"To weather there! It's the cutter! Now we can get off from this, at last!"
Will moved back to the starboard side to get a better sight, and saw clearly what he had missed, as a cloud cut down the glare for him. The cutter, under sail, was racing down on them just off the wind, much closer than the free trader he had been studying. As she came bowling down he saw Sam Holt was at the tiller with, apparently, only one other man on board, small and huddled at the bow. Baines, he'd know that rat-look anywhere, already.
Eaton, beside him, nodded to the lee.
"Them free trade men, sir. Did you see? Will they run on board of us, dost think? Tom!" he then snapped. "Take a line in off the cutter. Oh, handsome, handsome, sir!"
Sam, who did not hear the praise, no doubt deserved it. He had run the small boat at them perpendicularly then shot the tiller up, let fly, and brought her stern to wind along the big ship's side. As she had lost her way, he'd un jammed the halliard from its pin, lowering the mainsail fast into the boat where Baines to avoid a split head had grabbed the yard and doused the canvas. Sam then skipped forward across the thwarts and threw a coiled bow-line up to the waist of Katharine, where Tilley caught it like an angel and turned it on a pin. Down came the flapping headsail, and Holt was up the side like a monkey. Baines, useless and unwanted, fended off.
"Ho, Will!" hailed Samuel, as he came across the deck. "You're not the only man can handle small boats, see! Mr. Kaye says By God, man, that's surely him, I was not sure from down there in the cutter. You've seen the lugger?"
"Have they seen you, sir, that's the question," said Eaton, rather forwardly. "I fear they're coming for a fight with us."
"They won't have done is my guess," Will said. "We hardly did, the sun is well aglare from their position. Where is Biter? If she is near enough she could try her with a cannon."
"Hah!" went Sam. "Not that near, even if our man could shoot! Even if our captain was He caught Eaton's eager face, and changed that statement to a laugh. He gestured out across the starboard bow. "See those two pinks? Shoreside of them but coming down for us. We struck lucky with a Baltic timber man and I set off with Baines to try a little schooner drew a blank then down to pick you up and save Gunning some time. This old sow's close in, they can drop the bower and wait for a pilot, can't they? Where is the captain? That poor old walking ghost."
When he heard that Bentley had let him go below, Sam was concerned. Will said stiffly that it was out of courtesy, to see the dead unfortunate, and he considered it unlikely they would be fired on with secreted muskets or attacked by sword. Eaton and the other two had made a search, but come across no hidden men at all. He thought, he added, that they should prepare a hot reception in case the lugger could be lulled to come and grapple them.
Sam was not put out by his touchiness, and strode down to leeward to check the free trade man. The lugger had not seen his cutter unless they were happy to make a fight of it with an unknown quantity of Navy men, which was unlikely and one more short board would bring them up to the Katharine. He turned back to Bentley with a wide and friendly grin.
"God knows what Slack Dickie would make of it if we did go back with a band of smugglers for the hold," he said. "But he can hardly argue, can he, as it clearly is our duty! Eaton! I take it you and those ruffians are pleased to die for His Britannic Majesty!"
The words were not completely out before a flat, hard report cut over them, and rendered them absurd. None of the men knew what had happened, then a blue cloud swirled along the ship's lee side, bringing the friendly stench of gunpowder.
"Oh bastard!" yelled Sam, raising two clenched hands to heaven but Bentley was charging for the aft companionway, with Behar close behind. The great cabin was filled with smoke, and at the quarter light stood Captain McEwan, staring out beside the swivel gun that he had fired as a warning. Behar leapt at him and knocked him down before William could prevent it, and would have kicked him in the head had not the midshipman gone mad with anger.
"No!" he shouted. "No, sir! Get back on deck this instant! Back!"
The young man's corpse was covered by a blanket, while the old captain lay and watched, quite unafraid. Then up above they heard a pistol shot, and Behar leapt for the door and disappeared.
"You may kill me if you wish," said the captain, dully. "Or arrest me. I do not mind."
"Oh, to hell! To hell!" said Will, almost desperate. "Just do not fire any more. Your word of honour!" And left without expecting a reply.
On deck, things were happening at breakneck speed. Eaton had leapt into the lower rigging with a pistol in his hand, presumably the one they'd heard below. He was waving it at the lugger as if in threat, and on her deck, at half a cable's length, men were enjoying this immensely, waving and jeering as at a baiting show. John Behar was balanced on the weather bulwarks, ready to jump or scramble down into the cutter, while Tom Tilley was tearing at the painter, which he'd belayed at the pin-rail a short while before. Sam was running to the weather, shouting for Eaton to join them or be left behind. He saw Will with obvious relief.
"Good man! Come quick! How is the old chap, have you spiked his guns? If we're quick we'll have them! We'll lay the swine on board!"
In short order they were in the boat and gone. Tilley dropped down last, with the painter, then it was fend off until they cleared the stern, up sails and away. Downwind of them the lugger had squared off, not intending, it appeared, to stay and fight. Will eyed the cutter's mainsail critically, telling Josh Baines to ease the sheet. Tilley had set the mizzen, on a long bum king over the stern, and Behar was at the foresheet. They were going well, but he feared not well enough.
"I doubt we'll catch them, Sam," he said. "They cannot care much for what they've left on board the Katharine now they've seen how few we are."
"The fact we're here is what will count, I guess," said Sam. "If the Biter left us she won't be far away is how they'll see it. Indeed, they're right, for is that not the tub herself? Look, there to starboard. No, there."
Bentley saw her, although pretty far away. However, she was on a course towards them, which for the lugger men would be enough. To tackle Navy men would be to risk a halter anyway; to take on a full-armed tender would be self-destruction.
"What, then?" asked Will. "Do we abandon our free traders and head for Kaye? He will not thank us if we run ashore merely to get our heads broke, will he? More serious, she is showing us her heels, and when she hits the shore she'll disappear like that' he clicked his thumb and finger with a snap. "The tide must be not far from bottom. We don't know these runs and creeks and swashes, do we?"
Surprisingly, red-haired Eaton, on the tiller, gave a nod.
"I do, sirs," he said. "This is where I come from, int it? She'll run out of water in twenty minutes will that lugger, 'cept in the main channels. I bet I know where she's headed for."
The sun was going down and it would soon be dark. The wind was falling with the light and the sea had flattened out considerably. Biter, not above a mile or two away, would not come up with them, so Kaye could not complain. Most likely, having seen where they were headed, he would anchor off and wait for them. A soft elation rose in William. Small boat, warm air, good breeze, and fun ahead. If the lugger men thought they were pursuing her, they could never guess they had a pilot. When darkness fell they could be on them like shadows.
The midshipmen exchanged a smile. Ahead, the land was flat and featureless, a swathe of gleaming mud with grass beyond it, a few low trees, some clumps of houses. Up the creek lets there would be landing points, and villages, and inns, while Kaye and reinforcements would never be far off if they had to cut and run. However, Will considered, if Eaton thought it feasible, and him a native of the area, it could not be too dangerous an undertaking, else why suggest it? Eaton, from his expression as he surveyed the land, was rather keen to get there and begin.