“Quite so, George,” added Fisher.
“I just can’t believe my luck, sir. That you would be right here. We were about done for when your shells arrived overhead.”
“Fate, Lieutenant. We’re cruising through the Straits to home,” said Fraser.
Fisher held up a hand. “Now you know why we are here, Lieutenant Wake, but we don’t know why you are here, incognito aboard an Arab dhow. Would it be rude to ask? You seem to lead a very . . . unique . . . life. I must confess, I am most intrigued as to what you are about here and now.”
Wake laughed. It would sound ridiculous. It was ridiculous. “Bound for Rabat, sir. Special mission to look into missing American and French missionaries. We had no ships available to transport, so I took commercial craft to Melilla. Then this dhow was headed for Gibraltar where I hoped to get passage south. The attack caught us unprepared. I didn’t think they were still doing this in the Straits.”
“They are, and it’s damned embarrassing to the Royal Navy, which is why George here decided to show the flag a bit. Might deter the rascals from going after a merchie. So you were at Melilla, eh? Quite the pest-hole, that. Missing missionaries? Ah yes, I see you chaps are pestered by that too.”
“Are you headed for Gibraltar, Captain Fraser?” asked Wake.
The captain glanced at his passenger and Wake thought he saw a slight shake of Fisher’s head. Fraser smiled at the American. “No, not heading into Gib this go ’round. Already re-coaled at Malta.”
Fisher slightly bobbed his head to Fraser, who continued. “But I think we might be able to divert and give you a lift to Rabat, Lieutenant. A goodwill gift from the Royal Navy.”
Wake was surprised Inconstant wasn’t stopping at the huge naval station at Gibraltar but had time to make the side trip to Rabat in Morocco, but he didn’t ask why. “Thank you, sir. I am much obliged again, sir.”
The officer in charge of the boarding party came up and saluted the captain. “Sir, we tied up the pirates, and the innocent Arabs are taking them back to Tangier for the authorities there. On the pirates’ own boat. Shoulda’ seen the look on the nasty buggers’ faces when they found out where they’re bound for—pure fright. Those Muslim courts ain’t got no mercy.”
“Very well,” ordered Fraser. “Write up the boarding report and get it to me as soon as possible. Now make revolutions for eight knots and set the topsails. Hold the course due west until Cape Spartel bears south, then steer so’west. I want to stay off the coast a bit. Destination is Rabat.”
“So’west to Rabat? Aye, aye, sir.”
“And show Mr. Wake to the wardroom for something to eat. He can use Mr. Devon’s cabin.”
The lieutenant slid a glance at Wake, then said, “Aye, aye, sir.” It was clear he was surprised at their sudden deviation too, but at that point Wake was too exhausted to care. The sky was lightening into gray in the east as he trudged down the ladder steps to breakfast in the wardroom, already imagining what a real bed would feel like.
As he sank into the mattress an hour later Wake sighed, remembering the look in the eye of the pirate who was coming after him on the bow of the boat.
“Damn near killed by Barbary corsairs,” he said to the beams overhead. “Nobody will ever believe it back home. . . .”
30
Descendant of Mohammed
It took them another day and a half to steam to Rabat. During that time Wake was given a tour of Inconstant, one of the newer, and most impressive, ships in the Royal Navy. A state-of-the-art, 5780-ton, iron-hulled, wooden-sheathed frigate, she boasted several innovations of naval science. Her engineers were very proud of her machinery, which was a horizontal single expansion engine of huge size—7360 indicated horse power—that had pushed her at an unprecedented fifteen and a half knots for twenty-four consecutive hours on her trials. Her documented top speed was over sixteen and a half knots. That was striking to Wake, but what really got his attention was her armament.
It included ten nine-inch guns in broadside, another six seven-inch guns, and of special interest to Wake, ten machine guns. He had never seen a machine gun. These fired forty-five- caliber rounds from a hand-cranked gun mechanism. The gunner’s mates took glee in demonstrating to Wake and Rork how they could cover an area of the ocean with lead at a thousand yards. Rork was astonished, saying, “I wish we’d had these darlin’s ten years ago. The war woulda’ been done right then an’ there, sir.”
“Yes, Rork, you’re right,” a British voice said from behind. “They are very effective close-in weapons. But we have others that can keep an enemy at a distance. Weapons of terror that can deter an enemy as well as destroy them.”
Wake faced Fisher, who continued, “Would you like to see it, Lieutenant Wake? I know you’re curious, since you’ve already demonstrated that at Antigua and again in Italy.” Seeing Wake’s reaction, he said, “And yes, of course we knew what you were trying to do. Understandable, I suppose—trying find out what we had come up with. Though I wish you’d been a little less . . . indelicate . . . about it.”
One of Fisher’s eyebrows went roguishly high. Wake shook his head and admitted, “Yes, sir, I did get curious about the torpedo at Antigua. Inconstant was there, but it wasn’t for speed trials, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t. We could’ve done that anywhere,” said Fisher, his smile replaced by a thoughtful pose. “You see, Peter, the torpedo work needed to be done in an out-of-the-way spot. The damned Germans and French had informants all over the Portsmouth area, so the torpedo development station there was impractical. I thought Nelson’s Yard was a bit brilliant, myself. Three thousand miles
