Three nights before, Caleb, in his ship, The Prince, closely followed by his old comrade-in-adventure, Phillipe, in his ship, The Raven, had slipped into the estuary on the night tide. Theyd kept to the north shore, well away from the shipping lanes leading into Freetown harbor, and sailed deeper down the estuary and into Tagrin Bay, reducing the risk of detection by any naval vessels going into and out of the harbor; according to Roberts information, the West Africa Squadron should now be in port, and Caleb would prefer to avoid having to explain himself to Vice-Admiral Decker.
Theyd anchored off the southern shore of the bay at a spot Caleb judged was due north of Kales Homestead. According to Roberts map, miles of jungle lay between the slavers camp and the ships positions; Caleb hadnt known how passable that jungle would be, but his confidence had been bolstered by the intelligence theyd gained from natives living in a village nearby. Phillipe had a way with languagesanother excellent reason for inviting him alongand hed quickly established a rapport with the village elders. The villagers had known of the slavers camp, but, unsurprisingly, avoided it with a near-religious fervor. Sadly, theyd known nothing about any mine or similar enterprise anywhere in the vicinity, but theyd been happy to point out a narrow track that, so theyd insisted, led more or less directly to the slavers camp.
Unfortunately, the villagers hadnt known the name of the slavers leader. Caleb clung to the hope that he and his men werent going to find themselves at some other slavers camp entirelyand trudged on. Theyd set out on the previous morning, leaving skeleton crews on their ships and taking the strongest and most experienced of their men. Seizing a slavers camp would be no easy task, especially if there were any captives currently in the slavers clutches.
Turning that prospect over in his mindwondering what he might do if it proved to be soCaleb led the way on.
He almost didnt trust his eyes when, through the dense curtain of trees, palms, and vines, he glimpsed a pale glowindicating a clearing where daylight flooded in, banishing the jungles pervasive gloom.
Then their narrow track ended, opening onto a wider, better-maintained path, one clearly frequently used.
Caleb stopped and held up a hand; the men following halted and froze. He sent his senses questing. A rumble of male voices was faint but discernible.
Phillipe leaned close and whispered, Were twenty to twenty-five yards from the perimeter.
Caleb nodded. This wider path must be the one between the camp and the mine.
Rapidly, he canvassed his options. Although Phillipe was the more experienced commander, he waited, silently deferring to Calebthis was Calebs show. Another reason Caleb liked working with the man. Eventually, he murmured, Pass the wordwell creep nearer, keeping to the jungle, and see what we can see. No reason to let them know were here.
Phillipe turned to pass the order back down the line. Of their party of twenty-five, thirteen were from Calebs crew and ten from The Ravens. Because of Caleb and Phillipes previous joint ventures, their men had worked together before; Caleb didnt need to fear that they wouldnt operate as a cohesive unit in what was to come.
After one last searching look around, he ventured onto the wider path, placing his feet with care. He followed the well-trodden trail, but halted just before a curve that, by his reckoning, would expose him to those in the clearing. Instead, he slipped silently sideways to his right, into the cover of the jungle. Quietly, he skirted the edge of the clearing, continuing to move slowly and with care, shifting from north to west. Eventually, he reached the western aspect; on spotting a clump of large-leafed palms closer to the clearings perimeter, he crouched and crept into the concealment the palms offered. A swift glance behind showed Phillipe following him, while the rest of their men hunkered down, strung out in the shadows, their gazes trained on the activity in the camp.
Caleb returned his attention to the clearing and settled to study Kales Homestead. He recognized the layout from Roberts notesthe horseshoe-shaped central space with a large barrack-like hut across the head and four smaller huts, two on each side. Caleb and his men were at the open end of the horseshoe, virtually directly opposite the main barracks. According to Roberts diagram, that meant the path from Freetown should be somewhere to their right; Caleb searched and spotted the opening. The path he and his men had briefly followed entered the clearing to the left of the main barracks, while another pathone Robert had deemed unusedstraggled away into the jungle from the right of that building.
Having established that reality matched the picture of the camp hed carried in his mind, Caleb focused on the people moving in and out of the huts and sitting about the central fire pit.
Phillipe settled alongside him, and they tuned their ears to the low-voiced, desultory chatter.
