This story is for persons of eighteen years or over. All comments, good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered.
Part Nine
The Wasp was now fully armed and had taken on what stores were available at the time for them before being warped back out into the river to lie at anchor as the Hornet was warped in. When we were tied up I had Midge help me to be washed clean before getting my best set of clothes out and polishing my leather boots. Tombs was ready before me and we had to wait a couple of minutes before William showed up and we had a carriage take us to St. James' Palace.
We were met by the palace guards and escorted inside and had to kick our heels for nearly two hours before the Lord Chamberlain came through to the reception room to greet us. He apologised for the delay and begged our pardon and led us through a series of other rooms until we suddenly saw our Queen seated before us. Our swords hadn't been taken from us but we were told we couldn't approach Her Majesty and must have at least fifteen feet between us. There were six armed guards close to her to see to her protection.
Greetings gentlemen,' she said, after we had stopped and bowed before her. We were most pleased with the revenue you brought us Captain Foster for our present war with France. We have considered your applications for charters to be privateers and hopefully bring us more. But six years seems a long time for this so I have given a date to these charters of being four years. Four years only for you to bring back an equivalent amount. Can you agree to this Captain Foster?'
`Your Majesty is most gracious with the time limit. I only had the one ship before, but now with three, I hope to be back well within these four years,' he said, bowing his head.
`So be it,' she said and indicated to a person behind her and a small table was brought in front of her and she signed three papers before her and the Lord Chamberlain collected them and brought them over to William.
`Your most gracious Majesty,' William said as he took them and bowed again to her and Tombs and myself did so too.
`May God go with you,' she said as we straightened up and began to be ushered out by the Lord Chamberlain.
Yes!' William cried after we'd left her chamber, punching the air with his fist. You heard her,' he said to us both. `We have four years and if we can bring back what she wants within that time frame, we'll have no problem with another charter. Let's stop at the first tavern and have a drink.' Here William bought us a tankard of ale and sitting down, passed us each our charter.
Now look after this, for it's very important so keep it safe.' I was quite proud to see my name on this written charter, Captain Jim Dawkins and at the bottom of this elaborate parchment was the signature of our Queen. I've also bought something that's even more precious than this paper,' but wouldn't tell us what it was until we had a carriage drive us into the city and stop at a small shop and when inside, showed us. He had ordered three timepieces, one for each of us and they had been set to show the time of day exactly on all three. This, he explained, would be our means of calculating, approximately, our position at sea at noon. I had learned some of this from Tombs himself about getting the height of the sun from the horizon at noon, but it was still a matter of hit and miss.
It was still good for William had noted the whole year round of the time the sun rose and of course, the further west you went, it appeared to rise at a later time. These time differences became known later as longitudes and would help us navigate properly. The latitudes had already been worked out but it was this other that was causing us problems, so if this was wound up every day, at least we might only be a minute or so out at noon but at least it gave us a clearer picture of where we were on the vast ocean.
With these timepieces in their boxes and stowed away in our coat pockets, we returned to the shipyard where the cannon for my ship were being swung aboard. We didn't interfere and let the other officer's carrying on with this task of seeing them placed correctly on the gun deck while we went to my cabin for a glass of wine.
Tombs didn't stay long for he said he still had lots to do on the Vespa and he went and left William and myself alone.
`I wish you could stay the night William,' I said, looking at him over the rim of my glass.
I'm afraid not Jim, but,' and he had a twinkle in his eye, I can stay for about an hour.' That was enough for me so I locked the cabin door and quickly got undressed as he did the same and saw that both of us had an erection and we climbed onto my bed and went into a clinch. I was nearly as strong as he was now, two pairs of muscular arms going round each other's back as we held and kissed each other.
`Now William, now. I want you inside me,' I gasped, breaking off the kissing and quickly rolled over and reared up onto my knees. He moved quickly too for he was soon pushing his enlarged and throbbing piece of meat up into my backside and I crooned as he filled me with it and began to fuck me. It was glorious having it slide in and out of me and having his thighs keep banging up against my bum as he fucked me. All too soon, he gripped me tight and jerked away, letting me feel that extra throb as the head of his cock spewed out his semen into my arse.
`Help me too William,' I cried as he lay on my back, still pulsating inside me, and he reached down and took hold of my cock and jerked me off. I kept pushing myself back onto him, loving having my insides filled with his prick and shuddered and stiffened as I came, shooting out my come over the sheet.
