Drunkenly, the man lunged. Parrying the man's cutlass with his sword then stabbing up and inward with his dirk Davy punctured both the heart and lung. As he pulled his blade from between his foe's ribs a great sucking noise was made. The man's eyes suddenly went blank as he fell to his knees then face forward onto the deck.
There was a rush of feet as the British group rallied around Gabe. The few privateers left standing put down their weapons, all except one.
'Surrender sir,' Gabe asked.
'I'll see you damned first,' the man replied still in a rage. This had to be the captain and Gabe understood the man facing the reality of his magnificent ship falling into the enemy's hands. Not like the feelings of the reported twenty prizes he'd taken, Gabe surmised.
'Your sword sir,' Gabe asked once again but the man was blind with fury. He sprang forward with a wild animal like cry oblivious to all but repelling these boarders who were taking his ship. As he lunged forward he found himself impaled with two bayonets as the marines had stepped forward to protect their captain.
Looking in disbelief at the bayonets in his chest the man's eyes glazed over and his sword clanged to the deck as his lifeless hand had let loose of the blade.
The madness in Gabe was now on the ebb. The ship was now clear except for the wounded and dead which lay about the deck. British sailors and marines limped around going about their duties as had been assigned.
It was then Dagan approached and said, 'Someone cut the steerage cable so we have no rudder. We're drifting downstream but it won't be long I'm thinking before we'll be grounded.'
'Very well,' Gabe replied then called to Davy, 'see to the boats. I don't want them swamped.'
'Mr. Lavery?'
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'Aye, cap'n.'
'Get all the wounded together. We can put the privateer's men ashore. They can take their wounded with them.'
'Lum?'
'Yes suh.'
'Go gather up all the rags and things you can find and meet me at the magazine. Dagan, let's go check out the captain's cabin.'
A through search of the captain's quarters turned up very little. A very nice set of dueling pistols in a box was tucked under Dagan's arm when they went topside. As they reached the main deck the ship gave a shudder, then a loud creaking of the timbers as the frigate grounded itself in a nearby mud bank. While the wounded men were being off-loaded Lum found a bale of rags and two barrels of coal oil. A barrel of linseed was also found. The rags were soaked in the coal oil then the ship was doused with the remainder. The linseed oil was in a huge barrel so Lum smashed the barrel with an axe sending the liquid gushing over the deck and down into the bowels of the ship.
A search of the magazine proved to be disappointing. Only two barrels of gunpowder was found.
'They were probably waiting on supplies,' Dagan commented seeing the lack of powder.
'Well, we can use it to start the fire,' Gabe said.
Back on the main deck everyone had been offloaded. Lavery and Davy had everything ready for departure. The gunpowder was strewn across the deck and a line was poured to the entry port. Dagan threw the powder barrel he had been using to create a fuse back to the center of the deck then used his pistol to ignite the powder. The men had barely cleared the ship when the dark sky lit up like an inferno. The men were pulling Barracuda 10
with all their might but the heat from the ship could be felt by the men in the boats, making them pull with an urgency.
'That'll bring out a crowd I'm thinking,' Dagan said as they rowed toward the inlet.
Looking back a red glow was visible with sparks and embers filling the sky like fireworks.
'She'd made a fine prize,' Gabe said, regret at having to burn the ship in his voice.
'Aye, my thoughts as well,' Dagan replied. 'What a waste,' he continued, 'but she'll never take another British ship.'
Chapter Sixteen
The trip back to Saint Augustine was very uneventful.
The sky was clear, the wind steady. Dagan had challenged Caleb to a game of chess. Gabe watched intently but the game didn't engross him like it did Caleb and Dagan.
Lum, to get away from Mr. Jewels, took his lotz and went forward. Soon all the men not on watch had gathered round, most with their rum rations in their hands. Some downed their ration while others sipped at the metal cups, trying to make it last. A number of the men chewed tobacco, while most who smoked, lit up their pipes. A few had cigars and these were lit.
The crew was content after a successful operation, which yielded only a handful of wounded and no deaths.
Down in the wardroom the master had Jackson in stitches with his bawdy humor. The purser who never smiled was even laughing at Gunnels's last rhyme, having to do with a hermit who had a dead wench in a cave.
Dawkins could hear the laughter from the wardroom as he passed it going back to the captain's cabin. He had put a bottle of hock in the bilges to chill and had gone to retrieve it now that it was cool enough to drink. It amazed him how cool things stayed below the waterline 1
when the water itself felt warm to the touch. As he made his way into the cabin he could see Caleb leaning forward over the chess board frowning while Dagan was reared back with a smile across his face.
'Damme, sir, where in God's creation did you learn that move? I've not surrendered yet mind you, but it looks like its checkmate.'
Caleb had got to where he spent a lot of time with Dagan. This had started after the overland trip to rescue Gabe, after stopping by Dagan's uncle's place seeking help for Gabe's rescue. He rarely spent much time away from his old traveling companion… was it a bond created by the trip or from a bond with Kitty, the uncle's daughter?
'I surrender,' Caleb finally said.
Dawkins had gotten three glasses and was pouring the hock for the group. 'This is the last bottle of hock, cap'n.'
'Well, you'd better pour yourself a glass and enjoy what we have left,' Gabe told his secretary.
This brought a smile to Dawkin's lips. 'Don't worry, sir, it'll not go to waste.'
'Likely he's been taking lessons from Bart,' Dagan said.
'Well now Bart has learned a trick or two along the way,' Dawkins answered, 'But I believe I've got more time on the head than he's got in His Majesty's Navy.' This brought a chuckle from the group. Dawkins picked up the bottle with the remaining hock and ambled off toward the pantry.
As the ole man entered the pantry he heard Caleb asked, 'Dagan, have you heard from your folks in Virginia lately?'
Gabe instantly picked up on Caleb's question and he eyed Dagan who was eyeing Caleb.
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'You interested in the whole clan or was there somebody particular?' Dagan asked, his head tilted back and angled a bit, his arms across his chest.
'Well, I'd like to know about the whole family,' Caleb stammered, 'but I was… ah… I am particularly interested in how Kitty is doing.'
Enjoying the riposte between his two friends Gabe couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Caleb. He knew how he longed for Faith and even though it had been only a day or so he had a burning desire to be back with her, to hold her, to feel those lips against his, to… ah… well… just to be with her. Dagan clearing his throat broke
