Finding Home

Chapter Twelve

            During the next two years, Captain Jones and his crew were part of a six-vessel expedition to Pensacola, changed ships several times, raided many different places on shore, and docked in Boston numerous times.

Captain Jones even hoisted the stars and stripes for the first time while commanding the Ranger. In May 1779, he was put in command of the USS Bonhomme Richard. That summer proved to be a busy one and by the end of August, Captain Jones and his crew had captured sixteen different ships, but nothing had prepared them for the battle that lay ahead.

            Late September approached, and Olivia had matured into a tall, beautiful young woman. Whenever she needed it, Captain Jones was generous enough to give her a little money so she could buy clothing that fit her properly.

However, she always wore the same cap; the one Nathaniel had given her. It was her way to keep him close and always remember him.

She mastered the sword and could move around in the top sails as if she were walking on deck. By now, most of the crew had figured out her secret, but had grown to accept her as one of their own. They looked upon her now as more of a good luck charm then as a bad omen. She was thankful and relieved not to have to hide her true self to the crew – to her friends.

            One evening, she sat on the deck talking with Edwards as they sailed south through the North Sea. Suddenly, the ship encountered a Baltic Convoy escorted by the HMS Serapis. Captain Jones appeared and swiftly made his way to the upper deck where he took out his telescope to spy on the convoy. He then motioned for Eldridge.

            Eldridge called for “ALL HANDS AT THE READY!”. Then he headed below deck to get the rest of the crew.

            Edwards smiled at Olivia. “Well, you ready for another one?”

She returned his smile and stood up. “Of course!”

            Next, she swung her rifle over her shoulder and onto her back as she followed Edwards up into the top sails. She had learned over the years to tie a rope around the muzzle and handle of her rifle so she wouldn't have to carry it while moving around in the top sails. She straddled the main mast, positioning herself just behind the topsail so she could not easily be seen by the other ship. Below her on the main deck, other crewmembers prepared the 12-pound cannons.

            Captain Jones ordered Barstow to turn the ship and run with the wind towards the Serapis, engaging her. The other ships in the convoy turned away. As their ship, the Bonhomme Richard, moved closer to the Serapis, a lump formed in Olivia's throat. She could see it was much bigger, much faster, and had much more power than they did. The Serapis had fifty guns, including 24-pound cannons. The Bonhomme Richard did not. 

She knew this battle was not going to be an easy one to win. As the sun was starting to set, the wind picked up and the waves began to smash against the bow of the ship. The men were now crouched below the railing next to the cannons. Soon all was still.

            Out of the silence, a voice was heard calling from the other ship. “This is Captain Pearson of the HMS Serapis. What ship are you?”

Right on cue, Olivia thought. Captain Jones pretended as if he couldn't hear the other Captain.

“I say, in the name of the King, what ship are you?” came Captain Pearson again.

Captain Jones smiled at Captain Pearson as if to comply then turned to the crew and yelled, “FIRE!”

Olivia aimed her rifle and began shooting at sailors on the deck of the HMS Serapis as the crew below lit their fuses on the 12-pounders. Shortly after, Captain Pearson sent his 24 guns firing back at the USS Bonhomme Richard. Speeding balls of iron could be seen soaring through the air. Both decks ripped to shreds in a fury of exploding showers of flying wood.

As darkness grew closer, flashes of light from the cannons made it harder and harder for Olivia to see the men scurrying on the deck below. Edwards began to notice sailors from the Serapis were climbing into their topsails. Soon they were shooting at each other.

            Suddenly, the Bonhomme Richard shook violently. Olivia dropped her rifle but managed to grab onto the main mast for fear she would follow her rifle to the deck below. Edwards whipped around to make sure she was still beside him.

            “You all right?” he yelled.

            “Yes. Dropped my rifle. What was that?” asked Olivia.

            Edwards shrugged then turned back to fire again. She scurried down to the main deck to locate her rifle. The men were running around shooting their guns and firing the few 12-pounders they had left. Quartermaster Garrett was shouting commands.

            “Oliver, you need to be at your post. We need everyone,” he demanded when he saw her.

            “I was, but I dropped my rifle when the ship shook. What happened?” she asked as she dodged flying debris.

            “I am not sure. There was an explosion down below. Captain thinks it may have been the powder room.”

            “I can check,” stated Olivia.

            Garrett nodded then turned to the men. “Reload!”

Below deck, she checked the powder room. Nothing to report.

