Julian Stockwin - Quarterdeck

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In the course of four short years, Thomas Kydd, former wig maker from Guildford, has gone from pressed man to master's mate—but can he make the near-impossible step to lieutenant on the quarterdeck?

In this fifth adventure in Julian Stockwin's popular series, Kydd must pass a tough examination to confirm the lieutenancy awarded him at the bloody battle of Camperdown. But aboard the 64-gun Tenacious he faces a more daunting challenge—matching up to the high-born officers, who have spent a lifetime learning to be gentlemen. With the help of his enigmatic friend Renzi, Kydd struggles to conform to his new world but soon discovers it's easier to swing a cutlass in close quarters than negotiate the brutal minefields of upper-class society. Relief comes his way when Tenacious reaches the colonies and he is unwittingly caught up in the danger and intrigue surrounding the birth of the American Navy. There, in uncharted waters, Kydd finds that quick wits and superior seamanship once again make the difference between life and death.

With a sure hand, Stockwin brings his usual meticulous research and historical accuracy to this latest Kydd adventure. Kydd, Renzi and the men of Tenacious struggle to do their duty as King's men, but as Kydd finds out, life in the colonies brings a freedom few in English society have ever known.

QUARTERDECK

A KYDD SEA ADVENTURE

THE KYDD SEA ADVENTURES, BY JULIAN STOCKWIN

Kydd

Artemis

Seaflower

Mutiny

Quarterdeck

Tenacious

Command

The Admiral's Daughter

JULIAN STOCKWIN

Quarterdeck

Kydd sea Adventure

MCBOOKS PRESS, INC. ITHACA, NEW YORK

Published by McBooks Press 2005 Copyright © 2004 by Julian Stockwin

First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Hodder and Stoughton A division of Hodder Headline

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher. Requests for such permissions should be addressed to McBooks Press, Inc., ID Booth Building, 520 North Meadow St., Ithaca, NY 14850.

Cover painting by Geoff Hunt

Cover and interior designed by Panda Musgrove

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stockwin, Julian. Quarterdeck : a Kydd sea adventure / by Julian Stockwin.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-59013-115-0 (hc. : alk. paper) 978-1-59013-128-2, 1-59013-128-2 (trade pbk : alk. paper) 1. Kydd, Thomas (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Great Britain—History, Naval—18th century—Fiction. 3. Seafaring life—Fiction. 4. Sailors—Fiction. I. Title.

PR6119.T66Q37 2005

823'.92—dc22 2005010741

Visit the McBooks Press website at www.mcbooks.com.

Printed in the United States of America

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

In recent memory of Lieutenant Chris Walklett, RN A true heart of oak

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PROLOGUE

A CLOCK TICKED LOUDLY IN THE SILENCE. The three commissioners, experienced sea captains all, stared implacably at the candidate, waiting for his answer.

Acting Lieutenant Thomas Kydd had every reason to feel the terror that froze his bowels: failure at this examination would see him stripped of his temporary rank and returned ingloriously to his old shipmates.

"Er, well, I would—"

"Come, come, sir! An easy enough question—your certificate of service claims sea-time in Artemis, a crack frigate as ever I've seen. You must have seen a flying moor above a dozen times."

It was unfair: here in this august Navy Office board-room he was being asked to describe one of the most risky manoeuvres, dropping anchor at speed and sailing on to the full scope of the cable, then letting go another before falling back on the two anchors. Black Jack Powlett of the Artemis would never have chanced his vessel so, Kydd thought indignantly, then took a deep breath. "Coming boldly up t' the anchorage, I, er, would range both cables out on the gun-deck—veering parties double-banked, o' course—an' at m' furthest on, let go th' best bower. Then—"

"You do not feel it prudent to double bitt your cable first, sir?" the first commissioner interjected.

Then the second came in: "And we have heard nothing of setting this bower a-cockbill in readiness."

"That is, if your ship has not yet a trick stopper or similar," the first added smugly.

Kydd forced his mind to an icy resolve. "Aye, sir—I may have omitted t' say that in getting the anchor off the bows it is first necessary . . ."

It seemed to satisfy. He dared a glance at the third member of the board, who sat hard-faced and silent, Captain Essington, the captain of Triumph in which he had served at the bloody battle of Camperdown.

"Passing to navigation," the first commissioner said flatly.

Kydd's anxieties returned: he had learned his skills at the hands of a merchant-service sailing master who had taught him a plain yet solid understanding of his craft, but Kydd knew that the Navy liked arcane descriptions and definitions.

"We'll begin with basic understanding, Mr Kydd. What is your conceiving of a great circle?"

"Er, the plane o' the equator when projected fr'm the centre on to a tangent plane becomes a straight line—"

"Thank you. The workings of an azimuth altitude will be familiar enough to you, no doubt—then clarify for me the correction of the right ascension of the mean sun, if you please."

Kydd struggled, but could see frowns settling, glances exchanged. Failure was now more than a possibility and a cold dread stole over him. If only they would ask—

"Mr Kydd, you are aboard a two-decker." It was Essington, leaning forward. Kydd shifted position to face him directly. There was no trace of compassion in the man's eyes. "Shall we say in the Caribbean? You are scudding before a regular-going hurricane and you sight land—dead to loo'ard. You throw out both bowers." The other commissioners looked at Essington with curiosity. "They carry away, one after the other. Only a sheet anchor is left to you to prevent the ship being cast ashore. Detail your actions, if you will, sir, to forestall a wreck and grievous loss of life." He leaned back, unnerving Kydd with his stare. His fellow captains held back in surprise as Essington finished acidly, "And shall we have a coral bottom?"

Kydd cast about for something to say, the right action to take in such an extreme situation—but then it dawned on him: he had been in exactly this plight in the old Trajan, and himself had been the one to pass keckling to preserve their last anchor, called as lee helmsman by the master himself. "Aye, sir," he said crisply. "First we need t' ride out the blow. A coral bottom means we'll have to pass a deal of keckling aroun' the first two or three fathom of cable above the anchor clinch, and then . . ." Those desperate hours off the unknown island were burned into his consciousness: that endless night, the screaming hurricane, the cold dawn and the fearful danger of their action in clawing off. It steadied him, the simple recounting of fine seamanship. "But to make an offing will be hard, an' we must wait f'r the wind to shift a point or two, but then we must take our chance, and only one chance it is. Show small canvas, and at th' right time cut the cable an' run f'r the open sea."