside Le Carbet, which is just ahead, I’m all but certain they should have reached this particular point on the road at least a half hour ago if they were on the same schedule.”“A varied timetable?” James suggested.“I suppose something like that would only make sense,” Caldwell conceded, “unless they were delayed for some unknown reason.”James held his palms up. “Well, then what should we...”“SHHHH! Quiet! Lower yourself down and stay still! Something is coming!” Caldwell rasped, cutting him short.The second lieutenant quickly complied and did his best to listen to the approaching sounds which were just now becoming audible to him.As if in answer to their question, voices were heard echoing in the distance off to their right. Though they were still too far away to make out anything being said, it sounded like a series of shouts or calls being relayed
Chapter 107
“You’ve both performed superbly, as evidenced by the information with which you’ve returned. However, the problem we now face with the two of you being more recognizable to local inhabitants requires a form of mitigation. After some deliberation, I’ve decided that you are in fact quite right about the language difficulty inherent in sending other men. For that reason one of you – that is you Henry – will have to return. I am not unmindful of the dangers this entails, so it would be advisable for you to vary your attire and outward appearance as much as you can manage.”The two officers listened obediently, but their discomfiture with the new arrangement was palpable. Allison expected nothing less, and he went on to address the concerns that he knew troubled them.“William, you are by a wide margin the most experienced and practiced in these matters, but given the additional precautions I have decided to enact, your talents will be needed in a different capacity.”Allison now turned
Chapter 106
“We made use of the man’s almost messianic view of LaTour to draw more useful information from him,” Weyland said. “Incidentally, he told us that LaTour does in fact hold a regular commission in the French Navy. His letter of marque is held only for the benefit of his men, who are employed in an auxiliary fashion.”Allison shook his head. “I need only have you recall the damage those ‘auxiliaries’ caused with a single broadside when we met them at sea off Antigua to reiterate my previous warning. Even so, the facts you give stand to reason and confirm something we’ve all but suspected up to this point. What else?”Caldwell picked up the narrative. “LaTour is a figure who, by all accounts, places great importance upon putting himself in the public eye for reasons he himself might refer to as esprit de corps – morale of the whole. However, much as he purposefully strode along Saint-Pierre’s streets in the past, gifting shopkeepers and citizens with the odd item of value, these activiti
Chapter 105
It proved to be more than many of the knaves and blackguards in that establishment could ignore, and the majority quickly lost interest in the prospect of punishing the strangers so as to fight over their valuable coins. With a loud cacophony of shouts and yells that was horrible to hear, men were suddenly jostling, shoving, swinging and kicking to get at the treasure that had just been dropped before them. Others were rolling on the floor, wrestling and even biting for the chance to scoop up what they could.Brossard and Guiteau wasted no time in bolting for the door. After leaping over the bodies of several men who were wrangling with one another to get at the coins scattered about the wooden floor, they discovered that not quite everyone had been distracted by their desperate gamble. Brossard had to swing his pistol by the barrel and brain one onrushing assailant to get by him while Guiteau threw his shoulder into another, knocking him down to barge his way past. Then the wide door
Chapter 104
The old sailor paused again, looking back and forth from Brossard to Guiteau as though he expected one of them to ask the obvious question he’d left unanswered. When his audience didn’t offer this time, he continued.“Obviously something of importance is being stored up there. Wagons which are always covered, usually with armed men riding aboard, make their way up and down at times, winding along the wide path that switches back on the hillside. I’m told regular army troops are actually posted to keep the place under guard.”“Does it belong to LaTour himself?” Brossard asked.Rougebec shook his head. “People suggested that at first, but then another story started circulating. A friend of mine told me. He said whatever happens up there is overseen by some high-up government official, an aristocrat of some standing from the old country by all accounts.”“And no one knows who this man is?” Guiteau questioned.“Nope, but word is not even Baron de Beauville, the governor himself, interfere
