A Certain Threat (The Merriman Chronicles Book 1) (15 page)

“
You sergeant, will have your men load their muskets as soon as the boat is close inshore so that they’ll be able to fire immediately the order is given, though I hope that will not be necessary.  I trust that no marine will be so careless as to discharge his musket by accident and that you have five steady men.”

“
Picked ‘em myself Sir, with Mr. St James’ approval.  They’re good steady lads Sir.”

“
Right then, be off with you now.”

As the
boat pulled away Merriman strained his eyes to see what he could of the shoreline, but although it was a clear night again all he could see was a faint line of surf and the dark humps of sand dunes.

Laing had the boat holding to a small anchor which kept
the larboard side to the beach against a gentle current.  All the men were alert and looking for a flash of light which was the agreed signal.  The marines had loaded their weapons and now sat silently on the thwarts with the muskets upright between their knees and wrapped in rags to keep the powder dry.  An hour passed and another.  It was bitterly cold and difficult to remain alert with the eyes constantly confused by the shadows, but the hardness of the thwarts ensured that nobody was comfortable enough to fall asleep.

“
Sir, I see something” whispered one of the seamen.  Laing recognised him as Larkin, the man who had first spotted the hidden cutter.  “What? Where?”

“
There Sir, behind us to your left.  Looks like three men moving along the beach.  Ah, two more Sir, between those two big dunes.”

Although he couldn
’t see the men clearly, they were only vague shadows, it was obvious to Laing that whoever they were they must be looking for Mr. Grahame.

“
Right men, easy strokes.  You in the bows, bring the anchor in, quietly now.  Give way together.”  Fortunately Laing had kept the oars out and held just clear of the water so there was little noise as the men pulled easily against the current.  As far as he could see, the men on the shore had not yet seen the boat but they would as soon as he turned for the shore.  Slowly the boat moved along the beach, Laing steering so as to keep as far off as he could whilst still keeping the men in sight.  Gradually the boat drew ahead and after perhaps five minutes Larkin hissed “There Sir, the light,” pointing along the beach to where Laing himself could see  small flashes of light.  The time for caution was over.

“
Pull men, pull hard.  Sergeant, as soon as we strike the beach I want you and your men out between us and those men advancing along the beach.  Shoot if you have to.”  He swung the tiller over and headed the boat towards where the light had been seen. As the boat grounded the men were over the side, the marines forming a skirmish line and fixing bayonets to the sergeant’s order and the seamen looking to their officer for orders.  There was no sign of Grahame but as Laing was about to send six of the seamen off towards the dunes there was a shout and two quick pistol shots.  A dark figure could be seen making a plunging, stumbling run down from the dunes pursued by three others.

“
Grahame, over here,” roared Laing leading his men at a run towards them, tugging out his sword as he ran.  Even as he did there was the flash and report of another pistol shot and the stumbling figure cried out and fell to the sand.  Almost at the same time there was the crash of a volley from behind him and he knew the marines were in action.

“
At ‘em Lads. Larkin, see to Mr. Graham.”  A shadowy figure slashed at him with a sword, he parried automatically, disengaged his blade and slashed the man across the face.  Another man had fallen to the blades of the seamen and the third was in flight back to the dunes.  As the seamen made to follow, Laing shouted “Belay that, back to the boat.  Two of you help Mr. Grahame and two of you bring this man along as well.”  The man Laing had wounded was grovelling on the sand, blood pouring from his face, screaming that he was dying, but the seamen took no notice of his cries and forced him along at the point of a sword.

Back at the boat they found four of the marines standing guard and the s
ergeant bending over the fifth. “Report sergeant, is your man badly hurt? “ asked the Lieutenant.  “Sir, there was six of ‘em Sir. I waited ‘til they was close, then fired a volley.  Four of ‘em fell Sir and the other two legged it for safety but while we were reloading one came back and threw a knife.  Got poor Adamson in the belly Sir, it’s bad.”

“
Right sergeant, get him in the boat.”  The seamen had already lifted the unconscious form of Grahame into the boat and thrown the whining prisoner in also.  They were ready to go and whilst the men pushed off and prepared to row, Laing bent over Grahame, grasping him by the shoulders to move him into a more comfortable position.  He then realized that the man was bleeding badly from a wound in his back although he was still breathing.

“
Pull hard for the ship men, we’ve badly wounded men here to get to the surgeon.  Show our lantern Larkin, if they see us they’ll signal back.”  The man fiddled with the lantern and then stood up and swung it to and fro until there was an answering signal.  Thirty minutes later they were aboard the
Aphrodite
and Laing was making his report to his Captain.  The wounded men were in the care of the surgeon whom Merriman had threatened to hang if he was drunk.

