Flight From Fairyland
A few minutes of hard rowing brought the two little skiffs alongside the Fancy. The swells were becoming quite pronounced, and the gloom was settling in like a heavy blanket. Avery was most likely correct, of course, as he was about all matters of the sea: tonight was likely to be quite dark and stormy. Richard was beginning to have second thoughts about his bravado of the earlier evening. His anger was flagging somewhat and now the spectre of fear crept into his thinking. How exactly did you pilot a ship around rocks, during a storm and at night?
"Hoy, cap'n" cried another skiff materializing out of the gloom. "Some dainties f'r yer table." Onboard were two older boys piloting a barge of a rowboat, full to the brim with all manner of ill-gotten wares from Scuppers' hoard.
"Stand off, me boys. Lady boardin'."
"Aye, cap'n"
There were suddenly a large number of sailors clambering down the ropes on the side of the ship eager to lend a hand to Mary as she attempted to climb out of the skiff and up onto the weather deck of the Fancy. Avery waved them off, which made them scatter as leaves before the wind.
"Richard. If ye would be so kind as to help me daughter off'v the boat?"
"I would be honoured, Captain. Lady?" said Richard, before fumbling his attempt at grabbing the ropes and nearly ending up in the water. An unfortunate swell had made the skiff drop alarmingly in relation to the ship, which tended to stay put. This episode seemed to be the funniest thing the ruffians onboard had seen all evening. Richard tried again, and managed to catch a rope in between swells. Then he transferred his weight to the ropes and provided a hand for Mary. She took it tentatively, but put more faith in her own other hand which had more expertly anticipated the swells and caught a rope. She clambered up to the deck and was hoisted aboard by the nearby sailors. Jonathon followed, then Richard. By the time Richard needed a hoist no one was paying attention to him, all eyes being upon the lady and her son; quite an unusual sight aboard the Fancy. Richard climbed over the gunnel himself; more of a flop, really. Lastly, Avery swarmed up the ropes and leaped onto the deck. He was holding a yowling bundle of fur with its claws firmly embedded in his coat. When the cat saw something like ground under it it sprang away from the Captain and disappeared somewhere.
"Now Richard. Ye will escort Mary and young Jonathon here to yer berth and ye will keep them safe there. Now I knows ye t'be a gentleman, and as such yer wick be limp from never getting dipped into th' wax. So this be mostly fer the monkeys aboard ship."
All of the ruffians on the deck stopped what they were doing and paid close attention to the Captain.
"I be a man of few words." he continued. "So if Mary here should tell me that any man aboard ship would benefit from bein' dead, why then I will not waste any words on the matter. Her reasons will not be asked of her. Be that quite clear?"
There was a chorus of "Aye, cap'n" before everyone went back about whatever it was they did, and seemingly forgot about their strange visitors. Richard escorted Mary and Jonathon aft and into his quarters, which he then locked. He looked about for a place for everyone to sit; it had not come up before. Then he spied the single bunk, just wide enough for a captain to sleep in by himself. More issues.
"I'm afraid I've not had many lady visitors." said Richard, making embarrassed motions with his hands.
"I should hope not, my good sir. As to the immediate need of a place to sit, might I suggest you move that keg over there to the table." She indicated a keg Richard had not noticed before, lashed up safely against the back wall, away from the cannons. "I myself will take the captain's chair. Jonathon, you sit on the bunk, love."
"Yes, mam. Are we goin' f'r a sail then mam?"
"Jonathon! I've told you never to speak like that. Once more, please?"
"Yes, mother. Are we going for a sail then, mother?"
"Yes we are, love. It might be a little exciting until we get clear of the harbour. Are you up for some excitement?"
"Yes, mother."
"Good. Now, Richard. I wish to thank you for your gallantry at Mayhew's and I wish to assure you that while you have my verbal thanks you will have nothing else. Is that quite clear?"
"My lady, I am a gentleman. You have nothing to fear from me other than that I might snore a bit as I roll around on the floor whilst trying to sleep. You and Jonathon, of course, will get the bunk."
"Indeed we shall. But I'm sure my father will have a sea hammock installed shortly and when we are quite safe he'll have the ship's carpenter install another bunk."
