57 Ocean
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Aboard the ship, a sudden rush of blood to the head was followed by an equally swift slump back into normalcy. It happened every time.
“I’m sorry,” he said aloud. “That was a bad joke.” He tried not to let his thoughts wander too far down that particular path; it was one he’d been on more than once before and had no desire to go there again.
But for now, the thought was still with him as he took a quick glance at the compass to see if they were off course or if their destination had changed from where they had last plotted out their course. When he saw nothing wrong, he returned to the deck and began to help with the preparations.
“How are you feeling?” The captain asked when she joined them in the bow. Her face showed concern—a look that didn’t sit well with Captain Grumman. She hated people who made her feel like she needed to be worried about someone else’s feelings.
“Fine, sir,” Jack said quickly, but then paused as something occurred to him. “It wasn’t my fault. I was just trying to get your attention.”
Captain Grumman frowned but nodded in agreement. “And you did do that, so thank you.” She turned to the others and gave each a nod. “All right, men! We’re almost ready. Make sure everyone’s got their weapons out and we’ll have our first target fired in just a few minutes!”
Jack watched the crew move around and noticed that they seemed more relaxed today than usual. He couldn’t quite place why, but it felt good nonetheless.
He heard a familiar voice call out, “Hey, Cap’n, can I get some more rum?”
The captain smiled broadly, showing all her teeth. “Of course!” she called out over the din of conversation, and Jack realized this must be another day when they had a bit more time between jobs. He hadn’t seen anything written up about it, but it looked like they were getting extra time to relax, which meant extra time for drinking.
This sounded great to him since he knew he could use a drink after what happened yesterday.
The captain came forward, holding a bottle of rum out for the sailor to take. As Jack watched, he saw the man hesitate slightly. Then, he grabbed the bottle from the captain’s hand and disappeared belowdecks.
As soon as he left, the captain turned to Jack. “What happened yesterday?” she asked bluntly, and he was surprised by how much she already knew.
“Nothing important, really. Just a little accident,” Jack replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
But Captain Grumman shook her head. “No, not ‘just.’ You know better than that. And don’t lie to me, either. I’ve known you long enough to know you’re not comfortable with lying to me.”
“Well, yeah,” Jack admitted sheepishly. “Sorry. But it doesn’t matter anyway, does it? There was no harm done.”
She looked at him strangely. “You mean besides the fact that you nearly killed yourself and almost killed us both because you didn’t pay attention while using the wheel?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, “that part sucked. But the rest was fine. No problems. Nothing serious.”
She raised an eyebrow, obviously unconvinced. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely positive,” he insisted.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered under her breath, then turned away.
“Sir!” Jack shouted, catching her attention. “There is no reason for you to worry about this! None whatsoever! My arm has healed completely and—”
“Shut up, Private,” the captain growled, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Jack shut his mouth, looking confused. She was angry. That was clear. But why would she be upset about this? They were having fun and relaxing together. Why wouldn’t she want that?
Suddenly, the answer hit him like a ton of bricks: he had accidentally hurt her. In fact, she might even believe that he purposefully tried to hurt himself in order to avoid work.
This realization caused his stomach to drop. His mind flashed through several different scenarios as he struggled to think of a way to fix the situation. It didn’t take him long to realize he was doomed to fail. So instead, he decided to change tactics. Instead of explaining everything, he simply stated his case as succinctly as possible.
“I apologize, Captain. I am very sorry for my mistake. Please accept my sincere apology.”
Her expression softened somewhat. “Apology accepted, Private,” she said slowly.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief, though he still couldn’t understand why she was suddenly willing to forgive him. “Thank you, sir,” he replied, relieved and pleased that things were finally back on track. “I’m glad we can put this behind us.”
“Let’s hope we never see those cursed cannons again,” she added darkly, shaking her head.
Jack chuckled softly and nodded. “Indeed, sir. Indeed.”
