HMS Belvidera - 30. Chapter 30

April, 1796

“Sir, we’ve sighted the fleet,” Clifton said, dragging Granger away from his daily routine of logs and papers.

“Thank you, Mr. Clifton,” Granger said. He studied the young man carefully, and was proud to see that he didn’t even blink at the scrutiny. “I do not think I have ever seen a person improve in his role as much as you have.”

Now that actually surprised Clifton, and not even he was stoic enough to hide it. “Thank you, sir.” Granger just smiled.

“Let us go on deck and see how Sir John has improved the sail drill of the fleet.” Clifton smiled with him and followed him up to the quarterdeck. There, growing by the second as the convoy approached them, were the fifteen ships of the line of the Mediterranean Fleet, sailing on station like beads on a string, following each other at a perfectly prescribed distance.

Now that they were close to the fleet, Clifton assumed his position next to the signals locker, his eyes peeled on the Victory while Gatling watched the Implacable. “Flag to Commodore, repair on board forthwith,” Clifton said as he read the signals that soared up her main mast.

“Implacable’s acknowledged, sir,” Gatling said.

The convoy sailed northeasterly while the fleet sailed southwesterly, so they ran in parallel lines as if they were going to pass each other. “General signal, sir,” Clifton said. “Heave to.”

“Acknowledge,” Granger ordered. “Prepare to heave to, Mr. Roberts.” They waited for the signal to be lowered, the sign to execute the order. He watched the signal come fluttering down from the mast. “Heave to,” Granger ordered. Belvidera came into the wind beautifully, so perfectly that Granger had time to watch the other ships execute the maneuver. It was quite an improvement from the last time he’d witnessed sail drill from this fleet.

“I think they’ve improved, sir,” Clifton said with a cheeky grin.

Granger grinned back at him. “I do believe you’re right!” Belvidera was two ships away from Victory, opposite the Colossus.

Flags began to fly up Victory’s mast. Clifton almost panicked, until he realized what they were doing. “Sir, Flag is signaling the victualing order. Do you want me to advise you as to which ships are victualing?”

“No thank you, Mr. Clifton,” Granger said affably. “I will leave the allocation of stores to Sir John.” Now that it was obvious that the fleet would be in one place for a bit, boats began to ply between the ships, carrying officers to visit one another. Granger knew how much Jervis hated that kind of socializing; he suspected that Jervis was slightly paranoid that his captains were plotting behind his back. He almost wondered if Jervis would order the fleet to begin evolutions just to get them all back to their ships.

“Sir, Flag is signaling for you to come aboard,” Clifton said.

“Your gig is already alongside,” Roberts said. How did he manage to get that swung out and ready without Granger noticing? He must have been deep in his own thoughts.

“Thank you,” he said. He’d already given his report on the action off Ushant to Fellowes, as was the proper thing to do since Fellowes was in command, so Granger only had to present himself. He descended into his gig and watched impassively as the Victory drew nearer and nearer with each stroke of the oars.

They piped him aboard and he discovered a lieutenant there to welcome him. “Welcome aboard sir,” he said. “I’m Garner. Mr. Lennox asked me to send his apologies for not greeting you. He’s a bit occupied at the moment.”

“I suspect he is,” Granger said pleasantly. “It is nice to meet you Mr. Garner.” The handsome lieutenant, perfectly dressed as one had to be when serving on a flagship, led him aft to Jervis’ cabin.

“Welcome back, Granger,” Jervis said. “I see you’ve managed to bring me back some cordage and pitch.”

“And a few spare spars as well, Sir John,” Granger joked. Jervis pretended to scowl at him. “I fear, though, that Lord Spencer had things well in hand before I arrived.”

“I think your mere presence was an incentive,” Sir Evelyn said to Granger, then turned back to address his admiral. “There was much talk at court, Sir John, of the dire state of the fleet’s condition.”

“Then all of those letters I’ve been writing seem to have paid off,” Sir John said. “I hope you gentlemen will join me for dinner?”

