Chapter 2: Running the Station

June 1819

Meeting Evie Campbell née McLeod made Thomas aware of a rather heartless oversight on his part. Whilst he had met and socialised with his friends from the Academy, he had never even tried to find out about the fates of the dear friends he’d had in the Cormorant. Tim O’Leary came to his mind, his protector, but also Jimmy Wilkerson and Al Burton, the pardoned mutineers, who had taken him under their wings. Then there had been fellow ship’s boys Marty Crows and Jamie Dougal, his partners in crime, so to speak, and good mates. It would ease his conscience to find out about their fates and perhaps render them assistance, if needed.

That evening, he sat at his desk and composed a letter, addressed to the First Naval Lord’s secretary, asking that worthy man to find a junior clerk who could scour the personnel lists for the five names, adding that they had all served in HMS Cormorant between 1800 and 1803. He included four pound notes in the letter, as reward for the clerk. That done, he dropped the letter into the outgoing mail bag and already felt better about himself.

He still needed a secretary, at least a temporary one, until the Admiralty would send a replacement for Warner. Thomas was leery of hiring a local man, seeing how half of the island was likely related to or befriending somebody in the contraband trade. Teresa had offered her services freely, and Thomas was leaning towards accepting. She had a legible hand and a quick mind, plus she knew the language of the Navy already. He could rely on her, too. There would be an outcry, of course, even over the temporary employment of a girl, but being the station commander had the advantage of not being accountable to anybody.

The next morning at breakfast, Thomas looked at his oldest — by now he could not think of her as anything but their daughter.

“Are you still volunteering as secretary, Teresa?”

“Yes, father. May I?”

“You know that what you learn whilst writing reports and orders must not be retold? Not even to the rest of the family?”

“Yes. Mum and I talked about it. Loose tongues lose lives, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s why. I’ll pay you a half crown a day, and you have to be there all day.”

“You’ll pay me?”

“It’ll be work, make no mistakes, and work must be paid. You’ll address me and Robert properly during your work day. I’ll revert to being Father only after we leave the offices. I’ll be Sir Thomas and Robert will be Sir or Captain Bryce. Understood?”

“Just like in the Unicorn,” Teresa nodded. “How should I dress?”

“Wear something neat but simple and use an apron. You’ll get ink stains on your clothes, more likely than not.”

“Aye-aye, Sir Thomas,” Teresa answered seriously. “When should I report?”

“I’ll go down to my office after breakfast. Just come downstairs once you are ready.”

“Aye-aye, Sir Thomas,” Teresa rapped convincingly, making Mirabel and Harriet-Anne giggle.

Once settled at the small desk in the anteroom which Warner had used, Teresa was given the task to duplicate an order to be sent to the Muros brig-sloop, and when she was finished, Thomas looked it over. There was only one small error that could be corrected without rewriting the order. Next, Thomas dictated a letter to the governor, which Teresa penned down with a lead pencil before she wrote it with ink and quill. Thomas went over the pencilled notes before Teresa started writing with ink, and he corrected two spellings. The finished letter was without fault.

In the afternoon, Teresa had to learn about the handling of incoming reports, from the small Navy yard and the victualling quay. Twice during the day, visitors came and asked to see Thomas, and Teresa handled those like the well-bred young lady she was. The third visitor was a woman.

“A woman visitor for the Commodore!” the sentry announced.

“Please, send her in, Corporal,” Thomas heard Teresa reply, followed by. “How may I be of help?”

“Y-you are?” the visitor stammered, obviously not expecting a girl guarding the office.

“Teresa Grey, acting secretary to Sir Thomas,” Teresa answered easily. “Again, how may I help?”

“I-I wish to speak with Sir Thomas. He knows me. My name is Campbell, Miss Grey, Evie Campbell.”

“Let me ask him,” Teresa answered politely, but Thomas heard the giggle that she had to suppress.

Then she stood at his door.

