HMS Aurora: A Charles Mullins Novel (Sea Command Book 3) by Richard Testrake Page B

guttural language with which Dooley had no experience. After more abortive attempts, the officer said in perfect English, “Sir, can we speak English? I regret my French is so poor and you do not seem to understand my Dutch.”
    Dooley replied, “Just who are you then?”
    “I am Luitenant Strake of the Second Batavian Guards in the service of the French Republic. When you return to England, will you take me with you? I have much to say your government may like to hear.”
    Surprised by this officer’s offer, Dooley asked him what this encampment was to be used for. Strake replied this would be an advanced base for the proposed invasion of Ireland. The lieutenant was not certain when the invasion would take place, but an army was at this moment being transported by sea. After brushing the blockading fleet aside, the plan was to take aboard the supplies and equipment here and make the crossing.
    Dooley had to think about the situation a bit. This officer could be trying to confuse him, perhaps hoping to escape. However, it would seem worthwhile to deliver him to England, if that was possible.
    Assuring the officer he would blow him in half should he make a wrong move, he explained they were about to fire this magazine. Strake seemed agreeable and showed him some crates in the corner filled with both slow and quick match.
    Smashing in the head of a powder keg with the butt of the musket, he buried one end of a length of quick match into the loose powder inside. Unable to threaten his prisoner with the musket, he drew one of his discharged pistols from his sash to convince Strake he should follow his orders.
    Leading the match outside, no immediate threats were apparent. Plenty of people were busily engaged in their duties in this camp, but no one paid any attention to them. The quick match was concealed in a stand of rank grass and cut off when they reached a small copse. In a depression not likely to be noticed, Dooley cut off the quick match and tied on a foot of slow match.
    He had neglected to bring a light with him and was reluctant to go back inside to get the lantern. Examining the guard’s musket, he earned that it was indeed charged, with priming in the frizzen. Searching around on the ground, he found a twig of appropriate size and jammed that into the musket’s touch hole. Holding the end of the slow match in his left hand, he held the match by the weapon’s pan, and pulled its cocked trigger. There was a delay in ignition since the flint was dull and only a few sparks issued. However, that was all that was needed and when the priming flared, Dooley inserted the match into the blazing powder and got it lit. Fortunately, the flame did not pass through the blocked touch hole and the main charge did not fire.
    Having done all he could, he directed Strake down the sea wall onto the beach. There, he took off his slop shirt and hung it on a bush. Before leaving the ship, Captain Mullins had insisted they have a signal for an emergency pickup, should that be needed. He had not expected to be still alive at this point, but could see no point in expiring just yet. Maybe they could make it back to the ship.
    A squadron of cavalry was patrolling the beach, so the pair dug shallow holes in the sand and covered themselves with beach debris to escape detection.
    Aboard HMS Aurora offshore, the captain and his first officer remained engaged in a discussion about Dooley’s fate. Mullins expected he was likely dead, or at least efficiently secured. He felt it unlikely he would ever be speaking to the man again. However, before the operation, he had insisted upon a rescue plan.
    With no other means of signals likely to be effective, they had settled on using Dooley’s distinctive slop shirt as a signal. The ship’s purser had purchased a quantity of the distinctive striped shirts, and it was thought this shirt, displayed on the seaward facing side of a rock on the beach, might serve as a signal to notify the ship that Dooley