Chapter 24: Sea Battle

27 August, 1686 Morning

It was early morning and the Maidens Revenge was six days out of Portobello just off the coast of western Cuba with Claire at the helm when two ships appeared sailing out of the Cabo San Antonio harbor. The first ship was some 3000 yards from the second, and it wasn't clear to Claire if the ships were sailing together or had coincidentally departed at the same time.

Regardless, Claire signaled for Carmen by stamping her foot on the deck which also was the roof of the Captain's cabin.

After viewing the two ships through a spyglass Carmen called all hands to deck, then started issuing orders, "Jack, take the wheel! Aba, assume the worst, you Constance, Claire, Isabel and Teresa man the cannons! Cog, you and Ihon man the sails! If you need any help let me, Felipe or Diego know! For now we'll drop the longboats and then start watering down the decks. Come on gentlemen," she spoke to the two brothers, "the cruse is over, it's time to earn your passage."

"Cog, give me that bowsprint! These two are fast!" Jack yelled out from the helm.

"Isabel, you and Teresa load the swivels with grape. Constance, Claire! Load the cannons with chain, but don't run them out until we know what their intentions are!" Aba yelled knowing that this loadout would leave all of his options open depending upon the actions of the oncoming ships.

As Felipe and Diego helped Carmen drop the longboats and then water down the decks Felipe was amazed at how efficient the crew of the Maidens Revenge was. In less than ten minuets all guns were loaded and two of the women immediately moved and quickly ran secondary sail rigging lines, while the other two women wet down sail cloth and then covered all munitions with it. Not a step, not a head turn was wasted by anyone. Other than for him and Diego everyone, including Isabel seemed to be battle hardened veteran sailors. Where had his sister learned such skills? And even Teresa, how could she have learned so quickly? And the Captain, what a woman she was. She was fully in charge, of that there was little doubt, directing and issuing orders as effectively and easily as she was beautiful.

The ships came on. Carmen looked through the glass once again, "They're flying the Jolly Roger!" She shouted, "Run out the guns ladies! Cog, battle sails!"

With the efficiently of a veteran crew Aba and the women ran out all cannons both port and starboard, then Constance and Aba each took a spot behind a swivel while Claire and Isabel manned a starboard side cannon.

Carmen got the Maidens Revenge's Jolly Roger raised just as the first ship was nearing their cannon range, its course would take it 20 degrees off to the Maidens Revenge's left. The second ship was on a roughly perpendicular course. The ships were a Sloop, and a Ketch, so Aba knew that although they were fast they at least wouldn't have any large guns on board.

Eventually, the Sloop came to within 1500 yards, and showed no signs of slowing. A few long moments passed, and then the crew of the Maidens Revenge heard the unmistakable sounds of cannons firing, but only from the farther away Ketch not the Sloop.

"Six pounders by the sound of them!" Aba yelled out, "We have the advantage of gun range! Fire the chain and take out their sails! Let's clear their decks with some grape Constance!" And all four of their guns fired almost simultaneously.

All four gunners instantly moved to another loaded gun and fired again while Teresa, Carmen and Ihon began loading and then running out the guns that had just been fired.

"They're not running broadside! They're trying to run in as fast as they can so they can get close enough to fire on our stern! That's why the Sloop hasn't been firing her cannons! They want to take this ship not sink her!" Scarlet yelled out and began maneuvering to keep them off the stern.

"Constance! Stern swivels! Claire! Isabel! Aim for the Sloop's masts if possible!" Aba yelled as he and Constance quickly ran to the rear guns.

Scarlet focused his attention on the Sloop, as it was closest to crossing the T at their stern. He attempted to turn with it and managed to keep pace with the smaller vessel. The seamanship of Cog was proven to be outstanding, as he denied the smaller vessel the stern T. However, in the end, out of frustration perhaps, the Sloop sent a volley toward their stern, but not having made the T all their shots went wide.

Then the Maidens Revenge returned fire from eight cannons, first four, and than two seconds later a second four and 100 pounds of shot and chain flew through the air at close range, smashing a part of the Sloop's mast away as if by magic, and riddled the ship with holes. But the worst of it was the deck, where once there was a crew of able-bodied seamen, there was now left only the sounds of the dying.