“Of course, Sir John,” Sir Evelyn said, answering for both of them. Dinner was a lively event, with Granger and Fellowes bringing Jervis and Grey up to date on all the latest naval and court gossip. After the meal was over, Granger sensed it was time to leave and stood up, effectively ending the party.

“I should return to my ship Sir John. Thank you for a wonderful dinner,” Granger said.

“Please stay for a moment, Captain,” Jervis said. Fellowes took the hint and took his leave, as did Grey. Granger sat back down and stared at Jervis, waiting for him to speak.

“There is to be a court martial tomorrow,” Jervis said. “I am appointing you as one of the judges.”

“I would be happy to serve, sir, but I am curious as to why you are selecting me,” Granger said. Granger had been a thorn in Jervis’ side the last time there had been a court martial, in the Caribbean. He’d gone toe to toe with the old admiral and probably risked his career on a point of honor.

“You’re wondering why I’d appoint someone like you, who is a royal pain in the ass, to a trial,” Jervis said, smiling.

“That was the thought that initially crossed my mind, sir,” Granger said, smiling back.

“There was a mutiny aboard the Incredible. You know me, I’ve no tolerance for such things, but people have told me the men aboard Incredible are a loyal lot, and were pushed to such measures by the actions of their officers,” Jervis said. “I’ve been working hard to weed out some of the more worthless captains.”

“So you aren’t opposed to making an example of a captain, if he is shown to be incompetent, sir?” Granger asked.

“Well if he’s incompetent, it would be justice, not making an example of him,” Jervis snarled.

“I think I understand, sir,” Granger said. “I will be somewhat limited by the president of the court.”

“Make your points and I will see that they are heard,” Jervis said.

“Yes, sir,” Granger said. “Is there any information on the mutiny that I can review?”

“Evidence will be presented at the trial,” Jervis said. “I have told you all you need to know.”

“Yes, sir,” Granger said, abashed.

“I believe your former signals midshipman is most eager to spend some time aboard his former vessel,” Jervis said, with an almost laconic air. “I would not be opposed to him staying aboard Belvidera tonight.”

“Thank you Sir John. He is missed and will be well-received.” Granger got the feeling that Lennox may have more information about this mutiny, and that was Jervis’ way of briefing him.

“Then you have taken up enough of my time,” Jervis said with a wry grin. “The trial will take place aboard Victory at 8:00am.”

“Aye aye sir,” Granger said. He bowed slightly after he rose, a courtly gesture, and made his way out of the cabin. He found Lennox waiting for him by the entry port, carrying a satchel.

“How good to see you Mr. Lennox!” Granger said enthusiastically. “You are to be allowed a night aboard Belvidera.”

“That is better than shore leave, sir,” Lennox said, shaking his hand. They boarded the gig and Lennox asked about Cavendish. Granger filled him in on Cavendish’s recovery while they rowed back to Belvidera. They got back to Belvidera and everyone was eager to spend time with Lennox, but Granger dragged him below.

“I am assuming you are to brief me on this court martial?” Granger asked him when they reached his day cabin.

“Unofficially, sir,” Lennox said with his impish grin. “I have copies of the reports we received when the mutiny was reported. Sir John is a strong advocate of the lash to maintain discipline, so the amount of flogging on board did not offend him.”

“But it offended you?” Granger asked.

“I learned a different style of command, sir,” Lennox said, giving Granger a nice compliment. “The men aboard Incredible didn’t seem to be bothered by the floggings either.”

“Then what caused them to mutiny?” Granger asked.

“They objected to foul stores, sir. Apparently their rations were rotten, and undersized. They objected to not getting their allocation of grog, at having portions shortened. They allege that the purser was pocketing the difference, which is a normal accusation.”

“But you don’t think that was the case?” Granger asked.

“No sir,” Lennox said. “I think it is possible that the officers, or at least the captain, shared in the graft.”

“How did this mutiny occur?” Granger asked.

“The Incredible was ordered to take station on the Colossus. The maneuver was handled so badly, the whole fleet was laughing up their sleeves. Captain Haynes, he’s the captain of the Incredible, he explained it by alleging that the men refused to execute his orders.”

