For the Honor of the Flag: A John Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 2) (8 page)

His sea chest would serve for his needs on ship, while he purchased a few more for Sarah. The nervous mother to be also purchased items she felt might be needed later, if they could not be bought in the howling wilderness of America.

The couple boarded the ship on the appointed day. Both were feeling a trifle uneasy, since Sarah was becoming more visibly pregnant every day. Nearly a hundred ships were in the convoy, and it seemed to take forever for all to leave harbor. There were a multitude of escort vessels, one that he recognized – the former Inconnue. She had a different name now, and Phillips did not know it. It probably made no difference. She probably had all new officers, and maybe new seamen. At any rate, there was no way this merchant was going to be able to signal her intelligently.

When the Lady Jane met the chop in the Channel, she began to buck, and John was concerned for Sarah. For a few hours, she wondered if she could handle the motion, but the uncertainty soon passed, and she was able to walk on deck past others who were leaning over the rails without any doubt. A few of the passengers spent the voyage in miserable conditions in their cabins, but most recovered in a few days and enjoyed the weather. It was getting on into September now, and the weather had become cooler. It was a long seven weeks before they arrived at Boston. Once there, they took rooms and Phillips began looking for investment opportunities.

At first, nothing struck his eye. There were plenty of potential exports which he knew would sell well in Britain, but there were shipping and insurance costs, plus the fact he had no one to represent him there. As autumn merged into winter, there was the problem of Sarah’s pregnancy. She was seemingly healthy, but that was a relative thing for women about to give birth.

A conversation with a stranger in a tavern gave him an idea. The stranger told him of a small shipyard in New Bedford about to go under. It seemed a customer had ordered a coasting brig built, but had backed out of the deal when the brig was half done. Without the funds to finish the craft, or pay his workers or suppliers, it looked like the business was done.

John wanted to travel there, but was reluctant to leave Sarah. She encouraged him to do what he needed to though, so he engaged a young widow to stay with Sarah while he was gone, and notified the watch of his absence. They promised to keep an eye out for her safety while he was travelling. He had intended to take the coach, but a local boat owner offered to take him in his small schooner for the price of a coach fare. The trip would be faster and more comfortable too.

The owner thought he could do better with this voyage than if he spent the time fishing. The boat left the pier and docked in New Bedford the following day. He hired a man to take him in his shay to the boat yard. Warned the yard was closed down, he went anyway. The yard was indeed empty, with just a half built brig standing on the ways. He had the man drive over to the vessel and got down to examine it. He was encouraged with what he saw. It was oak built, the timber had been well seasoned, and the work had been meticulous. Much better than many of the naval vessels he had served in.

As he looked it over, he heard a door slam, and saw an old gentleman coming from a small building carrying an old musket. Realizing he might be mistaken for a trespasser, Phillips quickly said he was looking for a brig he could sail to Britain, and engage in the coastal trade there. The man looked at him strangely and said, “Sell you this’n here.”

“Well, how much are you asking, and when would I be able to collect the brig?”

The man became friendlier as they haggled over these matters and invited Phillips and his driver inside for a drink. It happened the man that had walked away from the contract had paid several hundred pounds down, which the builder felt he would be obligated to return if he sold the vessel for the normal price. “But”, he said, “If I sell it two hundred pounds cheaper, I won’t owe him anything.”

With an agreement between them that the ship would be finished by early spring at a price Phillips felt he could pay, they shook hands, and he paid down two hundred guineas as a down payment. The man expressed his gratitude, “Cap’n, it’s glad I am of your business. Without it I would have lost the yard, and my people would be out of their jobs.”

“I am glad to do business with you, sir. This looks like it will be a fine craft. I wonder; after you finish it, I will need a crew and a cargo to take to England. Would you have any ideas?” 

“Mister, we always have a crop of sailor men wanting to ship out. As to a cargo, the Widow Perkins has a barn full of tobacco in barrels her husband bought earlier this year. I know he’d bought it as an investment. He thought tobacco was going to go up in price, but he died, and it went down. I wouldn’t want the woman made advantage of, but Mister Aldrich, the Selectman, would be able to arrange matters at a fair price for everyone. 

