Dewey Lambdin - The King`s Coat

Kenyon had a tidy aftercabin which had a private quartergallery privy, and a hanging locker to the other side, a day cabin which held his settee by the stem windows, a desk, a sleeping cabin with a hanging bed box, small chart cabin and a dining space. And the furnishings the former owners had been deprived of were of good quality. Mr. Claghome the master's mate, Boggs the surgeon's mate, Lewrie and the other midshipman, a fifteen-year-old named Thaddeus Purnell, berthed in the wardroom forward of Kenyon's quarters. Parrot had been meant to be a privateer, so she had carried prize officers, who had been given small private cabins. They weren't much; canvas and lath screens for partitions, stationary bunks, and a washhand stand and bookshelf, with room for a chest (barely) and a row of pegs for a locker, but it had a door, and it was more privacy than he had seen in months, even if every noise penetrated the insubstantial walls.

They also had a good-quaIity dining table, and trestle seats down each side instead of using their chests. After the cockpit in Ariadne it was approaching luxury.

There were some familiar faces from Ariadne in the crew. The rest were those "volunteers" who had hoped to escape a bad officer or a bosun in their previous ship, or those men that any captain would offer up first to the needs of the Fleet, and would gladly get rid of at the first opportunity. There were also a great many hands fresh-arrived in Antigua who were barely seamen at all. Ten of the men, and all the boy servants, were West Indians, cheeky runts who spoke a dialect that Alan had a great difficulty understanding as the King's English.

The first item of business was stocking the ship. A man was chosen to be a cook, another West Indian who swore he knew how, and supplies began to arrive aboard, ferried by Lewrie and Purnell in their eternal role of water taxi men. Since there was no purser or assistant, the Jack in The Bread Room, Kenyon's clerk and Lewrie had to take over the role, but since Leonard wished to eventually save enough to purchase a place as a purser, it was much easier than Lewrie thought. And Parrot was already armed and stocked well with good French powder and small arms, though the guns were English, as was the shot. Their task was to bring firewood, coal, rum, livestock, flour, fruit, paint, extra slop clothing and naval stores for the bosun, Mr. Mooney.

After two days of stocking, Kenyon summoned his mates and petty officers to the aftercabin, which crowded that space severely. Kenyon sat behind his desk while Mooney, Claghome and Leonard had the settee by the open stem windows. Also on hand were Lewrie, Purnell, Docken the gunner, Bright the gunner's mate. Kenyon had had the cook squeeze some fresh lemons and limes to make a cooling drink for the meeting. Lewrie's first duty was to help the captain's servant, a West Indian named George, fill everyone's mugs. ’Let's get down to business, shall we?" Kenyon said. "Now, normally with only me and Mister Claghome, and only Mister Mooney and his mate to tend to things, we should be watch-and-watch in rotation. But I propose that we go to three watches and take advantage of our midshipmen. Mister Purnell has a good report from his last captain, and has served on prizes with a bosun's mate, which is why we got him. And I know Mister Lewrie's qualities from our last ship, Ariadne.’

Purnell sneaked a look at Lewrie to size him up, and Lewrie gave him equal treatment. Obviously Purnell had money; he was very well turned out and obviously someone's favorite for him to be here. He was a gawky fifteen-year-old with red hair and freckles. Hardly looked harmful. Yet. ’Mooney tells me that Bond, one of the quartermasters, wants to strike for bosun's mate, and we shall let him do so, and appoint one hand to serve as his replacement. Mister Mooney, you might have some name to suggest?’

‘Aye, sir," Mooney rumbled deep in his barrel chest. "Might pick another man for acting quartermaster for the tiller as well, so we have a chance to train as many people as possible," Lieutenant Kenyon went on, sipping at his lemon water. ’That will do for the men aft, at any rate. The hands will stay in their familiar starboard and larboard watches. I doubt if their conservatism would allow else.’

’Aye, sir," Claghorne said, thinking on the superstitious and habitual nature of their seamen, who would balk at anything that smacked of newfangled notions. ’We shall place an experienced bosun's mate with the lads, and the acting bosun's mate with either me or Mister Claghome. I expect we could put Purnell and Lewrie on the Middle Watch and First or Second Dog Watches, where they could not get into much trouble, and give us a chance to sleep somewhat peacefully. They could nap in the Forenoon, subject to the requirements of the ship, of course.’

Lewrie grinned over the edge of his mug. It was tantamount to being appointed an acting lieutenant, and would look good in his record to be so honored, perhaps shortening the time he would have to be a midshipman. And there was also the prospect that Parrot just might take a prize and he be appointed to command of it… ’I also want to take advantage of Mister Purnell's experience to assist the bosun and his mates in the general condition of the ship, and I wish Mister Lewrie to be seconded to the gunner and his mate, as he has a great fondness for artillery. Sail tending in the Forenoon watches, exercise the guns during the day. We have a stout little vessel in Parrot, well built and clean of rot. We have guns sufficient to protect us against any light vessel that could catch us, and enough turn of speed to outrun or outpoint anything heavier. We have some people who need training, and some that need reminding that they are still in the King's Navy, so we have hard work ahead of us. Use your starters as you will for now, but try to avoid flogging incidents until we have shaken down into a crew, unless totally unavoidable.’

Soon after that they were dismissed. Lewrie went below to the magazine to check up on things and do an inventory. Bright, the gunner's mate, went with him.

They counted their linstocks, lengths of slow match, sand, powder horns, firing quills and their condition, gun tools and the general condition of the four-pounders. ’Spankin' new, they are, Mister Lewrie," Bright told him, unsure how much authority Kenyon had given him. "Took off one of ours, I guess. Not a year old by the proof marks, an' hardly fired.’

’How accurate is a four-pounder?" Lewrie asked. "Random shot at a mile, good chance of a hit at six cables.

Not as accurate as a nine-pounder. Might wanta get rid a this junk.’

’What is it?’

‘She's fulla Frog tricks, Mister Lewrie. Canister-cases a musket balls ta clear a deck or a fightin' top. That's star-shot," Bright said, picking up a round. "Comes apart inta four pieces held tagether like this. Good for takin' down riggin' and cripple a prize first. No stomach for a close fight.’

’I see we have more swivels.’

’Aye, eight more. I guess they were gonna mount 'em on each beam.’

’We shall have to get the hands used to them. You might make up some cartridge.s, and some canister for the swivels. We might get some target practice at kegs or something with them," Lewrie suggested. ’Aye, we could." Bright frowned, thinking how much work it was. ’What are these?" Lewrie asked, picking up an unusual rod of some kind from an entire case of them. It resembled a large iron dart but was wrapped with a tarred cap of cloth and seemed to have small spring-loaded arms attached, neatly folded up behind the head along the shaft. ’Easy with that, them's fire arrers," Bright cautioned. "What do you do with them, Bright?" Lewrie asked, turning to look him square in the eye and establish that he was on at least an equal footing with the gunner's mate. Being rated a watch-officer didn't hurt, either. ’They's nasty stuff, Mister Lewrie. Ya shoots 'em outa the swivels. That sets 'em afire, an' when they hits, they snap open so's they can't go no farther. Sticks in the sails and bums ' em up. I'd feel a lot safer without 'em. They're touchy as hell. 'Sides, it ain't Christian to do that. even to an enemy. It's a damn pirate's weapon, not fit for a King's ship.’