Merriman listened in silence as the tired man related all that had happened. 
“It was fortunate that we had the marines with us Sir, there were too many for the boat’s crew to have fought off.  Mr Grahame seems to have been badly hit and I don’t think the marine will live.  Don’t really know why I brought a prisoner back Sir, perhaps I was hoping to learn something from him.”

“
You have done well Mr. Laing and I shall see that you get full credit in my report to the Admiralty,” said Merriman formally.

“
Thank you Sir” said Laing.  “There was one other thing Sir, I’d like to draw your attention to the man Larkin.  He must have the best pair of eyes in the ship as he was the first to see what was happening ashore.”

“
Very good Mr. Laing, it is duly noted.  Now go and get some rest.”

Merriman had set the ship on a course for Anglesey as soon as the boat had been hois
ted aboard; the wind was still in the east although backed a little more northerly and if it held,
Aphrodite
would be able to make the north west corner of Anglesey in good time without the need to tack.  The tide was almost at low water and therefore would have turned by the time the ship approached her destination.  The strong currents round the west coast of the island would be in their favour and it would be nearly high tide when the attempt was made to re-capture the cutter. The only thing which could change his plans would be
for Mr. Grahame to have an alternative idea.

Entering the cabin allocated to Grahame he found Peters helping the Surgeon to wrap a bandage round the wounded man.  McBride was sweating freely although it was a cold night and his fi
ngers were trembling so much that he could hardly tie a knot in the bandage.

“
How is he?” demanded Merriman, “Will he live?”

“
Yes Sir, I am sure he will.  I managed to extract the ball from his shoulder but the scapula has been broken and he has lost a lot of blood.  It may be some time before he regains his senses but he will be very weak and unable to use his arm for a few weeks.”

“
And the marine, Mr. McBride?”

“
I did all I could Sir, but he died.  He never had a chance with a wound like that Sir, I did all I could I swear I did Sir.”  McBride was babbling away and Merriman suddenly realized that the man was terrified and Merriman himself was responsible, having threatened to hang him if he was drunk..

“
Calm down McBride, calm down, I’m sure you did the best you could for him.  You must now make sure that Mr. Grahame recovers.  And what of the prisoner?”

“
He has a bad sword cut to the face Sir.  I’ll stitch him up but he will bear the scar to his dying day.  He’s had some rough treatment from the marines who know that his friends killed one of their number, but he’ll live. They have him under guard.”

“
Right, when there is any sign of Mr. Grahame coming to his senses pass the word to me at once.”

Yes Sir, I will, and thank you Sir.
”  Merriman left the cabin smiling to himself.  McBride still had the smell of brandy on his breath but he had managed to appear on deck every morning clean and sober as the orders stated.  Perhaps he was managing to pull himself together at last.  The  man had been drinking but the trembling was from fear not alcohol.  Back on deck Merriman called the midshipman of the watch to him.  “Mr. Oakley, there will be little sleep for anyone tonight.  My compliments to all the officers and I want them in my cabin in ten minutes.”

“
Aye-aye Sir, in ten minutes” Oakley disappeared below.

When all the officers squeezed into Merriman
’s tiny cabin there was barely room to breathe.  Merriman had the chart spread on the table under the lantern swinging from a deck beam and the men gathered round, some sitting and the rest standing with bent backs beneath the low deckhead.

When they could all see, Merriman said
“Gentlemen, we are going to take the ship we saw in the bay yesterday.”  There was a murmur of approval and pleasure.

The only person who appea
red to have doubts was Lieutenant Jeavons, who greatly daring, asked “Are we certain that really is the ship we have been looking for Sir?”

“
We
don’t have to be Lieutenant,
I
am sure and if I am wrong
you
will carry no blame” said Merriman sternly, once again wondering about Jeavons’ abilities.

“
Sorry Sir, I meant no disrespect” he mumbled, ashamed of the implied criticism.

“
Very well then, this is how we shall go about it.  You will see on the chart that the ship is partially concealed behind this small headland, in a small bay on the east side of Kenmaes Bay.  I intend to land the marines in another small bay, Porth Wen, about one and a half miles further east.  Mr St James, you will have your own men, now sadly reduced by one, together with a small party of seamen under one officer.  You will be in overall command and it will be your task to move quietly along the coast to take up a position overlooking the bay where the ship lies.  If any lookouts are found they are to be silenced, but not killed unless absolutely necessary.   Mr. Jeavons, have we any men aboard who have been gamekeepers or even poachers, men who might be able to move quietly at night?”