I gave out a cry when he pulled out and quickly got a cloth and cleaned him up and got back onto the bed with him. All this had only taken about five minutes so I still had time to raise him again which I did. After three quarters of an hour of talking, kissing and stroking, I managed to work him back up to his full stature and have him fuck me once more. It was lovely, but tempus fugit and so after a wash, we got dressed again and we kissed first before I unlocked the cabin door and went with him up on deck for him to be rowed out to his ship.
Now what I have neglected to tell you that in the construction of this frigate, it being larger than the Vespa, there was a small room or cabin, which was for the other officers to dine in. This was because we now carried three ensigns who would share a cabin between them. These were young men who aspired to one day becoming senior officers or captains and wanted a life at sea. We called them ensigns but in the Queen's navy they went by the name of midshipmen. One was sixteen years of age and the other two, fifteen, and their names were Darby, Merrick and Tarrant. In talking to them I had some slight misgivings about young Merrick for he seemed to be somewhat on the effeminate side, but only time would tell if he had the same predilections that I had.
They would spend four months doing the same watch with one of the officers and change round after this time to another so that after a year, they would have been with all three. This was for them to learn the nature of all the tasks and skills that would be needed to become officers. They also doubled up as messengers for the officer they were with on watch and they also had to learn the signals from the book that William had given us. This, well all was important for in the event of an officer falling in a fight, they might be called upon to act in his place. So they had their own wardroom for their meals which Midge would serve while I remained alone and aloof as befitting the rank of Captain.
Command is a lonely job and if it hadn't been for Midge, I think I might have gone mad for company.
While still in port, these ensigns would play with the flags, sending up signals to each other to learn. Wasp we called the flagship and if a signal or message was to be passed, the red pennant went up at the fore followed by either the green, for Vespa, or blue for the Hornet. Then would be the signal. This was because we could nearly a mile away from the flag and so it would be relayed across from the Vespa. We then had to fly the flag that denoted that the signal had been acknowledged. If it was a change of course or action, we would have to wait for the signal flag to say execute the order. The acknowledgement flag was raised earlier but remained folded until with a jerk of the halyard, it would flutter and we could then all move in turn or individually as may be the case.
The thing was, it worked, and so we were able to execute movements in concert together and it would make us a considerable force to be reckoned with. It had already been laid down by William that he would lead in the van, up front, and we would follow out and to the rear like a pair of wings. Vespa would always be on our larboard side with us out to starboard. Distances would be at least two to three hundred yards if on a set course but if searching for prey, we would be at least half a mile apart so it was important for us to know what the ship on the far side was doing.
The best laid plans of mice and men etc.
There was one other difference between our two ships and the Vespa and that was where the Vespa had two hatches on the foredeck, we only had the one between the two masts. The cover was of gratings, usually covered with canvas to keep out the rain from the gun deck where the crew slung their hammocks. This cover could then be taken off so that in the hot weather, the crew could at least get some air. There were similar gratings on the gun deck but with smaller holes and were made to fit flush with the deck for this led down to the hold and storerooms. These stores would be slung over from the side and lowered straight down for stowing away. And with the flush grating, it made it easier for the crew to manhandle the guns when they were loaded through the hatch and also whilst at sea, give them space to move about between both sides of the ship.
We were armoured as were the other two and were warped in in turn to take on our final supplies, including two large crates carrying chickens and ducks which were left up on the foredeck. All this took us another few days and so late in February we upped anchor and with sails unfurled, followed Wasp down the narrow channel of the Thames, the Hornet bringing up the rear. It was coming onto night when we cleared the estuary and began beating down towards the English Channel. We ran up signal lights, The Wasp from the stern, the Vespa both fore and aft and us with one up forrard so as to keep station throughout the hours of darkness.
I had stayed on deck with Blake, the first officer, until we were well into the channel before going below. I ate my dinner alone but at least had the company of Midge in bed that night to give me relief.
I passed the order to the officer of the watch next morning for the men to do sail drill, the reefing and lowering for them to begin to work as a team in this process and others doing gun drill and I must admit that I drove them quite hard for those first few days, the officers included. But I think it paid off, for on our fourth day we entered the Bay of Biscay.
The clouds had been gathering and it was an ominous sign for the wind was also rising. A signal came from the flag for us to reduce sail which we did and it was just as darkness began to fall that it began to rain. Not a gentle rain but a bloody great downpour and with it came a rising wind. Without waiting for any further signals which we couldn't have seen anyway, I ordered Blake to reef all sails except for that on the forecastle. It was now pitch black and I also ordered life lines to be rigged fore and aft on the foredeck and also on the poop deck.
