Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The Battle of the Islands

The Western Tower is a second-class patrol ship, equipped with twenty-two 24-inch cannons and six 12-inch cannons on the deck, such a configuration is rare on ships of this class .With its long and narrow prow and its delicate, graceful stern, it was the best ship in the archipelago at that time.It's easy to sail at any speed, and it's so smooth that it doesn't rock violently even when sailing into the wind.Whether it is a strong wind and only needs to make a single reef, or a light wind and needs to draw a full sail, it will move forward equally steadily.A gallant captain must be in command of such a ship, and he has nothing to worry about, but to sail forward with full sail.Because the Western Tower is not as unstable as a general three-masted ship, even if the mast breaks, it will not sink easily. This advantage enables it to maintain speed in rough seas and successfully get rid of danger-this is exactly what Levi said. The shipowners expect it to fulfill its mission.

Although it is not a battleship, that is to say, it does not belong to the state and is private property, but it is completely managed and commanded militarized.The captain's officers and sailors had all been tried and tested on board the best ships of France, so it was formally trained and disciplined like a man-of-war.On ordinary armed merchant ships, the sailors are relatively loose, and the sailors are not required to be brave like warships. The Western Tower is just the opposite. There are about two hundred and fifty sailors on board, most of them are French Bonandes and Provencals, and the rest are British, Greeks and Corfus. No matter the sergeant, sergeant, or sergeant are very competent, they are the basic combat backbone. As for the staff, there are four captains and eight second lieutenants, who are basically Corfu, British, and French, plus one The first mate--Captain Todros, he is an old sailor, rich in the experience of sailing among the archipelagos, and is very familiar with the seas in this area. He has sailed to the most remote areas, all the large and small harbors He knows all about the islands, and he even remembers the water depth data of each place.

He was in his fifties, originally from Hydra Island in Greece, had served as a soldier under Canaris and Thomasus, and was indeed the right-hand man of the captain of the patrol ship. The first captain of the gunboat was Stradner.It was quite successful in the first voyage, destroying many suspicious ships of pirates and confiscating a lot of spoils. Of course, it also suffered some casualties each time.But since the encounter with the pirate ship on the Reynolds Sea on February 27, people haven't heard about it for a long time.For in this battle it had suffered great losses, not only losing more than forty sailors, but Captain Stradner, who had been struck dead by a shell in his command seat.

So Captain Todros took temporary command of the gunboat.After the battle, he commanded the ship to return to Aegean Island for repairs and rest. Just a few days after the Western Tower came back, everyone was surprised to hear that the ship was bought by a bank owner named Ragus with a lot of money, and sent an agent to complete all the necessary procedures.Things went well, and of course it no longer belonged to the merchants of Corfu, who got back a lot of money instead of losing. Although it has changed its owner, its mission remains the same—to chase down the pirates in the archipelago, and if possible, escort the rescued captives encountered along the way home. The most important task is to take down the leader of the bandits, Shakdiv , Rescue this sea area from his clutches.As soon as the ship was repaired, the mate was given orders to sail along the northern coast of Theo Island, where the new captain, who would be "second only to God" on board, was to board.

At the same time, Henri d'Albalay received the letter inviting him to take up his post on the Tower Occidental's staff. Of course he accepted, but he had no idea that command of a ship awaited him.Now we know why as soon as he boarded the deck, the flag on the ship was immediately raised, lined up, and all officers and soldiers waited for his arrival with guns. The above situation was learned by Henry through a conversation with Captain Todros.The power of attorney authorizing him to command the ship was already done.His current status and authority on the ship are beyond doubt.Besides, many on board knew him as a lieutenant on a French ship, and that he was one of the youngest and best officers in the French navy.His valor in the Greek War of Independence had made him even more famous, so that when he boarded the Tower of the West, his name was immediately cheered.

Henry made a brief speech: "To all of the Occidental Tower, I understand what the mission of this ship is. May God bless us to accomplish it! The honor goes to the previous captain, Stradner, who was honorably killed in command !I believe in you! You should believe in me too!—disband!" The next day, 2 March, the Occidental Tower left Theo Island and headed for the northern part of the archipelago with full sail. Any sailor, as long as he takes a look at it and sails for half a day, he will immediately understand the value of this ship.The wind was blowing from the northwest, but there was no need to reduce the blades at all.Henry fell in love with the ship almost immediately.

