Invasion

departure—and then Teazer had come on the scene. For now she lay watchful but at any moment . . .

All depended on the effectiveness of the ruse. Teazer eased slowly into full view; a trumpet call sounded distantly from Fort Levi but there was no hint of alarm.

Boldly, Teazer continued on course, set to so on her way southward past the barque, yet still there was no clamour of the call to arms—could that be because she was being lured onwards? They rounded the last of the point, which now took them within range of the fort's cannon. And nothing.

Where was the cutter? It should be . . . but then, coming up fast, Linnet rounded the cape and, sighting Teazer, opened fire on her with six-pounders. Teazer answered shot for shot in desperation— encumbered with three invasion craft towing astern, she was in no position for rapid defensive manoeuvres.

Was it working? No point in wondering now. They were committed. On Kydd's order a string of random flags jerked uncertainly up Teazer 's signal halliards but the wind was blowing them unreadably away from the French.

It was time. 'Y' know what to do, Poulden,' he told the helmsman. The wheel went over—and Teazer headed directly for Fort Levi.

The response was immediate. A gun cracked out from the highest turret but it was only to draw attention to the welcoming three-flag hoist. 'By heaven, an' we've carried it off,' Kydd breathed, and glanced up at the ruddy ochre sails that had done their work so well.

Kydd had counted on the French having word passed of a brig with red sails due from Barfleur towing valuable invasion craft and, obligingly, had provided one. That it was being harried by the Royal Navy was only to be expected, of course, and that it was seeking protection beneath the guns of the fort was equally understandable.

Confident that no French soldier could be expected to know the difference between two similar-sized brig- rigged ships, Kydd took Teazer in, gliding along the foreshore before the fortifications until, at precisely the right position, they hove to, preparing to anchor. Under threat of the shore guns the cutter abandoned its attack and hauled off—then seemed to have second thoughts and, curving round once more, placed herself in a daring show of bravado squarely alongside the barque that had been captured earlier by the French.

Kydd played out the agreed scenario: the position this foolish brig captain had chosen to heave to in just happened to mask the fort's field of fire. Horrified by the cutter's audacious attack, he failed to notice the frantic signals from the fort and sent his men tumbling wildly into the boats and crossing to the barque's rescue. Meanwhile the cutter's men swarmed aboard in attack from the seaward side.

The brig's men scrambled over the other bulwarks and soon were fighting for their lives with the cutter's fierce crew—but any cool observer might have been puzzled at the surprising increase in the number of men racing up from below . . .

To all ashore it must quickly have become clear that the brig's gallant rescue attempt had been in vain; by some means sail was got on the barque and, cables slipped, it headed for the open sea.

But the brave souls in the brig were not going to let it get away— the invasion barges were hacked free and the ship turned seaward to chase after them. Under full sail the ships raced away until at last they had disappeared over the horizon.

'Well, upon my soul, sir!' Admiral Saumarez sat back in amazement. 'It does you the utmost credit. When balked of your capture you turned to guile and artifice to accomplish what main force could not. To be quite frank I'd not have thought it, er, in your nature, Mr. Kydd.'

Fighting down the urge to give Renzi his due—he had been insistent that his role was not to be mentioned— Kydd responded, ''Twas easily enough done, sir. The moon rose just after midnight, an' by it we sighted the wreck an' stripped it of fore- 'n' main-topsails. The cut o' the canvas wasn't pretty but it sufficed an' Linnet we found floggin' gamely along. She seemed eager enough for the adventure. The rest, well . . .'

'You're too reticent, sir. Did you have a stiff opposition on boarding the Frenchy?'

'That's the pity of it, sir. They yielded t' Linnet as we came over th' bulwarks, so we needs must fight among ourselves.' He chuckled as he recalled goading the Linnets to have at the Teazers in order to keep up the pretence, and the bewilderment this had caused among the French.

'When we released the crew of the merchant ship from below they loosed and set sail tolerably quick.'

'No one can doubt that at this moment they are drinking your health in a bumper, Mr. Kydd,' Saumarez said drily. 'A pity the French got back their invasion craft, I suppose.'

'For that, sir, ye can rest easy. The men took along the bungs for keepsakes, leaving 'em t' sink.'

This left Saumarez speechless. Then he laughed and clapped Kydd on the shoulder. 'You've had a grand cruise, that's not to be denied.'

'Thank 'ee, sir.'

The admiral's expression turned thoughtful. 'And it leaves me in something of a dilemma.'

'Sir?'

Saumarez crossed to the window and gazed down on the harbour scene. 'This is a quiet station, as you know. Due mainly to the enterprise of officers of initiative such as yourself the enemy are kept cowering in their harbours and I should be grateful that one of your quality is under my command.' He turned back and regarded Kydd gravely. 'Yet I cannot help but reflect that two elements converge that are in themselves unanswerable. The first, that the kingdom lies under a menace unparalleled in its history and in stern need of its most able warriors. The second, that your continued presence here will render it near impossible to achieve a distinguished action and hence preferment. In all conscience, I believe that your recent ill-usage deserves better.

'Mr. Kydd, with great reluctance I'm going to have you and your ship released to the very forefront of the struggle. The Downs Squadron.'

CHAPTER 3

HOLDING BACK HIS EXCITEMENT, Kydd peered from the window of the coach as it crossed the bridge and ground up High Street past well-remembered sights from his youth. Renzi had been anxious to visit London so this time Kydd had journeyed to Guildford on his own.