A Smuggler's Nightmare: Swift Series: Book 5

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CHAPTER

1

A ny business has exposure to risk on a daily basis. This risk might be mundane, such as the loss of opportunity, or more serious such as the loss of a sale. When smuggling is your livelihood, risk takes on a whole new meaning where risks can be life threatening.

On a dark night, with the moon hidden by an ominous overcast sky, the schooner Providence slowly worked her way upstream. Only the chant from the man using a lead to sound the water’s depth interrupted the quiet of the night. Everyone on the ship strained to hear that chant for there were serious implications for any change in the numbers spoken.

The Providence when fully loaded drew nearly two fathoms. The river channel was normally deeper than that, but little rain had fallen during the previous three months. It took but a glance at the river banks to confirm a lower than usual water depth in the river. The width of the Raritan River ranged between five hundred to seven hundred yards with the navigable channel at most two hundred yards wide. The narrowness of that channel made turning to head back downriver impossible without some form of aid. Since the Providence was over one hundred feet in length, she could barely tack going upstream. Luckily, the light wind came from the aft quarter, eliminating the need to tack. Once unloaded the wind would provide little impetus for the voyage back downstream. It would take the current combined with whatever wind caught in the sails to provide sufficient momentum to travel back down river to the sea.

The tension felt by both captain and crew was palatable. Any pretext the cargo they carried was legal had evaporated once they passed Perth-Amboy. Anything could happen if anyone other than their intended customers spotted them now.

They had all made this journey before, on other rivers, and on the Raritan, but there had been problems on the Raritan the previous trip. The customer’s man attempted to cheat Swift and indirectly threatened to sic the revenue men on the Providence and her crew. Greed apparently trumped caution or common sense, for the man assumed all the accompanying men would naturally provide any required backup. That failed to happen, for his men worked for wages and the thought of the revenue men slapping them in irons scared them more than it did the crew of the Providence. Not only did the required backup fail to materialize, but those men supported the actions taken by the captain of the Providence. The tactics used to resolve the matter were despicable, but highly effective. Best of all, these tactics required no application of force at the time.

Tonight’s load was the first delivery to the customer since that incident. How the activities this night unfolded would provide an indication of whether the customer wished to forget the previous incident as well. The order was a sign that everything was all right, unless the customer had an ambush in mind. You could never be sure. The location for the contraband landing was perfectly suited for an ambush. The river was narrow and the channel even narrower. It was impossible to turn the ship around and run without using boats to tow the bow around. If the customer used sharpshooters, they might easily take the ship after inflicting casualties on the exposed boat crews. The Providence was a rich prize worth the risk, for her hold contained over three hundred barrels of rum with an extra few barrels of sugar and molasses.

The captain of the Providence had taken measures to combat such treachery. At strategic locations around the deck, the crew had installed brackets for weapons. Those brackets now contained primed pistols, cutlasses, boarding axes which most of the crew called tomahawks, and boarding pikes for each member of the Providence’s complement. Canvas drop cloths covered these weapons to make them invisible to an unsuspecting visitor to the vessel. Each crew member always carried a knife and belaying pins were handy.

The preparations didn’t stop there. Each day the ship was at sea, the crew practised boarding drills for the better part of four hours. There was a set schedule for practice to ensure each man became an expert with each weapon. There were also swivel cannons and loaded Kentucky long rifles hidden aft. If an ambush did occur, the ambushers would pay dearly.

An ambush was just one risk. Revenue men waiting at the rendezvous point was another risk. It was possible to fight the revenue men, but stupid. Firing on the revenue men was ill advised, as the situation could turn very nasty. If one of the revenue men died or was seriously wounded, everyone would likely dangle in the wind at the end of a rope.

If revenue men were present, it meant someone passed information to them about the ship and the incoming contraband load. The revenue men would seize the Providence, and incarcerate the crew. The men would likely end up pressed into His Majesty’s navy. Every merchant sailor lived with the risk of impressment into the Royal Navy while at sea, so although regrettable, the seizure of the ship wouldn’t affect the men that greatly. For the Providence’s officers, a harsher sentence might occur. Prison was a given. Hanging might also occur to discourage others from smuggling. A wise smuggler caught in the act could always orchestrate a reduced sentence if one knew in whose pocket to place money.