“Tell me about Incredible’s officers,” Granger said.

“They mostly appear to be sycophants,” Lennox said. “The first lieutenant, Hastings, certainly is. The third and fifth lieutenants, Sawyer and Breeden, appear to be the most independent of the officers. Of the warrant officers, Bogden, the boatswain, is the most credible.”

“Why am I the one Sir John has chosen?” Granger asked. This would certainly make him some enemies in the fleet, and he didn’t want more enemies.

“Sir, while I can’t speak to that directly, my impression is that there were three reasons he wanted you for this role. First, he knows you are powerful enough politically not to have to worry about irritating anyone. Sir John said that it is as important to pick one’s enemies as one’s friends. I think he feels you would not suffer from any animosity that may come your way from these men,” Lennox said.

“It is risky, but I must trust his judgment. What do you think?”

“I think in this situation, Sir John is right,” Lennox said.

“Well that is saying something, since you are obviously quite the politician these days. What are the other reasons?”

“He has a high opinion of your integrity, sir. He thinks you will fight for what is right, even if it is not popular. He thinks you are intelligent enough to make sure the wrong people don’t end up swinging from a yardarm. And the third thing is that he is worried that the officers who have served with Captain Haynes will automatically dismiss any accusations against him. It is a bit of the old guard sticking together, sir.”

Granger pondered that. “Nice compliments, to be sure. What am I to do when the President of the Court refuses to call a witness I want to summon, or tries to shut down my arguments?”

“I would recommend that you raise the issue of a fair trial, and suggest that you would want the Admiralty to review any hearing that seems unfair. As a last resort, you may mention that Sir John has said that he will launch an investigation into the entire proceeding,” Lennox said.

“Let us hope I can achieve my goals with just my charm,” Granger said, smiling. “And now that you have educated me, I suspect the other officers would be glad of your company. I would like to see you later on, after I have reviewed this material.”

“Should I seek a berth in the Wardroom for tonight, sir?” Lennox asked with raised eyebrows.

“I think I can offer you accommodations here,” Granger told him, and winked. Lennox left his cabin, and Granger took the papers he’d been given and began to read. It was quite late when Lennox returned.

“Do you have any questions for me sir?” he asked, slurring his words.

“No, Mr. Lennox, I think I am as prepared as I can be,” Granger said fatalistically. “I think I will go to bed. Would you care to join me?”

Lennox got a huge grin on his face and followed Granger into his sleeping cabin. They took off their clothes carefully, laying them out, all the while eying each other in the dim candlelight. Lennox sat on the bed and as soon as Granger approached, he moved forward and took his dick in his mouth. Granger was going to stop him, but he knew Lennox preferred oral sex, and he enjoyed the young man’s talents immensely. After he came, he pushed Lennox back on the cot and returned the favor, and then fatigue overwhelmed Granger, just as drunkenness overwhelmed Lennox, and they fell asleep in a loving embrace.

Winkler snuck in after he heard soft snoring and removed Granger’s clothes to make sure his coat was ready for the morning. He smiled down at the two handsome blond men, and then left them alone. It was almost a crime to wake them, but as dawn approached, he knew he must do just that.

“Sir, sir,” he said, shaking Granger gently. Granger seemed to come out of the fog of sleep slowly. “It will be dawn in half an hour.” Granger woke up then and disentangled himself from Lennox, who collapsed onto his back, his erect cock tenting the blanket.

“I will be with you shortly, Winkler,” Granger said. Winkler grinned and left, while Granger woke Lennox up by reminding him of Granger’s excellent oral skills. Lennox, now suffering under the more aggressive discipline of Sir John, hurriedly got dressed and returned to the flagship, while Granger took the time to take more care with his appearance. If he was to be the junior judge and still have influence, he must certainly look well turned out. He took a bath, and then studied his notes for the trial. At 7:30am, he had himself rowed over to the Victory. Once he got there, he handed Lennox a note with the names of witnesses he wanted to call, witnesses that the court had not solicited. Granger didn’t know if that was by design or by carelessness.

