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Allison; Taking Control Chapter 76
“Please don’t forget these,” he said, handing them to Suggs. “However, I must ask for your understanding,” he said as he shut the marine clock in its case and rested his hand upon it. “I’m afraid the circumstances under which these instruments were granted to me dictate that I can never allow them to leave my ship.”“I’m sure I understand,” Suggs assured him. “Besides, I prefer to keep my master’s mates occupied, even if it means the continuation of lunar altitude calculations. Despite all outward appearances, they’re a bunch that needs to be protected from the deadly sin of sloth.” He made a toothy grin. “Of course, how difficult can things truly be if all we have to do is follow you?”Allison smirked at the comment. “Well, to that end, Captain, should we be in receipt of any further coded messages or other information, we’ll make sure you know about them forthwith.”“I appreciate that.”Allison walked to the cabin door and opened it to give one of the marine sentries a message.“P
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 77
Allison didn’t think he bore all of the world’s burdens, but there were times when he felt like a great many of them were present, weighing down both his spirit and his physical body. The Doctor was a man of fine discernment. Even though Allison had been through a great deal which had caused him physical pain and injury, it was plain that Deakins could see through the corporeal aspects of that adversity. Very possibly something about his mood and bearing was betraying hints of mental or emotional strain, despite his efforts to the contrary. Though any man might be expected to endure some measure of distress from frightful or dangerous experiences, Allison knew that as a commanding officer he didn’t have the luxury of allowing himself to be affected in such a way. Despite the constant reminders he provided himself daily, it was apparent that his efforts needed to be redoubled. Fortunately, the Doctor was also a man of discretion and could be counted upon to never allow anything he h
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 78
Allison quickly moved forward, returning salutes of several hands as they passed by, and came up just behind Caldwell’s right shoulder.“Henry, what are you doing up here?” Allison asked him when he had moved close enough to speak so others could not hear. “The Doctor told me you had taken ill.”“I’m feeling alright, sir,” Caldwell answered dispassionately without turning to face him. “Believe me, I’m quite fit.”From all outward appearances, including his complexion and his bearing, this seemed to be true. Yet it was clear something continued to bother him.“Less than half a day? Well that’s an extraordinarily quick period of recuperation,” Allison remarked, stepping forward to look his officer in the face.“Yes... well...”“Something you ate?”“Um... no sir, it wasn’t that, it’s... well, I...”Allison stopped him. “Henry, we’ve no time for this at the moment, but once this situation is resolved, we do need to speak – about several things, it would seem. You’re certain you’re alr
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 79
A decision had to be made and his subordinates were still waiting for it. Fortunately for Allison , his reprieve would come from an unexpected source.“Mollusk is signaling, sir!” Peter Fortescue called out. “A single red lantern amidships! She intends to alter course to larboard!”Allison squinted his eyes as he focused on the light which Fortescue had just described. It remained in place for a short amount of time before he started to see it move, demonstratively from side to side.“Second signal... ’All clear’ or ’All is well’?” the midshipman said, stating the signal’s literal translation aloud while sounding confused.Allison however saw a very clear meaning in the two signals which had just been sent one after the other. He smiled broadly and with a “Hah!” of recognition, slapped his thigh. Suggs had apparently seen everything they did over the past several minutes and was now giving Allison the confirmation he sought, almost as though reading his mind. The intended message b
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 80
Allison had to agree and, admittedly, he had virtually no other explanation for the privateer’s reasoning at the time. Then again, this man had outwitted many an adversary in the past. Knowing that, Allison was getting the uneasy feeling LaTour knew something in this instance that neither he nor any of his officers possibly could. But he couldn’t give up the chase on a mere feeling or hunch no matter what its basis; not when the Articles of War and every regulation he could call to mind dictated otherwise. No – he must pursue the enemy if at all possible or else later devise a substantial explanation for Sir Roger. He must do so even if it meant chasing a larger ship without the assistance of Mollusk. In the current conflict, more than one officer had been brought up on charges of failing in his duty to pursue the enemy or making proper preparations to fight. The unique circumstances of his present mission notwithstanding, Allison still could not be remiss in this case and allow an
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 81
The sailing master accordingly walked to the helm and relayed the order in a low voice. The crew was being quiet enough that the steering cables could be heard shifting the rudder. In fact, there was little else audible aboard ship for a long time afterward as they moved through the swirling fog. Random gusts of wind moving through the sheets and rigging as well as the ever-present creaking of timbers were the only noises that occurred with regularity. From time to time a splashing of wavelets might be noticed as the sea’s surface was cut by the hull’s forward surge. Once or twice an errant cough from one of the hands clearing his throat broke the silence, drawing a threatening look from Bosun Tallow.Now it was a waiting game and a test of nerves. Although his subordinates became increasingly convinced that LaTour had simply eluded them in the fog, Allison was not ready to just turn away and move off. He felt the man’s presence out there, no matter how much cloudy vapor might be obs
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 82
“It is a marker of some kind, sir,” Bannon said. “There must be something all the way out here that’s proven to be a hazard.”Allison put his glass to his eye and trained it on the float to inspect it more closely. It appeared ordinary enough... except for one important detail. Being this close, Allison could see that the wood of which it was built was completely unweathered and looked as if it was newly milled. This float had not been here long. Then he also noticed there were no chains or cables attached to indicate that it was held fast or moored in place to mark anything of importance.Suddenly, as if he had been struck by lightning, Allison froze in place, the hand in which he held the spyglass now hanging down limply to his side. An awful surge of fright shot through his gut, sickening him, as everything suddenly became clear. His heart was pounding in his throat. He couldn’t believe he had let this happen.That... wretched frog-eating son of a whore! Damn him to bloody hell!
Allison; Taking Control Chapter 83
Caldwell again acknowledged the instructions before asking, “Any word on Kelvin yet?”Allison shook his head. “No, but I plan on going below now. I’ll talk to Deakins and find out.”Caldwell saluted and then moved away to put his captain’s orders into effect.On his way to the forward ladder leading below, Allison happened upon Tallow directing the patching of the sails.“Our sheets, Mr. Tallow?”“Still usable sir,” the big man answered. “Two clean holes, one through each. We could use ’em as-is, but I think we can patch ‘em up alright. It’s new canvas, so I think our stitching will hold wi’out having any tearing. We had some rigging shot away too. We’re workin’ on puttin’ more together.”“Well done,” Allison told him. The Bosun saluted as the Captain went below.When he descended the ladder, something of a commotion was still coming from back aft where the doctor worked. Allison could see a man he was stitching up lying upon the table writhing in pain from a lower leg wound. One
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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