The appearance of revenue men would require an instant decision. If the Providence’s crew could take the revenue men without killing them, there was a chance to turn the Providence and run. If the numbers of revenue men were too great, everyone on board could dive over the side and swim to shore after setting the ship on fire. Burning the ship would get rid of the evidence. The revenue men might still catch some of the crew, but the worst that might happen was impressment into one of His Majesty’s ships.

All of these thoughts ran through the captain’s mind as the ship slowly eased upstream. The Providence progressed upriver at two knots using only the main sail. A man could walk on the river’s bank faster than the Providence travelled. There were two reasons for maintaining the slow speed. McCleary, the man on the lead, couldn’t toss the lead much faster, and if the ship strayed from the channel, grounding was likely. Running aground would end any chance of successfully delivering the load, and might result in the loss of the entire load and ship.

The load of rum was worth considerable money. If purchasing the rum, sugar or molasses anywhere within King George’s domains, there was no import tax and no problem landing the load in any British port. If purchased outside King George’s domains, the revenue men levied a tax of nine pence on each gallon of rum, five pence per hundredweight of sugar, and six pence per gallon of molasses if landing the product at any British port. The plantation owners in the West Indies were well aware of these restrictions, as they were the ones that managed to get the laws enacted. They jacked up their prices to wring the maximum amount of profit from each barrel. Landing a load of product purchased in Jamaica or Barbados resulted in half the profits compared to those potentially made from French or Spanish products. That was before the revenue men applied the taxes. After the taxes, the profits weren’t nearly as attractive. Many loads therefore bypassed the revenue man. It was from this demand that the captain and crew of the Providence made their living.

Since they acquired the product from the French in the middle of a war between the French and English, it was illegal to land any French products on British soil. Handling any product purchased from the French was the same as conspiring with the enemy, with the same penalty. Meeting any revenue men at this point would ruin the evening.

As the Providence rounded a bend in the river, a lantern flashed three times from the larboard riverbank ahead. Either the customer’s men waited for them or the revenue men knew the signal.

It took another ten minutes to close to the landing point. In this case, the landing point was something of a misnomer. The waters near the shore were far too shallow for the Providence. It was necessary for the Providence to anchor in the channel.

Let go, shouted the captain. The anchor dropped with a splash. Shortly thereafter, it was possible to feel the Providence tug on the anchor cable as the hook set.

Rig for hoisting. Prepare to accept guests. Open the entry port.

The captain, Jon Swift, moved foreward to the entry port to await the men coming from shore in multiple boats. Swift was a young captain, just shy of twenty. Nearly six feet tall, with brown wavy hair, Swift had a powerful chest from working in the tops at an earlier stage of sea life. Dressed as a common sailor, many men assumed Swift was just another member of the crew. It wasn’t a ruse, for Swift preferred relaxed dress, but it had a number of beneficial aspects. Many men equated the lack of stylish clothes with a lack of business sense -- a mistake on their part. Swift had a sharp mind and good business instincts which were carefully hidden from view. The Royal Navy had taught Swift to mask any feelings or pay a hefty consequence. Since leaving His Majesty’s service Jon had retained this skill. The mask slipped into place.

The first man up the battens was a rugged looking fellow. He wasn’t the same man that attempted to cheat Jon the previous time. Just the same, the face seemed familiar. The man had been aboard that last time, but in a different capacity.

Evening Captain, good to see you again, said the rugged looking man. A second and third man followed closely behind. Both of these men turned and leaned over the bulwark. Ropes from below sailed up. The two men caught these two ropes and began lifting something. Jon took all of this in before turning to face the rugged-looking man.

Good evening to you, sir. How would you like to be addressed?

Call me Fred, Captain. You and I both know that’s not my name, but it makes things a bit friendlier.

Well Fred, we have your order, and it’s going to take some time to unload, so shall we get down to business. The first order of that business is to determine a price for the rum, sugar, and molasses. Then I’d like to check to see that you have adequate funds to pay. Is that acceptable?

Naturally, Captain. The boys are hoisting the cash aboard as we speak.

