On the King's Sea Service: A John Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 1) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Richard Testrake
lines on the grapnels.
By the time the lines had been severed, the gale had passed them. The wind had subsided, but the sea was still high. With not enough time and not enough men at the pumps, the brig went down with a rush, Vixen managed to make its way back to a cluster of men in the water. She ran one man down while approaching, but managed to get lines down to some of the others, who were pulled on board.
They finally entered the Thames and made their way up the river to London, where Vixen moored in the Pool and Phillips reported in to the admiralty. An official there took custody of his pouches and he was told he might as well go home for a month or more since after the strenuous crossing it would probably be necessary to survey the cutter again.
His pay was brought up to date and he found some of the old Athena prizes had made their way through prize court and the funds released. The crew was allowed ‘head money’ for the captured crew of the privateer, but of course, received nothing for the sunken brig. With his father dead and his mother long missing, he used some of his new funds to take rooms near the admiralty. A month later, he received news that the ship was being paid off and was going into ordinary. The war was over.
CHAPTER THREE
Interlude
With the release of his prize money, along with his lieutenant’s half pay, Phillips was financially secure for a brief period, but he knew he soon would need to economize and gain an income of some type. He haunted the Admiralty, looking for some position on a ship, without any encouragement. In fact, he was told rather firmly, he should cease his visits, just come around once every half year to collect his half pay. He was assured if a vacant lieutenancy became available; he would be notified by post. As the most junior lieutenant in the now peacetime Navy, he knew well an active posting was not at all likely.
He had been in the habit of eating in a small inn near the river that catered to people rather low on the economic scale, where he could get a simple meal and a mug of ale for a few pence. One day, coming there in uniform after a visit to Admiralty, a drunk-jostled him and spilled a quantity of some greasy food on his blue coat.
At first the drunk wanted to fight him, until a glimpse of Phillips with his hand on his sword hilt with the blade half drawn, cooled him down. The landlady rushed to the officer, telling him she would clean the coat and to please not add blood to the food stains. The drunk, facing the threat of a sword in the hand of a man who obviously knew how to use it, quickly decided to leave the premises.
The landlady, Missus Harkins, put him in in an empty room with a large ale and some steak and kidney pie in front of him. After Phillips had calmed down a bit and emptied the quart, he realized the landlady was not bad looking. While she might be a little heavy for some tastes, he liked a woman with meat on her bones and she had the appearance that she might not be too hard to know. He knew she was a bit older than he. Obviously she would never see her twenties again, but still, she was easy to look at.
When she came back, the grease stains had been removed with a chalk ball and the whole coat sponged. It looked as good as new. She was impressed at having a King’s officer at her establishment and wanted to know all about his service. He embellished a few sea stories to tell her, which impressed her even more. After he finished his drink, she offered to get him another.
She protested. “I’m no Ma’am, my name is Mary and I like to drink gin.” she said.
After switching to gin, John gave the short story of his life, as did she. It happened that her husband Ben owned the ‘King’s Arms’ in partnership with the husband’s brother, Amos.
Ben was much older than Mary and could no longer perform his husbandly duties, a subject Phillips did not want to know that much about. The husband’s wits were also said
By the time the lines had been severed, the gale had passed them. The wind had subsided, but the sea was still high. With not enough time and not enough men at the pumps, the brig went down with a rush, Vixen managed to make its way back to a cluster of men in the water. She ran one man down while approaching, but managed to get lines down to some of the others, who were pulled on board.
They finally entered the Thames and made their way up the river to London, where Vixen moored in the Pool and Phillips reported in to the admiralty. An official there took custody of his pouches and he was told he might as well go home for a month or more since after the strenuous crossing it would probably be necessary to survey the cutter again.
His pay was brought up to date and he found some of the old Athena prizes had made their way through prize court and the funds released. The crew was allowed ‘head money’ for the captured crew of the privateer, but of course, received nothing for the sunken brig. With his father dead and his mother long missing, he used some of his new funds to take rooms near the admiralty. A month later, he received news that the ship was being paid off and was going into ordinary. The war was over.
CHAPTER THREE
Interlude
With the release of his prize money, along with his lieutenant’s half pay, Phillips was financially secure for a brief period, but he knew he soon would need to economize and gain an income of some type. He haunted the Admiralty, looking for some position on a ship, without any encouragement. In fact, he was told rather firmly, he should cease his visits, just come around once every half year to collect his half pay. He was assured if a vacant lieutenancy became available; he would be notified by post. As the most junior lieutenant in the now peacetime Navy, he knew well an active posting was not at all likely.
He had been in the habit of eating in a small inn near the river that catered to people rather low on the economic scale, where he could get a simple meal and a mug of ale for a few pence. One day, coming there in uniform after a visit to Admiralty, a drunk-jostled him and spilled a quantity of some greasy food on his blue coat.
At first the drunk wanted to fight him, until a glimpse of Phillips with his hand on his sword hilt with the blade half drawn, cooled him down. The landlady rushed to the officer, telling him she would clean the coat and to please not add blood to the food stains. The drunk, facing the threat of a sword in the hand of a man who obviously knew how to use it, quickly decided to leave the premises.
The landlady, Missus Harkins, put him in in an empty room with a large ale and some steak and kidney pie in front of him. After Phillips had calmed down a bit and emptied the quart, he realized the landlady was not bad looking. While she might be a little heavy for some tastes, he liked a woman with meat on her bones and she had the appearance that she might not be too hard to know. He knew she was a bit older than he. Obviously she would never see her twenties again, but still, she was easy to look at.
When she came back, the grease stains had been removed with a chalk ball and the whole coat sponged. It looked as good as new. She was impressed at having a King’s officer at her establishment and wanted to know all about his service. He embellished a few sea stories to tell her, which impressed her even more. After he finished his drink, she offered to get him another.
She protested. “I’m no Ma’am, my name is Mary and I like to drink gin.” she said.
After switching to gin, John gave the short story of his life, as did she. It happened that her husband Ben owned the ‘King’s Arms’ in partnership with the husband’s brother, Amos.
Ben was much older than Mary and could no longer perform his husbandly duties, a subject Phillips did not want to know that much about. The husband’s wits were also said
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