1 June; Stargazing

Terry had to return the dipper before it was missed, but the mention of sea-snakes made him pause. He bit his lip before turning for'rard again, keeping midships as much as possible and running down the companionway to the gundeck where the scuttlebutt was to put the dipper back, before running back to the others. It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, being on your own after all this talk of monsters and stuff.

"Sea snakes... them are proper fearsome," Edwin said wisely. "Wrap a man up tight, choke him like, as they're sweepin' him off the deck."

Tide smirked. "All the more reason to be a topman, eh?"

"Where's they, then?" Terry wanted to know, dropping to the deck and wrapping his arms around his legs. "I mean... where d'you find 'em? South seas, or roun' 'ereabouts?"

Billy shrugged. "Guess you find 'em about anywheres."

Tommy Edwin nodded in agreement. "Aye, but they like it best when th' air's fresh 'n mild." He looked speculatively at the stars. "Night like this, just about."

"Aye," said Chase. "Best keep well clear of the rails, 'less you're goin' aloft."

Terry shivered a little and scooted inboard a little, hoping nobody had seen the movement.

De Guarde looked at Terry who shifted somewhat away from the railing. He did not say anything about that, in fact he did not say anything at all as he lay there listening in the conversations of the other boys and men. One could not be afraid of something they welcomed.

Chase wriggled his bare toes idly. "Lotsa dangers at sea, lads. Not all of 'em from the ship neither."

Terry nodded; he knew that well enough. There were all sorts of bullies and bad-tempered folks aboard ship who found him and the other boys easy pickings. He was simply grateful that not everyone aboard ship was like that.

"....wot' yer meanin' Cob?" He asked quietly, gazing at the man who was his teacher and in some ways the reason he was also safe among the Tars. Chase had the influence and respect, that the boy could wish for no better. And he rather than abuse it for bad, used it for something fairly alright.

"Sea-dragons an' that lot," Chase explained. "S'why you gotta be careful, 'specially at night. Durin' storms, too. One'a them might come along an' snatch you clean off the deck, while you're haulin' on braces or somethin'."

Terry's mind was a little more taken up with the dangers from inside the ship, now he'd sat down again. He glanced around to make sure the man in question wasn't in earshot before speaking up, nervously. "Here, Mister Chase," he said, looking across at the topman. "Who was that cove who come up earlier - the bad-tempered one wiv the stripey waistcoat, askin' after the landeys?"

He knew the face but didn't know the name - and it was the same face he'd seen the other night, he was sure of it.

"Him?" Chase didn't even trouble himself to move from his comfortably-sprawled position to look toward the foc's'le. "That'll be Jonny Seward. Bit of a sod, him."

"'e's a ..." He had the 'displeasure' to meet the man before. Not that ever on good grounds. He leaned closer to Button to murmur something, but decided he should not and rather leaned on his side, closing his eyes. He should go see if he could get some laudanum since drink was out of the question.

Jonny Seward. Well, now he knew who one of them was, but he wasn't sure how he could find out the name of his mate, who'd helped him.

That might have to wait for another day - if he asked too many questions now, he'd make the sailors suspicious and he wasn't allowed to talk about it.

He scratched at a bare leg and then looked back up at the topman, who was comfortably sprawled on the deck. "Wouldja... wouldja tell us a yarn? Please - a proper one?"

A proper yarn? Well. Chase looked up, past the bellied-out sails and the long masthead pennant. He knew a few of those, didn't he?

"A yarn, eh?" He thought for a moment. "Arrigh'. I were just a bit younger'n you, when I went to sea. Joined Hazard sloop, off patrollin' the Irish coast. Was only with her a year, but it was a lively one, sure. Best cruise I ever had, maybe."

Dyer nudged him with his foot. "So what's the story, then?"

Chase swatted at him. "I'm gettin' to it. So there we is, huntin' for Frogs or anythin' worth doin', when the masthead calls down that there's a sail 'way off to starboard. Off we goes to chase it down. Comes out it's some Yankee craft what the French had took. They were dead grateful for us savin' 'em, though. Stupid bastards."

He couldn't imagine Cob Chase being his age, and settled down to listen, picturing it in his mind - the open sea, and a sail somewhere off to starboard. "So, what happened?" he asked, his curiosity piqued - there had to be more to it than that, after all.

"The Yank cap'n told ours all 'bout the Frog what captured him. Some privateer or other. No surprise that we goes off to find 'em. Some four days or so of empty sea is all we get, 'til the fella up on lookout spots a Frog. Cap'n Butterfield don't even seem to think 'bout it. Off we go, fast's Hazard'll sail. Two days hard on that Frog's tail. Watch-an'-watch for everybody."

Chase grinned, thinking of it. It had been exhausting for every man aboard, yet not one of them had given the discomfort and weariness a thought.

"An' then?...." He said it rather quietly, but no less wishing Chase would continue. "Wot' happened... you ought t' 'ave been.. been tired, aye?" Two days of tension, suspense, of work and trouble all for a frog and 24 hours into the night and day, it had to be hard work.

"Did you catch 'im?"

Terry leaned forwards, practically folding himself in half, to plant his elbows on the deck and rested his chin on his hands, looking at Chase intently, losing himself in the story.

"Catch 'em? Nope. Wily beggar heaved his guns overboard an' showed a clean pair of Frog heels. That was when we saw another ship an' went after her instead. This 'un didn't get away. She were a Frog too. Name of Neptune, carryin' only ten guns. That was a tidy fight, takin' her. She fought all ten guns on one side. Even tried boardin' us, but we din't have none of that!" Chase grinned and chopped at the air with one hand. "First time I ever held a boardin' axe, that's sure!"

"All ten guns on one side?" That must have been something to see. Brave beggar, that Frog captain must've been.

"Aye. Had a pair for sure, that Frog. She fought like a wild dog, she did, but we bested her in the end. Tidy little prize an' all. She were carryin' soldiers, even. We cut her up nice but din't come off bad ourselves. Only a few lads wounded. Not a bad first fight for a wee lad to see, t'all!"

Dyer poked him with his foot. "Bet you was as daft then's you is now."

To that, Chase smirked. "Never liked a cutlass or hanger, me. An axe'll do me an' that's truth!"

Terry could understand not liking the cutlasses. They were too heavy for him yet. He was only a powder monkey yet, though, and his place was carrying powder to the guns. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do if they were boarded, but he wasn't a boarder himself, not like Chase and Dyer and the others.

"You ain't daf'," he said loyally, looking at Chase. "Least, I don't think you is."

The topman chuckled. "Oh I ain't daft, mate. No more'n Chicken here's got all his marbles!"