The Scent of Betrayal (12 page)

‘You have yet to tell me what you were doing in these waters.’

Harry had to bite his tongue again, something that was hard for him judging by the look on his face. If the Spaniard noticed the effect of his condescension it didn’t show. And the mention of the Frenchmen and their desire to land at New Orleans had no effect either. De Coburrabias had joined the party and listened, seemingly without comprehension, to the exchange. Eventually, bored, he barked a question. De Barrameda actually flushed, to James’s mind showing for the first time that his body contained blood.

‘Captain Ludlow, you will have observed that one of the transports is approaching Fort Balize. We are about to change the garrison and Captain Fernandez will be coming upriver with us. I am about to request that he and his men travel aboard your ship.’

Harry’s raised eyebrows forced him to adopt a faster mode of speech than suited his demeanour. ‘It is a request I have told El Señor de Coburrabias that you will be happy to comply with.’

‘That was rather presumptuous, sir,’ said Harry.

‘No more than the idea that we will welcome any more French immigrants. The troops can bed down on your deck, and will only be aboard for two days at most. I must tell you that I am the senior naval officer in these waters and it would not please me to insist.’

Harry walked to the rail and looked toward the fort. The boats that had accompanied the merchant ship, with the addition of several flat-bottomed affairs from the Fort, were busy off-loading men, who were being rowed ashore. A queue had formed by a small jetty as those who were being taken off the island waited to fill the newly vacated craft.

‘Since the wind is fair for a passage upriver, Captain Ludlow, both Don Cayetano and I will go back to our ships. As soon as Captain Fernandez and his men are aboard you can get under way.’

‘Would I not do better to follow you? After all, you know the river better than I.’

‘Never fear, Captain Ludlow,’ said de Barrameda, quickly. ‘The current is sluggish at this time of year, with the sandbanks plain to the naked eye. And I have to escort the other two vessels and be available to provide a tow if required. If you wish for a pilot, I can certainly provide you with one of my master’s assistants.’

‘That would be most kind,’ Harry replied.

Another florid bow followed, before San Lucar de Barrameda shepherded his companion through the gangway. Harry waited till his gold-braided hat disappeared before turning to Pender.

‘Man the boats and get us off this damned sandbank. Clear the deck forward, as well. As soon as the soldiers are aboard stand by to get under way.’

‘Something tells me, Harry, that you’re not a happy man,’ said James.

‘I’m not, brother.’

‘Then let’s turn our helm and head south.’

‘Have a look at the deck of the
Navarro
, James. Observe how crowded it is in the bows.’

‘Particularly around the cannon.’

‘Quite. El Señor Felipe San Lucar de Barrameda intends that we should go to New Orleans, and take his soldiers with us, even if he has to persuade us to do so against our will.’

‘Did you see his face when you named the
Gauchos
?’

‘I did, James. And given that he’s such a cold fish, I have the distinct impression that it was carrying something more important than that poor wretch lashed to the raft.’

‘Is that the reason for the soldiers?’

‘It might be. But I could be worrying for nothing. Maybe it
is that other peacock, de Coburrabias, who doesn’t want the men who’ve been here for a while mingling with his new draft from Havana.’

‘Must we obey him?’ James asked.

‘We are in shallow water, stuck on a sandbank, without charts I can put my trust in, with only light airs to fill our sails. Added to that we are stationary in the presence of four galleys that can not only bring to bear a great deal of firepower, but can get up speed immediately. And three of them are between us and the open sea. No, James. If I was going to defy our Spaniard I wouldn’t do it here and in these conditions.’

The men clearing the foredeck had to move the raft, and one asked Harry where he wanted it stowed.

‘Break the damned thing up and throw it over the side,’ said Harry testily. ‘And stow the poor sod in canvas. But don’t touch his clothing.’

James looked over the side again at the
Navarro
. ‘Does it occur to you that he might suspect us of being responsible for the sinking of the
Gauchos
, as well of the death of her Captain?’

‘Boat puttin’ off from
Navarro
,’ called the lookout.