***
Jack and the other sailors stood around on deck, watching as the cannons were loaded onto the ship. They had been practicing firing these things all week, but it seemed that none of them had actually managed to hit anything yet.
After two days of practice, Captain Grumman announced that they were going to test the cannon against the other ships. She wanted to find out if there were any flaws in their technique or if they needed to make any changes.
Since there was only one cannon per ship, the idea was to fire first and ask questions later. If the enemy shot first and hit something vital—like a mast or sail—then that would be bad news. However, if the other ships did manage to hit the Cannon, then it would probably just be considered a fluke; no big deal.
Captain Grumman gave each ship ten shots before turning the cannon over to the enemy fleet. Once it was theirs, the crew could try to get some hits. After five minutes, she ordered everyone to return to their posts, since it was time to begin firing.
The gunners lined up along the deck, waiting for the signal from the captain to start shooting. When she gave the command, they lifted the heavy barrels into place on top of the tripod, then aimed at the target ship across the water. The crews fired simultaneously, causing a thunderous roar as the cannonballs flew toward their targets.
Most of the shots were missed, however. One cannonball struck the bow of the enemy vessel, which quickly began listing heavily to starboard. Another hit the stern, causing the same effect. A third went astray, striking the rigging near the quarterdeck. The fourth sailed wide, hitting the sea and creating a massive wave that washed over the deck of the ship next to the Cannon.
In spite of its poor performance so far, the Cannon continued to cause damage to the other ships. Several more rounds hit the enemy vessels, causing further damage.
When the cannon ran dry, the enemy crew took control of the weapon. This time, they concentrated on taking down the mast of the ship next to the Cannon. With most of its masts destroyed, the vessel quickly capsized. Soon after, the other three ships followed suit, causing the battle to end with a decisive victory for the Royal Navy.
As soon as the final volley was fired, Jack hurried up to the captain. He hoped to have another chance to talk to her alone.
“Congratulations, Private,” she said warmly as she approached him.
He grinned, happy that the awkwardness between them was gone. “Thank you, Captain. I feel much better now.”
“Good,” she smiled. “You look terrible when you’re worried about something.”
Jack blushed slightly, wondering how she knew. He shrugged. “Sorry, Captain. You know what it’s like to worry about your job.”
She laughed lightly. “That’s true enough. Still, you shouldn’t let it affect your health.”
“It won’t,” he promised. “I’m fine.”
They walked down the gangway together. As they passed the shipyard where the damaged ships were being repaired, he saw a group of men working on a large wooden platform. At first glance, it looked like an old-fashioned sailing ship. It wasn’t until he noticed the small figure standing at the helm that he realized he’d seen the design before.
“Hey, Jack!” someone shouted from below.
He turned toward the sound of his name and saw several sailors pointing up at the ship overhead. There was a young man wearing the red jacket of a naval officer. He was waving excitedly, trying to get Jack’s attention.
“Oh! That must be Lieutenant Brander!” he exclaimed.
“Yes,” the captain confirmed. “Didn’t he tell you he was coming aboard?”
Jack shook his head. “No, sir. Not specifically.”
The lieutenant pointed upwards. “Look up there! Do you see that? Isn’t it magnificent? We’ll be able to take our ships anywhere in the world.”
“What are you talking about?” asked the captain. “That’s a replica of an eighteenth-century sailing ship.”
“But it doesn’t need sails,” argued Jack. “We don’t even have wind today!”
Lieutenant Brander smiled proudly. “Don’t be ridiculous! We can use this thing to go wherever we want. No longer will we have to rely solely on the wind. Now we can use the power of steam engines instead. And not just one engine either! Imagine all the things we could do with four, six, or eight!”
“Steam engines?” repeated the captain, sounding impressed.
“Exactly,” replied the young lieutenant. “There’s nothing like it in existence. I’ve never seen anything like it. But I heard rumors that it had been invented by some eccentric genius named ‘Banks’ in England.”
“England?” gasped the captain. “How is such a thing possible?”