"Your father. Indeed. I confess little surprise at that, though you did say this morning that you hadn't seen your gentleman father these last ten years."
"Nor have I, sir. The instant I told my gentleman father that I was pregnant he ceased to be a gentleman, though arguably remained a father. His disguise was the persona of Captain Avery, and that is how he bade me address him. For his part, he treated me civilly but not in any manner warmly. When we made port here at Fairyland he found me accommodations at Mayhew's with what little coin he had left, and was himself off to recoup his losses in a manner he would not share, though I can guess."
"And part of his arrangement at Mayhew's was that you would work off a portion of your keep?"
Mary shot Richard another withering look.
"We shall not speak of that ever again, sir."
"Of course, my lady. So then why is it your father did not amass his fortune and retrieve you out of penury? He seems quite capable, and has a ship. There are fortunes to be made, surely."
"There are indeed, sir. You would have to ask the Captain why it is he failed to amass sufficient fortune to retrieve me. For my part, I believe he simply enjoyed the life of a captain of fortune and had disowned his daughter. Mostly. He would still not suffer any 'harm' to come to me..."
Mary stifled a sob and buried her head in the folds of her dress. After a time she regained her composure and continued, though with a breaking voice.
"You can have no idea of the harm I have suffered these last ten years, Richard."
"I can but imagine, my lady."
"No, good sir, you cannot."
"Well then I pledge by all that is holy that you shall never again suffer harm while I draw breath."
"We shall see, Richard. I have learned not to rely too heavily on the words of others."
There was a knock at the door. Richard had never had this happen, as people generally simply unlocked his cabin and burst in on him with no polite words and no apparent reason. Somewhat at a loss, he went to the door, unlocked it, and opened it a crack. Outside stood the ship's gunner, a man who had a key and a right to the aft chasers for any and all reasons at any hour of the day. A man of few words, even fewer of them civil.
"Beggin' pardon, sorr, lady. I has to inspect t'guns."
"Politeness? thought Richard. From the gunner?
"Of course, my good man. Come in."
"Right off, sorr, I sees ye has moved t'keg o'powder, as the monkeys has recently brought up from t'powder room. I arsk ye never to do that. They has their place where they are happiest, and the happiness o't'powder be the happiness of all. I see ye needs another chair and I'll make that happen straight'way I leaves yer presence. A nuther bedde be required too, if I might be so bold. I'll get ye a cabbon in here then. Now the captain says we might be seein' action shortly. Has ye ever fired a falconet, sorr?"
"No, sir, I cannot say as I have."
"Well, sorr, the Captain says ye are not th'complete twat... beggin' pardon, miss... as ye seems. Mayhaps ye would like to learn?"
"Yes, the Captain allows as I have 'grown a pair'. I would be delighted to learn the art of gunnery."
The gunner looked at Richard in stunned awe.
"Cap'n Avery said that? That ye had grown a pair?"
"He did. Is there some significance to that of which I am unaware?"
"Seems so, sorr. F'r the Captain t'say as a man has 'grown a pair', why that be by way of a field promotion ye might say. Tho' in yer case I couldn't rightly say to what. Maybe in yer case it be more a case of from what. Complete twat, as it were, beggin' pardon, miss."
"My good sir, I have heard more filth in these last ten years than even you could possibly imagine." said Mary, in a haughty manner. "You cannot shock me. Be about your business using whichever words seem appropriate."
"Thank'ee, miss. Now, sorr, we'll go over the finer points in some detail when next we makes safe anchor. For tonight's entertainment ye'll be doin' exactly as I tells ye exactly when I says t'do it. That be lesson one."
"Understood. you may count on me, sir."
"An' what I'll be tellin'ee is to take the young lady and the boy, ye all gets inta th'bunk, an' ye makes as small a ball as ye possibly can. We be warpin' out o't'harbour mayhaps bein' hotly pursued by the Revenge as has four two pound bow chasers. We has the two one pounders aft as ye can sees. So we be outgunned summat. They bastards'll be gunnin' fer our riggin' as we will theirs but it be an awful amount o' guesswork aimin' a cannon when the seas be rough and the ship be a-bobbin' up an' down an' left to right. So who knows who might get lucky and hit t'other's chasers. Now if they bastards hit ours then it be likely to blow t'arse off'v t'ship an' we'll all feel it in our own arses as we'll all be truly buggered. Beggin' pardon, miss."
