HMS Aurora: A Charles Mullins Novel (Sea Command Book 3) (12 page)

HMS Aurora banged out her salute to Admiral Parker’s flag. When a flag hoist ordered Aurora to send a boat, Mullins looked around his quarterdeck to see who was available. Mister Adolphus had just finished his watch, but was still on the quarterdeck, at the rail, looking at the vast fleet, probably bigger than any he had seen before.

Calling the youth over, Mullins directed him to take his boat to the flag and report to the duty officer there. Undoubtedly, the flag had something they wished to hand off to Aurora. In due course, Adolpus returned to his ship with a packet of orders to give to his captain.

Mullins retreated to his cabin, where he opened the tarred covering with a penknife. He found he was directed to seek out the second in command of the fleet and report to Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, aboard HMS St. George. The big 98-gun three-deck warship was engaged in a reconnaissance together with other members of the fleet.

Searching out the big liner and firing the salute to Nelson’s flag, Aurora was ordered to fall in trail behind the flagship and conform to her movements.

Closing nearer to the Danish defenses than Mullins thought wise, they continued past, then went back out to sea. That evening, under easy sail, St. George signaled Aurora’s captain to come aboard.

Mullins had been expecting that order and his boat was ready, with the boat crews freshly shaved and wearing clean shirts. For himself, his servant had spent the afternoon sponging and pressing his coat, shining his buckles and seeing that his sword was spotless.

The climb up the side of the second-rate liner was a long one. He was met at the entry port by Captain Hardy and escorted to the great cabin. Rear-Admiral Nelson was awaiting him and pressed him to refresh himself with wine and biscuit. After discussing the health and welfare of friends and family, Nelson got to business.

“Captain Mullins, I have an important mission to place in your hands. I have been concerned about selecting the proper person, when after a discussion with one of the principals, I find the exact person that I need has fallen into my lap.”

“What I would have you do, Captain, is to land some French officers we have acquired onto the shore of Christiansø Island, near the island of Bornholm.”

“We have six officers which we removed from a French prize. These have offered their parole and agree to refrain from bearing arms against Britain or her allies until properly exchanged. We have another officer, ostensibly a French lieutenant of foot, who has been on board St. George for a lengthy period. I will let this man inform you as to the circumstances concerning why he is with us.”

“All seven of these officers are presently living in the wardroom and, I might say, making dreadful nuisances of themselves. It is this seventh officer, who is the reason you are with us today. He informed me privately that he is acquainted with you and wishes you to be the officer who returns him to French control. There is a small detachment of French troops overseeing a Danish battery on the island.”

The vice admiral turned to the door, “Sentry, please admit Lieutenant Dooley.”

Ron Dooley stepped through the door with a big grin on his face. “Lieutenant Ronald Dooley, of the 9
th
French Light Infantry Regiment, at your service.”

Rear Admiral Nelson responded, “So, I gather you gentlemen are indeed acquainted?”

Dooley answered, “We have met before, Admiral Nelson.”

“Then, I believe my role in this has ended. Captain Mullins, the officer of the watch will have your orders when you are prepared to leave. I suspect you have much to discuss, which my ears may not be meant to hear. Good luck gentlemen!”

For his part, Mullins was absolutely confused, with no idea of what he was being expected to do. Catching Dooley’s eye, he saw a furtive wink.

When the door closed, Dooley walked over to the stern window and threw it open. The cold, spring sea air entered and immediately made Mullins glad he was wearing his heavy woolen uniform coat.

Dooley began, “I believe we can talk here without fear of being overheard. We must do this quickly though, we cannot keep the admiral from his office for long.”

“To begin, I sailed with this expedition from Yarmouth. There has been dissention reported among the various factions of the French army. Napoleon has begun to send out feelers to the British government to negotiate the end of this war. This is not well known except among the very senior members of the French officer corps.”

“Our prime minister, William Pitt, is adamantly against the idea. However, there is some enthusiasm in Parliament for this. Pitt happens to be in disagreement with King George concerning Catholic Emancipation, and no one knows how that will end. Addington may well step into Pitt’s shoes should he leave office for any reason, and Addington is known to be in favor of peace.”

“The greater part of the French officer corps also dislikes the idea of peace. This army has been almost invincible in its conquests thus far, failing only when the power of the Royal Navy can be brought to bear, as in the recent French adventure in Egypt.”

“Napoleon’s plans seem to require a peaceful interlude while the French Navy is brought up to date and national coffers replenished with the proceeds of profitable trade. Many of us expect, after Napoleon’s needs are met, he will begin making demands which will become harder every day to ignore.”

“My purpose here, is to be sent ashore with the other French officers. Although there was initial suspicion when we first met aboard this ship, I think I have resolved any misgivings they may have. To prevent any mischances with Navy justice, my name on the ship’s records list me as one Jules Vernier, a French officer. Of course, being in French uniform, I could be arrested and hung for treason. While I do speak fluent French, I could not fool a group of French officers, so I freely admitted my Irish nationality to them as well as my efforts to secure independence for my country.”

‘Once ashore, I intend to deliver a document to the local French commander. This is a legitimate document from sources close to Bonaparte, explaining the goals of the new plan. This document has been more or less ignored by some senior officials who disagree with its provisions, and hope the plan will die a quiet death. This paper was smuggled out of France and placed in my hands.”

“Most junior officers in the French service have not yet heard of it, especially those exiled to such places as the Baltic. My purpose in delivering this will be to sow dissension among the officer corps, as well as lessen the ardor of the troops to die in battle taking some unimportant ground, that will soon be returned to the enemy in the peace treaty.”

