CHAPTER 26 - THE AFTERMATH OF BATTLE
Kate stood still upon the deck of the Essex, her eyes fixed upon the lifeless body of a man who moments earlier had been full of fury charging straight towards her with dagger in hand. She had stood her ground, leveled her pistol, aimed and squeezed the trigger. The flint hit the lock, the flash pan ignited, the pistol fired, the lead ball shot forth and entered the man's chest.
The man slumped down, not a word did he utter, as the dagger fell from his hand. His once tense body, full of anger and of rage, crumpled to the ground. His body bent upon his knees with his body upright as a man in prayer. His eyes were still fixed upon Kate and her eyes were fixed upon his lifeless face.
When the select men had charged forth, Kate stood still, locked in a stare from the gaze of the dead man. Even now, at the end of the mutiny Kate stood still unable to break the trance of the dead man's eyes.
Captain Lewis saw his wife standing still upon the deck with her red hair swirling about her in the wind. He called to Mr. Marshall to take the helm and keep the Essex on her course, south by southwest towards Bermuda. He and Kevin made their way down from the aft deck and to Kate. Aaron Lewis gently took the pistol from Kate's right hand and her father's heavy sword from her left.
Kate remained silent and still, deep in her stare with the dead man. As one who is suddenly startled and awaken from a deep sleep Kate shuddered, broke the death stare and flung her arms around Aaron. She wept in his arms.
"There, there my sweet Kate." was all that Aaron whispered in her ears as the two embraced.
After a few minutes, Kate stood upright and looked deep into Aaron's eyes. They shared a nervous smile in their moment of silence, as a small tear fell down upon Kate's cheek.
"Kate, Mr. Crossland has been wounded. Are you of a mind to help him?"
"Aye, as always Aaron."
"Take Kevin with you and get Mr. Crossland to the galley."
Kate and Kevin found Mr. Crossland laying upon the deck with his hand over his wound, a wound to the gut from Mr. Talbert's knife. Two men were kneeling down by his side. As Kate knelt down beside him, Mr. Crossland winced in pain and spoke.
"Tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door but tis enough, twill serve . . ."
"Shakespeare, Mr. Crossland? At a time such as this? Well my dear Mercutio you let me be the judge of whether it tis enough to make thee a grave man." Kate replied with a bit of amazement, for Mr. Crossland it seemed was a well versed gentleman, who even in his dire state would quote the great bard.
Turning to the two sailors by her side Kate commanded:
"Take him to the galley and stoke the fire, to heat the iron."
The men lifted Mr. Crossland by his arms and whisked him to the galley where he was placed upon a large table. Kate stripped his leather vest and shirt off of him to observe the wound. Blood poured forth but just blood and no bile. His wound was more of a cut along the surface rather than a deep piercing wound. Perhaps, just perhaps, Mr. Crossland would survive.
The iron was mad red hot in the galley fire. Kate gave Mr. Crossland a swig of rum, and then plunged the hot iron onto the wound. Mr. Crossland cried out in agony as the hot iron scorched his flesh. He passed out from the pain.
"Carry him to the Captain's quarters, where I shall attend to him."
Kevin had stood close by, his knees were weak at the sight of the open wound. The stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils as his face grew pale. He thought he would pass out but his mind refused, nay watch, listen and learn, those were the words of his father when they had parted. So watch, listen and learn he did.
Mr. Hagney attended the wounded down below decks. The mutineers had killed two and thrashed half a dozen when they charged upon decks. The Wright brothers had received the worst of the beatings but would survive. The surviving mutineers were forced to clean the decks and toss the dead bodies of their disloyal comrades overboard. No words were spoken in remembrance of the dead as their bodies were given unto the sea.
By mid day the decks had been washed, and the mutineers shackled and chained below decks where the crew of the Essex berated and smashed them about for all the harm they had done. A noose had been hung before them, a sign of what fate they had chosen.
Mr. Hagney had taken the roll of the living and of the dead. All were accounted for save one, Jedidiah Greene, a man who Thomas O'Malley had warned him about. An old man with a large scar upon his face, the man who O'Malley said gave Talbert his orders.
Jedidiah Greene had not gone missing. For in the early days of preparing the Essex for war he had in the dark of night constructed a smuggler's notch in the prow of the ship. A notch that could be entered by a hidden panel. He had been the last mutineer to leave the crew's quarters during the mutiny. When he spied the select men forming ranks, he knew the mutiny was doomed to failure. He slipped back below the decks and into the smuggler's notch, to wait and to live for another day.
In the late afternoon, the cry came from the crow's nest.
"Sail ho!"
Captain Lewis smiled with delight for it was the prize ship commanded by Mr. Howard. She had weathered the storm.
The two ships sailed south by southwest, towards Bermuda and safety.
The day passed into the night. At the break of the following morn the lookout sound the most welcome words:
"Land ho!"
