Across to America: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 9) Read Free Page A

size as her opponent, was closing in on the escort, perhaps in bluff, possibly with the view of swarming her with boarders, while giving the schooner free access to others ahead who might not be reached in time by the other two escorts.
     
    Leaving the escort brig to her own devices for now, Phillips bulled ahead through the flock of merchants to the area where the schooner seemed to be headed. Judging he had a few minutes before the engagement commenced, he went forward to the pair of forward starboard guns he had staffed with his best people. He informed the crews he would be engaging to starboard for now, but the men must be prepared to rush across the deck to the opposite guns in case of need. He asked if any had questions or concerns.
    A grizzled man with a pigtail down his back shifted his quid and answered. “Sir, if you please, we know some of the other gun crews are lubbers, that couldn’t hit the Victory if she was lashed to our side, but we can do the job. Just tell us what you want from us.”
     
    The man’s name came then to Phillips. The seaman had served with him on a previous voyage to the Baltic.
    “Fletcher, I need to disable one or the other of those privateers, preferably both. I will tell you this now, the first crew to knock away an important spar will have a monumental drunk from me. The winner would take over my quarters and I will see you have all the grog you can handle.”
    “In addition, we need another gunner’s mate. The captain of the gun that knocks away that spar will instantly be promoted to gunner’s mate. Now, if either of you gun captains see a clear shot that may result in a good hit, you have my permission to fire. Are we understood?”
     
    There was a buzz among the men as he went back aft. The enemy schooner was closing on a pair of ship rigged traders. She was apparently trying to persuade them to scatter, but Phillips was thinking she might have left it too late. Realizing her danger from the British warship, the schooner fired her port broadside into one of the merchants, perhaps trying to cripple her. With only two guns on that side, the attempt failed and the schooner turned to flee.
    Mister Harding, handling the ship while Phillips kept his eye on the situation, turned with her. As Andromeda wheeled around, for a moment her broadside was trained on the enemy. Phillips had raised his arm and was readying himself to drop it as a signal, when he saw Fletcher behind his gun, sighting down the barrel and urging men with crows to lever it around a bit more. Phillips dropped his arm, and all of the other guns fired, except for Fletcher’s. Phillips saw several balls smash into the lightly built hull of the enemy but nothing vital was carried away.
    It was then Fletcher pulled the lanyard of his gun. A second after the gun recoiled savagely to the rear, Phillips saw the schooner’s foremast lean a bit. Through his glass, Phillips could see the splintered notch on the mast and a split beginning to travel up it. As the schooner continued its turn, the split travelled further up the mast then suddenly the whole foremast came crashing down in a tangled mess of sailcloth and rigging.
    As Andromeda passed her, she fired the few guns that had been reloaded into the schooner without effect, then coming around to the assistance of the escort brig, which was locked in combat with the other privateer.
    Closing, a mass of humanity was struggling aboard Ferret, with boarders from the enemy outnumbering Ferret’s crew.
     
    Stately was bulling her way through the convoy with signal flags streaming, turning aside for no one, while HMS Alceste was acting as a sheep dog, attempting to get the flock back together again. As Andromeda closed on the combatants, the privateer’s boarders were seen deserting Ferret’s decks to scramble back aboard their own.
    To no avail; Andromeda surged up to the small brig and fired her broadside into her from close pistol shot range. Most shots hit, but the