“Since this is indeed a genuine official document, authorized by Bonaparte himself, it should pass muster if a thorough investigation is ordered. What may not pass muster are my own credentials. I am posing as an aide to the First Consul. Any one of dozens of officials close to Bonaparte could explode my whole mission. What I need to do is be inserted into a French military unit, under unsuspicious circumstances, where I may explain its provisions to any local officers.”

“Certainly, there will be consternation among any higher ranking officers, a few of whom may already be aware of this document. There may well be temptations among these people to end my life in order to prevent this information from spreading further. Therefore, I hope to escape from the area before any firm plans have been made.”

“It seems obvious that some officers will wish to spread the news of these plans. To do so, they will have to leave the island. I will endeavor to join any such exodus with the excuse that I must return to Paris to rejoin the First Consul.”

“Perhaps your ship, Captain Mullins, can blockade the island and take any boat leaving. Hopefully, I will be on one of the boats you take.”

Mullins interjected, “Presumably I would have to free at least a few of these officers so the word can spread. What would be my justification to retain yourself while freeing others?”

Dooley replied, “When you take the boat I will travel in, your officer will address me by name, and accuse me of being a deserter and traitor. Perhaps your Marines will treat me a bit roughly. I would expect you could think of a reason for treating those French officers taken with me with leniency.”

HMS Aurora was approaching Christiansø Island as the spring sun rose on an April morning. That sun burned away much of the low-lying fog covering the water, exposing a large launch filled with men, coming toward Christiansø from Bornholm. The topsails gathered just enough of the faint breeze to allow the ship to overtake the frantic oarsmen. A shot, pitched well ahead of the craft brought her to and Aurora came alongside. Her sullen passengers and crew clambered aboard the sloop-of war and the launch itself, secured to tow behind the ship.

Leaving Mister Hardinger to deal with their new passengers, Mullins went into his cabin to oversee Hudson. His clerk had proved to be a blessing in regards to his ability to get all of the ship’s paperwork in order, but it was necessary to supervise him closely. Sometimes the young man would get creative with some of his reports, enough so that even the most gullible of readers might find it difficult to believe them.

Mullins was reading over Hudson’s shoulder, making the young man squirm from the unwonted attention, when he heard a commotion on deck. Ignoring it, in due course, the sentry outside coughed before announcing, “Midshipman of the Watch”.

Midshipman Adolphus entered and reported, “Those new prisoners are going at Mister Dooley, sir. They think he is just posing as a French officer. One of the new prisoners had a knife and threatened to gut Mister Dooley.”

“I take it you disarmed the prisoner?”

“Yes sir, and we stripped all the other prisoners and found a pistol on one of them.”

“Good work, Mister Adolphus. If the excitement is over, perhaps you would ask Mister Hardinger to have the rest of the prisoners in the wardroom brought up on deck and see what happens.”

Some time later, deciding Hudson was aware of the niceties one must follow in preparing ships’ reports, Mulling went up on deck. All of the prisoners, including Dooley were huddled on the foredeck, with a cluster of Marines with their fixed bayonets keeping order. Approaching closely enough for Dooley to give the alarm if he so wished, Mullins then retreated to the quarterdeck where Hardinger was waiting.

The first officer was concerned where he was going to put all these people. Most of them were officers, some of them of high rank. The wardroom was full to overflowing, and the ships own officers were sleeping in hammocks.

“Mister Hardinger”, Mullins wondered. “would you say we must send some of these people ashore?”

“I was hoping you would suggest that, Captain.”

“How are they getting along with Lieutenant Dooley, now?”

“Sir, the others seem to have quieted things down.”

“Very well, please muster the prisoners on deck, and send the senior French officer aft to me.”

When their assortment of enemy officers in their colorful array of uniforms were brought up on deck, Mister Hardinger approached a French colonel of artillery who was inspecting one of the forward carronades. Detaching him from his study, the first officer led him aft.

Mullins had met the colonel briefly before when he had first come aboard but had otherwise had little contact with him. The colonel had been one of those captured recently when their boat was intercepted approaching Christiansø.

Captain Mullins lifted his hat in a brief salute to the officer and inquired, “Colonel Montcalm, how do you do, today?”

The colonel assured him matters went well indeed.

“I see your interest in our carronades. Have you experience with them in the French service?”

“Mais non, Capitain Mullins. Our navy has a few, but our foundries have great trouble casting them.”

Mullins commented, “I understand your First Consul has expressed interest in ending this war. If this should occur, perhaps your service should consider sending some people to Scotland to see how they do things there. I must admit their quality is very high, compared to our standard guns. Although, I have heard, they are very sharp businessmen.”

Montcalm looked at him in wonder. “Your government would permit a delegation of former enemy military officers to visit one of your gun foundries?”

“Why not, if our countries were at peace, which they are not, at the moment. Colonel, I must inform you that I am contemplating sending as many of your people ashore as will give their parole to refrain from bearing arms until properly exchanged.”

The colonel nodded and agreed to instruct his staff to furnish such parole. “I understand some of your previous captives have already furnished such parole. I wonder about Lieutenant Vernier, the officer in the uniform of the 9
th
Regiment of Light Infantry?”

“The lieutenant has indeed offered his parole. He has been in our company longer than the others. I understand one of Admiral Parker’s ships took him from a Danish trader on which he was taking passage.”

The colonel offered, “There has been some discussion about his origins. Some of my people suspect he may not be quite what he says.”