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Allison; Taking Control Chapter 63
The strange words were barely out of his mouth, when he touched a small linstock to a nearby swivel gun mounted on the rail and fired. Isaac and the master had no chance to react before the grapeshot tore into their bodies, killing them both instantly.Three-pronged iron hooks attached to strong lines suddenly flew onto the deck, biting into planks and rails, grappling the two ships together. No one aboard the Phoebus even had a chance to resist the subsequent swarm of armed men which instantly rose up with a frightful yell from where they concealed themselves. They swept over the opposing deck in a hellish maelstrom of smoke and blood punctuated by the screams of the dying.The carriage may not have been quite as large or ostentatious as the one belonging to Governor Tinker, but its well-upholstered seats certainly made it comfortable. As the vehicle rolled along the dirt road, Allison noted that it had already left the outskirts of St. John’s behind and now drove amongst the sugar
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 64
“I’m fortunate enough to have a first lieutenant with extensive knowledge of encryption methods who completed the task quite admirably, yes.”“Well then, let me begin with our friend, the Frenchman Monsieur LaTour. I trust you’ve heard a great deal about him and his exploits?”“Perhaps more than I ever could have wanted to hear,” Allison answered. “To think, one man has managed to cow the citizens of New Providence so deeply when the war itself harbors the promise of so many more and greater dangers.”“Believe me, Captain,” Gambles said, looking more serious than he had up until now, “what you’ve just described goes perhaps two or threefold for the people of this island. As anyone knows, there are many, many more corsairs - as the damnable French governor of Martinique is fond of calling them - employed by France than just Gaston LaTour. However, he’s certainly the most popular by far, due in great part to what he’s done in these waters.”“I take it from your comment that LaTour was
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 65
Allison examined the length of slightly corroded wire attached to the wood. It was certainly long and sturdy enough to be used for strangling or choking someone were it wound about and twisted tightly. Gambles was motioning for him to turn the wooden piece over and look at the other side. On the opposite surface was a series of words, written somewhat sloppily in a dark blue-black which, oddly enough, was much like the color of his host’s clothing. That similarity was the first thing to attract his notice; the words themselves, however, were another thing entirely:Les sens trompent de temps en temps, et est prudent de ne jamais faire confiance entierement ceux qui nous ont trompé une seule fois. “Cryptic,” Allison observed, “but I doubt very much the Blevins family found this message to be in any way intriguing or engaging, if they understood it at all. It’s obvious someone had awfully cavalier intentions when it came to Mr. Thorpe’s death.”“Someone like LaTour?” Gambles asked in
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 66
Bidding his host a respectful good-bye and thanking him once more, Allison stepped outside and into the waiting vehicle, which began to roll forward at the crack of the driver’s whip. Looking out the open window back toward the Gambles residence, he watched the lights at the front door shrink and recede into the nighttime darkness, once again becoming a single point of light, before the carriage regained the main road and turned westward.It had been an enjoyably cordial means of bringing the evening to a close, even if his storytelling had caused him to lose his sense of time. However, now that it was over and he sat alone in the dimly-lit interior of the carriage, the less than desirable feelings which had begun to assault him upon learning of Thorpe’s demise started to resurface. The growing frustration, blended with genuine anger, fought with his sense of reason and rapidly consumed his every thought. He knew that Thorpe’s death had nothing to do with him or the efforts of his ha
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 67
He had barely risen to where he could see out the left side when another galloping shadow came into view. Its rider got close enough to the rear wheel to drop a heavy object, perhaps a metal bar, onto the rim. The object was caught up in the spokes, fouling the wheel and rendering it inoperable. As a result, it shattered and broke clean off, forcing the carriage to skid wildly and it was now being pulled off the road. Allison went down again, this time thrown there with great force against his will as the vehicle was still somehow pulled forward, albeit more slowly, after the loss of its rear wheel.Burning pain seethed into Allison ’s left shoulder which slammed heavily against the side as he fell. He felt his head hit the floor and his vision suddenly became a swirling incoherent blur. White hot pangs now shot through his skull and his ears began to ring, allowing for no other discernable sound. He could still feel the rough movement of the carriage as it was being partially dragge
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 68
After another minute or two, it seemed as though he had moved beyond the area on which his attackers were concentrating their use of the grenades, since the explosions seemed to be going off well behind him. At any rate, their supply could not be inexhaustible and by this time nearly a dozen had to have been expended. That was only half the concern, however, as he knew he was probably obliging their assumed purpose of forcibly expelling him from the dense plant growth. As if confirming that very thought, the thick clouds which had blanketed the night sky slowly drifted apart to reveal a bright half moon. This gave off just enough illumination for him to see that he was reaching what appeared to be the field’s edge. Instinctively, he dropped down to crawl the remainder of the way toward where the moonlight looked to be brighter while doing his best to keep quiet and not rustle the stalks in any indicative manner. As he did so, the explosions appeared to stop.Nearing the edge, he found
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 69
Allison shuffled out of the cell, then Gambles led him down the corridor as he spoke. “From what I heard of the fight you went through, that isn’t hard to believe. I only learned of it when I was awoken by the servants who informed me that the carriage hadn’t returned. Some of the soldiers who rode out in response to the occurrence were questioning Mr. Wickham, on whose property everything took place, when I happened by on my way here. That’s when I learned what really happened.”The soldier who let him out of the cell was now handing him back his hat, coat, sword and the French signboard. After Allison donned his accoutrements, the man saluted and pushed open a heavy door of wood and steel to let them out. Since he had been locked in a dimly lit cell for several hours straight, the direct sunlight was positively blinding as Allison stepped across the threshold and out into the street. His eyes were nearly squinted shut while he shaded them with his hand.“I believe your first lieu
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 70
“Given my experience, I wouldn’t deem it truly safe for anyone wearing these blue uniforms to travel alone on the island right now. Sergeant White is a decent horseman; we’ll see if William might have another two or three amongst his detail. Then I’ll provide you with some coin from what we’ve been given to hire mounts so you can ride, escorted, to the Blevins’ plantation.”Caldwell suddenly blanched.“What... what name did you... I’m sorry Captain, what was that name again?”“The Blevins family, Henry. Gambles did mention them didn’t he?” Allison asked, though neither he nor Deakins really noticed Caldwell’s reaction.“Um... no sir. I think he neglected to mention their actual name,” he answered truthfully enough, though something was definitely agitating him.Still neither of his companions took note of his perturbed state.“Their lands are close by, not far south of town,” Allison went on. “Still, I think you’ll be grateful for not having to make the trip on foot. In the meantime
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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