As in other matters of this sort, the baby took his time about making his appearance, but finally Timothy Forsythe Phillips arrived in early May. He seemed healthy enough to John. The infant had all the requisite number of fingers and toes, and an amazingly powerful set of lungs. John opined the lad would have little trouble hailing the main top lookout soon.

Soon afterward, he was informed by post the brig was ready to sail. There were a number of prospective seamen ready to crew it. And even a captain should he need one. Not wanting to subject Sarah and Timothy to a voyage on a stinking fishing boat, it was decided he would go to New Bedford as he had done before, then bring the brig, ‘Sarah Forsythe’ back to Boston to pick up his wife and child.

There was some excitement when the schooner anchored off New Bedford and he went ashore by dory. .Many hands made their living at the shipyard, and it had seemed like dark days when the place closed its doors. The yard was busy now, with the frames of a pair of schooners building. Phillips went inside the shipyard’s office, and handed over the bag with the purse of guineas and Spanish dollars. The necessary papers were signed, and they went down past the slipway, where the brig bobbed like a duck in the swell.

Boarding her, Phillips was impressed by her workmanship and trim. Her standing rigging was taut, and all her cordage and canvas was new. After emerging from examining arrangements below, he found a severely dressed elderly man standing at the entry port.  The builder motioned to the man, and said, “That is Mister Aldrich, a Selectman. I expect he may have something to say about a cargo.”

The man was indeed acting for a local widow whose husband had bought a shipment of barreled tobacco before his death. Aldrich asked if he wished to inspect the goods. The shipbuilder had already left with his funds. Phillips said, “Mister Aldrich, I would indeed like to look at the tobacco, but at some point I need to hire a ship’s captain and crew, before much time goes by.”

Aldrich pointed over the side. A number of men had been gathering on the pier, of various ages and indeed races.  He pointed to a middle aged man with a face full of whiskers. “That is Silas Haynes, he has been following the sea since he was a squeaker.”

“He’s captained two ships, and is available to run yours. Most of those men on the pier you see hope to sign on. Shall I introduce you to Captain Haynes?”

Haynes proved to be a well-respected man of the sea, and on impulse, Phillips engaged him to captain the Sarah Forsythe. He explained the ship was an investment for him. He might well sell the craft, given a respectable profit, or he might attempt to get a contract with the Royal Navy, carrying supplies and provisions out to the fleet. Captain Haynes mentioned another possibility; carrying manufactured goods down to the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean, there picking up a load of sugar and molasses, carrying that up to Philadelphia, and trading it for rum, which could be carried back to Britain and sold to the Royal Navy.

The tobacco and its price were satisfactory, so the mate Captain Haynes engaged to stow the hold, began putting the cargo together. There was plenty of room left over after striking the tobacco below, and Haynes suggesting looking around Boston. He thought they could procure some rum in casks, and perhaps some whale oil. Haynes suggested Phillips go back in the schooner, while he got the ship loaded with stores. He wanted to determine how this new craft liked to be stowed.

The new ship-owner boarded the schooner and back to Boston they went. Timothy was a whole month old, and John could not see the baby had learned to do anything new yet. It did however give him a big smile when he picked up the baby and tossed it into the air, to the horror of the nanny. He went over his business discussions with Sarah, and told her the brig should soon be in Boston harbor for final lading. She was curious about the cabin they were to share on their way back to Britain. He explained the cabin was right in the stern, but several others were available for passengers, if any appeared. He had decided to take over an adjoining cabin to give them more room. .Sarah said she hoped this new captain and crew would bring the brig safely into harbor rather than stealing it and going off pirating.

At any rate, Captain Haynes did appear in harbor, and John took Sarah and the baby aboard. She immediately went below to inspect the new living quarters. She was greatly impressed by the cleanliness and new wood smell of the newly constructed craft. She decided it was absolutely necessary however, to do something to relieve the stark plainness of the unadorned cabins.

Having no desire at all of spending the rest of the day going from shop to shop, examining women’s dainties,  he went over to the mate, and asked him if he could spare a man to follow his wife around, to bring anything she purchased back to the ship. He gave his wife money, and told her to hire a shay to travel around in, and a wagon should she make any purchases.

