Broadsides
"Sail ho!" a sailor cried from overhead. Norrington stepped outside his cabin with great purpose and looked to the left of the HMS Dauntless. A wry little smile crossed his lips as pulled the spyglass from his coat and peered at the distant vessel. Judging by her two masts, she looked to be a brig. She was therefore much smaller than either the Dauntless or the Hambleton and probably possessed much greater speed. Norrington began to see the feasibility in a ship of such agility attacking two merchant vessels so swiftly and far way. Perhaps he had overestimated the situation after all. He lowered the spyglass and gazed out onto the ocean at the ship as Gillette approached. The Lievtenant stood at the Commodore's side as he took in the situation.
"She appears to be turning tail and running…What are your orders, sir? Shall we run out the nines?" inquired Gillette as he gripped the hilt of his sword and looked up at his commander.
"No, I want confirmation on this threat before we go blasting them out of the water," said Norrington as he stared at the offending ship. "Perhaps it is time that Captain Martin demonstrates his purpose here with us. Signal for him to give chase, Gillette."
Gillette smiled and shook his head slightly. He, too, had experienced more than his fair share of Martin's poor demeanor. "You honestly think he's going to cooperate, sir?"
Norrington broke his stare and glanced back toward the Hambleton before turning to Gillette. "Well that would be why Pearce is on the Hambleton at this very moment. If Martin drags his feet, I'm confident the Lievtenant will give him a right good push."
Gillette looked out at the British frigate as he shook his head once more. "If you say so, sir," he sighed. Gillette quickly stepped off toward the quarterdeck to signal the orders to Martin. Norrington nodded and began to start back toward his cabin when another cry came from aloft.
"Commodore! She's coming 'round sir, I believe she is making a run at us! Larboard quarter, sir!"
Norrington swung back around and took three quick steps forward. His eyes narrowed as he peered out onto the ocean. The brig had indeed swung round to larboard and now made way toward the Dauntless at a frightening speed. Lievtenant Gillette had also heard the warning and now made haste down the stairs as he stopped at the Commodore's side. A flag was hoisted on the brig, but neither of the two officers could make it out.
Norrington quickly looked up to the fighting top. "What colors are those?" he yelled to the sailors.
"Skull and dagger, sir!"
"Hunter…" Norrington said through gritted teeth. He quickly compressed the spyglass and put it back in his pocket. Gillette turned to him and paused. Captain Marius Hunter, the dastardly villain himself. Norrington had spent the better part of two months trying to locate Hunter and destroy him, but the pirate possessed more than one ship, which made him difficult to track. The actual number was uncertain, but the idea that Hunter would run only one ship – a brig at that – troubled Norrington. The Commodore wasted no time in springing to action. "Beat to quarters!" he ordered as he turned and ascended the stairs to the quarterdeck for a better vantage point. Nearly instantly sailors and Marines emerged from below and manned their stations. Gun crews assembled and readied their weapons as the Marines climbed aloft into the fighting tops to act as sharpshooters. Gillette dually followed Norrington as he repeated the command for all to hear. The two stared out at the approaching vessel. Something was not right.
"What is the best way for a small vessel to inflict the most amount of damage upon a much larger, sluggish one?" Norrington asked absently as he leaned forward on the rail and studied the pirate brig. She was now approaching the Dauntless's larboard quarter at approximately a 60-degree angle.
Gillette paused. "You think he means to ram us?"
Norrington pushed himself off the rail as concentration invaded his expression. "She won't present herself as a target until it's too late to maneuver out of it," he noted calmly. "Thirty degrees to starboard, Mr. Gillette. I want chain and bar shot to bring down their rigging. We'll have to stop them dead in their tracks. Where in the hell is Martin…" spat Norrington as he turned around to look behind him. There sat the Hambleton off to the starboard of the Dauntless, apparently oblivious to the threat on the other side of the massive gun ship. "Unbelievable," Norrington muttered to himself as he glared out at the frigate.
"Thirty-degrees to the starboard, Quartermaster!" ordered Gillette. He and Norrington quickly descended the stairs once more as the bow of the Dauntless began to swing to the right as she squared up with the oncoming brig. The guns were rolled out and manned, awaiting the order.
Norrington surveyed the situation. "Bring round the chain and bars…we're aiming to disable them before they have the chance to reach us." At the Commodore's request, the marines distributed the bar and chain shot – two small cannon balls attached by either chains or steel bars that were incredibly effective at bringing down sails and rigging on enemy vessels. If this pirate was going to attempt to ram the Dauntless, Norrington would have to stop them using whatever means necessary.
Commodore Norrington stood fast on deck as Gillette joined him. His cool demeanor never wavered as he gave his deadly order. "Open fire!" Almost immediately the long-range guns on the Dauntless opened up, releasing a barrage of heavy fire on the small brig. The bar and chain shot seemed to be taking effect rather quickly as sails were pierced and rigging severed. The brig began to slow some, but remained on her collision course with the Dauntless.
"One thousand yards and closing, sir!" yelled one of the sailors aloft in the fighting top. Norrington glanced up briefly before resting his stare back on Hunter's vessel.