After a while, Phillipe leaned closer and whispered, That large onehe acts like the leader, but from Roberts description, he cant be Kale.
Caleb focused on the slaver in questiona heavyset man, tall, and with a swaggering gait. I think, Caleb murmured back, that he must be the man who leads Kales men in the settlement. After a moment, he mused, Interesting that hes here.
Useful that hes here, Phillipe corrected. If we eradicate all here, chances are Kales operation wont simply rise again under some other leader.
Caleb nodded. True. He scanned the area and the huts. It doesnt look like they have any captivesthe doors of the smaller huts are open, and I havent seen any hint theres anyone inside.
I havent, either.
Caleb grimaced. Kales not out there. Is he here, but in the barracks, and if so, how many men are in there with him?
Phillipes shoulders lifted in a Gallic shrug.
Just then, one of the men hovering about the large pot slung over the fire pit raised his head, looked toward the barracks, and yelled, Stews ready!
Seconds later, the barracks door opened. Caleb grinned as a slaver of medium height and wiry build, with a disfiguring scar marring his featuresfrom Roberts description, the man had to be Kaleemerged, followed by three more men.
How helpful, Phillipe murmured.
Another man emerged from the path to Freetown. Caleb nudged Phillipe and nodded at the newcomer. They did have a lookout on that path.
Phillipe studied the man as he joined his fellows. It doesnt look as if theyre seriously concerned over unexpected companyodds are there was only the one lookout.
Thats the way I read it, too.
All told, that makes thirteen.
His eyes on the scene unfolding about the fire pit, Caleb merely nodded. Phillipe settled again, and they watched as Kale, handed a tin plate piled with stew by one of his henchmen, sat on a log and started eating. His men followed suit, sitting on the logs arranged in a rough circle around the fire.
Theyd barely taken their first mouthfuls when the muted tramp of feet had everyoneKale and his men, as well as Caleb, Phillipe, and their companylooking toward the path from the north. The path Caleb believed led to the minethe same path theyd briefly been on fifteen or so minutes before.
Four menslavers by their dress and Kales men by their composureappeared. They hailed Kale and exchanged greetings with others in the group.
Four menslavers by their dress and Kales men by their composureappeared. They hailed Kale and exchanged greetings with others in the group.
So you got our recent guests settled, then? Kales words came in a distinctive, gravelly rasp, further confirming his identity.
The man whod led the group grinned. Ayeand Dubois sent his thanks. That said, he made a very large point about needing more men. Emphasizing men. He says he wants at least fifteen more.
Kale swore colorfully. Id be thrilled to give him more if only those blighters in the settlement would just let us do what we do best. He grunted, then shook his head and returned his attention to his plate. Sadly, theyre the ones who pay the piper, and they pay his highness Dubois, too, so hell just have to make do with those we can give him. Kale waved the newcomers to the pot. Sit and eat. Youve earned it.
The four did, gratefully settling with the rest.
Conversation was nonexistent while the men ate. Caleb would have felt hungrier had he not insisted that his party consume a decent breakfast before they broke their temporary camp that morning. Hed never favored fighting on an empty stomach, and hed felt quietly confident that they would find Kales camp that day.
Thats seventeen now, Phillipe murmured. Not quite so easy. He sounded, if anything, pleased.
Caleb softly grunted. He verified Phillipes headcount and, again, thanked the impulse that had prompted him to invite Phillipe and his crew to join his mission. A day out of Southampton, one of The Princes main water kegs had sprung a leak. Determined to adhere to the maxim of take no unnecessary risks, Caleb had made the small detour to the Canary Islands. Before hed even moored in Las Palmas harbor, hed spotted the distinctive black hull of The Raven. While the keg was repaired and refilled and his men arranged for extra supplies, Caleb had spent an evening catching up with his old friend. And on discovering that The Raven, along with its experienced crew and captain, was presently unengaged, Caleb had invited Phillipe to join him on his mission. Hed made it clear there would be no payment or likely spoils, but like Caleb, Phillipe was addicted to adventure. Bored, hed jumped at the chance of action.