Harry paused for a second, to check that information, before replying to his brother’s question. ‘Then he’s a fool. What man in his right mind would sink a ship, sail towards its home port, show the evidence of his action openly on deck, then consent to an armed escort up a river like the Mississippi?’

‘So we establish our innocent credentials by compliance.’

‘Precisely. And as a favour for letting them know of Captain Rodrigo’s fate, and carrying the garrison of Fort Balize, they will allow us to disembark our Frenchmen.’

‘I wonder what it was aboard the
Gauchos
that was so important?’

‘I hardly think,’ said James, ‘that it was brown, sweet-tasting granules reminding you of sugar.’

Harry replied gravely, as he felt
Bucephalas
rock gently as she floated clear of the sand bar, ‘Let’s hope that it wasn’t the women.’

JAMES WIPED
the sweat from his brow, then eased his linen shirt to take advantage of the breeze. ‘Why in God’s name, Harry, did they settle so far upriver? There’s no wind around here at all and any number of places to build a settlement.’

‘You’re seeing the Mississippi at its most benign, brother. I’ve never had experience of it myself, but I’ve been told it can be fierce. In the spring those sandy banks over yonder are under ten feet of water and there’s a time when the current is so strong, and so full of debris, that any attempt to get upriver is fraught with peril.’

‘I rest my case,’ James replied.

Perspiring himself in the humid atmosphere, Harry turned to the young man beside him at the wheel, a master’s mate from the
Navarro
. He, it seemed, suffered no ill effects from the humidity. In a combination of halting English, indifferent French, poor Spanish, and sign language, Harry repeated what he’d just said to James. The youngster was a native of northern Galicia, his mother tongue Basque. That gave him a strong accent which didn’t help matters. But both being sailors they managed to communicate, and a discussion confined to eddies and currents, sandbanks and submerged hazards, given the time available, didn’t tax them too greatly. Such a commodity as time was not at a premium.
Bucephalas
was making slow progress. The width of the river, a mile in some places, took most of the force out of the current. The wind, acting on his topsails, was enough to give him steerage-way, though not strong enough to cool the deck. Slight as the breeze was he was grateful for it. He knew that any drop in the southerly wind would mean he’d either have to put his boats out and tow, or
heave to and wait. Even then it was flukeish, with the watercourses on either side, dark, moss-strewn caverns, providing vents that played tricks with the wind’s strength and direction. The high vegetation, if Harry sailed too close to the bank, could kill it altogether. If it turned foul he’d need to kedge his ships all the way to New Orleans, using his boats to drop an anchor upriver of
Bucephalas
, then putting his crew onto the capstan to haul them the length of the cable, a manoeuvre repeated time and again as he inched his way north.

He looked towards the bowsprit, to the filthy Cuban soldiers lounging in the shade of an awning. As a group they gave the impression that they hadn’t washed for months. Not one of their uniforms was clear of patches, all of which had begun life as different colours, and because of the climate the dye from these had seeped into the surrounding cloth. Had those colours not been so universally faded some would have looked like Harlequin. Harry wondered if their state was more to do with their last posting than any natural inclination against cleanliness. But then he saw Fernandez, with his hang-dog air and a uniform that was only marginally better than those of his troops. Their commander did nothing to elevate them as a group. Harry promised himself if the wind dropped then he would get hold of Fernandez and tell him to man the boats and tow. Harry’d discovered, from his Galician, that the reasons they were aboard
Bucephalas
were much as he’d suspected. Fernandez had got into trouble for beating one of his men near to death and was now in even hotter water because he’d allowed several men to desert from the island. Both in appearance and morale they were certainly not the kind of troops any sensible commander would want mixing with a new draft.

Behind him the merchantmen, with their broad beam and inelegant sail-plan, were finding things even harder. Bringing up the rear, the advantage held by the
Navarro
and her consorts could not have been more obvious. They put out their sweeps at every point where the river’s course made the use of sail difficult, and manoeuvred round the sandbanks with an ease that made Harry
jealous. At least they’d cut down their pirate prisoner. Not that he was afforded any protection from the elements, being still confined, now comatose, to the foredeck cage.