"This third sail is as good as any ship in the Combined Fleet," said Capt. Todros. "You can spread this one out when a normal ship has two reefs." What the captain meant by this has two meanings: first, its speed is incomparable; second, its strong rigging and stable performance can enable it to sail forward when other ships reduce their sails to avoid capsizing. The Tower of the West sailed against the wind, her port sail shelving to the north, leaving the islands behind. The next day, the ship passed an island called Maitland, where the Greeks severely damaged the Ottoman fleet in the early days of the War of Independence in 1821.

"I have been in this battle," said the captain to the captain. "It was in May when our brig of about seventy pursued five Turkish frigates, four gunboats, and four patrol One ship wanted to sail to Constantinople for rescue, but it was blew up and sunk after being chased by us. More than 900 sailors died together. It was the dynamite package that I ignited with my own hands. The sulfur asphalt dynamite package is still It’s very useful, Captain, and I’ll definitely recommend it to you in the future to deal with these pirates.” Captain Todros happily talked about the glorious achievements of the sailors, all of which he had personally experienced.

After Henry took over the command of the Western Tower, he immediately set anchor and headed north, with his own plans in mind.Shortly after leaving Theo Island, suspicious-looking ships were spotted on several islands off Reynolds, and several ships from the eastern Mediterranean coast were robbed off the coast of the European part of Turkey.Perhaps these pirates ran to hide in that area in fear of being chased by the Western Tower. Nothing was found in the Maitland Sea area, and they encountered a few merchant ships, and the appearance of the patrol ship did not reassure them much. For half a month, although the Western Tower experienced severe weather changes, it still carried out its cruising mission seriously.There were several big hurricanes, and even the headsail on the big wall was used.Captain Henry is now very familiar with the performance of the ship and every sailor.He also let everyone see that this French naval officer really lived up to his reputation.

In all complicated situations, the young captain handled everything very well.He is decisive and bold by nature, calm in situations, not flustered, and resilient, able to foresee changes in situations.In short, to say he was a real sailor would say everything. The second week of March, the patrol ship came to Reynolds.This is the most important island in the Aegean Sea, fifteen leagues long and five or six leagues wide. It has not suffered the baptism of war, but it is often visited by pirates, who rob merchant ships at the entrance of the port.The patrol ship stopped to resupply.The island specializes in manufacturing ships, but most of them dare not drive away because they are afraid of pirates. Therefore, there are a backlog of built or unfinished ships in the dock, and the port is particularly crowded.