Mary had no comeback for this one, and in fact paled noticeably.
"So it be best that ne'er happens." continued the gunner. We has the one very great advantage; they be warpin' too, but behind us. They be draggin' the kedge as far in front o'em as they can rightly manage and therefore right close t'us. If we were to get a lucky shot upon their kedge skiff, a right small target what bobs about dramatically, but if we could manage that then our problems be mostly solved."
Richard nodded. This was naval strategy, to be sure, but military strategy, broadly speaking, was his forté.
"So then. This be yer second lesson in th'firin' o' th'stern chasers. Ye'll be doin' none o'it tonight, as me an' me monkeys'll be in here right smartly as the excitement begins an' ye'll be curled up in a ball on yonder bunk. So we're all clear on lessons one an' two?"
"Aye, gunner." said Richard, in what he hoped was appropriate deference to the master gunner.
"So then, as it needs t'happen anyways I'll give ye a preview o'lesson three, which, as I say, will occur when next we reaches safe harbour."
The gunner then proceeded to slowly and clearly, and with the odd explanation, go through the steps necessary to the loading of the gun. First he undid the short lash holding the gun but left another slightly longer lash in place. Then he got Richard to help him pull the 180 pound gun back away from the hull on its wheels. This exposed the muzzle which the gunner gave an expert cleaning with a sponge made of sheep's wool. "If the gun be loaded hot, that is after bein' fired, then the sponge be dipped in water to make sure all manner o' spark be quite dead." He then took the keg that Richard had been using as a chair and removed it to the back of the cabin, away from the guns. He poured out a measure, about a half pound, of its black powder into a small ladle, then safely lashed the keg back in place. "This be t'job o' the powder monkey as I'll bring wi'me tonight." The ladle had a sort of a funnel on one end that nicely fit into the muzzle of the weapon. The gunner poured in the powder, then, using a wooden plug on a stick, tamped it home to the back of the weapon. "This be the box, as is used t'ram stuff inta the muzzle." Next he put in the 'wad' - a bunch of cloth, and tamped that home too. "Th' wad mostly comes out o' th'cannon as it fires. If not, then we has a tool f'r that." Next he put a metal ball about the size of a small apple into the muzzle and drove it home with the box. Then, using a pointy piece of iron, "T' primin' iron" he carefully, so as not to cause any sparks, cleaned the small hole at the near end of the gun to expose the fresh black powder of the gun's charge. Then he put a lead plug over it and stamped it down securely. "Keeps the dirt'n'any water out o't'hole, ye sees. Also any stray sparks as would ruin yer day. comes free easy enough when needed." As a final step he got Richard to help him heft the gun back in place, then he lashed it securely with the short lash.
"There. Now we has a gun as is fully loaded and ready to cause mischief should we find oursel's bein' chased. It takes a number o'monkeys to change the aim left to right, but up an' down be easy enough..." and the gunner showed Richard how to hoist the back end of the cannon up and jam in blocks of wood he called 'quoin o'mire' to point the cannon level, and then even down somewhat with the addition of another block. "When we wishes it to fire, we unlash the short but leave the long, then touch a slow match, as is burnin' in the botefeux, to the firin' hole and then, God willin', it fires afore a swell causes the gun to come loose and point at ye, in yer bunk. Ah, one more thing. No one stands behind the gun at any time nor f'r any reason as ye values yer tonker. Any questions?"
"You'll be handling everything tonight, and we'll be huddled in the bunk?"
"Aye, that is correct."
"Then I have no questions. Thank you, gunner."
"Then I suggests ye and the lady take an evenin' stroll, sir, though do stay out o'everyone's way or ye'r likely t'larn some new words. 'Twill be yer last chance f'r a stroll f'r some time. I'll get me a monkey t'help wi' t'other gun and a few other necessaries I see they idiots has not done yet. When ye gets back ye may lock yer door ag'in and do not touch the guns nor anythin' else to do wi' them as if yer very lives and those of all o'yer crewmates depends upon it. So off ye goes then, sorr, lady. The boy can stay here if ye will as the cap'n has decided his education starts tonight."