            She located Eldridge. “Quartermaster Garrett sent me down here to see what happened.”

            “Two 18-pounders exploded when we fired. Took out half the crew. You tell Quartermaster Garrett that I will not chance the rest,” scowled Eldridge.

            Then he turned and huffed off to attend to the wounded. To her right she could faintly see Jennings tying a piece of torn cloth to a sailor's leg. She walked over. There, sitting on the floor, was Gibbs. She knelt down next to him and took his hand.

            “I will be all right,” smiled Gibbs. “Just a little cut from when the eighteen exploded.”

            Jennings looked at her. “It is deep, but he is all right. He will be fine. He is strong.”

She nodded at Jennings. They helped Gibbs into a chair in the galley.

            “Now you go. I will be all right,” said Gibbs patting Olivia's hand, “They need you top side.”

            “I do need to report to Quartermaster Garrett, but I can come back,” she said.

            “No, you are much needed overhead. Besides, Jennings can look after me,” stated Gibbs.

            She quietly nodded, “All right.” She left the galley and headed back up to the main deck.

            The battle was still underway, and it really looked to Olivia as if they would lose. Splinters of wood and cannon smoke filled the air mixed with the agony and moans of the men fighting and falling on the deck. She began to worry what would happen to her, but she shook away her thoughts knowing she needed to keep her mind on the battle itself. She found Garrett and reported what Eldridge had told her. He thanked Olivia then ran off to report to Captain Jones.

Remembering that she still hadn't found her rifle she glanced around the tangled mess of wood that was once the deck. Hidden among the splintered pieces, close to the main mast, she could see the rope she had tied around her rifle. Keeping low so she wouldn't be hit, she made her way over and retrieved it.

            “Prepare for broadside!” Eldridge cried out, “Fire!”

The remaining 12-pounders fired into the Serapis. She climbed back up into the top sails and informed Edward about what she had seen below. A shot whizzed by and the two of them returned to firing on the sailors from the other ship.

            The battle raged on for more than two hours. Cannon fire from the Serapis continued to hit the Bonhomme Richard, some even ripping right through it. Only eight 12-pounders remained on the Bonhomme Richard. Olivia could see several small fires on the deck and small amounts of water sloshing around in the hull through the hatch.

The Bonhomme Richard would soon succumb to the sea and all that was left was to surrender.

Captain Jones commanded Barstow to move the ship behind the Serapis. The ships were so close they actually touched. The cannons ceased fire since neither ship had a cannon in position to hit the other ship.

            “Do you surrender?” called out Captain Pearson.

            Olivia hung her head. She knew Captain Jones's answer would have to be 'yes' based on the condition of their ship and crew. Her fellow crewmembers looked tired and defeated. There was no way they could go on any longer.

            Captain Jones straightened his uniform and stood tall.

He raised his saber and returned with, “I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO FIGHT!” His tone was defiant and confident.

With his words, Olivia felt stronger, and it seemed as if the words also redeemed the strength of the rest of the crew as well, giving them all a surge of energy to continue the fight.

            Captain Jones turned to his men. “We can do this, men! We can still take them!”

            From below, she could hear a faint, “Aye” that grew louder in numbers.

The Serapis pulled to the side and soon, the two ships were running a parallel course. Cannon fire from the Serapis, once again, ripped through the Bonhomme Richard. The ship returned fire with what few guns it had left.

            Barstow pulled the Bonhomme Richard ahead just enough that on the next firing, they were able to severely damage the Serapis's forward mast. The Serapis glided close enough for Captain Jones to call for grappling hooks to pull and hold the two ships together. The cannons continued to fire, including the 24-pounders below deck in the Serapis, tearing the hull of the Bonhomme Richard to shreds.

            Olivia, Edwards, and the other men in the top sails managed to shoot down all the men in the Serapis's top sails, now they directed their attention to the crewmembers on deck. She aimed her rifle at a young blonde man that was crouched at the ready next to a cannon, close to the upper deck. She hesitated and took her finger off the trigger.

There was something familiar about him, something she couldn't quite figure out. His mannerisms reminded her of someone, someone from her past she couldn't remember.  

            Crew from the Bonhomme Richard began climbing across the rigging to engage the sailors of the Serapis in hand-to-hand combat. She watched as the young man drew his attention to a fire that had suddenly ignited behind him. A sailor from the Bonhomme Richard crawled across to the Serapis and raised his cutlass towards the young man. She suddenly felt the strange urge to warn him.