We lost one man from up top. I heard later from another man up there, that he was working to reef the sail one minute and the next, he was gone. Such was life. You either learnt fast or you died, it was as simple as that. The wind kept increasing and another man was ordered up to the poop deck to assist the helmsman in keeping us into the wind. The rain kept coming down in sheets and I ordered a man aloft to call down the two men on lookout at the crow's nest for they couldn't see anything from up there nor could we hear any warnings from them. They were then posted on the foc'sle on the port and starboard sides with an ensign to make his way back along the lifelines if any danger was sighted ahead.
The whole of the next day we were living in a maelstrom of heavy seas, wind and rain. The helmsmen fighting the wheel all the time and I then had their watch halved so that they were only there for two hours instead of the usual four ordered. Eight bells was rung and the watch changed and Parks came on and I let him take over though I stayed there. Which I did all night and the whole of the next day during which we lost one of the lookouts up forrard. The port watch saw the huge wave and ducked under the bulwark but the other man didn't see the wave curl over the deck. When it cleared and disappeared down the deck, so had he.
Midge kept coming up onto the deck with a covered tankard of mulled wine to try and keep me warm for I was freezing now. Absolutely soaked and shaking but I was determined to stay up there as long as my body would stay upright. He kept bringing me this hot drink and I really had to fight the tiredness and it wasn't till about three in the following morning that it began to abate and we were now just riding the aftermath of the storm instead of fighting it. Only then did I leave the deck and staggered below where Midge, bless him, had hot water ready and stripped off my wet, sodden clothes and washed me from head to toe as I stood propped up against the bulkhead.
He helped me to the bed where I collapsed and fell instantly asleep. Him covering me with rugs and other things to warm me up as well as with his own body heat.
It was late afternoon when I surfaced and though still tired, dragged myself out of bed and got dressed and went up to the poop deck. The wind was still quite strong and we were only running under the foresail and the mizzen and I was pleased that I couldn't see any structural damage. We'd shipped a lot of water and men had been put to the pumps to get rid of what they could from the bilges. I thought we were pretty lucky to come through that storm with only losing two men but we also lost our livestock. Them in their crates having been swept off the deck by the huge waves that had constantly pounded us. But now my thoughts turned to the other two ships, of which there wasn't a sign.
I had no idea where we were or how far we'd been blown off course and had the course changed to due east for until I could see land, I wouldn't have any idea of where we were. But then I belayed that order for it could possibly take us further into the bay and onto the shore of France, the country we were now at war with so changed it to south again.
It was a fortunate change for the following day we sighted land and some fishing smacks and found that they were Spanish and we were just off Spain and slightly north of Portugal. From that information, I was able to give the helmsman a proper course towards our rendezvous, that being the islands of Madeira. At my estimate then, with good weather, to be about six to seven days away.
We continued on this south by west course for four and a half days without sighting any ship until we espied one. An ensign had come down to say I was wanted on deck for a sail had been sighted. I was in a better mood at the time for I'd just had a session with Midge, both of us getting our ends away to our mutual satisfaction and so was in quite a happy frame of mind as I went up hoping that it was either the Wasp or the Vespa that had been sighted.
The ship was still a mile off and our glasses were trained on this ship and I got a curling knot start in my stomach as I got the glass focused on this ship.
`Ensign! Please ask Mr Blake and Mr Fletcher to attend me on deck. Stress no haste when on deck but to be up here quick. Mr Parks! Call the senior gunner here please.' These orders were being carried out as I studied the ship again. It couldn't be I said to myself. They were not still using that old technique, for I saw the shredded main sail and could now see the holes in the bulwarks? If I was right, then fate was looking down on me for I was sure the more I looked that this was the same ship that had captured me when I was a mere ten year old.
My other two officers came up on deck and were soon followed by our chief gunner.
Gentlemen. We are about to go into our first action.' This shook them and they looked first at me and then at the ship that was slowly getting closer. That is a pirate ship of the Barbary Coast that you can see. Now I do not want any haste to be apparent in these orders. Forbes!' I wished it had been Baxter but he'd been kept by William on his ship. `Forbes. I want you to go down and load the starboard guns but do not, do not open the ports until I give the word. I want a broadside given but at the bulwarks of that ship. Send two men up here to the poop and we'll make a shield for them to load the carronade with grape-shot and I want the best man you have to fire it. I will tell him his target when all is ready. Now, take your time in walking down below but you have I should say about thirty minutes before the order to fire will be given. Do you understand ?'