Mary looked at Jonathon to see if he was happy to be left with the gunner. In answer, he hopped off the bunk and ran to the gun pointing at things and questioning the gunner about everything he had just heard discussed with Richard.
"We'll be back again soon, love. You be a good boy and listen to the gunner."
Jonathon was not paying attention, so Mary and Richard left. Outside the cabin it was organized mayhem, the organization coming from the bellowed orders, threats and oaths of the Captain with things pertaining to the upper decks and those of the Quartermaster for anything pertaining to below decks. He was alternately below himself yelling things there or above yelling things at those handling the stream of supplies coming from Scuppers' barge, which was shuttling back and forth between the Fancy and the docks. The gloom was complete, and it was fairly dark. The breeze had freshened, and what were swells before seemed to Richard to be mountains of water crashing against the front of the ship. He had to catch hold of whatever was nearby, sometimes with both hands, but no one else seemed to even notice.
"Avast ye, Quartermaster. Be there room still? We has another inbound." said the Captain, seemingly at an empty point on the deck. Some manner of hatch opened, and a voice could be heard yelling back:
"We're droppin' ballast f'r the heavy stuff. T'rest goes where we finds room. The ship may overwhelm if we hits a broadside rogue!"
"Ye let me worry about that, quartermaster. We be a time away from port. Ye keep findin' room f'r t'stuff as is comin' our way."
The Captain noticed Richard and Mary coming his way.
"Richard. Mary. Ye'd do well t'stay out o't'way. I thought as ye was safe an' locked up in yer cabin?"
"We were, but the gunner wanted us out of his way."
"Ah, well, if t'gunner needs anythin' t'do wi'guns then it's his word. So stay out o'everyone's way then. That's a right pile o'supplies ye got from Scuppers. What's it costin' ye might I ask?"
"Everything I have left on this side of the world except my berth on the Fancy and a map."
"Aye, me too it seems. T'map had best be a good one. I'm claimin' half ownership of it, ye sees. God willin', we'll be at a safe harbour of sorts by t'morrow mornin'. Then we'll have a look and see."
"As you say, our fortunes are intertwined. As to the map, if it proves true then it is the western route to the other side of the world. You can guess as well as I what that would be worth. The King seems to have an idea."
"Aye. How are ye keepin', Mary? Richard is bein' a gent is he?"
"I'll not speak to you, Captain Avery. I appreciate being gotten out of that hell hole you put me in but I expect were it up to you I'd still be there, fancying myself to be a whore. I have Richard alone to thank for my salvation."
"It's not salvation right at the moment, me daughter. Not until we reaches safe harbour."
"Ahoy, Captain!" cried a familiar voice from an incoming barge. A round little man materialized in the glow from a lantern. They came up alongside and between the two beefy boys on the barge and a team from the Fancy the barge began unloading. "Richard! I did not expect to see you out and about. With this breeze you should be in your cabin. Though if you think it's rough here you should see it on the docks where the waves are breaking. Hoy, Cap'n! Be this blow an easter?"
"Aye, Scuppers. Ye has 'till four bells o't'middle watch t'be safe in yer hole, well above waterline. Yer storehouse be gone, I think."
"That doesn't worry me much. I've sold all of my wares to Sir Richard here. The building itself is easy enough to rebuild, as it has been a few times in the past."
The watch bell tolled somewhere. Four bells, about ten o'clock in the evening.
"Four bells, Sir Richard." said Scuppers. "Are we still planning to pay your respects to the Revenge at seven?"
"Cap'n! That be it. There be no more room less'n we start throwin' sailors overboard." yelled a small hatch on the deck.
"Well that is just as well, then." said Scuppers. "It seems this barge will be the last. Have I done well for you, Richard? Are you well satisfied?"
Richard had no idea, having only recently come on deck.
"Aye, Scuppers. He be satisfied." said the Captain on Richard's behalf. "Ye have gone above and beyond supplyin' us with sacks and barrels. If they be sacks o'weevils and barrels o'piss then I be lookin' ye up when next we makes port."
