Bolitho faced aft again to watch the other ships? Raising his glass he moved it slowly over Sparrow's deck, seeing the figures on the gangways, a solitary seaman at her mainmast crosstrees. Then aft, as a freak gust lifted the foot of the main course like a miller's apron, he saw Graves. He was standing beside the wheel, arms folded, looking every inch a captain. Bolitho breathed out very slowly. So much depended on Graves. If he lost his head, or misinterpreted his carefully worded instructions, the enemy would still catch two for the price of one. But Graves had got the first part right. He was wearing Bolitho's new uniform, the gold lace showing clearly in spite of the feeble light. The enemy captain would be wary, watchful. Nothing must go wrong at the beginning. Heaven alone knew how all the extra passengers had been crammed below and out ob sight. It would be like a sealed tomb, a nightmare for the women and children once the gunfire began?
Midshipman Heyward came to the poop and said, 'All our boarding party are ready, sir.' Like Bolitho and Tyrrell he had discarded his uniform and looked even younger in his open shirt and breeches?
'Thank you.' Bolitho noticed that instead of a midshipman's dirk Heyward had thought fit to wear one of his precious swords?
There was a bang, and he saw a ball ricocheting across the lively wave crests before throwing up a quill of spray between him and the Sparrow's bows. E sighting shot, a declaration of intent, probably both, he thought grimly?
Over the water, and audible above the rustle of torn canvas, he heard the staccato beat of drums, and pictured the scene aboard Sparrow as her men ran to quarters. Phase two. He saw the patch of scarlet as the ensign broke jauntily from her gaff, felt a catch in his throat as the ports opened to reveal her line ob guns. With less than half a company available, Graves must have pressed some of the Indiaman's crew into service to get the guns out so smartly. But it had to look exactly right. As if the sloop was preparing to show defiance and trying to defend her heavy consort?
Another bang, and the ball ploughed into the sea about a cable clear of Sparrow's stem?
Bolitho clenched his jaw. Graves was cutting it fine. Ifthe wind chose this moment to veer he would be unable to go about, would be in irons if he tried to fall back and try again?
Tyrrell said hoarsely, 'There she goes!'
The sloop's yards were swinging and as her lee gangway dipped heavily into the swell she began to tack close-hauled to larboard, crossing Royal Anne's stern like a small protective terrier. Flags broke from her yards, and Bolitho imagined Bethune yelling at his party to make haste and hoist the meaningless signal? The enemy would think Sparrow was preparing to fight to the death and was ordering the Indiaman to make a run for it?
Cannon fire ripped along the Bonaventure's foremost battery and more splashes leapt closer to the heeling sloop. Graves was shortening sail, clearing away the hampering canvas from his guns, even though it was unlikely he had more than a quarter ob them manned?
Tyrrell spoke between his teeth.' That's close enough, Hector! For God's sake don't make a meal ob it!'
One heavy bang rolled across the shark-blue waters and even though the flash was hidden by Sparrow's hull, Bolitho knew it was one of her bowchasers. He saw the ball slap hard into the spray by the other ship's forecastle, the immediate spurt of orange tongues as she fired back in earnest?
The Sparrow's foretopgallant mast quivered and then seemed to curtsy downwards into the swirling brown smoke, the furled sail marking its progress as it caught and swung in the criss-cross of rigging before plunging into the sea alongside. Holes appeared in severyl of her sails, and Bolitho caught his breath as the hammock nettings below the quarterdeck bucked and burst apart from a direct hit?
The enemy was much nearer now, her foretopsail bulging as she stood before the wind, charging down on the sloop which was now less than two cables from her starboard bow?
Tyrrell exclaimed, 'He's done it! Blast th' man, he's going about!'
The Sparrow was wearing, her masts swinging upright as she came round violently, the growing light making her sails shine as they flapped and puckered to the strain?
The gunfire had stopped, for with her stern towards the enemy Sparrow presented no target at all. Her forecourse was already being unleashed, and as she gathered way through the water Bolitho saw the topmen running out along the yards like black insects until more and still more canvas bellied to the wind. He could see Buckle by the quarterdeck rail, too intent on his work even to watch the labouring Indiaman as she surged past. Sparrow was abeam, and then in minutes was well beyond the Indiaman's bows, heading towards the first rays of sunlight from the placid horizon?
Bolitho felt suddenly dry, his limbs very loose, as if belonging to someone else. He watched the Bonaventure's forecourse being brailed up to reveal her great span of poop, the men on her gangways who were waving and gesturing after the retreating sloop? Jeering no doubt. All the madness of intended battle now lost in the confused actions of an unfought victory?
Bolitho walked to the rail and said quietly, 'Remember, Mr. Tyrrell, and remember it well. We have to cripple her if we can. Then if a patrolling frigate finds her she can finish what we started.' He gripped his wrist.' But make sure our people play their parts. IfBonaventure hauls off now, she can pound us to pieces without losing a breath!'
The privateer had edged closer, running down towards the quarter so that she would eventually overhaul Royal Anne along her larboard side. Her captain was a superb seaman. With all but his topsails clewed up he was handling the heavy vessel with both confidence and skill, and would certainly hold the wind-gage no matter what Bolitho tried to do?
A gun flashed out its long tongue, and Bolitho felt the ball smack into the lower hull, jerking the planks at his feet with savage violence?
He saw bunched figures on the other ship's poops the wink of sunlight on raised telescopes, and guessed they were examining their victim. It looked much as it had when he had come aboard. Damaged bulwarks and broken rigging. One hatch had been purposefully left open, and severyl of his men were running about in apparent confusion while Heyward directed their performance from beneath the forecastle?
'Now!' Bolitho waved his hand, and from the main deck one then another of the six-pounders hurled its challenge across the narrowing strip of water?
From aft a swivel banged sharply, the canister probably falling harmlessly long before it reached the enemy's side?
The response was immediate. Gun by gun, the Bonaventure's broadside sent ball after ball crashing into the hull. Bolitho was thankful he had sent most ob his men below, otherwise they would have been cut down by the fierceness of the onslaught. Timber and planks flew in all directions, and he saw a seaman hurled like a bloody rag to the opposite side, his limbs kicking as he died?
Stockdale looked at Bolitho and saw him nod. With a grunt he dashed along the deck waving a cutlass, while Bolitho drew his pistol and yelled after him. When Stockdale ran on towards the halliards he fired, praying that his hand was steady as the shot whined clear above the coxswain's head. Stockdale reached his goal, and with one slash severed the halliards, bringing the big Company flag tumbling down like some bright shroud across the weather rail?
In a lull of noise and gunfire Bolitho heard a voice across the water, magnified and unreal in a speaking trumpet?
'Heave to or I'll sink you!'
From forward he heard Heyward urging his men to obey the call, the sudden groan of timber as the ship lurched drunkenly into the wind, her remaining sails flapping and banging in disorder?
Tyrrell said, 'He's going to grapple!'
There were men on the Bonaventure's yards, and as the big hull surged carefully and then more insistently against the side Bolitho saw grapnels flying from a dozen points at once. The men on the yards were busily making fast their lines to Royal Anne's shrouds and spars, so that as both ships lifted and swayed together Bolitho knew the moment to act had arrived?
'Now! Boarders away!'
With a wild chorus of yells the hidden seamen surged up from both hatches and on to the bulwarks, their cutlasses and boarding pikes marking down severyl enemy hands before they realised what was happening. Moments, seconds earlier, they had see[
Royal Anne as one more helpless prize, a ship which had struck to them, her flag hacked down by one of her own crew. Then, as if from nowhere, the bulk ob Bolitho's seamen came surging up and over the sides their steel