“
Two Sir, Salmon a gunner’s mate and Jackson, foretopman, both were poachers Sir, who preferred life at sea to prison.”

“
Good, then they must be in that party and they must deal with any lookouts.  Make sure they each have a stout club.”

“
Your party Mr. St James, must signal to the boats when you are in position.  The signal will be three flashes from the headland.”

“
The main party will be in two boats approaching from the east. The boats will lie well offshore until you see the signal from Mr. St James, when you will pull round the headland which we trust will now be controlled by the marines and round into the bay to take the ship, one on either side.  I want all oars to be muffled with rags and the thole pins greased to keep sound to a minimum.  Only the marines will have firearms, officers too of course, and the men with their preferred weapon, cutlass, pike or boarding axe.”

“
The two boats must be round the headland before dawn breaks. so as to achieve maximum surprise.  The marines will be able to give supporting fire if needed..  Once you are certain that the ship is ours, Mr. St James, move down to the small village there to stop anyone trying to escape.  Remember, I believe these men to be the ones who murdered the revenue men.  They must be brought to justice.  Mr. Jeavons will command the boat party with Mr. Andrews in the second boat. Mr. Oakley, you will be with Mr. St James.  Are there any questions Gentlemen?”

“
One thing Sir, are we to apprehend everybody in the village including women and children?” asked the marine officer.

“
If some of the women escape with their children it won’t matter, it is the men we want.   Don’t forget that these men are killers who will fight viciously to escape, so see to it that your men are warned what to expect.   I expect some of them will be simple Welsh villagers coerced into helping the smugglers to hide, but certainly any man with an Irish accent is to be taken, or killed if he won’t surrender.  It’s possible that there may be some Frenchmen amongst them.  If found you must try to capture them alive.”

“
Finally, once the attacking party has gained the deck, I want a second signal flashed to the ship.  I’ll then bring
Aphrodite
as close to the mouth of the bay as I can.  A cannon shot may convince them that there is no point in further resistance.  Now if you are all certain of your duties Gentlemen I suggest that you start your preparations.”

Lieutenant Edward St James crouched uncomfortably in the lee of a small group of rocks with his sergeant just behind him.  The rest of the marines were lying in the short tussocky grass a few yards to the rear.  Mr. Oakley and his party of seamen were somewhere ahead.  As far as they could tell, the landing in the small bay had been unobserved and apart from one marine falling full length in the water and most of them getting their feet wet the landing had been uneventful.  The boat had been hauled well above the water and secured for picking up later.

Oakley had sent the two erstwhile poachers ahead into the darkness and th
ey had  returned a few  minutes later with the news that a narrow track had been found leading along the coast in the direction they had to go.

Progress had been slow but steady, the only incident being when they had startled a small group of sheep lying i
n the darkness.  The animals had run off making plenty of noise in their haste, occasioning loud whispers from the men about it being time they had a taste of lamb instead of ship’s salt pork.  They were quickly silenced by the sergeant’s snarled threats of dire misfortune to the next man to break the silence.

Now they were close to the headland and waiting for the two advance scouts to return.  The smell of tobacco had warned them that there was someone ahead and the men had been sent to investigate.   Mid
shipman Oakley, uneasily conscious of the responsibility which was his, nervously checked for perhaps the tenth time the covered lantern he carried whilst he wondered what was keeping the men.

Jackson suddenly and silently materialised out of the darkness.
  “All clear Sir.  There were two on ‘em, supposed to be on lookout.  It was easy Sir, they were drunk, but they won’t bother us again.”

The man
’s breath smelt of alcohol and Oakley surmised that he had finished off the bottle that the unfortunate lookouts had been using.

“
You’ve not killed them have you Jackson?”

“
Lord, no Sir.  Just a little tap on the head with me club and they’re sleeping like babies.  We tied an’ gagged ‘em to be sure and I left Salmon up there with ‘em.”

“
You’re sure that there are no more of them there?”

“
Yes Sir, we looked all round but saw no-one.  I could see the cutter clearly from up there Sir, but couldn’t see anything moving.”

“
Good man, we can move ahead again then.  You, Smith, back to the marines.  My compliments to Mr. St James and tell him the sentries have been dealt with and he can come up now.”

By the time the marines had caught up with them, Oakley had already taken a look round with Jackson to guide him and could see that they would be in an id
eal position.  The marine Lieutenant took his own look round with the sergeant and announced himself satisfied.  “I’ll get the men settled in position Mr. Oakley, while you go and make the signal.”