Fred and Jon dickered rapidly until reaching a price acceptable to both. After that, Fred opened the cash box. Jon stuck one of the two knives carried, the larger and heavier fighting knife, into the midst of the coins and stirred. The check was to ensure there wasn’t a false bottom in the chest and that adequate coin was present.

Hoist away, ordered Jon once satisfied with the amount of coin.

The process was smooth. William, Abraham, and Richmond worked the hold, as there was insufficient space for more men until some of the cargo was off-loaded. McCleary and Kneap worked the hoist in relays with Bell and Scoffield. Mr. Robson, the first mate, supervised the unloading and assisted where necessary. Abraham manoeuvred several barrels into a cargo net and signalled. McCleary and Kneap hoisted the net and held it suspended for a few seconds while Jon and Fred counted the barrels. A nod from Jon saw the net lowered into a waiting boat. One of the men waiting in the boat unhooked the net. The cargo net remained around the barrels for the trip to shore. Once at shore, a shore party hooked the net to a hoist, swung the load inland, and lowered it into waiting carts. More men manoeuvred the barrels out of the net before the cart departed. The empty net returned to the Providence via the next boat. With several cargo nets and four boats, the unloading proceeded smoothly.

Jon and Fred sat aft on the quarterdeck at a table with a shaded lantern. For each net load, they counted and agreed on the number of barrels and product in the barrels. Each rum barrel contained thirty-six gallons and each sugar case contained four hundredweight. They multiplied each container by the agreed upon price. Fred counted and passed the resulting amount of coin to Jon across the table. Jon recounted and deposited the coin in the Providence’s chest. The entire process was smooth, and as amicable as possible in the present circumstances.

Despite the cold December night air and stripping down to light shirts, the Providence’s crew sweated at the effort of manoeuvring the barrels and hoisting them in rapid succession. Everyone in the hold was bare-chested and still sweated.

As the unloading neared completion, Fred remarked about the crew. That’s a good crew you’ve got there Captain. They’ve kept my men busy and not a complaint from them, or a request for a break.

Every one of us wants to be clear of the Raritan, both river and bay, before first light. If that takes extra effort, everyone is willing to put in that effort. You sound knowledgeable about things. Are you looking for a position?

Not me, Captain. I’ve had my fill of the sea. Some of the boys might be, though. You got any spots?

Not right now. Winter is the slow season for us. I might need some more men in the spring. If you have men interested, have your boss let me know in the next message.

Fred rubbed his nose and thought about that for a few minutes without responding. Jon figured there were a number of reasons Fred was hesitant. Perhaps Fred didn’t know the customer’s real name. Jon knew it, but was not about to mention it. Another possibility was that the customer might not like his men defecting to another group. Possibly Fred was reluctant to put something in writing because of an inability to read or write.

Captain, perhaps the next time you come in the spring, if some men are willing you can take them with you. That would make it easier.

I’ll only take them if I can use them at the time.

I understand. Thank you, Captain.

Jon poured a drink for each of them to consummate the evening’s deals. They toasted the success of each other’s transactions while Fred’s men lowered the customer’s empty cash box over the side. After a quick handshake, Fred followed.

Weigh anchor.

Turning the Providence around was the last step before sailing. Fred positioned all four boats near the Providence’s bow. Scoffield ensured the appropriate towlines snaked out to each of those boats. With four boats pulling, it took little time to swing the bow. Once the Providence pointed down river, the boats dropped the lines in the water and headed for shore. The current gently pushed the Providence downstream.

Scoffield, Abraham, raise the mainsail. McCleary, get on the lead. William, stow the capstan bars. Bell, Richmond, raise the jib and fore staysail.

McCleary rushed to the bow and started heaving the lead. Scoffield and Abraham hoisted the main sail before recovering the towlines dragging alongside. Bell and Richmond recovered the remaining towlines after raising the jib and fore staysail. Kneap, as usual, was at the helm.

The Providence headed downstream at nearly four knots pushed by the current. The ship’s speed was too fast for the river, but the Providence drew a full fathom less than she had when heading upstream. No one anticipated any difficulties until the ship reached Raritan Bay. There was a tricky section close to Perth-Amboy where shoals were present. Once the ship managed to pass those shoals, she needed to stick to the marked channel closer to Staten Island. A turn toward Sandy Hook put her in deeper water until clear of Raritan Bay. It was a straight run until a narrow channel close to Sandy Hook. Once through that channel, the Providence would turn to larboard and head to New York for a new load of cargo.