Knowing the above situation, Captain Darbale continued to advance to the northern part of the archipelago.Along the way, the officers kept mentioning the name Shakdiff to him. "Ah! I really want to meet this guy for a while, see how capable he is! At least let us believe that there is such a person!" Captain Todros said. "Why, don't you believe there is such a person?" Henry asked. "Yes, Captain. If you ask me, I'll say that I don't quite believe there is such a Shakdiff, and I've never heard anyone say that he has seen this person! Or just a code name for the bandit chief in turn! I guess those More than one pirate put that name on the mast after killing a man! Actually, it doesn't matter, whether it is one person or several people, they all deserve to be hanged anyway, all hanged!" "It's quite possible, Captain Todros," Henry replied, "That also explains why he appears everywhere!" "True, Captain," interjected an officer, "if it is true, as they say, that Shakdiv has been seen in different places on the same day, it is because more than one pirate chief is using that name!" "They all use this name, the purpose is to confuse the people who pursue them." Todros said, "But I have a way to make this name disappear completely, and that is to put all pirates with this name, or not, as long as If you catch him, hang him... In this way, even if there is such a Shakdiff, he will not escape the punishment he deserves!" The captain is not right, the problem is how to find them, these guys are very cunning! "Captain Todros," Henry asked, "in the first battle of the Western Tower, and in those battles you fought before, did you ever see a three-hundred-ton ship called the Calista?" mast?" "I've never seen it before," replied the mate. "And you guys?" the captain asked the officers. "No one has ever heard of the boat. It is not surprising that there are countless owners of a common boat on the East Coast." "The captain of the Calista is called Nicola Scotta, haven't you heard of it?" Henry added. Apparently no one has ever heard of it.Although many of them have been sailing in this area since the beginning of the War of Independence. However, Todros vaguely remembered hearing the name mentioned in the port of Akasa in the Gulf of Messenia. This ship was probably a smuggling ship, which often helped the Ottoman authorities transport slaves to the coast of Africa. "But it's not like the Scotta you said just now. According to you, he is a three-masted ship, and a three-masted ship is not enough for this kind of business." "That's true." Henry said, and he didn't continue the conversation. As for why he thought of Skota, it was because he thought of Hadzina and Andronika missing, which always made him a little confused. These two names were already inseparable in his mind. , it is necessary to think of another. Around 25 March, the Tower of the West arrived near the island of Samothrace, 60 nautical miles north of Theo Island.It took them such a long time for this short journey, one can imagine how carefully it searched the harbor in this area.This is indeed the case, and even those shallow water areas where ships cannot approach, have sent small boats down to check, but still find nothing. Samothrace suffered a lot in the war and is still under the rule of the Turks.Although there is no real port here, it is still a good place for pirates to hide.The towering Sousse Mountain is a natural watchtower. Looking down from the peak of five or six thousand feet, you can find the situation and send a signal from a long distance, so that the pirates can escape before the port is blocked.It is probably because of this that the Western Tower has not encountered any suspicious ships. Henry turned to the northwest and headed for Kassos Island, which is more than 20 nautical miles away from Samothrace Island.The patrol ship was headed against the wind, but the sea was calm and the ship was very steady. These islets of the archipelago were fortunate enough not to be affected when Theo and Samothrace were ravaged by the Turks.The residents of the island are all Greeks. They are simple and kind, and the ancient customs still exist. The local people's clothing clearly retains the ancient artistic taste.Since the fifteenth century, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman authorities, but it has never been disturbed by the greedy Ottomans. However, if the Western Tower does not come, Kersos will suffer the horror of being robbed. On April 2, the pirates were preparing to land at the port on the north of the island.There were five or six boats, small sloops, and a brig with twelve guns.For a nation not good at war to meet these pirates, it can only be a disaster. As soon as the patrol ship appeared in the bay, the brig immediately sent a signal, and the bandit ships lined up, obviously provoking the patrol ship. "They want to fight?" cried Captain Todros, who was standing on the podium with the captain. "Do you want to fight?... Or do you want to defend yourself?" Henry asked back, the pirate's behavior was beyond his expectation. "Damn it, I thought they'd sail away with full sail!" "Come on, let them fight! Captain Todros! They're the ones to attack, and if they run away, some will slip out of our hands! Ready to fight!" Everyone immediately carried out the captain's order.Every cannon was loaded with powder, and the shells were beside the gunners.On the deck, the cannons were also ready for firing, and the muskets, pistols, knives, and axes were distributed to everyone.No matter how the battle will be fought, hand-to-hand combat or deep-sea pursuit, all preparations are made.Accurate and fast, like a real warship. The patrol ship slowly approached the camp of the enemy ships.The captain planned to attack the brig first, and fire all the cannons at it. After it lost its combat effectiveness, he would lean on it and engage in hand-to-hand combat. However, another possibility cannot be ruled out, that is, to confuse the opponent by putting on a formation to fight, but in fact to cover the escape route.The reason why they didn't run away was because the patrol boats came quickly and blocked the port immediately, they didn't have time. The brig opened fire, trying to break the Western Tower's mainmast first, and if successful they would be able to escape. The shells damaged several of the patrol ship's slings, knocked the logs between the mainmast and the transom, and injured several sailors, but not seriously, and no major parts were damaged. Henri d'Albalé was in no hurry to return fire. He ordered the ship to approach