“Sir Thomas, Evie Campbell asks for your time. She claims that you know her.”

“Thank you, Grey. Please, show her in!”

“Aye-aye, Sir Thomas,” Teresa beamed. And then, “You may enter.”

Evie Campbell was wearing what had to be her Sunday’s best, and she was a little flustered.

“Good Day, Sir Thomas,” she offered.

“The same to you, Missus Campbell. How may I help?”

“I-I want to thank you for speaking to me at the assize, Sir Thomas. I — why have you a young woman for your secretary?”

“She’s my daughter, and she’s helping out until a new secretary can be appointed and sent over from London.”

“Oh! I understand, Sir Thomas. You see, begging your pardon, that’s what I’m coming about. My husband’s youngest brother, Isaak Campbell, returned just recently from Glasgow where he attended a latin school, a boarding school, Sir Thomas. He has a limp, and my father-in-law sent him to school to learn how to be a clerk. Hearing that Mister Warner was sent back to England, my father-in-law thought that Isaak might serve as clerk or secretary for you.”

Thomas gathered his thoughts. “I don’t know. You see, these whole islands engage in contraband trading, and I’m leery of having a local man as my secretary, when one of my duties is to suppress smuggling.”

“Yes, but my husband’s family trades honestly. You can ask Mister Miller, the Customs agent. Colin Campbell pays his tariffs. He also benefits when the smugglers are caught, so they cannot undercut him so easily. He’ll profit from your efforts, Sir Thomas, and we have little contact with the other traders and merchants. You see, my husband’s family are descended from the Red Indian slaves brought here in the 1600s. The other traders scorn us.”

“I did not know that. They were named after their masters?”

“Yes, Sir Thomas. My husband’s grandfather first went to sea, and some years later, he owned his first own sloop and started to trade with the Massachusetts colony. Now we have seven sloops in the trade,” she ended proudly.

“That is admirable,” Thomas hedged, but then he shrugged inwardly. “Why don’t you tell your father-in-law in law to visit here with his youngest? Say, day after tomorrow? That will allow me to interview Mister Miller and a few other people. You know the saying, ‘once bitten, twice shy’?”

“Yes, I do, Sir Thomas. I shall tell them. Thank you for hearing me out.”

“Not at all, Missus Campbell. I hope to see you again. Miss Grey?”

Teresa entered, fighting a grin. “Yes, Sir Thomas?”

“Kindly enter a visitor into my schedule. Mister Colin Campbell and his son ... What is his name again?”

“Isaak, Sir Thomas,” Evie Campbell supplied.

“Yes, Mister Isaak Campbell will call day after next, say 11 o’clock?”

Evie Campbell nodded and smiled.

“Eleven o’clock it is.”

“Aye-aye, Sir Thomas,” Teresa replied, grinning widely.

“Oh, it’s almost evening, and that makes you my daughter again. Teresa, this is Missus Campbell, an old acquaintance of mine.”

“I know, Father! You’ve been talking about her and your tiff with that Morten character. It is nice to meet you, Missus Campbell!”

“Thank you, Miss Grey. You are as kind as your father. I believe that I saw you near Tobacco Bay. You were with another young lady and painting.”

“That would be Missus Douglas, Captain Bryce’s youngest sister. She and I are good friends, even though I’m only a girl.”

“Is she Scottish in the end?”

“Yes, her father is the Laird of Kilmarnock, and her mother was born a McLeod.”

“I was born a McLeod,” Evie Campbell gushed.

“Join us when you next see us. You can compare bloodlines,” Teresa laughed.” I mean it. Don’t be shy. You might even show us places to paint.”

“I’d love that.” Evie Campbell shook her long, blonde tresses. “That’s not what I expected, you being so kind. I’m just an ignorant Highland girl, sold to an agent, who had me shipped here.”

“Well, I was a slave girl until I was nine. I was just lucky to end up in Father’s ship. I hope to see you around!”

