An Affair in Morocco (Part Three)

[Bligh]

An Affair in Morocco (Part Three)
Characters introduced into the story thus far.
Algerine and Moroccan Persona.
The Dey of Gizzanoffa: Kamel Mudanyaei.
His Vizier: Amin Giffar.
The Dey’s: Admiral Kulin Bey.
The late Captain of the Al Mukabir: Camel Mujadine
American persona.
The Squadron commander: Commodore Silas Goldberg.
The captain of USS Constitution: David Frazer.
The captain of USS Essex: Andrew Millington.
The captain of USS Syren: Gregory Hardman.
Syren’s Sailing Master: Simeon Prentice.

New Persona introduced for Sɪˈrɒkoʊ!
The new Captain of the Al Mukabir: Rashid Suleiman

The American Navy.
First officer of USS Essex: Paul Swift.
Essex’s Sailing Master: Hezekiah Bramley.
Essex’s Captain of Marines: Davy Weiss.
Essex’s Master Gunner: Hamish Fyffe.
Essex’s Master Carpenter: Amos Grady

AAR.
The weather once more turned perverse, with very little wind and temperature inversion over the sea two days of fog descended upon the questing ships of the American squadron, and each vessel was constrained to a slow crawl through the murky mist, sometimes with the aid of the ships boats when the wind failed completely.

[Bligh]

Sometime after what would have been dawn on the third day, a slightly stronger wind blew up and gradually patches of clearer visibility drifted across the surface of the sea.

[Bligh]

Lieutenant Paul Swift, the First Officer of USS Essex, after a short conversation with her sailing master Hezekiah Bramley decided to call his captain Andrew Millington to the deck, as he knew that both the captain and Hezekiah were keen to take sightings as soon as possible after two days of progress under dead reckoning alone.

[Bligh]

No sooner had Captain Millington arrived than word was sent back from the lookout in the bows that he had heard a sound from ahead which sounded like another vessel.

[Bligh]

Consequently orders were relayed to the crew to take up their battle stations. However, before this could be completed a break in the mist revealed a Xebec Frigate crossing the bows of the Essex.

[Bligh]

The Algerine ship was obviously also taken by complete surprise, as no shots were fired, but a series of hurried shouted orders could be heard issuing across the eerily quiet expanse of water separating the two ships.

[Bligh]

As the two ships began to manoeuvre for an advantageous position the mist started to roll away aided by the now strengthening wind.