Boom! The thundering report of a cannon from the second ship startled everyone aboard the Endurance, including Will, nearly out of their skin. The rallying dawn showed a cloud of smoke drifting skyward from the bow of the second ship. She was firing her bow guns at the vessel in front of her!
“Orders Sir?” Harper inquired with a look of dread.
“We don’t know anything yet Lieutenant, hold fire and hold course. It’s a matter of time until they spot us, and we’ll be in the mix with the rest of them lad., Will replied.
“Aye Sir. Do you think that is the Valor?” Harper pressed. Will could hear an edge of fear in his voice.
“We can only hope lad. It would be a fitting end for Cobb to be taken unaware by a full broadside from this behemoth. Be sure the gun crews are all at the ready.”
“Yes Sir!” Harper answered setting off at a near run.
Will watched the ships through the intensifying light, neither appeared to be the Valor. The second ship was being commanded by a bold and aggressive man, Will noted, her bow guns were firing as rapidly as they could be loaded, and scoring some hits from the sounds he heard floating across the water. He scanned the length of the second ship as more detail became visible, she was a frigate and under full sail. “You’re damned determined to catch that bugger aren’t you boys?” Will said aloud. He scanned back forward looking over the fleeing ship, she was a brigantine and there were crewmen scurrying about the deck dealing with damage from the accurate fire of their pursuers. Will looked aloft in the rigging of the fleeing ship and felt a cold streak run up his spine when his eyes fixed on the colors of the fleeing ship. Over the stern of the brigantine flapping in the dawn breeze floated old glory, the American stars and stripes. Harper returned from below to report back,
“All guns are run out and at the ready Sir.”
“Very well Lieutenant.” Will answered without removing the telescope from his eye. He scanned back to examine the pursuing ship again. With better light he could now see her crew clearer and they appeared ragged, without uniform, but well led and orderly. Will’s heart fluttered as his eyes traced over the profile of the ship and then up the rigging at her stern. His vision caught their black banner as it fluttered in the wind, the hollow eyes of a fearsome horned skull seemed to burn right into his soul sending a stomach wrenching wave of anxiety and panic crashing over him. They fired their bow guns into the American again, prompting a creaking, groaning noise from the prey ship. The distinct crack of splitting wood could be heard slicing through the morning air and Will shifted his telescope back toward the American ship.
“God Damn.” Will exclaimed as his sight lay on the American ship again.
“What is it Sir?” Harper pressed, eager to know more detail.
“They’ve taken out her aft mast with their bow chasers. Those gunners bloody well know what they are doing.” Will answered. Then he snapped the telescope shut and stepped back from the rail, “Helmsman bring her about two points larboard. Lieutenant Harper prepare to relay fire commands.” He ordered.
“You intend to engage them Sir?” Harper stuttered.
“I do, and hopefully overwhelm them with fire before they can answer now take your post Lieutenant, their stern will be exposed in minutes,” said Will, his patience running out.
“Aye Sir,” Harper said, his face going paler with the turn of each event.
Will had to wait only a moment for his course change to take effect and he was rewarded with the target profile of the pirate ship he had hoped for. It was something every commander strove for in combat, a shot encompassing her side and stern. With well-placed shots, her damage would be severe after even one full volley. Will’s mind wandered to the American man, the image that had haunted him all night, his grotesque smirk and his smoking pistol.
“Lieutenant Harper, Fire!” Will called below.
“FIRE!” Harper screamed the command out to the gun crews on the larboard battery.
Both decks of guns opened fire, fourteen guns each, eighteen-pound guns on the top battery and twenty-four-pound guns on the bottom. The concussion was oppressive, hammering through the bones of every man aboard and rattling the ship. The smoke cloud took almost a full minute to clear and the damage inflicted on the pirate vessel was tremendous. Her fantail had taken several direct hits, as well as on her side. One large hole had been blown just above the waterline and with each wave she took on water. Screams floated up from her decks through the rigging. Will gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils as he recalled the exact feeling of what those souls were experiencing.
“Fire at will!” he screamed down toward Harper.
“Reloading Sir!” Harper replied back up, then turning to the gun crews, “Hurry lads, hurry, reload for your lives!”
Will could hear the crews sounding off below. Commands he was all too familiar with. Then in rapid succession,
“Gun one ready!”
“Gun two ready!”
“Gun three ready,” commands and replies were screamed and all down the line on both gun decks gun crews came back to