Cargo wasn’t the only thing that waited for them in New York.

CHAPTER

2

N ew York harbour early on a dark December morning was a dismal place. The chilly air, harbouring a threat of snow, combined with the crew’s exhaustion bolstered the gloominess of the arrival. Both captain and crew of the Providence wished to be in a sunnier, warmer climate.

Lower the foresail, ordered Jon. Prepare to anchor.

The Providence slowed.

Helm ta larboard, bring her into the wind. Once facing directly into the wind the Providence effectively stopped.

Let go. Lower the mainsail. Take in the jib and fore staysail.

The anchor splashed quietly into the lead coloured water. The light wind pushed the Providence back causing the anchor to set. Although there was no sound from the crew, you could almost hear the sigh of relief.

Mr. Robson, lower both boats into the water and secure them alongside. Send William below to prepare a good breakfast for everyone. You can stand the crew down until noon except for a one-man deck watch. I want two armed men at four bells in the forenoon watch to row me over to the landing with the strongbox. Once you secure the ship, report to me in my cabin.

Jon was already heading below as Robson acknowledged. The faint light in the eastern sky announced the start of a busy sleepless day. The state of the sky was not the present focus, instead that focus was on Ezekiel Robson, a lanky New Englander hired in New York to replace Harry Short. Robson had been the first mate on the Providence for less than two months. Since signing on, Robson had proven competent and reasonably efficient. He hadn’t even batted an eye when informed about the contraband loads the Providence occasionally carried. Although satisfied with Robson’s performance, there was something missing. Jon trusted each man within the Providence’s crew, but that same level of trust didn’t exist with Robson. It was nothing that Robson had or hadn’t accomplished; it was just impossible to explain.

There were numerous times on the last voyage when Jon wished Harry Short, the previous first mate, were on board. Harry had left the Providence at Jon’s request to occupy a more important position as the captain of the brig Margaret. The Margaret was another ship owned by the Hudson Trading Company, and one reason for the delay in New York.

The Margaret lacked the proper papers and registration needed for all British ships. The Margaret had been taken as a prize off Nova Scotia, but had never been submitted to a prize court. If submitted to a prize court, neither Jon nor the crew of the Providence would see a penny, as the Providence had carried no Letter of Marque when she captured the ship. That wasn’t fair, since the men on the Providence had risked their lives taking the Margaret. The courts undoubtedly would have a different view of things if anyone discovered this contravention of the rules.

The privateer Margarité with a crew of over one hundred Frenchmen, attempted to board the Providence one night as the Providence escaped through the French blockade of Annapolis Royal. The Providence repelled that attempt with some nasty surprises that decimated the Margarité’s crew. The Providence’s small crew boarded the Margarité while her crew reeled from those surprises and took her. Over sixty-five of the Margarité’s crew died in that fight or as a result of wounds suffered. An accurate count was impossible because there was no one still alive that knew the exact size of the crew before the fight. Another thirty-nine went into captivity.

Papers captured from the Margarité disclosed additional opportunities. While the Providence went in for repairs, the Providence’s crew transferred over to the renamed Margaret and went hunting. Translations of captured information helped the Margaret’s crew capture three additional vessels. Two were small luggers and the third was a packet schooner. The luggers, Nicole and Emily, were submitted in the proper fashion to the prize courts. The prize courts legally condemned the ships and put them up for auction. Jon’s company, the Hudson Trading Company, purchased the two luggers at the auction. These luggers now sat in Gloucester harbour waiting employment. While the luggers were legally his, Jon had yet to discover if the prize courts would award him the stipulated prize funds. The Margaret carried a Letter of Marque when capturing the luggers. Submitting the luggers to the prize courts was a test to verify if the prize courts worked for or against him. The process had worked as it should have so far. Unfortunately, the real test was the pay-out, which had not yet occurred. If the pay-out occurred correctly, the Margaret would venture forth again and submit the third prize, the schooner, to the prize courts. If not, the schooner Susan would continue to sail for the Hudson Trading Company in her current capacity.