Granger met the four other captains who would be the judges. The senior, and thus the captain in charge, was Reeve of the Captain. He was joined by Douglas of the Saturn, Rowley of the Cumberland, and Wells of the Defence, all captains who were much senior to him. Granger felt out of place with his one epaulet, indicating he had less than three years’ seniority as a post-captain, in this group of men who had both of theirs.

They led the accused in. There were three seamen and a boatswain’s mate named Carter. The three seamen, Dawkins, Jenkins, and Harkins, all seemed petrified; so much that they looked to Carter to guide them through. Three seamen who were so obedient to their petty officer hardly seemed mutinous. But the big surprise for Granger was that he knew one of them. He’d served with Dawkins on the Barracuda, and had saved him from falling to his death in a storm.

Evidently Dawkins remembered as well. “You know me Captain Granger! You know I ain’t no mutinous dog, sir,” he pleaded.

“We will have order!” Reeves bellowed. Granger gave Dawkins a steely glance, forcing himself to give nothing away, while Dawkins took his seat, seemingly resigned to his fate.

“Do you know this man, Granger?” Reeve asked him.

“I do,” Granger said. “We served together aboard the Barracuda.”

“Do you feel you’ll be able to serve as an impartial member of this court?” Reeve asked, almost with a sneer, which told Granger how welcome his presence was on this panel.

Granger forced himself to act offended. “I have been ordered to this panel by Sir John. I will remain here until ordered otherwise by him. You’re not questioning my honor, are you Captain?” Granger asked, his eyes still steely. Granger had taken them straight to the abyss, throwing down the gauntlet. If Reeve said he was, there would be a duel. Granger would have to defend his honor. But Granger was betting Reeve would back down, and he was right.

“Of course not,” he snapped. For Granger, the whole exchange was important because he’d sent a clear signal to these senior captains that he wasn’t going to be bullied.

Reeve read the preamble, itemizing the charges against the four men who were supposedly the henchmen of this mutiny. Incredible had made her laughably bad maneuver, according to Haynes, because of a concerted plan by members of the crew to make him look bad. These four were singled out. The main sail was backed when it should not have been. The error of the maneuver was obvious; the question was why it happened. Haynes’ accusation left no room for doubt in his mind. These men were clearly troublemakers.

Reeve then read the response from the accused. Their defense was simple as well. They acknowledged that they’d backed the mainsail, but they claimed they were doing it under orders. Granger sat there, listening to all of this reading, and found his patience wearing thin. It was irritating in the extreme to even be hearing this case. It would have been quite simple for Haynes to declare that they’d simply misheard his order, and sent a report to Sir John to that effect. But that wasn’t what Haynes wanted. Haynes was humiliated in the eyes of the fleet, and he needed scapegoats, even if it meant these men, his men, would hang from the yardarm.

The court summoned Captain Haynes in, and Granger was impressed with how well he acquitted himself. He was so full of indignation; he played it perfectly to ignite the sympathy of his fellow officers. He laid out a litany of history these men had, all of it corroborated by the punishment logs, of floggings and stoppages of grog. The court did not see fit to question him. Granger did.

“Captain, I am curious as to why the rudder was put over at the same time the mainsail was backed, if indeed that was the incorrect order.”

Haynes glared at him. “It was dark, and the evolution by these men was planned in such a dastardly fashion that it was not obvious until after the wheel had been put down.” Granger felt the other captains cringe at that. A good captain, executing a maneuver like that, would have intuitively known what his ship was doing.

“Why would these men have chosen to back the mainsail?” Granger pressed. “If they meant it to be a trap, surely they’d have picked the fore or mizzen to mishandle.”

“That is where they were stationed,” Haynes replied. “They can only create mischief where they are allowed to be.”

“If these men were such mischief makers, as you say, why were they stationed together on the same yard, giving them the ability to thus collude?”

