wheel?
Tyrrell drawled calmly, 'It's either that, Colonel, or we rip our keel out.'
Bolitho said, 'A man as tall as yourself, sir, could just about walk twixt the keel and the ground below if he had a mind to.'
Foley did not speak for a full minute. Then he said, «I'm sorry. It was a foolish thing to say.'
'Deep four!'
Buckle breathed out slowly.' Better.'
Bolitho felt Tyrrell's fingers on his arm as he said, 'If we can keep her steady we should rest easy, with some room to swing at anchor. The bottom's safe and we might touch without too much danger.'
'Captain!' Foley's tone was as before. Sharp and impatient. He waited by the nettings and then said, «Tyrrell. Is he an American?'
'A colonist, sir. Like a good many of the hands.'
'God damn!'
Bolitho added, 'He is also a King's officer, sir. I hope you will remember that.'
Foley's white breeches vanished into the hatchways and Tyrrell said bitterly, 'Thinks I'm running th' ship aground just to spite him, I suppose.'
'That will be enough.' Bolitho stared past him at the dancing phosphorescence below the closed gun ports? Like magic weed, changing shape and vanishing only to reappear elsewhere along the slow-moving hull.'] do not envy him his work.' Surprisingly, he found that he meant it?
Somewhere out there in the darkness was the great mass of land. Hills and rivers, forest and scrub which could tear out a man's eye if he was careless. There had been many stories of attacks and ambushes in this area, and even allowing for their being magnified in the telling, they were enough to chill even a seasoned fighter. Indians who were used to scout for Washington 's army, who moved as silently as foxes and struck with the savagery of tigers. A world ob shadows and strange noises, cries which would bring a drowsy sentry wide awake in a cold sweat, if he was lucky. If not, he would be found dead, his weapons gone?
'Deep eight!'
Tyrrell moved restlessly.' We can leave th' channel now. I suggest we steer nor'-east.'
'Very well. Man the braces and bring her round.'
And so it went on, hour by hour, with the leads going and the reefed topsails being trimmed and re-trimmed to hold the fading wind like something precious? Occasionally Tyrrell would hurry forward to feel the tallow in one of the leads, rubbing particles from it between his fingers or sniffing it like a hunting-dog?
Without his uncanny knowledge of the sea bottoms his complete confidence despite the shallow water beneath the keel, Bolitho knew he would have anchored long ago and waited for the dawn?
Foley came and went severyl times but said nothing more about Tyrrell. He mustered the Canadian scouts and spoke for severyl minutes with their sergeant? Later he remarked, 'Good men. If I had a regiment ob them I could retake half of America.'
Bolitho let him talk without interruption. It broke the tension of waiting. It also helped to discover the man behind the disciplined arrogance which Foley wore like a shield?
'I have fought the Americans in many places Captain. They learn quickly and know,how to use their knowledge.' He added with sudden bitterness, 'So they should, they have a hard core of English deserters and soldiers-of-fortune. Whereas I have had to manage with dregs. In one battle most of my men spoke only a few words of English. Imagine it, Captains in the King's uniform, yet their tongues were more used to German dialect than ours!'
'I did not know there were so many English deserters, sir?'
'Some were stationed here before the rebellion? Their families are with them. They have found roots in this country. Others pin their hopes on rich pickings later, land, maybe, or some abandoned farmstead.l Again the harsh bitterness.' But they will fight dearly, no matter what their conviction. For if they are taken and are found to be deserters, they will leave this world on a noose and with Jack Ketch to speed their passing!'
Tyrrell loomed out of the darkness, his voice hushed? 'Ready to slip th' gig, sir. Th' cove will be fine on the larboard bow, by my reckoning.'
The tension was momentarily removed as with whispered commands and groping fingers the waiting seamen hoisted the gig over the gangway to tow jerkila alongside?
Midshipman Heyward was standing nearby as the gig idled clear, and Bolitho said quietly, 'Take good care when you land with the cutter. Keep your wits about you, and no heroics.' He gripped his arms feeling the tension like the spring of a cocked pistol.'] want to see you leave Sparrow as a lieutenant and in one piece.'
Heyward nodded.' Thank you, sir.'
Graves climbed lightly up the ladder.' Cutter's hoisted out and ready.' He glanced at the midshipman? 'Send me, sir. He's no match for this sort of thing.'
Bolitho tried to see Graves 's expression but it was impossible. Maybe he really cared about the midshipman. Or perhaps he saw the prospect of action as his first chance of quick promotion. Bolitho could sympathise with him on either count?
But he replied, 'When I was his age I was already commissioned lieutenant. It was not easy then, and it will not be so for him until he has learned to accept al'
that goes with his authority.'
Bethune said quickly, 'Signal from gig, sir! Three flashes!'
Tyrrell snapped, 'Th' bottom has changed, most likely.' He became calm again.' I suggest you anchors sir.'
'Very well.' Bolitho saw the black outline of the gig bobbing slowly off the larboard how.' Back the mizzen tops'l. Prepare to go about. We will let go the anchor and then take the kedge away in the other cutter. Livela there, or we'll be joining Stockdale in the gig!'
Feet thudded on the gangways, and somewhere above the deck a man yelped with pain as he almost fell headlong. The mizzen topsail was flapping and cracking in spite of the wind's weak pressure, and the noise seemed loud enough to wake the dead. On darkened decks the men ran to braces and halliardss each so familiar that there was hardly any more delay than if they had been in bright sunlight?
Unsteadily, drunkenly, the sloop rode into her cables the water beneath the stem alive with swirling phosphorescence. Both cutters were already swayin^
up and over the gangways, their crews tumbling into them, groping for oars and each other in the rush to get clear?
Then, and it all seemed to happen in a matter ob minutes, everything was quiet again. Sails furled, and the hull rocking gently to a pair of anchors, while close by the boats moved warily, like predators around a tethered whale?
Foley stood beside the nettings and said, 'Send ma scouts ashore, Captain. You have done your part.'
Then he strode to the larboard gangway to watch Heyward's cutter hooking on to the chains where the army scouts were already clinging like so many untida bundles?
Bolitho asked softly, 'What is this cove like, Mr? Tyrrell? Describe it.'
The lieutenant ran his fingers through his thick hair? 'It's well sheltered, 'less some other vessel comes close by. Inland it's heavily wooded, and as I recalls there's two rivers running down towards us.' He peered over the side.' Th' cutter's nearly there. If we hear shooting we'll know we're in for a spell of bother.'
He forced a grin.' One thing. We don't need no wind to work clear. We can run out th' sweeps and pull her to safety.'
Bolitho nodded. In almost any other vessel this mission would have been madness. Close inshore and with little chance of beating clear into the centre of the bay, they would have been as good as wrecked?
He said, 'Get Tilby to grease the sweeps while we are waiting. If go we must, then I think we had best do it silently.'
Tyrrell strode away, his head jutting forward to seek out the boatswain?
Foley reappeared and remarked, 'I think I will get some sleep. There is nothing more we can do but wait.'
Bolitho watched him go. You will not sleep, Colonel? For now it is your turn to bear the load?
Bethune said excitedly, 'Cutter's returning, sir. All's well.'
