He forgot the discomfort instantly as he exclaimed, `I heard a shot!'
– Pyke snatched the bottle and thrusting it into his coat said uneasily, `Aye. A small piece.'' He blinked into the darkness. `A vessel. Out there somewheres. Must be in distress.'
Bolitho chilled even more. Wrecks dotted this shoreline in plenty. Ships from the Caribbean, from the Mediterranean, everywhere. All those leagues of ocean, and then on the last part of the voyage home, Cornwall.
Rocks to rip out a keel, angry cliffs to deny safety to even the strongest swimmer.
And now, after what he had heard, the additional horror of wreckers.
Perhaps he had been mistaken, but even as he tried to draw comfort from the thought another bang echoed against the cliffs and around the hidden cove.
A seaman whispered fiercely, `Lost 'er way most like. Mistook the Lizard for Land's End. It's 'appened afore, sir.'
Pyke grunted, `Poor devils.'
`What will we do?' Bolitho tried to see his face. `We can't just leave them to die.'
`We don't know she'll come aground. An' if she does, we can't be sure she'll sink. She might beach 'erself up at Porthleven, or drift free of danger.'
Bolitho turned away. God, Pyke does not care. All he is interested in is this job. A quick capture with the booty.
He pictured the unknown vessel. Probably carrying passengers. He might even know some of them.
He stood up. `We will go round the cove, Mr Pyke. We can stand by on the other headland. She'll. most likely be in sight very soon.'
Pyke jumped to his feet. `It's no use, I tell you!' He was almost beside himself with anger. `What's done is done. The cap'n gave us orders. We must obey'em.'
Bolitho swallowed hard, feeling them all looking at him.
`Robins, go and tell the men at the boat what we are doing. Can you find the way?'
It only needed Robins to say no, to proclaim ignorance, and it was over before it had started. He could barely recall the other men's names.
But Robins said brightly, `Aye, Sir. I knows it.' He hesitated. `What then, sir?'
Bolitho said, `Remain with them. If you sight Avenger at daybreak you must make some effort to tell my, er, the captain what we are about.'
It was done. He had disobeyed Hugh's orders, overruled Pyke and taken it on himself to look for the drifting vessel. They had nothing but their weapons, not even one of Pyke's centipedes to grapple the vessel into safer waters.
Pyke said scornfully, `Follow me then. But I want it understood. I'm dead against it.'
They started to scramble along another narrow path, each wrapped in his own thoughts.
Bolitho thought of the brig Sandpiper where he and Dancer had faced a pirate ship twice her size. This was entirely different, and he wished yet again his friend was with him.
As they rounded a great pile of broken rocks a seaman said hoarsely, `There, Sir! Lights!'
Bolitho looked, stunned even though he had been expecting it. Two lanterns, far apart and lower down the sloping side of the headland. They were moving, but only slowly, one hardly at all.
Pyke said, `Got 'em tied to ponies, I expect. That ship's master out there will think they're ridin' lights.' He spat out the words. `A safe anchorage.'
Bolitho could see it. As if it had happened. As if he were there. The ship, which seconds before had been beset with doubts and near panic. Then the sight of the two riding lights. Other vessels safely at anchor.
When in fact there was nothing but rocks, and the only hands waiting on the shore would be gripping knives and clubs.
He said, `We must get to those lights. There may still be time.'
Pyke retorted, `You must be mad! There's no doubt a bloody army o' the devils down there! What chance do we 'ave?'
Bolitho faced him, surprised at his own voice. Calm, while his whole body was shaking. `Probably none, Mr Pyke. But we have no choice either.'
As they started to descend towards the cove even the night seemed to become quieter. Holding its breath for all of them.
`How long before dawn?'
Pyke glanced at him briefly. `Too far off to ' elp us.'
Bolitho felt for his pistol and wondered if it would fire. Pyke had read his thoughts. Hoping against hope that with daylight they might see the cutter standing inshore to help them.
He thought of Hugh. What he would have done. He would certainly have had a plan.
He said quietly, `I'll need two men. We'll go for the lights, while you, Mr Pyke, can take the remaining hands to the hill and cause a diversion.'
Just like that.
Pyke stared at him. `You don't even know this beach! There's not an inch o' cover. They'll cut you down afore you've gone a pace or two!'
Bolitho waited, feeling his skin sticking to his wet shirt. He would be still colder very shortly. And quite dead.
Pyke had sensed his despair, his determination to do the impossible.
He said abruptly, 'Babbage an' Trillo will be best. They- knows these parts. They got no cause to die though.'
The one called Babbage drew his heavy cutlass and ran his thumb along the edge. The second seaman, Trillo, was small and wiry, and favoured a wicked-looking boarding axe.
They both moved away from their companions and stood beside the midshipman. They were used to obeying orders. It was senseless to protest.
No Choice
Bolitho looked at Pyke and said simply, `Thank you.'
'Huh!' Pyke beckoned to the others. `Follow me, men.' To Bolitho he added, `I'll do what I can.'
Bolitho set his hat firmly on his head, and with his hanger in one hand and the heavy pistol in the other he walked clear of the fallen rocks and on to the wet, firm sand.
He could hear the two seamen squelching along at his heels, but the sounds were almost drowned by his own heartbeats against his ribs.
Then he saw the nearest light, the shadowy outline of a tethered horse, and further along the beach another animal with a lantern tied across its back on a long spar.
It seemed impossible that such a crude ruse would deceive anybody, but from experience Bolitho knew a ship's lookouts often only saw what they wanted to see.
He could see several moving figures, briefly silhouetted against the hissing spray around the nearest rocks. His heart sank, there must be twenty or thirty of them.
The puny crackle of pistol shots echoed down into the cove, and Bolitho guessed that Pyke and his men were doing their part. He heard startled cries from the beach, the clatter of steel as someone dropped a weapon amidst the rocks.
Bolitho said, `Now, fast as we can!'
He dashed towards the horse, hacking the lantern from its spar so that it fell burning on the wet sand. The horse reared away, kicking with terror, as more shots whined overhead.
Bolitho heard his companions yelling like madmen, saw the seaman, Babbage, hack down a charging figure with his cutlass before running on to cut away the next lantern.
A voice yelled, `Shoot those buggers down!' Someone else screamed in pain as a stray ball found a mark.
Figures fanned out on every side, advancing slowly, hampered and probably confused by Pyke's pistol fire from the hillside.
One dashed forward, and Bolitho fired, seeing the man's contorted face as the ball flung him backwards on to the beach.
Others pressed in, more daring now that they realized there were only three facing them.
