Lord Anthony's meeting with Gabe and Markham brought mixed feelings from Gabe. An attempt to occupy Savannah was to be undertaken sometime next year. However, to prevent such a fiasco as the attempt to occupy Charlestown, time would be first spent gathering intelligence as to resistance and help from Loyalists.
Since a group of Colonial militia had broken into the Powder Magazine in May of 1775, the area had been relatively quiet on behalf of the Colonials. In January 1776, British warships entered the Savannah River without resistance and on March 2 and 3 of that same year, British ships again entered the Savannah Harbour and seized several merchant vessels laden with rice.
Lord Anthony explained all this then said, "Thomas Browne was sorely treated in his own residence on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River. He has convinced the Governor that other than the little town of Thunderbolt, minimal resistance would be met were we to seize Savannah."
"Do you think his motivation is revenge for his treatment or do you think he is earnest in his feelings about minimal resistance from Loyalist?" After a momentary pause, Lord Anthony said, "I'm sure it's both. He wanted to be part of the intelligence gathering but we thought this unwise as he's so well known. So he's sending one of his rangers who knows the area well. Gabe, you and Lum will also do some intelligence gathering. You will pose as a seafaring man which you should be able to pull off."
This brought a chuckle from Markham.
"However," Lord Anthony continued, "You will leave your uniform on board SeaWolf. I don't have to tell you what this means if you get caught. I thought you could take Lum with you and that will help your cover.
You know the coast but I'm told there's a small island… Warsaw Island, where you, Lum and Browne's ranger, a man named Finch can be put ashore. You will rendezvous back there at such time as you set up. While you are attending to your assignment, your first lieutenant will sail in the company with Markham, up the coast and back keeping an eye open for the likely lair of our privateer men."
" Markham?"
"Aye, my Lord."
"If it appears safe you may take a peek into the Savannah River up to the harbour entrance and see what reaction you get."
"Aye, sir."
"Very well gentlemen, you may be on your way." As the two rose to take their leave, Lord Anthony spoke again, almost an after thought. "Gabe, one moment please."
Once Markham was out of the cabin, Lord Anthony went from being the Admiral to the older brother.
Placing his hand on Gabe's shoulder he said, "If duty allows I would not think it amiss if you were to visit a friend."
Gabe smiled and grasping his brother's hand said,
"Thanks, Gil."
Under full sail, SeaWolf and Swan cut through the ocean waters like a hot knife through butter. Gunnells, the master, stood by the helm and spoke to Gabe who was perched by the taffrail.
"It'd make a purty painting sir. Two nimble ships built for speed and doing what they were meant for, slicing through the water like God's own cheeks blew the wind that filled our sails."
"Aye," Gabe answered. He knew from looking at Swan under full sail that an artist who could capture the appearance on canvas would indeed have a purty painting. "Too bad we can't build such ships." The comparison of Colonial shipwrights with the British had long been a touchy subject with Gabe. The Colonial built ships tended to have taller, raked masts and a waist more slender. Graceful ships made for speed.
He had once been called down by his brother, who was then Captain Anthony, about his remark, "we build tubs while they build ships."
"Deck there," the lookout called down, "Convoy! To the suth'erd, ten… no… twelve sail she be." At this time, Jackson, the first lieutenant, made his way aft. "The convoy from Antigua?"
"Those are my thoughts," Gabe responded.
Dagan glanced at Gabe and instantly knew his thoughts were also on that convoy they had escorted through this area last year. The traitorous renegade captain on board one of the ships almost cost Gabe his life.
"Deck there," the lookout called again, "Signal close with convoy!"
Damme, Gabe thought, it won't hurt to be sociable for a spell. As SeaWolf and Swan closed with the convoy Dagan nudged Gabe and pointed out a ship.
"She's the Wild Goose. Wonder if Estes still commands her."
"I haven't been told otherwise," Gabe said, "Do you see the Lancaste r brig?"
"No, she's probably sunk by now," Dagan answered with a smile. The brig had been so "wormy" Gabe had been surprised she'd made the voyage the previous year.
"There's the charge ship," Jackson volunteered, pointing to a thirty-two gun frigate.
"She be the Lowestoffe, " Gunnells interjected.
"Captain William Locker, no less, knew 'em when 'e was a middy."
Lieutenant Horatio Nelson greeted Gabe and Markham at Lowestoffe's entry port. "My apologies for your being detained," Nelson said after his greeting. "We have been attacked by privateers and lost one of our escort ships. Captain Locker is fit to be tied. He's hoping for help escorting this convoy as we are now down to two escort ships."
After the brief greeting Nelson escorted the two down to Captain Locker's cabin. After a glass of claret and much bending over a chart of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts, Captain Locker thanked Gabe and Markham and voiced his appreciation of their willingness to sail along and help protect the convoy till they were off the North Carolina coast.
SeaWolf and Swan were sailing under private orders so he couldn't order them to help but it never hurt to lend a helping hand when it could be done within the discretion allowed by their orders. "You never know when you might need a hand, " Gabe's father, Admiral James Anthony, had always stated.