Looking around, and imagining the flood waters in spring, it was obvious why so few people settled here: the lack of any high bank plus the marshy nature of the low-lying delta islands. Each island would certainly have elevated ground at the centre, but in this part of the world that was measured in inches, not feet. Sometimes these mounds would be by the water’s edge. Where that happened the riverbank had generally been cleared to build a house. In the main these were sad affairs, tumbledown and surrounded by squalid outbuildings, all showing signs of the decrepitude such a sub-Tropical climate induced. But the further north they went the more successful the planters, and some had built substantial mansions. They were singular in their design, a compromise between the memory of European dwellings and the requirements of a wholly different climate. Where the houses had an element of grandeur, the owners had taken trouble with the land between them and the river, laying lawns. Given the rich alluvial soil, the grass that this produced was thick and deep in colour, running down to a thin strip of sand where a jetty would protrude over the muddy brown water of the river.

Naturally, since nearly all local transport was water-borne, they passed a mass of small craft using the Mississippi as a highway. In the main these were pirogues, whole trees dug out to form canoes, with one or two Europeans in the middle and blacks at each end to work the oars. The more substantial boats, in width and length the dimensions of an armed cutter, carried both humans and freight; their blunt prow and position, generally inshore at the point where the current was weakest, showed clearly that they were flat-bottomed affairs, perfectly suited to the moss-strewn waterways, termed bayous, that ran off the main rivercourse on both sides. Harry climbed into the tops to get a better view as they passed the fortifications at Plaquemines. The redoubts were scarcely whole, the bastions mounted few cannon, and the set-up
had a delapidated air which bespoke of a place that, to official thinking, had outlived its usefulness.

They had to heave to for the night, just to the south of one of the islands – the young Galician pilot insisted on it, so that nothing floating downriver could collide with their hull. Since flotsam could include whole trees weighing several tons, it was a wise precaution.
Navarro
, along with the other galleys, all well lit, lay close by, their decks deserted, barring the watch officers, though judging by the noise from below the crews were in no hurry to get any sleep. The other ships were dark and silent. Fireflies danced in the evening air, which, close to thick vegetation, was filled with the sounds of the night, the cries of the birds mingling with the grunts and calls of animals, all overborne by the slightly sickly smell of a fecund, rotting swamp.

Harry and James, having just finished their supper, ruminated on the Frenchman and the vexed subject of their money. Basically, they were presented with a problem they’d never anticipated. Harry, intent on getting them to Louisiana, had assumed that a time would arrive when he would just hand it over to them, the method of getting it ashore a problem that could safely be left to the owners. That was a reasonable assumption when talking about an uncomplicated landing at a sleepy outpost like Fort Balize, not at all the same thing when faced with the organised customs officials of a major port. The unwholesome vision presented itself of the Ariadnes, artisans and tradesmen without any knowledge or experience of business, standing on the New Orleans quayside with a fortune of dubious provenance at their feet. At best they’d be defrauded by some local shark, at worst awkward questions would be posed about how they’d come by such a sum. That could lead to all sorts of complications. It might even see their money impounded by some zealous official.

‘We must see them settled, Harry, with their fortune safely banked. And it has to be lodged with someone who will take a long-term interest in their welfare. It’s the least we can do.’

‘I suppose you’re right,’ said Harry, with an almost weary air.

‘I take it we have no intention of hanging about?’ asked James.

‘None. We’ll be off as soon as we’ve satisfied them about the
Gauchos
.’

‘And if they don’t agree to accept the Ariadnes?’

‘Then we’ll land them somewhere between here and the delta,’ growled Harry. Then he saw the look in James’s eye and added, with a great deal less passion, ‘You’ll have to be at your most persuasive, brother, or we’ll be obliged to take them on to Canada.’

James was quick to respond. ‘This is not something I will allow you to depute to me, Harry. Though I will agree to stay here and give you my backing.’

‘That’s very decent of you,’ he replied, with a sour expression.

‘One of the advantages of being a mere passenger, brother.’

The arrival of the very men they were talking about killed any reply of Harry’s. Pender opened the door to admit Lampin, Couvruer, and two of their compatriots, who’d been detailed to escort them. Harry indicated that they should sit down, an offer which was declined.

