Part 11 (1/2)

”What do you draw, sir?”

”Eleven feet, nine inches,” Saltonstall said. He was still talking to James, but now fixed his gaze just past James's head to stare at the p.o.o.pdeck companionway.

”Plenty of water for you, sir,” James said with his customary cheerfulness.

”The tide?”

”Fifteen to eighteen feet, near enough,” James said, ”but even at low water you can pa.s.s her.” He pointed to the Nautilus Nautilus, the southernmost of Mowat's s.h.i.+ps. ”You can get past her, sir, with ten feet to spare, and once you're inside you've not a care in the world.”

”Get past her?” Saltonstall asked scornfully.

”Plenty of room, sir.”

”And a battery not a hundred paces away?” Saltonstall asked harshly, meaning the guns on Cross Island. Those guns were just visible and behind them were tents for the gunners and a British flag high on a makes.h.i.+ft pole. ”And once I am inside,” he went on, ”how the devil do I get out?”

”Get out?” James asked, disconcerted by the commodore's evident dislike of him.

”I take your advice,” Saltonstall said sarcastically, ”and I sail into Majabigwaduce, but once there I am under the guns of their fort, am I not? And incapable of leaving?”

”Incapable, sir?” James said, nervous of the immaculate Saltonstall.

”For G.o.d's sake, you thickhead!” Saltonstall snapped. ”Any fool can sail into that harbor, but how the devil do you sail out again? Answer me that!”

”You don't need to come out, sir,” James said. The commodore was right, of course, that while it would be easy to use the prevailing wind to enter the harbor it would be a devilish business to tack out again, especially under fire from the fort's cannon.

”Oh, praise the Lord,” Saltonstall said, ”so I am just supposed to lie there, am I, allowing the sh.o.r.e batteries to reduce my s.h.i.+p to wreckage?”

”Lord love you, sir, no. You can sail on up into the Bagaduce River,” James said. ”Deep water there, sir, and long beyond the reach of any of their guns.”

”Must be thirty feet at low water up the river,” Brewer put in.

”Twenty, anyway,” James said.

”You seem to be d.a.m.ned knowing about the matter,” Saltonstall turned on Captain Brewer.

”I live here,” Brewer said.

”I am not going to risk my s.h.i.+pping in that d.a.m.ned hole,” Saltonstall said firmly, then turned away again to gaze at the defenses.

”What d.a.m.ned hole, Commodore?” a bright voice interrupted.

Saltonstall turned to look at Peleg Wadsworth who had just arrived on board the frigate. ”Good morning, General,” the commodore grunted.

Brigadier Wadsworth looked happy. His concerns about the fitness of the militia had been dissipated by his first sight of the British defenses, which had been visible from the Sally Sally's deck as it sailed north. Wadsworth had gazed through a telescope at the fort above the settlement and he had seen that the walls were pitifully low, confirming reports that the ramparts were unfinished. Two local men who had been brought to the fleet by marines from the Tyrannicide Tyrannicide had also confirmed that McLean's works were far from completed and that the fort's guns were still not mounted. ”G.o.d has been good to us,” Wadsworth said, ”and the British are unprepared.” He smiled at Fletcher. ”h.e.l.lo, young man, is that your boat tied alongside?” had also confirmed that McLean's works were far from completed and that the fort's guns were still not mounted. ”G.o.d has been good to us,” Wadsworth said, ”and the British are unprepared.” He smiled at Fletcher. ”h.e.l.lo, young man, is that your boat tied alongside?”

”Yes, sir.”

”She looks a very trim craft,” Wadsworth said, then stepped alongside the commodore. ”General Lovell is determined to launch an a.s.sault this afternoon,” he told Saltonstall.

Saltonstall grunted again.

”And we beg the favor of your marines, sir.”

Saltonstall grunted a third time and then, after a pause, called aloud, ”Captain Welch!”

The tall marine stalked across the deck. ”Sir?”

”What kind of a.s.sault, General?” Saltonstall demanded.

”Straight at the bluff,” Wadsworth said confidently.

”There's a battery of guns on the bluff,” Saltonstall warned, then waved carelessly at Fletcher and Captain Brewer, ”they know.”

”Six-pounders probably,” Captain Brewer said, ”but aimed southwards.”

”The guns face the harbor mouth, sir,” James explained. ”They don't point at the bay,” he added.

”Then the guns shouldn't trouble us,” Wadsworth said cheerfully. He paused as if expecting agreement from the commodore, but Saltonstall just gazed past the brigadier, his long face somehow suggesting that he had better things to do than concern himself with Wadsworth's problems. ”If your marines take the right of the line,” Wadsworth suggested.

The commodore looked at Welch. ”Well?”

”It would be an honor, sir,” Welch said.

Saltonstall nodded. ”Then you can have my marines, Wadsworth,” he said. ”But take good care of them!” This was evidently a jest because the commodore gave a brief bark of laughter.

”I'm most grateful,” Wadsworth said heartily, ”and General Lovell asked me to inquire, Commodore, whether you plan an attack on their s.h.i.+pping?” Wadsworth asked the question with the utmost tact.

”You want it both ways, Wadsworth?” the commodore demanded fiercely. ”You want my marines to attack on land, but you'd deny me their service in an a.s.sault on the enemy s.h.i.+pping? So which do you want, land or sea?”

”I desire the cause of liberty to triumph,” Wadsworth said, knowing he sounded pompous.

Yet the words seemed to jar with the commodore who flinched, then looked at the three enemy sloops again. ”They're the cork in a bottleneck,” he said. ”Not much of a cork, you might think, but a d.a.m.ned tight bottle. I can destroy their s.h.i.+ps, Wadsworth, but at what price, eh? Tell me that! What price? Half our fleet?”

Captain Brewer and James Fletcher had stepped back respectfully, as if leaving the two senior officers to their discussion, while Captain Welch stood glowering beside the commodore. Wadsworth alone seemed at his ease. He smiled. ”Three s.h.i.+ps can do that much damage?” he inquired of Saltonstall.

”Not their d.a.m.ned s.h.i.+ps, but their d.a.m.ned fort and their d.a.m.ned batteries,” Saltonstall said. ”I sail in there, Wadsworth, and my fleet is under their fort's guns. We'll be pounded, man, pounded.”

”The fort hasn't mounted'” Captain Brewer began.

”I know how few guns they have!” Saltonstall turned angrily on Brewer, ”but that was yesterday. How many more today? Do we know? We do not! And how many field guns are concealed in the village there? Do we know? We do not. And once inside that d.a.m.ned bottle I can't get out unless I have an ebbing tide and an easterly wind. And no,” he looked sourly at James Fletcher, ”I am not minded to take my s.h.i.+p up a river where enemy field guns can be deployed. So, General,” he turned back to Peleg Wadsworth, ”do you wish to explain to the Navy Board the loss of yet another Continental frigate?”

”What I wish, Commodore,” Wadsworth still spoke respectfully, ”is for the enemy marines to be aboard their s.h.i.+ps and not waiting for us on land.”

”Ah, that's different,” Saltonstall spoke grudgingly. ”You want me to engage their s.h.i.+pping. Very well. But I won't take my fleet into that d.a.m.ned hole, you understand? We'll engage them from without the harbor.”

”And I'm certain that threat alone will keep the enemy marines where we wish them to be,” Wadsworth said.

”Have you marked that chart for me?” Saltonstall turned on Captain Brewer.

”Not yet, sir.”