`Yes sir,' he said, and then ambled away to begin my orders. The other officers were looking at me with perplexed looks.
`That ship, gentlemen, will get within hailing distance and then ask for water and any assistance we can give them. It is a ruse, believe me. Now Mr Fletcher, I want all men not on deck at this moment, brought up and kept below the level of the bulwarks and be armed and ready to board that vessel when I give the order. They must stay out of sight at all costs or the surprise will be lost. Mr Blake, order the top men to reduce sail and have the helm move to intercept that ship. Now when I give the order to fire our cannons, be prepared to have the men throw out the grappling irons for I mean to take this pirate ship. But do not move in haste I beg you. Let them believe that we believe their story and come up real close.'
With that, they moved off and I called Midge to bring me up my sword from below and then waited and watched as that ship came ever closer. He came up with my sword and I moved across the deck to be unobserved and buckled the belt about my waist. I then had the officers stand to look at the approaching ship as a gunner loaded the carronade, obscuring him from view. At the same time, men were creeping up from below and settling themselves below the bulwarks, cutlasses in hand.
Now I was sweating and praying that it was the same pirates playing the same trick otherwise I was going to look rather foolish, but in my bones I knew that it was that very same ship. Nine years older, but still the same one that I spent two years on, the shit trail down the port side bigger and thicker. I had the British flag raised for them to know our nationality.
We'd hove to and they came ever closer but still not displaying any flag at all and then came an English voice across the closing gap between us.
`Help us please! We've had trouble and we've no water left, please help.'
`Come close then and we'll give you all we can,' I shouted back and then I waited till they were now moving so that we should touch anyway and when they were about forty yards from us, leaned over the poop deck and shouted out for the guns to fire. This order was then also given to the carronade on the poop deck. Our gun ports flew up and a massive broadside was given and I saw the whole of the foredeck bulwarks being shattered by our shots and heard the screams of many wounded men that had been hidden behind them. Our poop deck carronade went off too and swept across their poop deck and it was only a minute or two then for both ships to come together.
`Heave grappling irons and board!' I screamed out and I grabbed hold of a rope and swung myself across the short gap, leading the way and landed nimbly on their poop deck. There were bodies everywhere and I gave a fleeting look at their foredeck to see it littered with bodies and blood everywhere, staining the decks a deep red. But it was only a glance for I had drawn my sword and went straight into those men still standing, or in some cases, reeling.
I ran two through and then saw Assa, that Arab captain that had forcefully abused me all those years ago. In those fleeting seconds, I noted that he'd aged and now had grey in his hair but still had that black scowl. His left arm hung loose and was covered in blood and there were many flecks across his chest though if he was badly wounded, apart from the arm that is, I didn't know. If he was, he still had the strength to bring up his sword arm up and parry my first thrust. Then it was down to swordsmanship as our blades clashed and clashed again, but I was unwounded and much stronger now and so I was able to slowly beat him back across the blood strewn deck which was quite slippery now and after a few quick flurries with the sword was able to beat his scimitar down and have the point of my sword actually into the skin of his throat before he yielded. With him held up tight to the opposite bulwark by my sword, one of my crew had no problem of taking his from his hand and it was then seen that their captain had been beaten that the life went out of the rest and those left soon laid down their weapons and begged mercy. Fools. For I was the last person they should have begged mercy from seeing as half of them fuckers had fucked me when I was just a ten year old boy.
Assa soon had his hands bound behind his back and bustled over onto our ship and because our surprise had caught them completely off guard, we only lost two men in the short sharp fight that we'd had. There were only twenty or so of the pirates left and they too were soon roped up and taken over and we checked their hold and found that they had ten prisoners that they had taken to be sold as slaves, well it was now to be reversed.
With them released, they wanted no more than to kill all the pirates but I soon stopped that for I had other ideas along this line. But I wanted this ship expunged from the seas and so, after having all food, stores and water transferred, had the ship fired and we pulled away to watch it burn and then sink beneath the waves.
The released prisoners were overjoyed at being freed from certain slavery and I later got them to wreak their vengeance in another way. With the pirate ship below the water, I had the other crew shackled and roped together, except for Assa. I had a barrel brought up on deck and had him tied hand and foot over this and stripped naked.