When Evie Campbell had left, Teresa stepped close to Thomas and hugged him fiercely.

“I’m so proud of you, Father!” she whispered into his chest.

“Well, we are at least equally proud of you, my darling daughter!”

Mister Colin Campbell was a man in his early fifties, and he did not look anything like the paintings and etchings of Red Indians Thomas had seen. His greying hair was cut short and combed carefully, and his face was rather roundish with a small nose. He had arrived with his grandson, Isaak, a young man of under twenty years of age who was a hand or so taller than the elder Campbell.

Thomas was receiving both men in his office, and they sat opposite him on the visitors’ chairs. After the exchange of a few pleasantries, the elder Campbell cut to the chase.

“Sir Thomas, my daughter-in-law told me that you might consider Isaak here as your secretary. Let me assure you that my son is an honest young man and well qualified. Also, if you and your squadron can curb the rampant smuggling around these islands, my family can live better off our honest trading. I trust that you made inquiries about us?”

“I did, of, course, Mister Campbell,” Thomas answered politely, “and your reputation is that of an honest man. I also spoke to a number of other gentlemen, and I believe to have found a good solution. Firstly, young Isaak Campbell, will your impediment make it impossible for you to go aboard a ship?”

For the first time, the young man spoke up.

“No, Sir Thomas. I walk with a limp, because I am club-footed on the left side. I can get aboard any ship.”

“Have you ever served as a scribe?”

“Yes, Sir Thomas. When I returned from Glasgow, I paid for my passage by helping the merchant captain with his books.”

“Splendid. Then here is my proposal, young Mister Campbell: you will fit yourself out for a seagoing duty and then report in the Salsette frigate. Mister Crawley, Captain Bryce’s secretary, will educate you in the duties of a captain’s secretary for four weeks. After that, Mister Crawley will come ashore and work for me, and you’ll serve under Captain Bryce. This is not about trust, but I need a man who is knowledgeable about the Royal Navy. It will also prevent a quarrel developing between your family and those traders who are bound to be caught sooner or later. Will that be agreeable for you?”

Isaak Campbell nodded immediately, but Colin Campbell thought it over before he, too, nodded and smiled.

“You will not rue that, Sir Thomas. You but need to ask if you may need any help or service from my family, and we shall come forward. That’s also because you saved our Evie from that evil man, even when you were but a boy.”

“Well, we all come out of this with what we need, don’t we?” Thomas said easily. “Knowing that she was saved was very good news to me. The small delay until Mister Crawley will start here is fortuitous, too. Miss Grey would be very upset if I replaced her too soon.”

“Very true, Sir Thomas,” Teresa’s voice could be heard.

The Campbells looked at Thomas for an explanation.

“My daughter is looking after the reports right now. She is doing it well, but she’ll be happy to return to her watercolours once the novelty wears off.”

The elder Campbell nodded. “When should my son report for duty, Sir Thomas? He has a seagoing kit, but his coat is not in the Navy style.”

“There is no uniform for secretaries, Mister Campbell, but a blue coat will be helpful to fit in. He’ll form a mess with the captain’s steward, the bosun, and Mister Crawley. Food will come from the purser who also runs a slop chest for any extra needs.”

“I see, Sir Thomas. Isaak will report day after next. We shall take our leave now, and we wish you a most successful command!”

Over the next three weeks, two more vessels were caught by the sloops, but they were able to throw their cargoes before the sloops’ boats could board them. In the case of one ketch, that was not good enough, since the smuggler’s crew had missed a few items of contraband, and Brigadier Argyll declared the small vessel out of Hamilton forfeit.

Purportedly, there were grumbles around Hamilton about the losses of cargoes and money, the latter because the seized ketch had to be bought back at auction and because the skipper of that ketch had been fined forty-five pound sterling. It made the contraband runner wary and curbed their activities. The best sign of that was the increased prices for certain bulk wares in the island, showing that less illicit goods were coming in.