Scarlet yelled out to Cog as he spun the big wheel, "Hard to starboard Cog! Tighten the blocks!" He's intent was to pull away from the crippled Sloop as quickly as possible before anyone left on board could fire any of their guns. As they pulled away they could see the Sloops name plate, it read: "Satan's Strumpet."

Scarlet did his job and the Maidens Revenge left the Sloop yards behind dead in the water.

Carmen noticed that the Ketch was trying to come along for a broadside, "The Ketch didn't like what we did to the Sloop! She's coming broadside trying to sink us! Let's give her everything we've got!"

The Ketch fired a few barrages of canister at the Maidens Revenge, but they were not close enough yet to cause much damage other than Scarlet having taken a piece of metal in his left arm. Pain, sharp and jagged, lanced from his shoulder down his arm. He sucked in a pained breath, cursed using his uninjured arm on the wheel while he rode out the pain. The sleeve of Scarlet's shirt turned crimson from the wound but he ignored it and the pain trying to maintain the distance between them and the Ketch, knowing at their current distance their larger cannons and swivels could hit the Ketch but its smaller guns would be almost useless against them.

"Load the starboard swivels with chain!" Aba yelled, "Aim for their sails! Let's turn her into a rock!"

One and half minuets later the swivels were loaded with chain.

Two swivels fired.

One missed.

One hit, doing no damage.

One and half minuets later the swivels were reloaded and then fired again.

One missed.

One hit, doing very little damage, but did manage to scramble the Ketch's crew.

By now, the Ketch was closer and knowing that the port batteries had been reloaded Scarlet yelled out, "Coming hard about! Grab on to something and hang on!" as he took advantage of the wind and came over hard, quickly exposing their port batteries to the Ketch. Aba and the three women rushed over to the port cannons and fired as one. A thundering roar and the Ketch was hurt, and apparently had had enough because it turned sharply starboard trying to get out of range of the Maidens Revenge's guns.

A cheer went up from the crew of the Maidens Revenge knowing that the battle was well in hand. The name plate on the Ketch read: "Black Howl."

Thinking the engagement over, Carmen began assessing damage. Just then, Scarlet shouted out from the helm, "Boarders! Starboard!" then he fired his pistol at a man scrambling up a hooked boarding net and attempting to climb over the starboard rail. His shot missed high and the man made the top of the rail. Isabel who was standing closest to the man drew her pistol and fired. Her shot hit him directly in the middle of his chest. The man fell back.

A second boarding net hooked it self over the rail and three heads popped up. Carmen, Constance and Claire all fired their pistols. Two men fell back, the third gained the ship's deck.

Constance drew her sword and rushed toward him. Their blades clashed. The man attacked furiously and he found the point of his blade neatly parried. Then Constance gave a little ground while stepping first to her left and then to her right seeking an advantage. Discovering his weakness she advanced, parried his thrust to the right while spinning her body left and drove her sword deep into his chest.

By then five more pirates had gained the deck. Claire, Isabel and Carmen engaged three of them with their swords, Aba took on the forth pirate in hand-to-hand combat, and Cog fired his pistol killing the fifth. Claire made sure she not only kept her man at bay but also occasionally offered her blade to Isabel's man as well. The women's blades match the pirates strike for strike, their feet moving in perfect harmony with their weapons as they each blocked and parried their three opponents best efforts to defeat them...

Seconds later several more pirates made their way on board and all hell broke loose. Constance engaged one with her sword. Scarlet jumped down onto the main deck drawing his sword and joined Constance's side taking on another pirate with his blade. Constance acknowledged Scarlet's presence with a nod as the four fighters traded swings, swipes, thrusts, blocks and parries in a grisly ballet, steel clanging on steel in a counterpart of the storm raging around them. Teresa and Ihon both fired pistols taking down two men. Cog, who had climbed up the main mast and was now hanging from a rope, swung down and outward knocking two pirates off the ships rail sending them over the side, then dropping gracefully to his feet he pirouetted around and slammed his foot sideways to the head of yet another pirate, stunning him and also sending him over the side.