"I know very well you would, my good Captain. So you have my word as an honest businessman that these sacks and barrels represent the absolute finest wares that Hannigan's has to offer."
"Pay t'man, Richard."
Richard brought out his Bill of Exchange. He had filled out the necessaries and signed it, and true to his word, the amount was blank.
"I have left the amount blank. Macready has frozen my assets except for this document, but my credit at the bank is good up to..." and he told Scuppers a figure that made the plump little man fairly squeal with delight. "You'll know better than I how much you can get away with before the bank will go to Macready for confirmation and you'll get nothing."
"I have an idea, Sir Richard. My thanks. And with this last load I have included a few tubs of smudge. Please do me the favour of being somewhere else, far, far away when you light one."
"You may count on us being far away, my good man. And quite shortly too."
"Then you are doing a midnight scarper? God be with you making the entrance between the arms."
"He will at that, Scuppers." said the Captain. "And no doubt the Revenge as well. Soon's we make way I expects there will be some activity aboard the Revenge, as has no doubt been preparin' against us attemptin' t'leave."
"Indeed they have, Captain. A regular beehive of activity every time we pass them by. I believe they're preparing even now to warp into the roads, possibly to take up station behind you. I expect they would have done by now but, of course, with the harbour closed it's best to wait until dark to move about."
"It shorrly is." drawled the Captain. He didn't like to hear that the Revenge was preparing to move. "Scuppers. Ye has our sack o'rats about ye?"
"Yes, captain, we're going to lay to some ways away from the Revenge and then at exactly seven bells we'll deliver the sack, thus completing my arrangement with Sir Richard."
Avery looked at the scrawny lads accompanying Scuppers. They could hoist sacks out of a barge but he doubted they could heave one up onto a ship.
"I'll be savin' ye th'trouble. There be a skiff aft shortly. Hand over yer rats and yer lamp oil then be off t'yer hole. Ye'r done."
"You have my humble thanks, Captain. I wasn't sure how I'd square that with whomever is calling themselves the captain on the Revenge at the moment. They'd surely suspect me if they've been paying attention to my comings and goings."
"Ye make some noise as ye pass and make it clear ye'r goin' back t'the docks. Ye'll be fine. An' me boys will leave no doubt in anyone's mind who heaved t'sack. Hoy! Two men as has good throwin' arms. Ye, Jim. Ye, Smythe. Abaft. Lower t'skiff. Take a flint. Ye be deliverin' a sack o'hell to the Revenge. Be about it!
"Aye, cap'n"
The two sailors disappeared aft, and Scuppers took his leave, his two boys rowing for their lives ahead of the worsening storm.
"If we deliver the sack now, will your men have the signal fires ready? What was your signal to be?" asked Richard.
"A ruckus. When the men sees or hears a ruckus in t'harbour then they is t'light the signals and retire to th'other side o'the rock and await us by tomorrow mornin', God willin'."
"The other side of the rock. In the shadow of the storm. The nearest safe harbour."
"Ye be learnin' right quick, Sir Richard. I'll make a sailor out o'ye yet."
"Never. I'll never be a sailor, my good Captain."
Avery doubled over with a mighty gut laugh.
"Ain't that the truth! Ye'll never have sea legs, me son. But yer becomin' less of an embarrassment as a passenger. Now be off back t'yer berth, the two o'ye and strap in."
Mary and Richard walked the short distance back to their berth, avoiding all of the sailors flying about doing things required for a departure. When they got back to the berth the gunner was gone, and a beaming Jonathon greeted them at the door.
"Mother! You'll never guess at all of the things I have learned from Master Gunner. He showed me how to clean and prime the gun, where the powder and shot is stored! He told me some tall tales about shooting at other people - he assures me that some of them are true! And he said to make sure that when that harf twat arrives in t'wake o' th' cap'n's daughter that he don't touch a damned thing to do wi' t'guns!"
Mary couldn't help but smile, as she scolded:
"Jonathon! We'll talk about your language later. Right now we must make safe as we're about to be underway."
"I want to go on deck mother! There must be so much to see!"
"You'll see it another night. Tonight we must stay safe strapped into the bunk. All three of us..."