‘We shall be in New Orleans by early morning.’ That didn’t elicit much response, since they knew already. ‘I also have to tell you that, judging by the way we were obliged to come upriver, landing there is unlikely to be a simple matter of picking up your belongings and leaving the ship as you please.’

James coughed politely, in a bid to move Harry on, since their visitors could guess that too. They might not have heard what the Spaniard had said, but they’d have to have been dense indeed not to sense the frosty atmosphere.

‘There are formalities to observe.’

‘Bribes might have to be paid,’ said Lampin.

His voice was flat, emotionless, and deliberately unfriendly. Harry put this down to the presence of his compatriots, but he was grateful to him, since sensible as Lampin was he’d got right
to the nub of the problem. Neither the Frenchmen nor the contents of their chest could go ashore legitimately without clearance, and the two were very likely intertwined. They needed someone who was willing to circumvent any customs controls. That meant using their wealth as a lever with some reliable banker. Finding such a person was a task that only he and James had the experience to undertake. If the chest was inspected aboard, or opened by some petty official on the quayside, all hell could break loose. Sharing the money out merely multiplied the risk of discovery; it would quite rightly be interpreted as an attempt at evasion. But customs men the world over had greasy palms. So a few well-placed coins, delivered without haste to the right people, by someone who knew whom to bribe, would do the trick.

‘Besides,’ he concluded, tactlessly, ‘how could you, thirty homeless Frenchmen, justify having in your possession so much wealth?’

‘It would help, Monsieur,’ said Couvruer, as Harry paused, ‘if you told us what you intend to suggest.’

‘My proposal is simple. It will stay in my cabin, as my property, until we can find a place to lodge it.’

‘
Non!
’ snapped one of the escorts, when this was translated.

‘It is not a subject of debate,’ said Harry.

‘Why?’ asked Couvruer, his dark eyes steady and penetrating.

It was James who answered, his voice soothing and calm, in contrast to Harry’s more abrasive delivery.

‘My brother and I are accustomed to wealth, to dealing with bankers and money-men. If we ask them to come and see us they will do so readily. And we are in a position to ensure two things: that they are discreet and that they treat you properly in the future.’

Harry cut in, his voice still a long way from the tone of gentle persuasion he’d suggested to James.

‘I doubt any one of you has ever had possession of more than two gold coins. We carry letters of marque signed by King George. As privateers we don’t have to explain the possession of wealth
which in your hands would elicit a number of uncomfortable questions, especially since it cannot be said to have been come by honestly.’

‘Lacking experience in these matters,’ said James, ‘you may make an unwise choice that could cost you dear.’

Harry spoke again, his impatience becoming increasingly obvious. ‘When we are satisfied then we will hand back to you what is rightfully yours.’

‘We have agreed,’ added James, softly, ‘that we are responsible for your well-being.’

‘Some of our men think you intend to rob us,’ said Lampin, quickly. Judging by the looks he was getting two of them were in the cabin. ‘I have tried to persuade them otherwise. This plan of yours will not aid me.’

‘Ask them this,’ snapped Harry. ‘If I was going to rob them, why have I come this far? You may also inform them that my brother and I are intending to go to a great deal of trouble on their behalf. If they don’t like it, they will be doing us a great service by insisting that we wash our hands of the whole affair.’

‘It is your property and you will have it,’ James said, giving his brother a look of despair. ‘Every sous.’

‘I’m sorry if this offends you,’ Harry added, though he signally failed to sound compassionate. ‘You have my personal guarantee that your money is secure, and if that is not enough then I’ve no more to say.’

‘Your personal guarantee?’ asked Lampin.

‘Yes.’

One of the two escorts opened his mouth to speak, but Lampin cut him off. ‘Very well, Captain. We shall say no more.’

He turned so swiftly that Pender had to haul the door open. All four filed out with Harry’s servant mouthing ‘saucy buggers’ under his breath.

‘Well, you handled that brilliantly, Harry,’ said James. ‘I’ve never seen such a contented bunch.’