Whilst the midshipman scurried off to signal to the waitin
g boats, the marine officer placed his small force overlooking the few poor cottages which formed the village of Kenmaes.  From there they could also see the ship. “Sergeant, have the men load their muskets, quietly now, I want no man discharging his piece by accident.”

The midshipman returned,
“I made the signal Sir, and waited until I could see the boats pulling for the shore.  They should be here in about ten minutes or so.”  There was nothing to do now but wait.

Eventually the two boats could be dimly s
een gliding round the headland under slow but powerful strokes of the oars.  Absolute silence prevailed, not a sound broke the stillness until the boats separated and pulled alongside the ship, one on each side.  There was a shout of alarm from a sleeping sentry suddenly woken by the sound of men climbing over the bulwarks and leaping down onto the deck..  His shout trailed off into a scream and then a gurgle as he died without realizing that he was pinned to the rail, transfixed by a boarding pike wielded by a tall seaman.

The dying man
’s shout had succeeded in waking men below who began to pour up on deck clutching what weapons they had managed to find. The boarders were yelling like fiends, adding to the confusion as the dazed men sought to form some defence, but they were overwhelmed by
Aphrodite’s
men, enraged by the thought of the seamen murdered aboard this same ship.  Those that chose to make a fight of it were quickly despatched and the rest threw down their arms and cried for quarter.

“
Mr. Andrews, take some men and secure the magazine and clear the lower deck of anyone hiding down there” shouted Lieutenant Jeavons.

“
Aye-aye Sir.”   Andrews tumbled below followed by half a dozen seamen eager to find more work for their bloodstained cutlasses to do.  All they found was one terrified man cowering behind water casks in the hold.   Leaving two of his men to guard the magazine, Andrews returned to the deck, prodding the prisoner in front of him

The other prisoners were sitting in a group on the deck, hands
clasped at the back of their neck and looking thoroughly frightened, surrounded as they were by men obviously ready and willing to use their weapons again.

“
Ah, Mr. Andrews”, said Jeavons, “We are about to have visitors, take a look.”  He pointed to the village and the beach.  The morning was now becoming light enough for them to see where twenty or so men were pushing two boats into the water.  Another group of men, armed with muskets, was running along the beach towards the headland with the obvious intention of being able to shoot down on the ship.

On the headland the marines had remained hidden but watchful, but in the face of this threat Lieutenant St James rose to his feet,
“Marines will form line” he ordered. As they rose from concealment one of the men on the beach saw them and shouted a warning to his fellows.  They hesitated for a moment, but on seeing how few marines there were, came on with a rush, shouting to encourage themselves.

St James would not be hurried.
“Marines will prepare to fire, take aim ----”.  The attackers hesitated at the sight of the uniforms and the threat of the aimed muskets but came on nevertheless.   “---- Fire”  The muskets belched flame and smoke.  Four of the attackers dropped and several more dropped their weapons to clutch at their wounds.

The value of the hours of training by St James and his sergeant showed as the heavy muskets were reloaded in seconds.  
“Marines will fix bayonets,” a pause as the long steel blades were fastened to the muskets, “Marines will advance.”  As the line of disciplined men moved forwards with their muskets held before them, each musket with its long blade glittering evilly in the growing light,  the men on the beach, disheartened by their losses, began to back away.  Some of them discharged their muskets at the marines before turning to run and two marines were flung backwards as the heavy balls hit.  “Marines will halt, halt.  Prepare to fire ---- fire.”  More men fell, ignored by their comrades as they fled.

Meanwhile the men at the boats w
ere pulling towards the ship.  The sudden boom of a cannon caused them to stop rowing and peer over their shoulders to see
Aphrodite
under topsails only, moving slowly across the mouth of the bay.  There was heated debate for a few minutes and then the boats turned and made for the beach.

Aboard
Aphrodite
Merriman studied the situation. His mind had been in a turmoil since the boats had left for the shore; he desperately wanted to be with them but he dare not take the chance of being wounded, even killed, whilst the only other man who knew what was at stake lay senseless below.  Besides he had to be sure of Lieutenant Jeavons and it was only right that the lieutenant be given his chance to show his abilities.

He was beginning to appreciate the loneliness of command, the need to show utmost confidence in his officers and the orders given to them and to appear calm and unconcerned when men may be dying as a result of those orders.  Lieutenant Laing and the M
aster were on deck and the watch was kept busy making constant sail adjustments as Mr. Cuthbert endeavoured to keep the ship in roughly the same position against the tidal stream.

