King`s Captain

'No, you don't!' Lewrie screeched. 'And why is that? Because your delegates spoke for you and told 'em to bugger off! That they wanted more… that you wouldn't take the Spithead terms of settlement and wanted to hold out for all sorts of impossible things. That you'd defy your King, turn your back on your Country when it needs you the most, and spurn a perfectly good offer… turn your guns upon Sheerness, defy the rest of the Fleet… threaten the nation.¹So they had no choice but to leave and cut off the dockyard stores, cut off the ration boats. Wasn't wicked ministers… wasn't a tyrannical King caused that! 'Twas the pride and arrogance of your delegates…!'

'That's enough!' Bales howled, summoning his stoutest henchmen. 'Said he'd answer questions, not rant! Lads, he lies…!'

'No, let 'im speak, damn yer eyes!'

'Arra, th' Cap'um's talkin' sense!' Desmond countered.

'Give it up!' someone cried. 'Give it up! Take the terms!'

'No, you damned cowards! Lickspittles!'

And where's my sword when I need it? Lewrie goggled, seeing a pushing, shoving match break out on every hand. It was happening… a sudden, un-organised counter-mutiny!

'Lookit t'other ships! They're striking colours! Runnin' up white flags!' Ship's Corporal Burton screamed. 'Givin' it up too!'

It was true! From what Lewrie could see as he whirled about in a furious, dis-oriented fugue that almost made him dizzy, there were at least a half-dozen warships where the same sort of melees were breaking out, where the ominous yard ropes were being hauled down to snake back to the decks, and the unadorned red banners of rebellion were fluttering down, to here and there be replaced with proper naval ensigns and white flags of submission!

Hands were springing to the flag halliards, to the racks of belaying pins or bitts which secured Proteus's yard ropes. Just as many were swinging their fists, flailing about with gun-tools or whatever fell to hand to prevent them. The cowards, the confused, or hesitant, the women and children were hanging back, thundering in panicky herds from one gang-fight to another, turning this way and that in response to cries for help from those who'd strike, to bitter battle-cries from those who'd hold out, resist.

'Take her back, lads!' Lewrie yelled, stumbling as someone to his left shouldered into him. He shoved back, faintly recognised one of the afterguard before bringing a roundhouse right fist into juncture with the fellow's skull. 'King and Country!' He stooped to pick up the dropped belaying pin the man had been about to cosh him with and waded in on those who were shouting objections the loudest. He heard a rabbity scream, got a quick glimpse of a loyal sailor being stabbed in the belly with a clasp knife. Heard the dread popping of a pistol! Right, he thought; a real battle and no quarter!

Haslip came at him with a cutlass, lips drawn back in a feral grin, almost hissing with delight. A turn or two, a parry or two, and Lewrie had the man's blade far out from his body. He clubbed Haslip on the forehead as hard as he could and danced away as the man went down like a toppled marble statue, landing so hard on his back that Lewrie might conjure that he'd shatter.

'Piss-poor sailor… piss-poor swordsman too!' Lewrie sneered as he traded the belaying pin for the blade. He hobbled off aft, under a misdirected swing or two, jabbing at shins or knees to gain running room, as he tried to join Lieutenant Ludlow, who had both hands around a man's throat and was squeezing him blue. Midshipman Peacham was partnered with Ludlow, of course, laying about with an iron crow-lever from one of the quarterdeck carronades, and two sailors who'd tried him on were already down and bleeding. 'Give it up!' Lewrie urged to all. 'Give it up!'

'Rally!' Lt. Devereux was crying. 'Rally on me! Come on, men!' And two or three of his Marines were with him, fist-fighting their way forward to reinforce Lt. Langlie and the other midshipmen.

There was a sudden report, the stink of powder, and the fearsome 'thud!' of a.75-caliber ball slamming into someone quite near. Another shot, and Lewrie heard and felt a ball sizzle past his ear. Even more shots up forrud, another scream of anguish, almost lost in the high-pitched screams of terrified women caught in the middle of this fight.

Then the deep, door-slam BOOOMMM! of a cannon.