“Well, I guess Banks didn’t invent everything,” admitted the lieutenant sheepishly. “But if it works as advertised, we might finally have a way to fight the French properly. Without having to wait for the winds to blow. Or sail around the globe.”
Jack nodded. “That sounds good, but I still don’t understand why it looks like a sailing ship.”
“Because that’s exactly what it is,” answered the lieutenant. “Only with an extra set of wheels at the rear so we can move it easily.”
“So it’s a boat without any sails,” clarified Jack.
“Right,” agreed on the lieutenant. “And no oars either. Just two big paddlewheels. They work almost like sails too. Instead of catching the wind, they create their own energy through the pressure of water against the blades. They’re very efficient.”
Jack frowned. “Why would anyone want to build such a contraption?”
“To make money, obviously,” replied the lieutenant smugly. “People will pay top dollar for this new technology. The banks back in England are already lining up to buy these boats. They’ll pay us huge amounts of gold and silver.”
The captain rolled her eyes. “These are the same Banks that made the infamous bank run during the last financial crisis. How did that turn out?”
The lieutenant grimaced. “Terribly, I’m afraid. A lot of people lost their savings and lives. Some of those people probably deserved to die though. If only they’d known what he really was…”
“Wait,” interrupted Jack, feeling a sudden pang of fear. “Are you saying Banks is behind this?”
“Of course not!” scoffed the lieutenant. “That idiot wouldn’t know a proper invention if he tripped over it.”
“Then why would he come here?” pressed Jack. “If he’s so great, why isn’t he in London?”
The lieutenant scratched his head. “I…don’t think he knows about us yet.”
“Who else?” asked Jack, suddenly suspicious. “Is there another genius inventor out there somewhere?”
The lieutenant shrugged. “Maybe. But I don’t know. This whole thing seems pretty hush-hush.”
“Hush-hush how?” demanded Captain Greenleaf. She took off her hat and ran her hand through her hair. “Tell me, boy. Why would Banks come here to begin with?”
“I…I don’t know,” mumbled the lieutenant nervously. “I haven’t met him personally. Only spoken with him once, when I went to his office in London. He seemed like a decent enough guy. A bit strange, maybe, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Strange how?” questioned the captain.
“Like I said, I couldn’t figure out why he was building all these machines,” explained the lieutenant. “He told me he needed them to help finance a new railroad line. To connect all of the major cities together. It sounded reasonable enough.”
“Except there is no new railway line being built,” observed the captain dryly. “Not unless someone has kept it secret from me.”
“Oh yes!” exclaimed the lieutenant excitedly. “They’re going to start construction soon. Very soon! Everyone will be happy to hear about it. There won’t be any more delays!”
Captain Greenleaf sighed. “It figures. So this genius man came to America because he thinks he can build a train network in the middle of nowhere?”
The lieutenant shook his head. “No, no. Not quite. That’s where he wanted to build the rail line first. But the government wouldn’t give him permission. They said he had to do it in England. In a place called Cornwall.”
“Cornwall?” queried the captain, frowning. “What in the world is there to do there? No one lives there. What would he need a railroad for?”
“It’s just a little town,” explained the lieutenant. “About halfway down the country. But the idea is to get all the factories to relocate there. And then transport their goods via trains along the coast. All across Britain.”
“Huh,” grunted the captain, shaking her head again. “Sounds ridiculous to me. Who needs a railroad in Cornwall? We have roads. And ships. Lots of both. Why not just use them?”
The lieutenant shrugged. “Banks claim they’re inefficient. Too slow. And not reliable.”
“Well, if you say so,” responded Captain Greenleaf. “But let me ask you this: Do you believe Banks’ claims? About the railroad line or whatever?”
“Of course!” replied the lieutenant confidently. “He’s an engineer after all. He must know what he’s talking about.”
“I see,” murmured the captain thoughtfully. “In that case, I suppose we should welcome the genius inventor to our shores with open arms.”
The End