Mary looked at Richard, then at the narrow bunk barely large enough for one. But it did have a strap, which Richard had been making use of every night on this voyage. Now that he thought about it, he didn't recall seeing any other straps on bunks or hammocks anywhere on the ship. There was another knock on the door. It was the ship's carpenter.
"Ye'r in need of a chair an' a bedde I hears. Monkeys! Chair over thar by th'table. Now ye'll be gettin' a proper bunk and a bit of a divider when we has a layover som'eres but f'r now ye'll get a ship's cabbon. Ye'll have ever s'much fun swingin' about in't, sorr, on a night like t'night wi' us bein' fired upon an' a'. Were I a bettin' man then I would say ye'll be strappin' down in t'bunk wi' the lady and child afore too long, but I'll leave that up to yer better judgement in the matter. So here be yer cabbon." and with that he hung a canvas hammock up with a clever knot over a hook in the ceiling, which was probably there for this very purpose. "An' now I'll be leavin' ye t'yer evenin'."
"Good evening, sir." said Richard to the closing door. "What an efficient man."
The random obscenities out on the weather deck and above on the quarter deck seemed to be coalescing into orders to be underway. Mighty shouts of 'Haul, ye arseholes!' were interspersed with a chorus of 'Haul-in...Haul-two...Haul Belay!" from somewhere towards the front of the ship. With a lurch, the craft seemed to be underway. Richard staggered and almost fell down, while Mary and her son seemed almost at home.
"You've been onboard before." observed Richard.
"My father takes us out into the harbour whenever he's in town. Or he takes Jonathon out I should say. I come along to make certain he doesn't simply leave with him. There is not much affection between us, the Captain and I, but he dotes on Jonathon."
"Haul Belay Main Anchor!" shouted someone above, on the quarter deck. "Kedge t'th'skiff! Away, lads!"
The boat was bobbing about alarmingly in the storm, though not apparently moving for the moment. The wind was undecided whether it was a roar or a shriek. Richard grabbed hold of whatever was nearby whenever a swell caught the ship, and Mary and Jonathon retired to the bunk.
"You'll be wanting to be somewhere safe and out of the way I expect, Richard." she said, indicating the sea hammock which was swinging like an excited puppy's tail.
"No thanks, I believe I'll stand." and then a mighty wave crashed into the bow of the ship, jarring Richard's handhold enough that, a second later, when the surge reached the aft, it fairly catapulted him at the ceiling. He crumpled to the floor in a heap. Just then there was a brilliant flash of light somewhere behind the ship followed by a muffled 'crump' noise. An organized riot of powder monkeys poured into the cabin led by the gunner, who took up station in between the two guns so he could easily reach either.
"Inta the berth wi'ye! Strap down!" he ordered Richard, who was attempting to stand, right in the way.
"It's alright, Richard. Just keep your hands to yourself." said Mary. Richard lurched over to the bunk; he was learning to time his lurches to the swells in order to make some progress. With a final well-timed lurch he plopped down into the bunk, nearly crushing Mary and the boy. He continued to flop around like a landed fish though, attempting to touch neither one of them.
"Oh for God's sake, Richard. Put your arms around us both and be done!" said Mary. Richard did so, and the flopping ceased.
"What's happening, gunner?" yelled Richard over the storm.
"It seems there's been a fire onboard the Revenge. Spread to some powder, I wouldn't doubt. Fire tends to find out o'th'way places t'hide when it's onboard a flamin' rat."
Good God, thought Richard. Now that he was no longer angry the thought of what he'd initiated filled him with horror.
There was another flash followed shortly by a booming sound.
"Another rat?" asked Richard.
"Not s'lucky." replied the gunner. "That were a two pounder finding its range. Ready t'return fire, ye monkeys!"
There was another flash. About the same time as the boom there was a splash just behind the ship that didn't seem to be related to the storm.
"A'right. They've about got range. Let's make 'em nervous. Firin' starboard!" and the gunner sighted along the length of the left hand cannon from his position beside it. He was concentrating on the swells, which made the back end of the ship point alternately straight up or straight down, as far as Richard could tell. The gunner withdrew a piece of lit wick from a little box and, timing the swells and the length of time for the powder to ignite, held it to the little hole in back of the cannon. A heartbeat later there was a roar such as Richard had never heard before, as of the escape of all the beasts from the pits of hell. The little gun bumped backwards about a foot, but was kept from going further by its longer leash. The powder monkeys immediately set about cleaning and priming it for another shot. "Firin' larboard!" he said as he swiveled to his right and prepared to fire the second gun.