Phillipe was a lone privateer, and while hed originally sailed for the French under Bonaparte, exactly who he sailed for these days was unclear. However, the war with France was long over, and on the waves, any lingering political loyalties counted for less than longtime friendship bolstered by similar devil-may-care traits.
To Calebs mind, twenty-five men against seventeen was precisely the sort of numbers he needed in this place, at this time, to eradicate Kale and his operation. The slavers would fight to the death and would do anything and everything to survive. Caleb didnt want to lose any of his men, or any of Phillipes, either. Twenty-five to seventeen...that should do it.
By the time hed sailed into Las Palmas, hed already discarded the notion of leaving Kale undisturbed and, instead, picking up the trail north from the Homestead and making directly for the mine. That was his mission, after allto locate the mine, learn what he could of it, and then get that intelligence back to London. However, heading north to the mine with Kale and his men effectively at his back didnt appeal in the least. More, returning to London without eliminating Kale and his crew would simply leave that task to whoever returned to complete the mission. No commander worth his salt would attempt to attack and capture the mine with Kale still in his camp, a potential source of reinforcements for whatever forces were already at the mine.
But Kale had to be removed in a way that would not immediately alert the villains behind the schemethe blighters Kale had referred toor Dubois and any others in charge at the mine. That was Calebs first hurdlethe first challenge on this quest.
If wed arrived earlier, Phillipe murmured, while theyre all gathered as they are, distracted with eating, would have been a good time to attack.
Caleb shrugged. In days gone by, he might have leapt precipitously at the chance and rushed in, but for today and the foreseeable future, he was determined to adhere to the script of a reliable and responsible commander. He could almost hear the voices of his three older brothers, all of whom would lecture him to take his time and plan, and find and secure every advantage he could for his men in the upcoming skirmish, which was guaranteed to end as a bloody massacre.
He, Phillipe, and every man in their company knew and accepted that they would need to kill every slaver in Kales camp. That Kale and his men were engaged in trading in others livesmen, women, and children, toohad made the decision, the resolution, that much easier to make. The men gathered around the fire pit ranked among the lowest of the low.
Kale spooned up the last of his stew, chewed, swallowed, then looked across the fire pit at the large man Phillipe had earlier noted. Rogersyou and your crew can rest up, then head back to the settlement midafternoon. If you dont find a message from Muldoon waitingno suggestion of who to grab nextuse your own judgment. See if there are any more sailor-boys we can snatch. Dubois, at least, will be grateful.
Rogers grinned and saluted. Well see what we can find.
Phillipe shifted to whisper in Calebs ear. We need to attack before Rogers leaves.
Caleb studied the group, then replied in the barest murmur, Theyve just eaten their main meal for the day, and it was stew. Heavy. He glanced at Phillipe. In this heat, an hour from now, theyre all going to be half asleep.
Phillipe blinked his dark-blue eyes once, then he grinned wolfishly and looked back at the camp.
Several minutes later, after having seen Kale retreat with three of his men into the main barracks while the rest of the slavers spread out in groups, quietly chatting, Caleb tapped Phillipe on the shoulder, then carefully crept back to where their men waited.
Phillipe followed. At Calebs signal, the group moved farther back, away from the camp and deeper into the concealing shadows.
They chanced upon a natural clearing big enough to hold them all. Most of the men had been hauling seabags and packs containing their tents and supplies; Caleb waited while they shed them, then at his intimation, they all hunkered down in a rough circle. He looked around, noting the expectant faces and also the confidencein him and his leadershipconveyed by their steady gazes; all had fought under his orders before, and his own men had been with him for years. Heres how were going to approach this.
Not recklessly but responsiblywith all due care for the safety of his men and prospective success.
Clearly and concisely, he laid out the elements of his planin essence a version of divide and conquer. He invited input on several aspects, and Phillipe and a number of others made inventive suggestions that he readily incorporated into the whole. In less than half an hour, theyd hammered out a solid plan, one to which everyone was ready to lend their enthusiastic support.
Right, then. He looked around the circle, meeting each mans eyes. Then he nodded decisively. Lets get to it. Move into position and wait for my signal.
The men melted away in twos and threes, some going west, others east, ultimately to encircle the camp.
When all others had left them, Phillipe dipped his head in wry acknowledgment. That was well done.