"Come round to larboard, Quartermaster. Bring her around for a broadside," ordered the Commodore. "We'll finish them off quickly without Martin even noticing." He glanced out to the starboard to the Hambleton and shook his head. Suddenly another cry came from aloft.
"Sail, ho! Another ship, sir! Larboard fourth quarter and gaining fast!" Norrington swung around to look at the oncoming threat. There was a large frigate, approximately the size of the Hambleton, rapidly approaching the Dauntless from behind where the great ship was relatively unprotected.
"Hunter, you bastard!" growled Norrington as Gillette ran up to his side. "Prepare the aft cannons and alert Martin, Gillette…we're about to be taken from behind." Gillette nodded and made haste.
"Continue to come round to larboard, Quartermaster, we'll put the brig between us and the frigate," ordered Norrington as he climbed the stairs and monitored the situation from the quarterdeck. They were now coming up alongside the disabled brig and in prime range for a broadside assault.
"Sir! What are your orders?" yelled Gillette from the deck.
"Release the hounds, Mr. Gillette!" ordered Norrington as a confident little grin spread across his face. Referring to sea battles as foxhunting was one of his little quirks.
Gillette turned back to the gunners and drew his sword. "Pour it into 'em lads!" Instantly all 50 guns on the larboard side of the Dauntless fired, sending a wall of deadly iron crashing on to the small ship. The brig fired back, but she was horribly out gunned and soon found herself overwhelmed by the firepower aboard the Dauntless as she poured on the broadsides.
"Sir, the other frigate is coming round aft!"
Norrington quickly turned around to the starboard, to see the Hambleton slowly turning to address the new threat. "Martin, I'll have your damned head for this," he snarled under his breath. Martin's lack of enthusiasm would get both Navy ships into a great deal of trouble if he did not take faster action.
"Shall we prepare to board, sir?" inquired Gillette from next to one of the deck guns. The brig was well beaten and listing hopelessly to the larboard.
"No, Lievtenant, she's out of this fight," he stated as he turned back to see the enemy frigate approaching the stern. "Hard to starboard! Let's square up to this bastard and send him the official Royal Navy greeting!"
"Aye sir!" Gillette quickly repeated the orders to the quartermaster as the Dauntless swung round to the starboard and rounded on the enemy. Martin had finally trimmed his sails and was rapidly approaching the rogue vessel as well as they sandwiched her between the two Navy ships. Within moments, Hunter's frigate found herself between the 32 guns of the Hambleton and the 100 of the Dauntless.
"Fire on the starboard guns if you please, Mr. Gillette," ordered Norrington from atop the quarterdeck. "Open fire!" With that, the starboard guns on the Dauntless opened up on Hunter as a volley of devastating blows descended upon the frigate. Pirates quickly scattered about the deck in an attempt to avoid the barrage. The massive 32-pound cannon on the lower gun deck of the Dauntless fired simultaneously at the waterline of Hunter's vessel and water sprayed at each collision as the hull was punctured and the ocean came flowing in. Martin had also given the order to fire, and now was pounding the vessel from the opposite side. Despite the surprise, the Navy ships were in perfect control of the situation.
"Fire another round and prepare to board!" commanded Norrington. A small, but triumphant grin, had invaded his emotionless expression. As he turned to descend the stairs, a marksman aboard Hunter's frigate took aim. He fired.
Commodore Norrington came crashing down the stairs as the bullet grazed his scalp. He rolled onto his back as he tried to catch his lost breath. Gillette saw the shot and quickly ran to the fallen Norrington as he ordered a squad of Marines to fire upon the shooter.
"Commodore! Are you hit?" ask Gillette hastily. His question was answered, however, when Norrington rolled on his back. The bullet had sliced right by his temple a good four inches or so, and the Commodore was now bleeding quite heavily from the wound. Norrington reached up with his left hand and touched it. The gash itself was not life threatening, so he gathered his hat and went to stand up. It was at that moment that another shot found its mark as Gillette fell to the deck.
"Gillette!" cried Norrington as he knelt down beside his fallen Lievtenant. He quickly looked back up at the Marines. "Get that bloody sharpshooter!" Volley upon volley of fire was sent across to the frigate as finally the marksman was shot down from his deadly post. Norrington looked down at Gillette and quickly examined him. The bullet had lodged itself in the young man's left shoulder and the wound had begun to bleed quite freely. James wiped his own blood away from his eyes as he applied pressure to Gillette's shoulder. "Hang on, Matthieu," he said as Gillette's eyes began to close. "Medic now!" he ordered. Within moments soldiers came with some supplies. "Take him to my cabin and get the surgeon immediately," said Norrington as he replaced his hat and stood up. He would finish off Hunter right then and there. The Commodore stood fast and steady as he watched the deadly effect of the Dauntless's and Hambleton's guns, the blood slowly soaking his brilliant uniform.
Minutes later what was left of both ships' crews surrendered. The damage inflicted upon both pirate vessels was devastating in the least. Prisoners were hastily thrown in the brig and the flaming hulks of Hunter's ships finally blown up as the Dauntless and Hambleton hoisted sail and made way back to Port Royale. Norrington slowly turned back toward his cabin. The blood loss was finally making him feel somewhat weak, but he was much more worried about Gillette's condition. Despite the awkward encounter earlier that day, Norrington could not stand to lose his trusted officer and friend.