I took the first turn in getting my revenge on him by pulling my prick out of my trousers and fucking him up the arse to the cries of delight from my crew. His bare backside was then offered to those men he'd held captive and each and every one of them took it in turns to get their cocks out and fuck Assa. He was howling after the tenth one and was almost a sobbing wreck when the last of them fucked him up the arse. That still didn't stop another fifteen of my own crew to having a piece of ass. He was torn and bleeding when all that wanted to fuck him had done so.
While the others had been taking their pleasure, I'd had a word with our chief gunner and he'd fixed me up with a thin pouch of powder. This I then stuffed up Assa's backside with a short fuse hanging down. A rope was run down from the yard arm and I had it run round his chest and under his armpits and tied at the back. His hands were cut free from the barrel but brought behind his back and tied together. His leg were now tied together so that he couldn't spread his legs wide to try and ease out the powder pouch. He was then released from the barrel and as he was pulled upright, I lit the fuse of the small powder pouch that was up in his backside.
At my signal, he was hauled up off the deck and then suspended about thirty foot above the sea as he twisted and turned, trying to fight off the inevitable. When the burning fuse reached the cheeks of his bum he began to scream and twist and fight his bonds even more, dancing about in the air as the fuse spluttered and burnt his flesh until the powder was reached.
His screaming was cut off as his body exploded. Blood, flesh and gore sprayed everywhere as it disintegrated and all that was left was the shredded remains of his shoulders, neck and head held up by the rope. His arms and all of his lower body had been blown apart and even that sight of what was left sickened me and rather than have the men handle what was remaining, I went and cut the rope the men had been holding to keep him high. What was left of his body then fell into the sea with scarcely a splash, to disappear from sight, just the trailing length of rope that had held him.
It was only after his remains had fallen into the sea did I notice the silence of all those that had witnessed my brutality to this man, but I could not tell them as to why I had acted in this fashion. They were shocked that me, a mere eighteen year old captain of a frigate could have had the nerve and gall to do such a thing to another captured captain. I had to say something just to break this silence and so strode back up onto the poop deck and turned and faced them.
`I'll have no truck with pirates! They brutalise their captives before selling them into slavery. They are the scum of the seas and need to be expunged. Those that we have taken are going to find out what it's like to become slaves in the near future. Those I have let live will tell that I, Jim Dawkins will fight pirates at all costs. If they ever get free, they will remember this day and I will not rest until piracy is wiped from the oceans.' I was a fucking hypocrite! For what was I but a privateer, a licenced pirate! But the difference was that any prisoners I took in doing this, they would only be held for ransom and not be sold into slavery. But my outlook changed when I couldn't find anyone who would pay any ransom for pirates.
But in the meantime, I think I was being held in awe for doing what I did and had no compunction at killing a man by any fair or foul means. Our prisoners were herded below and shackled while the rescued men were over the moon at being rescued and were only too willing to give their assistance in the running of the ship on our way to Madeira and Funchal.
It was more by luck than judgement that we hit the islands though much further to the west than I had hoped, but it was landfall and we slogged round back to the south east side to finally haul into the harbour of Funchal. It was only when the anchor was let go and we came to rest that I realised at how exhausted I felt. Such a short time really from England and we'd weathered a massive storm and fought and beaten a pirate ship. What was a disappointment was that William and the Wasp were not in the harbour, nor was Mr Tombs and the Vespa. I agreed to Mr Blake's request that we give shore leave to one watch at a time and so the portside watch were given twelve hours and then it would be for the starboard watch. I left it up to him to see about any defaulters of this giving of leave. I was just too tired to care at the time, not seeing William's ship there didn't help. I slept for twelve hours solid and then only woke up because of having Midge sucking on my cock.
It's about time you'se woke up Captain Jim,' he said, coming up from under the covers. You'se the Captain and should be up and seeing to things.' He was right of course but I lay back and let him finish off sucking me and taking the contents of my balls into his mouth which pleased him. Mind you, the sleep stood me in good stead for I had really needed it and now felt much better in myself but still had the hankering for William's support.
We were there in Funchal for two days during which I only went ashore once and that was just to pay my respects to the Governor of the islands and to see that we would be supplied with fresh food, fruit and water. The pirate crew we held were kept below for I had other ideas for them and I gave the rescued sailors the option of staying on the island or becoming members of our crew. But this latter was put in abeyance for the time being.