Whether to submit the schooner Susan to the prize courts was a future problem. A more pressing one involved obtaining legal papers for the Margaret. Since concealment of the Margaret’s true origins was essential it required some tricky legal manoeuvring, all well beyond Jon’s knowledge and capacity. Any court would view the failure to submit the Margaret to the prize courts in the same manner it would view piracy. The penalty for that was a quick trip to the gallows.

Finding crews and employment for the Nicole and Emily was another problem. Money was an even bigger problem. The crews of the Margaret and Providence expected compensation for the cargo and ships captured. Jon had promised them compensation for the cargo, the Margaret, and potentially the Susan if the prize courts didn’t rule in his favour. That was a large amount of coin. Concurrently, to employ the Margaret and Susan, the company had purchased cargo. Whether that cargo sold profitably was currently unknown. While it was the responsibility of the captains of each of these vessels to ensure the purchase and sale of cargo at a profit, they needed seed money to start. That had taken every penny available. A sixth ship was under construction by John Fowler and Sons Shipbuilding in Gloucester. That ship was only half paid for. Fowler would demand more coin in the spring to complete that construction. There would also be outfitting costs and problems finding officers and a crew.

A knock on the door interrupted any further consideration of these problems.

Captain, the ship is secure, said Robson. Jon motioned for him to take a seat, while considering how much information to pass on.

Ezekiel, when I go ashore with the strongbox, after I’m finished at the bank, I’ll swing around to the harbour master’s office and get us a berth. I’ll send the berth location back with whoever brings the strongbox back. I want you to dock the ship. I’m going to stay ashore and order cargo. I have some other business to complete, so I don’t expect to return to the ship until tonight.

When can we expect the cargo to arrive, sir?

We won’t load any cargo today, so you can pay the men and they can have a run ashore. We’ll provision, wood and water tomorrow at the same time as we load cargo. I’ll want your requirements for provisioning before I head ashore.

How much do you want on board, sir?

We’ll be at sea for three weeks at least. Double that to be safe. Don’t worry too much about spices and such for William. We’re heading to Charles Towne directly from here. William knows where to buy all the spices and such he needs in Charles Towne at far lower prices than here. It’s not the same for the cargo or other provisions; that’s why we’re loading here.

May I ask what we’re doing in Charles Towne, and when we’re sailing, Captain?

I expect the contraband load we just delivered will be the last load into this area before the freeze-up. I’ll confirm that this afternoon, of course. It’s been some time since we delivered a load of contraband down south. I expect orders are waiting for us in Charles Towne. I plan on sailing into Charles Towne harbour, anchoring and checking for those orders. I don’t intend to dock, as there is no cargo to load, only some minor supplies, which we can carry in the gig or cutter. I expect we’ll leave here tomorrow night and stay in Charles Towne a day or two at the most. Of course that might change depending on what I learn this afternoon.

Thank you, sir. If there’s nothing else, I’ll have the deck watch wake you at three bells in the forenoon watch.

That’s fine Mr. Robson. Take that sack with you. It contains the crew’s pay. Make sure you bring the books up to speed once you pay them.

With Robson gone, it was time to return to work. That work involved counting the coin in the strongbox and ensuring sufficient funds remained aboard the Providence. Jon had made an error earlier depositing too much coin. It had nearly cost a load of contraband and a supplier. That experience virtually ensured the same mistake would never happen again. There was also a requirement to list the cargo needed. That simple task wasn’t straightforward, as it involved making several copies of the cargo requirements. Rarely did a single supplier have everything needed or everything at the best price. The difference of a few pennies a pound added up when moving one hundred tons of cargo.

This work so dominated his thinking and concentration that there was no conscious realization when a knock on the cabin door occurred. William entered carrying a plate of food and a pot of hot tea. William was used to the captain’s distraction while involved in something or sleeping. Jon looked up from writing only when the plate slid across the desk toward him.

Thank you William. I didn’t even hear you.

You rarely does, Capt’n.