She aimed her rifle at a crate close to him and fired. 

The loud crack of iron hitting wood alerted the young man, and he turned around just in time to move out of the way as the sailor's cutlass came down striking the deck where he once was. He pulled his cutlass and fixed his attention on another sailor.     With the darkness upon them and many of the crew from the Bonhomme Richard now on the deck of the Serapis, she decided to join them.

            Olivia hustled down the ropes and onto the deck of the Serapis. Men fought all around her, as she looked for the young man but couldn't locate him. All at once, she heard a deafening crack as a 9-pound cannon ball slashed through the center mast snapping the rigging in half. Then she watched as a hand grenade bounced into the open hatch. Olivia braced herself.

            Within minutes, an ear-splitting sound could be heard and the whole ship shifted sending both sets of crewmembers tumbling across the deck. The hand grenade had encountered several powder kegs and destroyed the hull. The sailors of the Serapis seemed to give up at that point, knowing that Captain Jones would fight till the very end. Captain Pearson slowly made his way to the back of the ship and lowered their flag, surrendering their ship. Captain Jones's crew cried out in excitement. They had done it. Despite the long odds, they had actually won.   

            In all, the battle took three hours but took a heavy toll on all involved. Captain Jones decided to move his crew to the Serapis. He knew that soon, the Bonhomme Richard would be no more. Once all crewmembers moved over, Captain Jones stood on the upper deck of the Serapis assessing what damage he could. Eldridge stood on the main deck yelling orders and directing crewmembers. Knowing Gibbs had been moved below with the rest of the wounded crew, she went to visit with him.

The prisoners had been taken down to the brig, which surprisingly was still intact. Captain Jones's able-bodied crew worked in shifts through the remainder of the night to repair what they could.

            The next morning, Olivia stepped onto the deck to a sad site. Most of the Bonhomme Richard was now underwater and soon, would be completely submerged. Looking back on the main deck, she was glad to see Metz, Westbrooke, Edwards, and Billingsley were all right.

Eldridge came across the deck and barked at Olivia. “You will climb up into the top sails and report the damage you see.”

She nodded at him as he turned to walk away. She moved over to the ropes and began to climb. Once in the top sails, she could see the center mast was damaged but the sails were fine and the sails on the foremast had some damage, but it was an easy fix. She stepped into the crow's nest and looked down. The Bonhomme Richard was now completely submerged. She was surprised the ship had lasted the night, but the ship had taken on the personality of the crew – fighting to the bitter end.

            Below, Captain Jones stood on the upper deck as Eldridge escorted the prisoners to the main deck. They were told to kneel, as this way, it would be harder for them to lunge at the crewmembers. Garrett walked over and stood next to Eldridge. Olivia glanced at the prisoners, and there he was, the young blonde man.

            A feeling surged through her that she didn't quite understand.

Who was this man?

Captain Jones stepped onto the main deck and moved over to the prisoners.

            “I would have to say you are some brave men. You put up quite a fight,” said Captain Jones.

            He stepped towards the men and continued, “That is why I have a proposition for you. I would like you to join my crew and fight for the American colonies. All you will have to do is renounce the king.”

One prisoner after the next called Captain Jones a traitor and said they would never disobey the royal crown.

Olivia noticed the young man didn't say anything. She needed a closer look. She climbed out of the crow's nest and down the rigging. Taking a rope, she swung to the deck.

The young man looked over and locked eyes with her almost as if he recognized her.

Her heart jumped suddenly and her breath caught in her throat. She had never had a reaction like this before. She had to know who he was.

The man brought his attention back to the Captain.

He seemed so familiar, but she just couldn't place him. Had she seen him on another ship or in a harbor perhaps? She had seen many men pass through. He could be any one of them. She watched as Captain Jones strolled up to the young man and asked him to stand.

He stood, his hair and clothes disheveled, and looked Captain Jones straight in the eye.

            “Young man, you don't seem to share in the thoughts of your comrades. Why is this?” stated Captain Jones.

            “I only have loyalties to myself and the one I seek,” said the young man in a low voice.

That voice...she had heard it before.

“And who is it you seek?” asked Captain Jones.

“I believe that is my personal business, sir, and wish to not say,” answered the young man.

It couldn't be, could it? No! That would be impossible.

“You are very brave, and I respect that. Might I at least ask your name and where you come from?” asked Captain Jones.

“Nathaniel, sir. From Portsmouth, England,” stated the young man.    

Olivia nearly fainted where she stood.