The King`s Coat

They were halfway into the boat after finishing their drinks before Alan realized that they were a man short. ’Who's missing?’

‘Uh… Harrison, sir,' the bowman said sheepishly. ' 'E must be takin' a piss, sir. Not run. ’

‘Hell he is,' Alan decided in a panic, 'you stay here and keep your eye on the rest of the hands. You, come with me, and we'll search for him.' Lewrie and his stroke oar began to dart about the dock and the storage areas. There were a million places to hide among all the barrels and crates, a thousand ways out of the dock area into the town. How could he have let him slip away? And how much hell would he catch if he went back a man short? They had warned him; the men were signed on for at least three years of commission with only rare spells of freedom, and it was common for men to payoff one ship and go right into another with no chance to see wives and families. When in port, it was safer to let wives and children come out to the ship and live on the man's rations and pay until the ship was placed back in full discipline. Let them go ashore and it was good odds they'd run inland as fast as their legs would carry them. Once into 'long clothing' beyond the immediate reach of the watch and Impress Service, and they were lost to the Aeet. Most desertions came from new crews in home ports; they had told him to be vigilant. ’There, sir,' stroke oar said, pointing to an area behind the chandlery. Lewrie saw his quarry, a youngish man in a brass buttoned short jacket, hugging a thin and poorly clad young woman. One dirt child clung to her skirts, and she held another still in swaddling clothes. ’ Harrison,' Lewrie snapped. ’Comin', zurr,' the man replied sadly, letting go his woman. 'Coming? So is Christmas!' Alan scoffed. ’ 'E weren't n:m. zurr,' the woman said, fearful for her man. 'Juss wanted ta see 'is babbies, zurr.’

’Why didn't you come out to the ship, then?’

‘Ah didn' have no money, zurr,' Harrison told him. 'Ah had no way ta have 'em come out ta the ship. ’

‘It been a year they been wi' out their daddy, zurr. Just a few minute more?' Harrison 's wife pleaded. 'We have to go. Harrison, go back to the boat with this mana’

‘Aye aye, zurr,' Harrison said. giving his wife one last quick kiss and patting the dirty little boy on the head. The oldest child was wailing, and Lewrie wanted to get away from the damned noise. He turned to follow his men, but the girl took him by the arm. ’ 'Tis a hard service what never pays a man but in scrip, zurr, an' that two years behind, if 'e's lucky. Bum boat men an' jobbers give 'alf what the scrip's worth. Don't 'ave 'im flogged, please, zurr.’

’Well…' Lewrie managed, embarrassed by her tears. 'Anythin' ta keep 'im from bein' flogged, zurr.’

By God, she's a pretty thing under all that dirt. ’IT ya don't tell on 'im, I'd… I'd…' She shuddered, pointed to a building across the alley that was obviously cheap lodgings.

God, even I'm not that low, he told himself. Well, maybe I am, I'm a Willoughby. No, I have to go back to the ship now. ’I'll not make a habit of this,' Lewrie said, digging into his breeches and fetching out coins. He gave her two half -crown pieces and watched her eyes go wide in astonishment. 'You get some food for these children and pretty yourself up, and come out to the Ariadne. And I won't say anything to anyone, if you won't. Can't have the hands thinking I'm a soft touch, can I?’

‘God bless ye forever, zurr, ye're a true Christian!’

‘Er… right,' he said, and trotted away from her.

Once in the boat he glared at Harrison. 'Just' cause I sported you a pint is no reason to think you can take a piss on my time behind a crate, Harrison, or I'll have you up on a charge. ’

‘Aye, zurr,' Harrison said, nodding his relief. ’Out and toss your oars. Shove off, bowman. Ship your oars.

Give way starboard… backwater, larboard. Easy all. Now give way all. Row, damn your eyes!' He arrived back at Ariadne in much better fashion than when he had left, coming alongside gently and issuing the correct commands at the right time, so that they hooked on and tied up properly. He arrived on deck very proud of himself, but no one took the slightest note of his improved performance. He organized a party to hoist the stores up from the boat on his own initiative, and saw them delivered below to the wardroom, just in time to meet Mister Swift. ’Lewrie, where the hell have you been?’

‘Mister Turner had me take a boat ashore and fetch wardroom stores, sir,' he said, proud of his accomplishment. 'And what took you so damned long?’