William was a wiry five foot six Negro with curly black hair, black eyes and a ready smile. If one looked closely, it was possible to detect a trace of mischief in him. Jon had purchased William from old man Cleaver at a slave auction in Charles Towne after having tasted William’s cooking. Jon had set William free, but still hadn’t completed the paperwork. That came in handy when boarding parties arrived. William was treated like any other man by all on board the Providence or perhaps slightly better because of his cooking. It was the first time he experienced any form of freedom and resulted in a fierce loyalty to Swift.

William’s cooking skills were unsurpassed on board any ship. He had left the ship for a few days for various duties, and the crew vowed never to let him leave again. Every man in the crew would back him. As a seaman, William still had a lot to learn, but learned quickly once instructed. Each afternoon during training, that seamanship skill improved. Jon always worried about William and Abraham, another Negro, in ports, especially southern ports and ports in the Indies. The reception they might encounter was radically different from the white members of the crew.

You taking a run ashore tonight?

Abraham and me was gonna wander around, Capt’n.

Stick together. New York may seem safer than Charles Towne, but it can still be rough. One caution, if you’re carrying a knife, its best if you’re not caught with it. Understand?

Aye, Capt’n.

Pass that on to Abraham. Both of you be safe out there.

Always, Capt’n.

Although the bunk and sleep beckoned, there were still some concerns about the upcoming meetings that kept Jon awake. The most pressing concern was obtaining papers for the Margaret. Harry Short, the captain of the Margaret had some forged papers that would pass a quick glance by a harbour master. They would fall short in any detailed examination. The Margaret carried a legitimate Letter of Marque signed by the Governor of Massachusetts. Harry had provided this on top of the forged papers upon receiving a request for documentation. Few people questioned a privateer with twenty cannon that had a Letter of Marque. Nevertheless, official legal registration papers were necessary to prevent questions arising about the Margaret.

The manner of obtaining those papers involved a number of moves. The last step was the registration of the ship with the Hudson Trading Company. Any solicitor could do that. Jon had used Tobias Tweed at the recommendation of August and Peter Reinhardt when setting up the Hudson Trading Company. There was no reason not to use Tweed again for this task. It was too risky to use Tweed for the other steps in the process. For one thing, Tweed was too starchy. Any hint of improper legal transactions would result in the loss of Tweed’s services. It might also result in a closer examination of various other transactions. That was something to avoid.

There were also some concerns about using a New York-based solicitor. One never knew whether these men discussed cases or peculiar work they undertook with peers. The Hudson Trading Company was registered in New York, and it was only a matter of time until the company began operations here. It was best to keep shady dealings as far away from New York as possible.

After considerable thought about the process, Jon decided to travel to a different city for the first step. That step was to set up a company with false owners. If anyone investigated the ship, the search for the false owners would result in a dead end. Setting up a company happened all the time, so any solicitor could complete the work.

The next step was the difficult one. That was arranging papers for the Margaret using the company with the false owners. Since there were no British papers for the ship, some plausible story explaining the lack of those papers was necessary. The only thing that came to mind was a fire on the ship that consumed the papers. It happened from time to time. Failing that, it would require a very creative and shady solicitor.

The key to all the transactions was for a different solicitor to carry out only one portion of the work. That way no single person could piece together the entire story. It entailed a higher cost, but that was acceptable since it substantially lowered the risk of discovery. It would also require far more time, and that was a potential problem. There simply wasn’t adequate time to travel to and from different ports for a few hours to meet with and then collect the solicitor’s work.

Nothing ever seemed simple.

There was another concern that had appeared just recently. With five ships, the Hudson Trading Company needed a base of operations. When operating with only the Providence, a base of operations wasn’t necessary. With the ‘acquisition’ of the Margaret and the two luggers, a base made sense. The Nicole and Emily needed a safe place to anchor, to load, and unload cargo. The Margaret carried twenty guns. A privateer needed these guns. On a merchantman, the presence of the guns hindered the movement of cargo and their weight reduced the amount of cargo carried. There was no place to store those guns.

In Jon’s mind, only six areas in the colonies provided opportunities to build a shipping company. In the north was Boston, but after all the problems encountered in Boston, Jon wanted nothing to do with it. Besides, Boston currently had no opportunities for contraband shipments. The Providence had previously carried contraband loads to Boston. Since Jon had taken over the Providence, not