Kellett exclaimed, "And here comes the wind, by God!"
It crossed the sea, ruffling it like silk, and then, as it found the ship, Bolitho felt the sails come alive again, heard the attendant clatter of blocks and rigging, and men calling to one another as the helm gave a shiver and then had to be restrained.
Tyacke said sharply, "Recall the boats, Mr. Kellett!" He saw Bolitho, and paused. "Sir?"
"Recover the crews. James. We can tow the boats. It might give us time."
He did not explain, but Avery saw in Tyacke's eyes that he understood, and was sharing each move with Bolitho, each thought, as if they were one.
Bolitho said. Take your glass, Mr. Singleton, and go aloft." He restrained the midshipman, gripping his shoulder. He felt the wind pressing his damp shirt against his skin. "Tell me what you see, Mr. Singleton, not what I might wish to hear." He squeezed the young shoulder. "You are my eyes today."
Frobisher had reached her boats, and men were already swarming up the tumble home to help warp them aft, to be secured astern.
Bolitho said, "When you are ready, Captain Tyacke." It was abrupt, and strangely formal. "You may beat to quarters and clear for action. Have the gunner open the arms chests. I want each man ready!"
Tyacke touched his hat, equally formal. "Aye, aye, sir!"
Bolitho felt the deck tilt very slightly, and heard the topsails and topgallants bang noisily until they were filled like breastplates.
"Sou'east by east, sir! Full an' bye!"
The master looked at Bolitho, the question unspoken.
Bolitho said, "Hold her as she is. As close as we dare. There may be no time to wear ship!"
The rest was lost in the staccato rattle of drums and the immediate rush of feet as seamen and marines stampeded to their stations, to clear the ship from bow to stern. To make her a floating battery, a fortress under sail.
"Ozzard's here, sir."
Bolitho held out his arms and slipped into the heavy coat with its epaulettes and bright stars. How she had laughed when he had forgotten to tell her of the promotion. My admiral of England… He tugged on his hat, hoping it would shade the damaged eye.
"You may go below, Ozzard."
Ozzard pouted stubbornly. "Because of those pirates?" He sounded outraged that he should hide from such rabble.
Bolitho glanced up as the midshipman yelled, "Six vessels on starboard bow, sir!" A slight hesitation, perhaps remembering his admiral's words. "Black Swan is all but dismasted!"
Tyacke swore softly. "Stood no chance!" Thinking of his own Larne, how it might have been.
Bolitho snatched another glass. The mist had almost gone and the chebecks were clearly silhouetted against the dull land mass beyond. The same raked hulls he remembered, but more powerful now, with a square-rigged mainmast to give them additional power and speed; he could see the banks of oars churning at the water, the din and confusion quite silent in the lens. They were on a lee shore, and would need their long sweeps to regain sea room. One was still firing her heavy cannon, and Bolitho watched, his heart cold as more wreckage exploded from the helpless brig.
He said, "Chain shot, Captain Tyacke." He saw him nod, could sense his anguish as he urged his ship through the water.
"Get the royals on her, Mr. Kellett! Put more hands aloft!"
Tyacke must have been right about Black Swan's young commander. Using the darkness to break free for a moment from the flagship's apron strings, to see and act for himself. It was common enough. I did it myself in Sparrow, a lifetime ago. He lowered the glass as more smoke and sparks burst from the embattled brig. Sackville was paying for it now. But here and there a gun still fired, and splashes fell amongst the chebecks, when before they had been unable to bear.
He felt the sudden fury rising inside him. Captain Martinez must have been well aware of these Algerine pirates and what they were doing. Like the two frigates they had seen from the citadel; they knew. But, for him, it was like being in the dark.
Tyacke said, "I can open fire in half an hour, sir. Extreme range, but any longer and I think we'll lose them."
"Very well, James. If we cannot take Black Swan in tow, we'll lift off her people in our boats." He glanced aft, and saw them still towing astern.
Kellett shouted, Two of the chebecks are coming for us, sir," incredulous that such frail-looking craft would dare to challenge a powerful two-decker.
There was a dull report, and then a loud slap as a ball punched a brown-rimmed hole in the foretopsail.
Bolitho said quietly, They can still bite, Mr. Kellett."
"Stand by to alter course to larboard!" Tyacke sounded very calm, totally absorbed. "Alter course three points. That should do it." He looked at Kellett. "Pass the word to the starboard battery, and see that the lower gundeck understands what we are about!"
The helmsmen leaned back on their spokes and watched the driver flapping slightly, spilling wind while Frobisher answered the rudder.
"East-south-east, sir! Steady she goes!"
The two chebecks changed bearing as Frobisher edged around, every gun on the starboard side run out and ready. To most of Frobisher's men, it would seem sheer madness to challenge a ship of seventy-four guns, and some of the crews were leaning through the open ports to jeer.
But the chebecks were moving faster now, and were using their square and lateen rigged sails to stand closer into the wind than any other vessel.
Tyacke had realised the danger; perhaps he had faced it before, when dealing with Arab slavers. If they could work around Frobisher and attack her from astern, any lucky shot could leave her rudderless.
He shouted, "Full elevation, Mr. Kellett! We can't wait any longer!"
His eyes found Bolitho across the crouching crews. He could have spoken it aloud. We dare not.
As if to give an edge to his words, another ball slammed into the lower hull. Through the telescope Bolitho saw several robed figures leaping up and down on the nearest chebeck's ram like beak head in what appeared to be a wild dance, beyond fear and beyond doubt. There was silence on the gundeck now, and only a handspike moving here and there to adjust the elevation or the training of each weapon.
"A.v you bear!" The pause seemed endless, each gun captain bent behind his port, trigger-line taut, his crew waiting to sponge and reload with the chain shot, hated almost as much by those who used it as by those who were its target.
The two chebecks were almost bows-on, and another flash of gunfire came from one of them, the ball smashing through the hammocks in the nettings and hurling two seamen to the deck, their blood like tar on the pale planking.
"Fire!"
Even the sound of the broadside was different, and as each gun threw itself inboard on its tackles it was possible to hear the chain shot, moaning and screaming like the fury of a hurricane. Bolitho imagined he could see its passage over the water, the sea's face torn into sharp fins as the whirling shot blasted above it.
The nearest chebeck seemed to stagger, as if it had struck a reef. The brightly-coloured sails were ripped away in the wind, spars, bulwarks, and men were smashed down in one bloody tangle. But a few figures still leapt about by the big cannon, and even when the chebeck began to heel over they were still there, waving their weapons and screaming defiance at their destroyer.
Tyacke lowered his glass. The others are coming about, sir! They intend to attack from the opposite side!" He gestured to Kellett. "Larboard battery, run out. Those bastards are closely bunched. We'll give them a tune to dance to!"
But Bolitho was watching the first chebeck; somehow it had survived the broadside, and if anything had increased speed, even as her consort was torn apart.
Avery cleared his throat. "Straight for us, sir! It's madness!"
Bolitho touched the old sword at his hip; he had not recalled Allday clipping it into place.
"They don't think so, George."
"Fire!" The hull shook violently as the two larboard gun decks fired almost simultaneously. The range was down to half a mile. Not what British sailors had become used to, with an enemy hard alongside, and ships pounding one another into submission until one of the flags was cut down.