They had seen the first signal to the boats and Merriman allowed the ship to
move closer to the bay as the first pale streaks of dawn appeared in the eastern sky.  The sound of musket fire reached them and as the second signal flashed from the headland
Aphrodite
slowly moved across the mouth of the bay.  Laing looked expectantly at Merriman.

“
Very well Mr. Laing, let them know we are here.”

Laing turned and pointed at Hodges the gunner who was waiting for the word of command.  Bending down, he jerked the lanyard and the small cannon jerked backwards as it vomited flame and smoke. 
Watching, Merriman saw the two boats in the bay turn for the shore, the men rowing desperately to reach safety before the advancing marines could stop them.

“
Mr. Hodges, take another shot, try and place the ball between those two boats if you can.”

“
Aye-aye Sir” replied the gunner, adjusting the angle of a second cannon with a handspike.  Again the flame and smoke and Merriman saw the splash as the ball fell between the boats, smashing some of the oars to splinters.

“
Well done Mr. Hodges,” called Merriman, as the two boats drifted together, the men making no further effort to escape.  “Mr. Cuthbert, bring the ship to anchor if you please.  Mr. Laing, I’ll have my gig lowered, I need to see for myself what is happening over there. Have Mr. Hodges keep a cannon trained on those boats in case they have ideas of escape.  Don’t hesitate to fire if they move.  Mr. McBride, you’ll come with me.”

Climbing aboard the recaptured cutter, Merriman was greeted by his First Lieutenant and a grinning Andrews. 
“All went well Sir”, reported Jeavons.  “We lost only two men and a few wounded although none seriously.  You were right, it
is
the Revenue cutter, the
Pilote. 
The name’s been painted over but it can still be made out.  My apologies Sir, I was a fool to doubt you.”

“
Well done Gentlemen, Mr. McBride can see to the wounded, theirs as well as our own.   Now, what is the condition of the ship?”

“
Almost ready for sea Sir, although the topmast needs to be sent up again.  There are plenty of provisions aboard and a dozen casks of water.  The guns appear to be in good shape and there is ample powder and shot.  She was dragged backwards into this little bay and she is moored by four ropes belayed to rocks ashore.  We have sixteen prisoners and there are eleven dead apart from our own. Oh, and one of the prisoners, that one at the back, is an oddity. He won’t speak and is better dressed than the others, who by the sound of it are Irish.”

“
Right Mr. Jeavons, I want the prisoners below under guard, with a pair of swivels trained on the hatchway.  Keep your oddity separate but keep a close eye on him, he may be one of the ringleaders.  Our own men we’ll bury at sea but the other dead can be put ashore for burial.  Use some of the prisoners for that.  There will be more prisoners  to come aboard later and I’ll let you have some of the marines.  Meanwhile the ship is yours, so determine your prize crew and prepare the ship for sea..”

“
Aye-aye Sir, and thank you.  Can I keep Mr. Andrews?”

“
For the moment, now I’ll go ashore.”

As the gig p
assed the two boats in the middle of the bay, Merriman reminded the men in them that a cannon was trained on them with orders to fire if they moved.  Ashore, he found a group of prisoners sitting in the sand guarded by two marines and Oakley’s party of seamen.  A number of women and children were in a huddled group near the prisoners, and others weeping and wailing over the corpses lying where they had fallen to the marines’ muskets.

The red coats of marines could be seen dotted around in twos
and threes prodding prisoners back towards the village.  The thatch of two of the cottages was on fire and Merriman found the marine officer and one of his men standing over two men wearing blue coats.  One of them was clearly dead but the other, a younger man, clutched at his arm, his face twisted in agony as blood ran between his fingers.

“
Frenchmen Sir”, reported St James cheerfully.  “Hiding behind some fishing nets. I gave them the chance to surrender but they wouldn’t, came at me with their swords so I had no choice but to kill one of them and prick the other.  Sorry I couldn’t keep both of them for you Sir.”

“
No matter Mr. St James, we have one of them and a lot of other prisoners.  These are the people responsible for the stealing of the revenue cutter and the murder of her crew and so they must be taken back to face trial.”  He looked at the prisoners that the marines had rounded up and did a quick count, sixteen on the ship, about twenty on the beach and another twenty or more in the boats.  They were cowed at the moment but it would not be long before the bolder spirits among them began to look for a way of escape.  Merriman reached a decision.  He motioned for the Lieutenant to move out of earshot of the Frenchman.