With that settled, he and the second mate left to look for cargo. In a new brick built warehouse, they found hundreds of barrels of whale oil. Nearby, another warehouse was stuffed with kegs of newly distilled rum. After mulling over stowage concerns in his head, the mate gave Phillips his estimate, and he gave the warehouse manager his tentative order, delivered to the ship. Should more space become evident, he hoped to bring some barrels of rum to Britain also. He thought it might be profitable if he could get a contract with the Royal Navy.

By the time he was finished with his business, he found Captain Haynes had brought the ship to a pier. A messenger was sent to the warehouse manager informing him where the ship was located.  A hand was sent to the landing where Sarah was expected to inform her where to bring her purchases.

She appeared soon after, in a one horse shay, with a wagon following behind. Phillips cringed when he saw the load it was carrying. Haynes was nonchalant. Being a married man for many years, he was familiar with the problems. “If we can’t get everything crammed in your cabins sir, we have another cabin we can load. If necessary, we can strike the excess below, and send some of the oil back to the warehouse.”

Sarah was defensive when she came aboard, but John was intelligent enough to keep his mouth shut, instead exclaiming with feigned delight at her bargains. There was room in the cabins to store most of the purchases, and the remainder just fir into the last spare passenger cabin, stuffed in tight.

Next morning, heavily laden drays came to the pier, oil barrels stacked precariously on the wagons. Tackle on the main yard hoisted each barrel which was swung over to the brig and lowered into an open hatch. Phillips, at the suggestion of the captain, hired more workers to operate the windlass, and to manhandle the barrels into place in the hold. When the oil barrels were stowed and jammed solidly into place, more space was discovered. The second mate thought he could get twenty barrels of rum loaded. With the concurrence of Captain Haynes, Phillips went to the warehouse and paid to have the rum delivered to the ship.

It was the work of a few hours to stow the remainder of the cargo, and the Sarah Forsythe put to sea. Haynes wanted to sail directly to London. He felt with their present ship’s papers, she was American, and not subject to any French depredation. Phillips was not so sure. Before leaving naval service he had heard of French threats to seize any American ship found trading with Britain. He decided they would sail to Halifax, where they could join the next escorted convoy on its way to Britain. While riding the Gulf Stream up the coast, out of sight of land, the lookout spotted a sail. As the schooner neared, Haynes said, “Appears the captain there wants to say ‘Hello’.”

He did not appear as confident as he had been an hour before. A concerned Phillips said, “Maybe we should come before the wind and get away from her Captain.”

“Sir, if she is a bad ‘un, there is nothing we can do to escape her now. She is a lot faster than we are, especially with the load we have aboard. I’ll hoist the American flag. Maybe that will say something to her.”

The Stars and Stripe were hoisted. She replied with the Tricolor, and ran out her guns. As was made clear when an English speaking officer came aboard, she was a private French ship of war, a privateer. Ignoring Phillips, the fellow addressed Captain Haynes. “Monsieur, I require you show me the manifest and your ship’s papers.” Haynes did so, explaining the Sarah Forsythe was a privately owned American ship, not to be subjected to searches and seizures by any country America was not at war with.

The officer pored over the documents, saying finally, “I think this manifest declares your ship to be carrying tobacco and rum to London, Is that so?”

“It is sir, but since the United States is not at war with your country, you have no business with stopping my brig. Would you and your men please leave? I wish to continue my voyage.”

“Ah, but Monsieur, you forget, France is at war with England. We have a law which allows and requires my ship to seize any ship or cargo destined to England, even if that cargo is from America. Do not be concerned. You may plead your case in a French court. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get my men aboard and the ship under control. You will go below, please.”

A few hours later, the couple still in their cabins, Haynes came to their door and knocked. Answering it, Phillips found Haynes in company with an armed French seaman. “Sir, I am afraid it is all over. Jimmy Simpson spilled the beans. The French know you are a British officer. Don’t blame Jimmy, he is a little weak in the head. I took him on board, knowing how hard it was for him to find work. You will be under guard now as a war prisoner.”