The two ships with their English banners flying high sailed into the harbor of St. George's on the Isle of Bermuda, underneath the silent guns of the fortress that protected the entrance. The harbor was full of merchant ships and two first rate ships of the Royal Navy.
The Essex and the prize ship lay anchor not fifty yards from one another in the clear blue waters of Bermuda.
Mr. Howard was eager to report back to Captain Lewis, for he had a wondrous tale to tell of how the men of Poquoson had masterfully sailed the prize ship through the storm.
Captain Lewis was less eager to report to Mr. Howard of the mutiny, for Talbert was Mr.Howard's man.
Mr. Howard left Thomas O'Malley in command of the prize ship as he boarded the launch that made its way across the harbor to the Essex. His excitement was quickly muted as he came aboard the Essex, for none seemed to great him and there was a somber look about the crew.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Howard, if you would please join me in the officer's mess." Captain Lewis coldly stated.
Mr. Howard followed the Captain to the officers mess joined by Mr. Marshall, Mr. Hagney and Kathleen O'Donnel Lewis. As they sat down at the officer's table, Mr. Howard looked about and inquired:
"Where is Crossland, will he be joining us. I do so much want him to hear how we weathered the storm. At one point, I was tempted to jettison some of the cargo as the waves nearly swamped us. But those fine men from Poquoson would have none of it. They said they would rather go down in the sea with the cargo than to see the loss of such treasure."
No one spoke a word in reply but all sat still staring at Mr. Howard in an awkward moment of silence. Captain Lewis, broke the silence.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Crossland will not be joining us today, he is in my quarters suffering from perhaps a fatal wound."
Mr. Howard hung his head low, as Captain Lewis recanted the tale of mutiny and the treachery of John Talbert. He remained silent, shaking his head back and forth as each detail of the mutiny was retold. When Captain Lewis had finished, he broke his silence.
"This is all my fault. I vouched for Talbert, and thus I must bear the burden of responsibility. I trusted him. I trusted him to find the right sort of fellows for our grand endeavor. Instead of loyal men, I brought aboard the Essex mutineers. I am such a damned fool. I will of course resign my commission aboard the Essex. No wonder the crew looked upon me with such disdain, they know that this is all my fault, my lack of judgment that lies at the heart of this tragedy. And now poor Mr. Crossland will perhaps pay the ultimate price for my folly. Did I mention, that his family and mine are neighbors in Maryland? How will I ever be able to face his mother again? No, honor dictates that I must resign my commission."
These words struck fear in Kate's heart, for she had made a pledge of loyalty to Lord Pembroke. A pledge that Mr. Howard would serve aboard the Essex, for he was a kinsman of Queen Anne herself. It was the deal that Lord Pembroke had struck with the Queen. A deal that had to be honored, lest Lord Pembroke change his mind about the affair that had occurred aboard the Skye. If Mr. Howard resigned, Lord Pembroke would lay the blame for the death of the Campbell on the Skye at Kevin's feet. She did not wait for Aaron to reply.
"Mr. Howard, you shall do no such thing. For you are a kinsman to the Queen. Lord Pembroke spoke very plain to me in Norfolk. We were granted Letters of Marquise with the one stipulation, that you, Mr. Howard were second in command aboard the Essex. If you resign your commission, you shall accomplish what that dog Talbert had failed to do. You and you alone shall be our downfall. Your sense of honor, shall rain dishonor upon us all. Your only fault was to trust an untrustworthy man. A mistake, perhaps, but not a mistake that any at this table has not made. No, my dear Mr. Howard, our fortunes are bound together. Will ye sink us all into the abyss of dishonor?"
"No Mistress Lewis, that is not my intent. But how shall I be able to regain the trust of the men?"
"You are an educated man, a well spoken man, you shall offer a sincere apology. And if that does not work, then offer them silver as a sign of your sincerity."
The crew of the Essex was assembled. Mr. Howard delivered a heart felt apology with such words that would have rivaled Cato the Elder before the ancient Senate of Rome. His words, though fell upon the deaf ears of the crew of the Essex. Deaf ears that is, until Mr. Howard proclaimed that as a sign of his sincerity, he would forfeit his officer's share of the prize ship. Whatever silver he had been entitled to would be disbursed among the loyal men of the Essex. The promise of silver from an officer's share rang in the ears of the men. Mr. Howard had, for the price of silver, regained the trust of the crew.
Kate and Mr. Hagney left the Essex, and rowed ashore to the town of St. George. She would have a crew, a crew of her own choosing and no other.
The sun set as the Essex lay at anchor in the harbor. At the changing of the midnight watch, an old man with a large scar upon his face emerged for the smuggler's notch and slyly followed the men onto the deck of the Essex unnoticed in the darkness. He made his way alone towards the bow of the Essex, slipped over the side and into the warm waters of Bermuda. Jedediah Greene made good his escape as he swam ashore. From the beach he turned back to see the the dark silhouette of the Essex. He spit, he cursed the Essex and all who sailed upon her, before slipping away into the jungles of Bermuda.