‘Well, after the boat was loaded we had a pint of ale, sir. ’

‘You stopped and had a pint of ale? You let the hands purchase drink, sir?’

‘I… uh… treated, sir.’

’And what if Ariadne were ordered to sea and we had to wait for you and nine hands to finish your little drink? Have you no sense?’

‘I am sorry, sir.'… Damned if you do and damned if you don't. I'm out money and not a speck of credit for getting there and back without drowning 'em all! If he's mad about me being late, I should have gone ahead and bulled that skinny wench while I had the chance… ’My word. you're a brainless booby,' Swift said. 'Your only concern is what the Navy wants, not what you want. You'll have to do better than this in future if you wish to be a Sea Officer.’

’Aye aye, sir.’

’Now go below. No, stay a moment. From now on you're on rowing duties. Good practice for you. And I'll time you from the moment you shove off until the second you return, and God help you if I see you skylarking ashore, got that?' More hands came aboard. calf-headed innocents who had been gotten at recruiting rendezvous at various taverns, where an officer and several reliable hands had bragged about Ariadne and all the prize money she would take. More came aboard from the Impress Service, willing and eager volunteers for the security of the Navy, even merchant sailors seeking better food and less work in the overmanned fighting ships; though the pay was less, they would not be cheated by a bad master.

Many more came from the tenders as volunteers, or from debtors' prison, fleeing small debts and giving tops'l payment with the Joining Bounty, men snagged by the courts for various crimes, but which were crimes against property, not crimes of violence. Lewrie soon lost all sympathy for them, since no one had any to spare for him. If I'm here then it's their tough luck to be here, too. Should have run faster.

They came aboard in ragpicker's finery cast off from the great houses, perhaps even stolen from their masters. They came from shops and stores and weavers' lofts still trying to play the upright apprentice or freeman. They came in country togs from the estates where the owners no longer needed field hands, or from the villages that had been wiped out by enclosure of public lands. They came with the prison stink and the farm stink on them, or dredged up from the cities' gutters. Up to the first lieutenant to sign or make their marks, then out of their clothes to shiver under the wash deck pumps, and the decks ran with the accumulated grit they carried aboard on their skins. Deloused, perhaps for the first time in months, and then, chicken-white and pimply, down to the gun deck with their slop clothing, where they got sorted out into 'hands.' They would, the bulk of them, serve guns in battle, haul on braces to angle the sails, tail on the jears to raise the yards, tail on the halyards to make sail, and be the human engines to shift cargo, so that Ariadne would live. The younger ones would be cabin servants and stewards, or be trained as topmen who went aloft to fight canvas.

As Ariadne approached something like her full complement, Bales decided the time had come for sail drill and gunnery exercises. Alan knew a little, which was reams more than most of the new hands knew, so he found himself leading men about the deck like tame bears, so they would know where to stand when ordered, what rope or sheet to seize when needed, what part of the deck they would scrub.

Lewrie saw what Captain Bales had meant when he had told him they could make sailors out of any material they laid their hands on; slowly the crew began to fathom what was required of them. Slowly, he began to do the same, going aloft when top and t' gallant masts were struck and re-hoisted, sails were shaken out and drawn down, then reefed over and over again until the exercise was no longer a complete shambles.

With the ship back in full discipline, and with her company hard at work, the officers were out in force once more, and though Ariadne had fourteen of her required sixteen midshipmen, he felt that he was the only name anyone knew when it came to extra duties, or something especially filthy to do.

Now he sat at the mess table in the cockpit. He had a navigation problem due to Mister Ellison in the next Forenoon, but his mind refused to function. He had been up since four in the morning, and it was now six in the evening. Supper was on its way from the galley,. and he slumped over a hot mug of flip, wondering if he would be able to stay awake long enough to eat. ’Let's playa game after supper,' Bascombe suggested. 'Let's build a galley.' 'Let's not, unless you're the figurehead, Bascombe,' Alan said wearily. 'Heard of that one, have you?' Alan had fallen for most of the usual pranks. He had been sent up on deck to listen to the dogfish bark; that cost Bascombe a sore shoulder. He had been sent to fetch a Marine private named Cheeks, and had dashed about the ship 'passing