“Nor’-Nor’east, aye, sir,” Elmes replied, turning to shout directions to the brace tenders and sheetmen. That change of course and the sighting of a strange sail several minutes before drew the attention of the on-watch hands, and those off-watch who had come up from below in anticipation of the first daily rum issue at Seven Bells of the Forenoon. Chuckles and murmurs could be heard as Sapphire’s men contemplated even more prize money in their pockets.
“Sir,” Lt. Harcourt reported himself on deck and ready for any duty, though Quarters had not been called for.
“Sir,” Lt. Westcott performed the same duty a moment later. “A possible prize?”
“Perhaps,” Lewrie told him.
Westcott had a quick look about, spotted the Spanish Navy Ensign flying in place of their own, and could not help chuckling.
“Should we have Carpenter Acfield fashion a crucifix and hoist it onto the face of the main tops’l, sir?” he teased.
“A crucifix?” Lt. Harcourt asked.
“Last year off the Plate Estuary, when we fought the San Fermin frigate, she had a big one on the front of her fore tops’l,” Westcott explained. “Didn’t do the Dons much good, though, for some of our bar-shot decapitated Jesus, and she burned to the waterline, poor devils.”
“Now we are ze grandees of Espagna,” Lewrie played along with a bad attempt at a Castilian lisp accent, “we do not do battle weez zose heretical Engleesh, we do weezout ze Holy Presence.”
For the first time, Lt. Harcourt looked as if he was amused, and honestly so, instead of giving an impression of smirking.
“Deck, there!” a lookout alerted them as Sapphire completed her alteration of course and settled down on Nor’-Nor’east, picking up speed on a broad reach and a leading wind. “The Chase is bearing off for shore! Six points off the larboard bows!”
“Or one point ahead of abeam,” Westcott grumbled.
Lewrie went to the laboard bulwarks to take another look with his telescope. Their strange sail was not quite hull-up yet, but he could determine that her two masts sported large lugsails suspended from gaff booms, with what looked to be a single jib sail up forward. The scend from one of the sea’s long rollers lifted Sapphire a few feet, another far off lifted the stranger a few feet, and he got the impression of a sliver of hull. They were closing on her!
“If she’s a Spaniard, and we’re flyin’ Spanish colours, then why the Devil is she tryin’ to run?” he grumbled.
“General distrust, sir?” Lt. Elmes, who was within ear-shot and assumed that he was being addressed, piped up. “After three years of war, and so many ships taken by our Navy, her master must be wary of any other ship that heaves up in sight.”
“No matter,” Lewrie decided. “We’ve a much longer waterline and scads more sail. Unless she tries t’put about, into the wind, or run herself aground, I think we’ve a good chance of taking her.”
“Hull-up, sir!” Midshipman Carey, in charge of the signalmen on the poop deck, cried, forcing Lewrie to lift his glass once more for another look at her.
No more than five miles off, now, he told himself, juggling the odds of interception; And I still can’t make out the coastline, which means she can’t get into shoal water before we fetch her up. And she’s slow. Wallowing!
“Mister Elmes, beat to Quarters,” he snapped at the officer of the watch. “The upper-deck guns, the bow chasers, and the larboard twelve-pounders only.”
“Aye, sir!”
A Marine drummer began the long roll, petty officers began to bellow orders, and Lieutenant Westcott took over for Elmes, freeing him to go below. Harcourt departed to take charge of the upper gun deck 12-pounders, and Marine Lieutenant Keane turned up with Lt. Roe in tow, hastily chivvying their men into full kit of waist-coats and red coats and crossbelts, which were only worn when standing sentry duty or for battle when at sea.
“We’ve a Spanish speaker aboard?” Lewrie asked the people on the quarterdeck.
“I do, sir,” Lt. Roe said.
“Should I have need to hail her, do you stand by here on the quarterdeck ’til she’s struck, Mister Roe,” Lewrie said to him, “then I’d admire did you go over to her with the boarding party.”
“Very good, sir!” Roe replied, looking eager for any fight.
“If she strikes, Mister Westcott,” Lewrie went on, “I wish my boat crew to bring the launch up from towing, and ferry the boarding party over to her.”
Bisquit knew what the long roll meant, by now, and recognised the loud noises associated with battle, and the roar of the guns. He came down from the poop deck in a rush, scampered down to the waist, and disappeared down a hatchway, bound for the safety of the orlop.
Pettus came out of the great-cabins with Chalky in his wicker cage. “Strip your cabins, sir?” he asked.
“Not unless yon ship turns herself into a ship of the line, no, Pettus,” Lewrie told him with a wee chuckle. “I don’t see us takin’ damage from the likes of her.”
After a few minutes, Sapphire had strode up a mile closer to the stranger, which was now four points off the larboard bows, a sure sign that they were overtaking her at a good clip. A few minutes more and their Chase loomed larger, at three points off the bows, altering course more Northerly to string out the pursuit into a stern chase.
“Colours!” was the general cry on the quarterdeck as a faded Spanish merchant flag, a “gridiron” of two horizontal red stripes on a gold field, jerkily went up her stern gaff.
At least she’s declared herself, Lewrie thought; But she ain’t slowin’ down, or lookin’ relieved that we’re both Spanish.
Sapphire, so the Sailing Master estimated, was within four or five miles of the coast, and the narrow band of plains and foothills were in plain sight, sprinkled with woods, pastures, and cropfields, with hamlets and villages set back from the sea easily made out from the deck. He also stated that they were within two miles of their Chase.
“We’ll stand on a bit more,” Lewrie announced as he rocked on the balls of his boot soles.
Three miles from shore, within a mile of the straining Spanish ship, and Lewrie decided that it was time to end the charade.
“Mister Westcott, a shot under her bows, and strike our false colours, and run up the Red Ensign!” he barked.
One of the forecastle 6-pounders barked, hurling a shot that did not quite deliver the traditional warning; it struck the sea short of the Spanish vessel, caromed up from First Graze, and raised a great feather of spray right along her starboard side. Charitably, it did hit her forward of amidships; more near her bows than under.
Have the foc’sle Quarter Gunner tear a strip off that gun-captain’s arse, too, Lewrie added to his to-do list; He’s damaged her, he pays for the bloody repairs!
“Ah, hmm, sir,” Lt. Westcott muttered, shaking his head. “Bad show, that.”
“Let’s hope no one who matters is watching, then,” Lewrie told him, grimacing. “Is she going to strike, or do we have to shoot her to kindling?”
The Spaniard still stood on, even bearing up more towards the coast, as if she would run herself aground rather than be taken, showing a bit more of her stern transom to them.
“The first two twelve-pounders of the larboard battery, Mister Westcott,” Lewrie snapped. “Convince the bastards!”
The order was passed by Midshipman Ward, who darted down from the quarterdeck to the waist, then to the upper gun deck. Nigh one minute passed before the gun-ports were opened and the black muzzles of the 12-pounders appeared. There was another pause as gun-captains waited for the ship to roll upright and poise level, on the up-roll. The first gun erupted, followed a second later by the next, masking Sapphire’s bows in a cloud of rotten-egg, yellow-grey smoke.