HMS Athena: A Charles Mullins novel (Sea Command Book 4) by Richard Testrake Page B

saying what he could to them, he went onto the quarterdeck where Lieutenant Farver was interviewing one prisoner and Lieutenant Sawyer another. When the officers were finished with these men, two more prisoners were called for their interview.
    The questioning continued until early evening. The consensus was all of the prisoners were lying, all of them telling significantly differing stories. However, one fact had become evident. The pirate captain had decided he needed some men skilled in long range shooting. These would pick off crewmembers of merchant vessels they were attacking. One of the pirate crewmembers was an American backwoodsman. This man received money to hire as many men as he could. An incentive for these new recruits was the gift of a new rifle for each man.
    Draper, the pirate’s recruiter, had gone to a gunsmith on shore and ordered the necessary weapons, while he had scouted for the proper men. This activity had taken the better part of a year, during which time he had gone back to the ship twice, making forays with the rest of the crew both times. After the last raid, he went back inland, collected his men and gave each of them a rifle.
     
    Each of these new men told a different story, hoping to escape justice. Deprived of the opportunity to compare stories though, each had his own version. Deciding he had accomplished what he had set out to do, Mullins ordered Athena set sail. He freed none of them. Deciding that all of the new recruits had voluntarily chosen to become pirates, he secured them below with the others. It would be up to a magistrate to decide their fate. Their rifles, he sent below to the armorer to care for.
    He wished to clear this coast before being spotted by any warship of the United States. While he had been working to suppress piracy, he had in fact, operated inside American territorial waters, which might be difficult to explain to the Americans. Accordingly, as soon as the new prisoners were secured below, Athena set sail.
     
    Athena was twenty miles east of Philadelphia when she was signaled to ‘heave to’ by the US Revenue Cutter Vigilant. Knowing he was in international waters, he elected to ignore the command. The cutter came alongside and its deck officer questioned Mullins what his ship was doing there.
    Mullins picked up the speaking trumpet and announced he was about the King’s business, in international waters, which involved suppressing piracy at this moment. After some delay, a more courteous request came from the cutter, requesting permission for an officer from the cutter to come aboard Athena. This permission was granted and a boat soon delivered a short but trim officer in the uniform of a United States Revenue Service officer of the grade of Master/Commander.
     
    After the welcoming ceremony, Mullins invited the officer into his chart room for a drink. Once the opening greetings had been exchanged, Master/Commander Schultz wondered about the piracy Athena was suppressing.
    In answer, Mullins shouted for Midshipman Archer. “Mister Archer, would you ask the ladies if it might be possible for them to meet a guest from their own country?”
    A few moments later, Archer reported the women awaited their visit. Mulling quietly warned the American captain. “Sir, these women you will meet were taken recently from their American ship, the President Adams and held against their will by pirates on the pirate schooner ‘Trois Freres’. The younger of the women, Jane Rawlings is in a fragile state of mind and finds it difficult to speak of her ordeal.”
    “Mrs. Hancock, the elder, was also brutally handled, but will speak readily.”
    Schultz asked, “These women, I presume are British?”
    “No sir, actually both are American. From New Jersey, I think. We took them from the pirate schooner that mistook us for a merchantman and attempted to attack us.”
     
    Entering the main cabin, Commander Schultz introduced himself to the women. Jane remained silent but Mrs.