the brig, and when the smoke from the first burst of fire had cleared, her starboard side platoons roared in unison. It was true that when a gust of wind blew, the brig actually moved its position. Although it was hit by a few bullets, it did not lose its combat effectiveness. The platoon was not in vain, though it missed its target, and the movement of the brig exposed another Spanish caravel, which, having taken most of the shells, began to flood the unfortunate ship. "Missing the brig, her old mates did it!" cried the sailors of the Western Tower. "I'll bet my good share it's going to sink in five minutes!" "I don't think it will take more than three minutes!" "See how well the water goes down my throat, as your wine goes down my throat!" "Sinking...sinking..." "Hey, those guys fall into the water very fast, want to slip!" "If they put a noose around their necks, they wouldn't be water ghosts!" The Spanish galley sank gradually, and when the water reached its railings the occupants jumped into the sea to climb into other boats. But the other boats can't take care of themselves, so they can't take care of these guys who fell into the water.I was afraid that I would not be able to escape, so I didn't even throw a rope into the water, and those people could only be drowned. The Occidental Tower fired a second time, this time hitting a sloop, which disappeared in a thick cloud of smoke without further firing.Seeing this situation, the other two small boats understood that there was only a dead end to resist.Of course, if you want to escape, you may not be able to escape this fast ship. If the brig wanted to save his companions, there was only one way.Seeing that it sent a signal to the other ships to leave, the pirates immediately dropped the two shot boats and fled to the big ship. Now there are more than a hundred people on the brig, and if they can't escape, they can still fight a hand-to-hand battle with comparable strength. However, even if the two ships were equally outnumbered, it would be best to flee.So it took advantage of its speed without hesitation and fled to the coast of Turkey.When they get there, their captains will find a hidden place to hide, and the patrol ships will never find it. When the wind picked up, the two-masted ship was full of sails. Regardless of the danger of the mast breaking, she pulled up all the sails and gradually moved away from the Western Tower. "Wow!" exclaimed Captain Todros, "I'd like to see if its legs are longer than our patrol ship's!" So he turned and waited for the captain's order. At this moment, Henry's attention was attracted by another direction. He no longer paid attention to the brig, but turned his binoculars to the port of Kassos, where there was a light ship sailing away quickly. This is a three-masted sailing ship.Pushed by a gust of northwest wind, the sails were inflated and sailed into the channel south of the port. Because of the light hull and shallow draft, the ship looked very brisk. After observing carefully for a while, Henri Darbale threw down the telescope and shouted: "The Calista!" "What! Is that the three-masted ship you speak of?" asked the mate. "That's it! If you can catch it, I'll give..." Henry didn't say the following words. Between the brig full of pirates and the Calista, he had no choice, and the responsibility on his shoulders made him unable to hesitate. If he gave up chasing the brig, he would definitely catch up. Go up, cut off the three-masted ship's channel, and block it, but wouldn't it be a personal grievance to delay the opportunity to fight?No, it cannot be done!All that had to be done now was to rush up, intercept the brig and kill it.Well, just like that, he glanced at the farther and farther away Calista, and ordered a full-speed pursuit of the pirate ship fleeing in the opposite direction. The Western Tower immediately drew its sails, and the brig John chased after it. Its bow guns were all on the gun positions. When it was less than half a nautical mile away from the bandit ship, the cannons spoke. Of course, the bandit ship didn't want to hear this, so it hurried to tackle the wind, trying to get rid of the opponent at a faster speed. This is of course impossible. The helmsman of the Western Tower pushed down the steering wheel, and the patrol ship also tackled the wind and accelerated. It went on like this for an hour, and it didn't take dark to fully catch up with it. At this moment a shell from the Occidental Tower struck the brig's fore-mast, immediately slowing her down, and a quarter of an hour later the patrol boat calmly turned to her side.When it was less than half a chain away from it, the patrol ship suddenly fired a volley of artillery shells, and the shells rained down. The brig was shocked and jumped up, and the part of the hull above the waterline was hit, causing heavy casualties on board. , the captain saw that he could not resist, so he had to lower the flag and sail, and raised his hands to surrender. The patrol boat lowered the dinghy and approached the brig, taking the survivors aboard.After a while, the whole ship burst into flames, and then sank into the waves. The Tower of the West had indeed done a great job, but nothing useful could be obtained from these pirates, such as who was their leader, what was his name, where he came from, and so on.The brigantine refused to answer any questions, and neither did the other pirates.But there is nothing wrong with the fact that they are indeed pirates and should be punished. It’s just that the sudden appearance and disappearance of the three-masted ship made Henry fall into thought.The scene of the ship leaving just now is indeed suspicious.Could it be that it escaped when it used the patrol ship to engage the pirate fleet?If it's an ordinary ship, why be afraid of a patrol ship?The way the Calista hurried into the channel made people suspicious, and one could not help asking whether it had colluded with the pirates?Henry would not be surprised if Nicolas Scotta was indeed one of them.Unfortunately, Henry had no way of knowing where it was going.As night fell, the Western Tower sailed south.It seemed that he had no chance to meet the three-masted ship, and Henry couldn't help feeling a little angry that he had lost the favorable opportunity to catch Nicolas Scotta.However, he did not disgrace his mission and did his duty. As a result of the Battle of Kessos, five pirate ships were destroyed, while the patrol ship suffered almost no casualties. Perhaps, for a period of time to come, the sea area in this area will be a little calmer .