Deadly Shoals Read Free

the demanding job. Furthermore, it made the situation devilishly difficult at times, what with having to hand down orders to men who were actually higher than he was on the Navy List, which had a bad effect both on his temper and on general shipboard morale.
    â€œBut I do assure you that the mission is a grand one,” Rochester assured his listener. “We have instructions to explore and survey the Atlantic and Pacific, promote the honor and dignity of our nation, forward the interests of science, further American commerce, and protect American whaling adventures.”
    Stackpole did not look impressed. Indeed, Wiki thought that his expression had become more suspicious than ever. He repeated, “ Seven ships?”
    â€œSeven,” repeated George, whose patience was starting to fray. “The flagship is the sloop of war Vincennes, and the other six ships are—”
    â€œSo how come there’s only one of you here?”
    George said stiffly, “The others aren’t far away, I assure you.”
    â€œBut why ain’t you sailing as a squadron?”
    â€œThere was an unfortunate incident as we were leaving the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, involving both the Vincennes and the second-in-command, the sloop Peacock, and—”
    â€œYou mean they got into a war, or something?”
    â€œAbsolutely not. They merely ran afoul of a merchant brigantine.”
    â€œWhat? Both of them?”
    â€œThe Vincennes blundered into the merchantman first. Unfortunately, the Peacock, which was following close behind, didn’t have time to take evasive action.”
    â€œIn full view of the whole of Rio?”
    Stackpole snorted rudely, Rochester kept a dignified silence, and Wiki winced. The merchant brigantine had been his father’s Salem trader Osprey, and it had been not the first, but the second time, that she had got into a collision with expedition ships. While Wiki had not been on board the Vincennes to see the confrontation with Wilkes that had followed this latest episode, he had been assured by those who had been there that Captain Coffin’s fury had been truly awe-inspiring.
    The whaling master jibed, “I hope they made a real lubberly job of it, and sent the brigantine to the bottom.”
    â€œOn the contrary, it was a trivial matter,” Rochester snapped. “There were a few repairs to be done, and the matter of compensation to be discussed with the master of the merchantman, but that should delay them only a couple of days.”
    â€œSo what about the other four vessels? Did they get into collisions, too?”
    â€œThe gun brig Porpoise was instructed to send a party into the city in search of a few deserters, with squads from the schooners Flying Fish and Sea Gull to assist. The storeship Relief was sent ahead some days before, as she’s a slow sailer, and impedes the fleet sadly.”
    Wiki concealed a grin at this. He had been on board the Vincennes when Captain Wilkes had given the captain of the Relief his marching orders, and so he knew better—that Wilkes had sent the storeship off early not because of her undeniably slow sailing qualities, but because rumors had been running about the fleet that the captain and officers of the Relief had been invited to a merry spree on shore.
    Then he heard the whaling master say, “And you were sent ahead, too?”
    â€œ Not because the Swallow is a slow sailer,” George said, very firmly indeed.
    â€œI reckon not,” Stackpole agreed without hesitation, taking another admiring look at the brig’s vast sails and taut rigging. “But why were you in such a hurry?”
    â€œOur orders are to get to the mouth of the Río Negro—where the other ships will join us—and commence a survey of the shoals.”
    â€œBut what the hell for? They change with every tide!”
    Wiki silently agreed. Indeed, he considered the assignment insane. Though it was supposed to be a