Privateers

Part I

Privateers

Part I
Chapter 1
Scotland, Winter 1778

The Chimera silently glided into the loch like a phantasm. Hardly a noise was made, save for the rustling of the sails from her troika of masts, and the crash of the surf as she cut through the frigid black waters of Loch Hourn. Her pitch-black hull and verdant green trim were cloaked in twilight as a crescent moon slid in and out of the cloud-filled night.
Following her lead, a pair of frigates flying the French flag sailed up into the loch. Not a single lantern was lit on all three of warships as they silently crept further and further up into the loch.
Henry Riley gazed impassively at the two French frigates as they followed after his ship. He was glad to have them along on this raid, but Loch Hourn was where the Chimera would leave them. The thirty-three gun frigate would have to venture up the waterway alone. The two French frigates were much larger and had a draft that would leave little room to maneuver in the narrow waterways leading into Loch Alsh.
Henry's eyes drifted away from the two frigates and back to his own ship. Unlike her French counterparts, the Chimera wasn't designed for war. She was a blockade runner, but, with the American War of Independence raging, any ship in the employ of the Continental Navy was a warship.
Henry walked across the deck and watched as the Chimera tacked towards a small island on the western side of the loch. "Steady as she goes, Mr. Southworth."
"Right you are Captain." Martin Southworth, the helmsmen, bobbed his head and swung the wheel wide, bringing the Chimera abreast of the island.
Henry watched as his crew silently raised the sails as their ship drifted behind the island.
"Captain, are you sure this will provide us with sufficient cover?" A body-less voice whispered from the darkness.
Henry turned and faced the direction from where the question came. As the moon crept out from behind a cloud, the large silhouette of Henry's first mate and quartermaster became visible. "For one day we should be fine, Big John. We'll send out scouts to ensure no one spots the ship from land."
Big John tilted his bald head and nodded towards the two frigates that sat in the middle of Loch Hourn. "And what of the French?"
Henry followed his quartermaster's gaze. Their escort sat unassuming in the loch, waiting for their signal to depart. "Southworth, light the lantern."
Southworth wordlessly departed the helm and moved tot he aft of the ship and wordlessly lit a single lantern and gently swung it left to right.
In response, one of the French frigates lit a single lantern and after a minute quickly extinguished it.
"They're departing." Southworth called as he doused his lantern.
Henry nodded and watched as the sails were dropped on both frigates and they started to silently glide out of the loch the same way they came in.
"Alone again." Big John murmured.
"Lonely already?" Henry smirked. He walked down the steps of the quarter deck and walked across the main deck to inspect their berthing. Big John followed after him.
"Hank, you have to admit this is a little different from our usual doings."
Henry ignored Big John's concern and studied the island that eclipsed them from the rest of the loch. I hope this works, Henry thought you himself.
"Do you really think we can hide here during the day?"
Henry sucked in a breath and looked at his giant quartermaster, "Do you have a better idea?"
"Drop off the scouts and retreat back to the open ocean and come back tomorrow night."
"And leave our lads without any kind of help if they encounter trouble? No, we're all in this together or not at all. Besides we're deep into Royal waters, if we go back out to sea we run the risk of being spotted." Henry shook his head and leaned against the wooden railing of the ship. "We stay put, this is the safest we can be at the moment."
"Fine," Big John nodded his head slowly and crossed his arms, shivering slightly, "Christ, I just wish we were back around the Bahamas or Cuba. Its bloody cold here."
The cold wintry air filled Henry's lungs as he took a breath. This wasn't the environment the Chimera was cut out for. His men were Caribbean sailors, ill equipped for a winter in Scotland. "Let's just get this raid finished and we can double back to France and be back on our way home within a fortnight."
"I'll have Jeremiah gather a few of his lads to serve as scouts."
"Make sure his gun crews double check every cannon for rust and stress lines. The last thing we want is a cannon to crack in this cold when fired."
"Will do, Captain."
Henry drummed his fingers across the railing as he took one last look at the dark hump-backed island that stood between them and the rest of the loch. All it took was single farmer, child playing in the woods, or soldier seeing them and the game would be up. Surprise was a necessity and it would be a fickle thing.
"Should we have the crew to quarters?"
Henry debated the question, and shook his head. "This may be the last good-night's sleep they'll be getting for a couple days. I want sentries on the quarterdeck and weapons to be passed out."
"Right, I'll send a fresh set of eyes up to the crow's nest to keep watch."
"Don't bother I'll take the watch."
Big John studied Henry for a long moment, but nodded his head. They had sailed together for over five years, and Big John knew why Henry occasionally volunteered himself for the loneliest post on the ship. It was the only place he could let his mind wander away from the needs of the Chimera. As the Captain of the ship, Henry was responsible for the welfare of everyone of his crew, and Big John knew it was a responsibility that nagged and tugged at Henry's mind at every hour of the day. If the Captain wanted to decompress by taking the loath night-watch in the Crow's Nest who was he to begrudge him? He gave Henry a wordless nod and departed to pass the word.
Henry watched Big John scramble down the ladder-well to pass word to Jeremiah and the rest of the gun crews. For most of the crew, Henry doubted a fitful night sleep would come easy, and as for the officers of the ship, it would be a long few days.
Henry strolled across the main deck and inspected the far shore of the Scottish mainland. It was only a few hundred meters away. Henry stamped his feet to keep warm as a frosty breeze swept across the deck. Here they were, deep in enemy territory, within striking distance of Scotland. It would be the first time a colonial ship would be bringing the fight to Great Britain on royal soil.
Henry grabbed the loose folds of his boat cloak and wrapped them tighter around his body as the cold continued to seep into his bones. Christ it was cold. They had acquired wool clothing while in France, but he wondered if that was enough to keep his lads from getting frostbit. He stared absently at the black hills that stood out against the starry night. His mind racing as he grappled with the fear that he had overlooked something. His mind darted through a mental checklist for the hundredth time and couldn't think of a single thing that was left to do.
He grunted in annoyance as he realized all necessary tasks had been taken care. With all preparations being completed, there was nothing left to do but wait. Henry meandered back across the deck, returning greetings with sentries as he made his way to the rigging of the main mast. He clambered up the weathered ropes to the top of the mast.
"Captain is that you?" A voice called from the nest as Henry grabbed the rim of the platform and heaved himself over the railing.
"Who is that? Swift?"
"Aye sir. What can I do for you?"
"Go down below deck and get warm. I'll take the next watch."
Swift's eyebrows raised in surprise, but he didn't question the order. "You'll need this." He pulled a wool blanket off his shoulders and handed it to Henry.
"Thanks."
"Stay warm Captain, its bloody freezing up here. There's a dram of grog left in the canteen."
Henry nodded his thanks and took the blanket. Without another word, Swift threw a leg over the railing and scrambled down the rigging with practiced speed.
Henry wrapped the blanket around himself and leaned against the railing and studied the sky. The clouds were moving off, letting the moon illuminate the night. His mind returned to thoughts of what else needed to be done, but came up empty yet again. The canons were prepped, the raiding party had been selected, and weapons had been issued. All that was left was to deploy the raiding force the next night, and pray they weren't discovered before then.
Henry struggled to quiet his mind, but it ricocheted all over. The longer he struggled to keep his mind off the work that was to come, the more his mind returned to the one thing he anguished over.