Haynes almost sneered at this upstart, well-connected captain, but he knew that his own career depended on sailing through this smoothly. “We do the best with what we are given, Captain. If we were commanding frigates, with the excitement and possibility of prize money, it would perhaps be easier to attract a higher quality seaman.”

Granger had to admire the man’s pluck. That was a clear barb at him, while stirring up the resentments of the other members of the court, all of whom commanded ships-of-the-line similar to Incredible. “If, as you say, the accused were only able to affect mischief where they were stationed, that implies that the discontent aboard and the mutiny would be restricted to these men only?”

“That is correct. The Incredible is a happy and well-run ship, but for these miscreants,” Haynes snapped.

“Then we should assume any testimony we hear from other members of your crew, or your officers, to be credible, since they have no part in this?” Granger asked. He’d just led the man right into a trap, setting him up to validate what others said.

“I cannot know, or be responsible for what others would say,” he said.

“I think that will be all, Captain,” Reeve said, clearly wanting to end Granger’s browbeating.

“One more question, if I may,” Granger said more than asked. “There have been allegations that the men have been served foul stores, and incomplete rations. Your response to those allegations, Captain?”

“Captain Haynes is not on trial here, Granger,” Reeve snapped.

Granger ignored him and just stared at Haynes, waiting for his response.

“Such allegations are nonsense, lies,” Haynes snarled.

Granger nodded to Reeve, who dismissed Haynes. The next two witnesses were predictable. The purser, Evans, a sleazy looking man, relying on the strengths of his account books, tried to appear honest, even though all the captains on the panel knew the books were unreliable. The first lieutenant corroborated his captain’s story perfectly, like a well rehearse ballet.

“Well gentlemen, I think we have heard all the witnesses,” Reeve said, perfectly willing to leave it at that and render a verdict. Granger was stunned that they’d omitted key players here.

“There are a few men I would like to question,” Granger stated. The other captains looked at him with annoyance.

“Who would you like us to interview Granger? The quartermaster?” Reeve asked, and got a round of laughter from the assembled judges and spectators.

“As a matter of fact, I would,” Granger said firmly. “The quartermaster, the boatswain, the cook, and Lieutenants Breeden and Sawyer.”

“I don’t have all day for your tomfoolery, Granger,” Douglas snarled.

“And I am unwilling to see a miscarriage of justice,” Granger stated. “If this court is not willing to do its duty, I will be more than happy to resign from this panel and request that the case be re-tried by a different panel.” There were gasps from the room.

“Very well, Granger,” Reeve said condescendingly. “We will listen to these five men you have identified, assuming you can round them all up and get them here at once.” Clearly he thought he’d catch Granger in a technicality.

“All five are awaiting our pleasure, gentlemen,” Granger said. Now they really glared at him, but Granger had taken Lennox’s words to heart, and knew that not one of these captains was a rising star and it was likely that none of them would ever hoist his flag.

The quartermaster came in, dressed in his Sunday best, looking as if he were going to vomit he was so nervous. “Beale, you are not on trial here, you are here to bear witness,” Granger told him reassuringly. “You understand you are under oath.”

“Yes sir,” he said.

“You were at the helm on the 14th of February, the day of the incident?” Granger asked.

“Yes sir,” he said.

“Please explain what happened,” Granger instructed.

“We got a signal to form two columns, sir, and we was to take station astern of the old Colossus, in the leeward column. The captain, he came up on deck and he ordered Lieutenant Sawyer to back the main topsail, and he ordered me to larboard my helm,” Beale said.

“Why would he ask you to back the main topsail?” Rowley asked.

“He can’t answer that,” snapped Reeve. He was frustrated because Haynes had denied giving those orders.

“Did Captain Haynes seem to be alright?” Granger asked.

“How would he know if Haynes was alright?” Reeve snapped.

“Did he seem alright Beale?” Granger asked again, ignoring Reeve. Before Reeve could jump in, Beale answered.

“He seemed a bit drunk, sir. He was staggering about the deck and there weren’t nothing more than a small swell, and he was slurring his words, sir,” Beale said.

