Ingenious pain, Andrew Miller [little red riding hood ebook .txt] 📗

an unpleasant one, for somehow, while waiting for the bullet's impact, one must endeavour to comport oneself like a gentleman, that is, you cannot hide or crawl on your belly, most particularly when you are in the company of a fellow who walks through the Valley of the Shadow as though it were Ranelagh Gardens.

Poor Captain Reynolds lay in Mr Drake's arms beside a huddle of dead marines. His left leg was entirely off and Mr Drake said he thought it must have gone over the side for he could not find it anywhere. The Captain asked where Mr Munro was. I said he was engaged below. The Captain then smiled and said he was happy to see Mr Dyer for he

was sure he knew what he was about. He said — 'Shall I live?' - Dyer answered that he would as the limb had come ojf neatly and there was not much stuff in the wound. The Captain thanked him, and we were on the point of getting him below when an enemy ball struck the mizzen mast, spraying the Quarter Deck with splinters, one of which struck me in the eye.

Beyond that point I can tell you very little. I thought at first I was killed and yet somehow I got below, as did Captain Reynolds who, as Dyer prophesied, survived the battle and retired as a Yellow Flag Admiral. For the battle itself well. Sir, you know how that fell out, and the consequences for poor Admiral Byng. The Enemy broke off the action and fell away to leeward, that they might reform their line out of range of our guns. They were faster than us and there was no signal ffom the Admiral to chase. In truth, our ships were badly mauled, and though, with an Anson or a Hawke, we should no doubt have pressed on, at the time we were glad enough of a respite. Certainly no one may accuse the English sailors of wanting the stomach for a fight. They are endlessly brave. I do not believe they ever think of being killed. They live only in the instant. The future is nothing to them.

I left the ship at Gibraltar, together with the Captain and those of the crew too poorly to face the rigours of the homeward passage. The last occasion on which I saw your friend was when I was carried past the dispensary and happened to look in with my one good eye and see him there apparently dissecting a human hand. But as I was somewhat feverish, I may have been mistaken. Yet, now I think of it, that was not quite the last time, for I saw him once in London, near Temple Bar, almost two years later, walking with an older gentleman, somewhat gross, whom Mrs Fisher assured me was one of the famous Hunter brothers.

We//, Sir, I trust I Joave been ab/e to satisfy your curiosity. Your friend was a very remarkab/e person and I was not at a// surprised to read of him going to Russia to inocu/ate t/je Empress. I shou/d be interested to know how he fared for I do not thin/i I heard of him after. If you are ever in this part of the county pray be so good as to ca// on us. We /ive very quiet/y but there is good sport on the river. I am, Sir, Your Most Humb/e Servant^

David Fisher

So/omon Dra/ie to Reverend Lestrade

Apri/ 1774 at Brixham Sir,

Rev Fisher as/zs that I rite you conserning James Dyur of the Aquilon and that you have an interest in that gen/emans time at sea, particu//y the rade at Cuba. I understand Rev Fisher has to/d you the rest of it.

The p/ace we rayded was ca//ed Baracoo and the short of it is we went to /leep our peop/e sharp and see what might be had of any use or va/ue to us. We rowed in in four boats with Leftenant Whitney commanding and strict orders to /zeep are tongs sti// in are heads that the enemy might not be a/urted. I commanded the third boat - Benson MacNamara Johnson Dyur Gummer ParJis Austin 0 Conner Lower and the chinee Arthur Easter - a// with cut/asses axes pisto/s or c/ubs acording to there fancy.

An ower before first /ight we came into a sma// baye and cou/d see the town very faint/y at the end. The p/ace was quite as the grave cepting a dog that got wind of us and set up barJiing. We

landed at the darkest part of the key by some steps an under the lee of a tobackoo wherehouse.

Leftenant Whitney led the first party out to look for the Mayors house and my party followed incase there was a garryson. For five minutes we had the place to ourselfs then a bell rung out from one of the churches and mery Hell broke loose. Had they nown we were a party of no more than thurtyfive souls we might have had are work cut out but they thort we were a thousand come to murther them in there beds. The town was empty in side of an ower. Then are people began to go into the houses and leftenant Whitney dare not say ort nowing there temper an how they wood sooner put a bullet threw him than stop there fun.

In an out of the houses they went like bees at there hives. Anything of value they took but best they liked the fine close particulally the laydes close and when they could not carry more they pulled them on and ran about like women out of Bedlam. Sir I ashore you it was the strangest site in the world.

Now the Cubans came back in to fight, some on whorses, others on foot. I saw them kill Able Seaman Parks, but are men, encumburred as they were by there booty, gave the enemy good service. We were in the plaza mayor which is the mane