Several days later SeaWolf and Swan were on a tack to put them off the Savannah coast at nightfall. Gabe, Gunnells, Jackson and the Ranger Finch were bending over the master charts in the captain's cabin.
"I ain't no sailor," Finch was saying. "But I've fished these waters enough to know we need to get off the ship here at Warsaw Island," he said, pointing at the island on the chart, "then we can row up through this here inlet."
"That's Warsaw alright," Gunnells volunteered.
"Yeah, well," Finch continued, "I know the deep water channels through the marsh so we can get right up to here by daybreak."
"That's Thunderbolt!" Gunnells injected, causing Finch to give the master an irritated glare.
Finch gave Gunnells a sarcastic look for his interruption. After a moment of silence Finch continued,
"This is Wilmington Island. Once we get to this area we have to be very cautious."
"Sometimes they's ships anchored there. Privateers frequently unload their plunder here so it wouldn't surprise me to find the area crowded. Best you let me and yo man do the talking if we meet up with anyone," Finch said to Gabe.
A knock at the door and the marine announced,
"Second lieutenant, zur!"
Lavery entered and reported, "We're off the coast of Savannah now, sir. You can already see lights from the town."
"Very well," Gabe replied, "I'll be on deck directly." Then turning to the group of men before him he said, "Well, men, you know your duties so I'll not detain you from making your final preparations." As the last man had filed out of the cabin Dawkins came out of the pantry with two glasses. He handed one to Gabe and the other one to Dagan then made his way out leaving the two alone.
"I should be going with you," Dagan spoke first. "It's my place."
"I wish you could," Gabe replied, "but I need you here and it would be more difficult if we get stopped.
There's no way you'd pass for a Georgian."
"And you would," Dagan bounced back but smiled as he did so.
"I know I wouldn't," Gabe acknowledged, "but unless I see Faith, I intend to let Lum and Finch do my talking."
"A toast then," Dagan said, "to the lady that holds your heart… and your ruby."
Finch's pipe bowl glowed red as he sat in the bow of the small boat they had brought with them from Saint Augustine. It was about fourteen feet long and about four feet wide. There was a pole lying inside the boat that was almost as long as the boat.
The boat had a flat bottom that Gabe had initially been skeptical of, but once inside the channel Finch had them put down the oars and took up the pole.
Surprisingly to Gabe, Lum was also quite adept at poling the boat along.
The night, which at first had seemed very still and almost silent, soon gave over to a whole orchestra of sounds as the boat glided along in the dark waters; the flapping of fish jumping in the water after a bug; the sound of big bullfrogs croaking, the chirping of thousands of crickets and the buzz of the thrice damned mosquitoes.
"Got a pipe?" Finch asked Gabe after he'd slapped at his face for the hundredth time or more trying to fend off the devilish pests.
"Yes."
"Then light it up, it'll at least keep the bugs from around your head."
"What about the glow, won't somebody spot it?" Gabe asked the question that had been bothering him seeing the glow from Finch's pipe.
"Folks won't pay near as much mind to a glowing pipe as they would some fool keeps slapping hisself." Hearing this exchange caused Lum to take a deep breath. Finch was right, but British officers didn't take it kindly when they were spoken to in such a way. To prevent any friction between the two Lum spoke up.
"Ya see cap'n, folks be on des waters all time at night fishing, so it seem natural seeing a man wid 'is pipe stoked up to ward off dem skeeters an utter bugs an'
such. Seeing us wid our pipes agoing ain't gonna rouse spicion in nobody. But a man dats slapping 'is face would be plum outta place."
Gabe realized the wisdom in Lum's words and stoked up his pipe. He was surprised at the immediate relief from the skeeters.
As the trio passed Wilmington Island there were three ships at anchor. One was larger and Gabe could sense she was a privateer. Well, maybe they had discovered one of the privateers' lairs.
After what seemed like an eternity Finch said, "This is it. That's Thunderbolt and it's only a few miles walk to Savannah. Now I know a man here who lives close to the water. We'll turn the boat over and leave it upside down at his place. Ya'll stay with the boat while I go up to his house. If it's all clear I'll hoot."
Not wanting to be thought the fool for anything else Gabe waited till Finch had gone up to the house before asking Lum, "What's a hoot?"
"Dat's da sound what an owl makes," Lum explained. "Some of dem fellers at Beaufort were right good at it. They'd wait till some girl's daddy was asleep then they'd go stand under da girl's bedroom window and hoot. Sometimes if he was lucky the girl would sneak outta the window and they'd go sashaying off for a spell."
Then a big smile crossed Lum's face making his teeth shine in the dark. "Course one time I's told this girl went to sleep waiting on a fellah and so he hooted and hooted to wake her up only he woke up her daddy, who poked de barrel of his gun outta da window and said, 'If dats an owl 'e sick and needs killin and iffen it ain't no owl it needs to be getting 'foh 'e 'as to go to picken lead outta 'is arse.'"
Lum's narration all but made Gabe forget where he was and when Finch's hoot finally came it made him jump.