Captain Kiwi and the Fog of War Part Two.

[Bligh]

(Round the Horn.)

As the reader may remember we paused the story with the disabled Courageuse about to be boarded from the Sybille in the search for the escaping exiled Emperor Napoleon from the Isle of St Helena, after a chase along the seaboard of the Americas, and then the central Atlantic.





As the Frigates boarding party set out towards the helpless French Frigate, Her more ponderous Consort the Aquilon came about and attempted to head off the British.




Undetected by either of the unsighted British ships Courageous's crew had lowered and manned their ships Cutter just off the Port bow.



By the time it had been spotted from the deck of the closing
HMS. Superb, Aquilon had closed with the Cutter and was about to take
the Emperor on board.




.
As Superb closed her Captain realized that he would be too late to rake the French 74.



Putting up his helm he decided to tack and cross the stern of the captured Frigate thus covering the boarding party who were now swarming up her side.



Unfortunately this slewed him too far round to take advantage of his broadside.



Aquilon, however, crippled Sybille with on massive broadside of her own.



And took only minimal fire in return although some of her crew were cut down.


As Sybille's foremast went by the board, Aquilon also exchanged fire with Superb, bringing what Portside guns she could to bear.




The gunners' aiming high damaged sails and masts on Superb, but a lucky undercharged shot flying low across the Quarterdeck demolished the ships wheel and started a fire when it dismounted one of the starboard cannons setting it off prematurely.



Superb had already replied in kind with a vicious fusillade from its rear section of carronades which tore holes in sails and also set a fire on the deck of Aquilon.



Whilst Superb's crew were struggling to reestablish steering from the tiller,*
Aquilon's Captain continued to come about and slipped through the widening gap between Courageous and Superb.








With the wind behind her, by the time Superb's crew had effected repairs and started to come about Aquilon with the Emperor safe aboard was heading off into the sunset.



* Nb. I tried out a new rule here which said that if a ship had damage to its steering it took one random card from the dismasted card movement for its next move whilst repairs were made to the steering tackle.