Michael Aye - Barracuda

"No sir, he just said a lesser man would be dead.

Lieutenant Brooks said that Captain Knight continued to fight the ship even after he'd been wounded several times. All the survivors on Neptune said Knight's ship handling is what saved them. He outmaneuvered those two ships time and time again so that until the very end only one of the enemy ships was able to fire on him at a time."

"And what of Neptune," Buck asked. "Is she seaworthy?"

Shaking his head, Gabe said, "I don't think so.

Maybe if she was at some yard, but here… I think it unlikely."

"So," Lord Anthony said, "We've lost a nimble frigate and gained an old tub of a merchantman."

"Begging your pardon, sir, but the Indiaman is in overall good shape. The carpenters said she's well built… mostly of teak and she's sound. She's filthy and needs some repairs but I think she could be beached and put to rights here, sir. She's got forty guns, all new British pieces and she has lots of spare sails, ropes, cordage and Barracuda

even some spars in the hole. I put Lieutenant Jackson on board in charge of the prize crew and he said she handled well enough."

"Well, we'll see how repairs go," Lord Anthony said, not committing to any set course or plan. Then he spoke again, "I didn't see a name on her."

"No, sir," Gabe replied. "She had once been the Lord Cromwell but that's painted over. We were able to find some paper with the date of August 1775, so it appears the rebels took her about a year or so ago."

"What about the troops she was carrying?" Anthony asked, almost as an afterthought.

"I believe most made it to shore. Lavery did a quick count when he went aboard and said at least one hundred were dead."

"Damned, if Sir Raymond didn't make them pay dearly," Buck interjected.

"Aye," Gabe replied, "and we still don't know what damage Barracuda suffered. Something caused her to break off the action," he said. "I am sure it wasn't SeaWolf's pop guns."

"She may have believed the ruse with your flags," Buck said.

"Or perhaps like Sir Raymond," Lord Anthony added. "Her captain may have been wounded. Keep me posted on Sir Raymond's condition and when he can be moved ashore, Gabe."

"Aye sir."

Gabe sensed the interview was over. He was almost out of the admiral's cabin when Lord Anthony called, "If we salvage the Indiaman, what would you name her, Gabe?"

After a thoughtful second or so Gabe replied,

"Defiant."

"Why Defiant?" Lord Anthony queried. "Why that name?"

"Because the rebels took her, we took her back and now we defy them to try again."

"Good… very good. If you've no prior engagements sup with me tonight."

"My pleasure," Gabe replied. "I'll bring Lum and let him play you a tune on his fiddle. He is becoming very good with it."

"Good, see you then. Now, I must go fill in our Governor, else he'll send a messenger requesting my presence. He'll not be happy about those troops getting ashore."

Well, I could give a tinker's damn what he thinks, Gabe thought but kept his silence. Politicians were quick to make war and quick to criticize but rarely did they have to suffer the hardships the fighting men did, be they soldier or sailor. Damme, I'll be glad when this war is over.

The days and weeks that followed the battle with Barracuda were filled with monotonous patrols. Anthony had stretched his patrol area as far north as Charlestown and south to Havana. A few smaller privateers were taken but nothing was heard of the ghost ship. The Florida weather held true with hot days, frequent afternoon showers and warm humid nights.

The social activities paled in comparison to those experienced on Antigua. Still the governor had been gracious with invitations to Anthony's officers when an occasion did arise. Unlike the mostly British presence on Antigua, Saint Augustine was a very mixed bag culturally. Anthony had met a Minorcan priest, Father Pedro Camps, who was a very interesting man. He had started a book of records in which he kept births, deaths and marriages for the entire Minorcan community.

Anthony also met Reverend John Kennedy who was the schoolmaster of east Florida. He was a very educated Barracuda

man who never seemed to tire when talking of arithmetic, Latin or Greek. Anthony had allowed the good reverend aboard Warrior so that he might add a rudimentary knowledge of a sailor's life to his vast knowledge.

Of all of Saint Augustine 's inhabitants, Anthony found he enjoyed spending time with some of the paroled prisoners of war the most. A few had their slaves with them and once their parole had been obtained, roamed freely about the city. Most of these were from Virginia, a few of which knew Dagan's Uncle Andre.

Anthony spent many a night enjoying a good southern meal and listening to the talk of raising good Virginia tobacco and fine horses.

When not at sea Dagan spent considerable time with his uncle's friends learning more about the country where Andre chose to settle down. One night when Dagan and Lord Anthony were walking back to the waterfront Dagan remarked, "Is it not ironic that the people we enjoy the most are the ones we are at war with?"

Anthony nodded in agreement but his mind was on his wife and child, as of yet an unseen child. Sitting at the dinner table with the Colonial family and listening to the chatter had caused him to be morose.

Damn this war, he thought, I wish it were over. Gabe could marry Faith and I could go be with my wife and daughter. But what of Dagan, he suddenly thought. What would become of him after the war was over? Would he want to move to Virginia to be close to his family or would he stay close to Gabe? What about Maria, Gabe's mother and Dagan's sister? Would she want to be with the family or stay in the house she'd shared with his and Gabe's father? So much that needed deciding, he thought. So much.

Work had been started on the captured Indiaman to make her ready for sea and was now near being completed. Gabe had been right. Once cleaned up and repaired she proved to be a good ship. Without any official approval the men had taken to addressing the ship as Defiant, as Gabe had suggested.

Now that she was once again seaworthy Anthony faced another challenge. How to man her? Sir Raymond had improved enough to be moved from SeaWolf to the hospital at Saint Augustine but it would be a long time before he had recovered to the point he was fit for duty.

Anthony knew Stephen Earl was his only viable option to command her but whom would he put on Merlin: Earl's first lieutenant or Gabe? Gabe was ready for the next step up the ladder of promotion but then what about SeaWolf. Well, for now it was a moot point, because he didn't have enough crew to man the vessel, even with Neptune 's crew available.

Thinking of this caused Anthony to think of the lieutenant's exam. Mainly it made him think of Mr.

Davy. It was rare Gabe would approach him or try to influence him in anyway. But lately there had been hints dropped that Davy was ready to be made lieutenant.

"He's not yet eighteen," Anthony had argued.

"Neither were we," Gabe responded, "and he has twice the experience I had at that age."

"What about the six years aboard ship rule?" Anthony had mentioned. "Davy's only got four."

"That's just since Drakkar," Bart interjected, obviously an ally to the scheme. "Seems to me yew be's forgettin' them two years wot he was on board Recourse."

"He wasn't aboard Recourse," Anthony said somewhat sarcastically.

"See I tolds yew, yew be gettin' forgetful." It was a common ploy to carry a name on the ship's books when the person had never set foot aboard in order to accumulate sea time, but to claim to be on board and your name not be on the rolls! Anthony had however relented ever so slightly as he did agree with Gabe and Bart. If anyone was ready for lieutenant it was Davy. Besides we're at war. Some consideration had to be allowed for this.