Invasion

wi' the French.'

'Since y' know so much of my business, Mills, then you'd also know that Mr. Pitt himself authorised 'em—on account that in one blow we can put the fear o' God into Johnny Crapaud as nothing else will!' 'Er, how's that, sir?' The young officer had come over to listen. He had refined, sensitive features. 'That is, if you're at liberty to tell. Oh—Lamb, out of Locust gun-brig.'

'Well, Mr. Lamb, as we'll be going against the flotilla with 'em quite shortly you have a right t' know. A very ingenious American has invented a submarine boat—and built one, mark you—which can swim underwater until it reaches its victim, then reach out and explode the vessel above without warning.'

'Good God,' Lamb said quietly. 'And the sailors aboard it?'

Kydd flushed. 'In war they must expect casualties, in course.'

'But that—that's no better than massacre by assassination!'

'It's the future, Mr. Lamb.'

'And we must subscribe to such practices? Sir, this is neither courageous nor honourable. I cannot—'

'We have Bonaparte to beat,' Kydd said. 'What would you have us do? Tell the inventor to go away, we're too delicate?'

Lamb did not respond, standing stiff and pale.

'But then it's to no account,' Kydd continued, 'as in the event we'll not have the services of a submarine. Instead it will be—'

'It'll be your infernals, o' course! If they work. Heard the fishermen in Shell Ness say as the flounder still haven't returned, you explodin' carcasses under water, for God's sake!' Mills spluttered.

'So, then, what is your suggestion, sir,' Kydd asked, 'as a twelvemonth of war sees Napoleon's flotilla untouched by us in the usual run o' fighting . . . ?'

'Gentlemen, gentlemen,' said Dyer, with a sigh, 'we have enough to do contending with the French without we assail each other. For myself, if we are given any weapon that promises confusion to the enemy, then I vow I'll not hang back from using it.'

Kydd returned to his ship in a foul mood. It was not his fault that he and Teazer had been kept out of the fighting and he felt the implied slights keenly. There was one course, however, that would see them both to rights.

Later that afternoon he left Keith's cabin with the promise of active employment until he was required, and within the day had his orders: in view of his acquaintance with the ordnance central to the upcoming assault, HMS Teazer would be the one to carry out the necessary reconnaissance of Boulogne.

He remembered the sight from the sea of the Boulogne hills, stretching away under the sinister blanket of troop encampments, and the crush of craft in the inner harbour. This time there was nothing for it but to crowd in as close as he could, daring everything to bring back vital information for the attack.

The orders as well entailed the embarking of Major Lovett of the 95th Rifles, knowledgeable about Napoleon's military dispositions and requesting an observation of Boulogne.

Two days later, Teazer weighed in the morning, and stood out for France in an easy early-autumn westerly breeze. Before long they were shortening sail off the dunes of Boulogne. Kydd turned to his guest. 'You've been here before, Major?'

Lovett—an older man with an air of detachment—lowered his field-glass. 'I have, sir, many times.'

'And you know the purpose of my reconnaissance?'

'Not altogether, I'm afraid.'

'We shall be assaulting the port shortly with experimental weapons, torpedoes we call 'em, which require we close with the enemy before we launch them. I'll be taking an interest in tide states, depth o' water over the Bassure banks, lines of sight into the port, that kind o' thing.'

'Quite so.' Lovett raised his field-glass again. 'Ah. I see that the Corps de Garde have increased their numbers—over to the left by the Tour de Croy.' It was raised ground a mile or two north. 'Do you know much of Boulogne, sir?'

'I've read the reports,' Kydd said briefly, scanning the ridges with his pocket telescope.

'May I give you my appreciation?'

'By all means.'

'Well, as you know, the salient feature is the river Liane upon which Boulogne resides, disgorging to the sea between the hills. A contemptible waterway of some fifty yards breadth only, it is nevertheless the main route for the invasion of England.'

From seaward it was easy to make out the narrow entrance, as well as to glimpse the forest of masts that was the armada in its specially constructed assembly basins within. What caused Kydd much unease was a quarter- mile-long endless chain of ships moored head to stern across the river mouth, parallel with the shore, guns trained outwards.

'Marshal Soult's headquarters is beyond the fort—Chatillon—on the rise to the right. His troops will be first to embark. Ney's corps is at Montreuil, also to the right, twenty thousand men alone, and Davout, with his fourteen regiments and Batavians, to the left, embarking at Ambleteuse. That's a total of eighty thousand men within your sight, Mr. Kydd.'

'And guns?'

'Marmont calls this 'the coast of iron and bronze,' and with good reason,' Lovett continued drily, 'for between Fort de l'Heurt there'—he indicated a squat round edifice atop an island to the right—'and La Creche there to the north the guns are waiting. The Bombardiers' monstrous mortars and howitzers at the water's edge, guarded in depth by the Chasseurs, with the Grenadiers' twenty-four-pounder cannon mounted on special carriages at the