"They monkeys 'r draggin' t'kedge! They thinks they'll sneak up behind!" he added a moment later.
Richard managed a look out the windows that were the back wall of his quarters. There, not too far behind, and hardly visible against a faint glow coming from one of the small fires aboard the Revenge, was a skiff full of sailors attempting to row as close to the Fancy as they could get. There was a length of chain secured in the back, and it was undoubtedly holding the ship's smaller anchor just submerged and behind the little boat.
"They be tryin't'board! Not if I has a say, ye bastards." he said as he sighted along the second gun's length again. Not satisfied with the shot, he had the powder boys lift the back end of the cannon as he slid in some wooden blocks to keep it raised. Raising the back end of the gun lowered the front. Between that and the swells he was going to try to sink the skiff.
Just then there was an unholy noise. The sort of noise that is so loud and unexpected that you can't really remember hearing it later, although you must have. Splinters and blood and glass were flying everywhere. The first gun and its powder monkeys were gone, and in their place was a huge hole in the left side of the back end of the ship. Gunner seemed mostly intact although he was slumped over the second gun and bleeding quite a lot from his head. For his part, Richard had been shielding everyone on the bunk with his rather large back. So while Richard was liberally peppered with splinters and blood and bits of glass all over his back, Mary and Jonathon were physically unhurt. The gunner spoke:
"That were no two pounder. They devils brought one o't'main guns for'ard. Richard, I be sore hurt. I got no eyes. How are me monkeys?"
"All gone."
"And how be the left gun?"
"Gone."
"Well Richard, this be about it then. If they monkeys aboard the Revenge's skiff gets their kedge close t'us then t'devils on the windlass aboard ship'll drag th'r cannons s'close they'll be able t'pick off individ'l lice on'r beards. Then we be boarded. Shortly after we be dead. Ye got one shot, me boy." and with that the gunner passed out, or possibly died. In either event he wasn't going to fire that last shot.
Richard froze. He was somewhat safe in the bunk. And he had to keep Mary and the boy safe, didn't he? Standing up anywhere near the cannons was a death sentence. He decided to stay right where he was, where it was safe.
"Richard, ye harf twat! Be ye a complete twat ag'in?" roared the boy, Jonathon. "Get up off yer arse and fire t'damn gun! Or get out o' me way an' I'll do it!"
The shock of a little pup of ten years trying to sound like Avery got Richard out of his fugue. He stumbled out of the bunk. His back felt like it was on fire, but he would deal with that later. The gunner was a heap of blood and bits of wood and glass. Richard heaved him out of the way, but retrieved his little box containing the slow burning fuse. He had to hunch over it to keep it alight against the raging storm that was now coming in through the recent hole in the cabin, though thankfully, the hole pointed away from the wind so while noisy, it wasn't so bad. Richard then stood behind the one remaining gun and sighted along the barrel. It was bobbing up and down dramatically with the back end of the ship, but he could see that left to right at least, it was pointing right at the enemy skiff, which was getting closer all the time. Why on earth wasn't Avery keeping ahead with our own kedge skiff? Richard thought, attempting to time the swells but with no luck. The gun spent roughly half its time pointing to heaven and the other half pointing at hell. It was only the merest breath of time in between where it pointed anywhere near the skiff of sailors dragging doom with them. And then there would be the delay between touching the fuse to the powder and the gun going off - about the same amount of time it took for the gun to bob all the way from up to down or vice versa. Richard had absolutely no idea how to time the firing of a gun. There was nothing for it, but to leave it in the hands of God. Or the devil. Richard was unsure who watched over pirates and their affairs. He touched the fuse to the gun's powder hole. The back end of the ship bobbed about. The powder started to smoke. Someone out on the weather deck yelled 'All hands aft!' From the bunk he heard someone shout "You stupid twat..." and then Richard's world exploded.