“What happened after you put the helm down and backed the main topsail?” Wells asked.

“Incredible swung into the wind and went all aback, sir,” Beale said. “We was worried that Gibraltar would take out our stern, but she dodged us.” He paused, and then went on. “Captain Haynes started swearing and jumping around, saying that the, begging your pardon sir, that the bloody crew did this because they was mad about their rations.”

“What about their rations?” That came from Rowley.

“It wasn’t often, sir, that full rations was doled out. Even after we’d victualed,” Beale said.

“And after the captain became angry, what happened next?” Granger asked.

“He told Lieutenant Sawyer to put us behind Colossus and went below.”

“And where was the first lieutenant?” Reeve asked, finally joining in the questioning.

“He was below, sir. He wasn’t on deck.” The five captains stared at each other, stunned that a first lieutenant would be below during a fleet evolution. They were even more stunned that the same first lieutenant had just given testimony that he was there, and had seen everything.

“Thank you Beale, that will be all,” Reeve said.

The cook was next, an old man with one leg, who went by the name Cookie. Granger rolled his eyes internally at that. How credible would this guy be?

Reeve was sufficiently neutered by Beale’s testimony that he didn’t cause problems with the cook. In fifteen minutes’ time, he confirmed everything that the men had accused the purser of doing, and he’d done it so convincingly Granger felt guilty for initially doubting his credibility. The boatswain was called in and asked for his version of what happened, and he replicated Beale’s version, and corroborated the statements that the cook had made. Still, despite the evidence that was piling up against Haynes, Granger knew it wouldn’t be enough unless it was corroborated by one of their own, by another officer.

Sawyer was next. “Lieutenant, you were the officer of the watch on the 14th of February, when the incident happened, were you not?” Reeve asked. He’d embraced the line of questioning now, and needed no more urging by Granger. He seemed highly irritated that he’d been battling for his old friend Haynes, who had seemingly fed him a pack of lies.

“Yes, sir,” Sawyer said. He didn’t seem nervous; he seemed defiant, almost angry, like a man who had put up with enough. He was an older lieutenant, one that probably had given up hope for promotion, and Granger noted the envy and anger Sawyer tried not to direct at him when their eyes connected.

“Can you describe what happened?”

“We received a signal from the Flag to take station astern of Colossus in the leeward column, sir,” Sawyer said evenly. “I sent word to the captain and was about to execute the maneuver myself when he appeared on deck.”

“Why were you going to execute the maneuver yourself?” Rowley asked.

“The captain had come on deck about an hour earlier and was inebriated, so I assumed that he would be unable to handle the maneuver,” Sawyer said calmly.

“Are you sure he was inebriated?” Wells asked.

Sawyer seemed about to elaborate, but then thought better of it. “Yes, sir.”

“You were going to say something?” Granger asked.

“He’d come up reeling around on deck, sir. There were light swells, nothing to cause a loss of balance. He careened into one of the larboard carronades, and I had to have one of the marines escort him below,” Sawyer said.

“When Captain Haynes gave the order to back the mainsail, did you do anything?” Douglas asked.

“Yes sir,” Sawyer said, and it sounded more like ‘of course’. “I pointed out that would put us aback, but he told me it was his bloody ship. He swore I’d never have my own, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let me bugger up his.” Granger felt the man’s pain and anguish. Haynes had hit him hard, in the place where he was probably most sensitive.

“Where was the first lieutenant?” Rowley asked.

“Below sir. He didn’t come on deck until after we were aback.”

“What happened after the ship was put aback?” Reeve asked.

“The captain began stammering a stream of oaths, accusing the crew of being mutinous dogs, and cursing his luck for having officers that were imbeciles. Then he simply said ‘Carry on, Sawyer’ and went below. The first lieutenant followed him.”

“He left you on deck to put the ship back on course?” Douglas asked, amazed.

“Yes sir,” Sawyer said. The court had no more questions for him. When they called Breeden, he corroborated much of what the others had said.

“We will take a short recess,” Reeve declared.