'Drop it, sir!' Mr. Handcocks snapped, facing Lewrie with his own cutlass. 'Best, sir… really,' he wheedled, nothing like aggressive. 'We're winnin'. Got th' pistols. Got th' muskets.'

Lewrie brought his cutlass up to touch blades with Handcocks's, batting at it to beat it aside, as the Master Gunner retreated, keeping his sword in play, but only on the defensive. Lewrie had no time to sport with him. He launched himself into the drill with a right-to-left downward slash, and Handcocks responded with a two-handed parry, stamping his foot for a backward slash, though yelping and giving ground, never trained in using an awkward cutlass the same as a smallsword, avoiding the point which Lewrie was probing at him.

Another loud cannon boom, then another! Quite near. A splash of water that towered over the quarterdeck, as one of the two-deckers anchored close to Proteus started firing on any ship which looked like it was defecting from the mutiny.

'Throw down yer arms 'fore I kill him!' Marine Corporal O'Neil screamed to one and all, holding Midshipman Elwes with one arm, with a wickedly gleaming midshipman's dirk to the terrified boy's throat!

Punctuated by another cannon blast from the two-decker. Which, this time, rattled everyone's teeth as a solid 24-pounder round-shot struck Proteus in her timbers in the lower wale below the gun- ports.

Bales strode up, a pistol in his right hand with the lock back at full cock, another in his left at half-cock. He jammed the right-hand pistol hard against Lewrie's skull, stiff-armed, from his side.

'Throw down before I kill him!' Bales roared, panting with exertion and emotion, yet grinning like a death's head, and seeming eager for the opportunity. 'It's over! D'ye hear, there!' he bellowed, throwing his head back like a wolf at the moon. 'By Jesus, does any man-jack continue to resist the lawful committee, I'll put a ball in the Captain's head… hear me? Surrender, you perjurers! You lying, canting hounds! Run up the red flags 'fore we get shot to flinders!'

Lewrie's cutlass was too long to do anything with it with Bales so close to his right side. He changed hands, laid the blade flat upon his chest, so he could stab to his right with it. He moved it forward, felt the tip meet resistance against flesh, pucker a dingy chequered calico shirt… almost begin to grate upon a rib?

'Be the last thing you ever do, Captain Lewrie!' Bales grinned, yet almost on tip-toe to back off and still keep his pistol in contact with Lewrie's skull.

'Then it'd be worth it, you shit-eatin' dog!'

They glared at each other, each determined to die if it came to it, neither yielding the other even a blink as they locked eyes in a moment of ultimate truth. Yet, grinning.

Clatter of steel on oak though. Cutlasses, clasp knives, iron marling-spikes, and gun-tools being dropped. The thuds of wooden weapons being abandoned too, as the threat took the last resistance away.

'No, lads, don't give up on me!' Lewrie pled. 'We almost had her back!'

'Too late!' Bales sing-songed, triumphant.

Lewrie almost wet himself, as he felt something cold and sharp poke at the left side of his neck. Handcocks, with his cutlass. Even if he took Bales with him, he'd still die. He didn't dare turn to look.

'You'll hang for that, Mister Handcocks,' Lewrie swore. 'Even if you don't hang for the rest… you'll die for that.'

'Give it up, please sir,' Handcocks begged. 'Short, sharp… but th' donnybrook's done, an' we've th' ship again. No harm done.'

'Give it up, you lot!' Bales snapped to the men behind Lewrie. 'Midshipman Elwes… your precious captain. Think your little band'll prevail? Even if it costs two more lives? Gentlemen, gentlemen! Men most-like dead already here!' Bales cajoled. 'For nothing! See the masts? Yard ropes rove again… flags hoisted again. You made this happen, out of pride and arrogance! Now atone! Give it up!'

Another, final clatter of weapons as they hit the deck; curses as proud men were forced to surrender.

'You last, sir,' Bales said, swivelling his gaze back to meet Lewrie's. 'Corporal O'Neil, un-hand the wee midshipman, will you? And Mister Handcocks, I'd admire did you step back. Not too far. Surrender your cutlass, Captain Lewrie. It's not as if it's your own sword of honour, is it. Drop it… or die. For nothing.'