1633:The Danish Scheme Read Online Free PDF Page B

They'll need to refit before anyone can show up here. We need to ourselves. We both suffered damage to our masts and rigging in the fight and on our voyage. Our bottoms need to be careened and shot holes repaired. Do you have a yard that can handle those types of repairs?"
    "Only if we do it one ship at a time." A slender, elderly man in the back answered. From his weathered appearance, he had once served at sea. De Vries owned the local shipyard and understood the tasks involved. "It doesn't sound like you've suffered any damage we can't handle. Your size may complicate matters. How fast we have to finish will be the biggest concern."
    Tjaert’s spirits rose. "I'd hoped you'd say that. In that case, I'll keep one ship on patrol. We may have been badly hurt at Dunkirk, but we can still take the fight to our enemies. We plan on trolling the Grand Banks for prizes. I intend to hurt the French and English as much as I can. It may be only a pinprick now, but who knows what the future will bring." All of the heads seemed to nod in unison. They hadn’t the faintest idea what they were agreeing to, but at least someone was offering a plan they could follow. Tjaert felt a warm glow inside.  I can keep my vow! France and England will pay!  
    Tjaert sat quietly, off to the side, as the meeting slowly wound down. He tried to size up who the real leaders were in the colony. Van Twiller might be the Director General, but his earlier impression was confirmed. He certainly was no leader in a crisis. As long as they didn’t seem to be drifting from where he wanted them to end up, he kept quiet.
    During the discussion, De Vries added an extra two weeks to his estimate for repairs when he realized that both ships were  fregätten  . He announced he would have to extend the slipway to handle the larger size of the ships. In the end, the consensus was that repairs on both ships would last about two months after the slips in the yard were extended.
    By the time the meeting had broken up, Tjaert was relieved that at least the local leaders seemed to grasp the severity of the situation. They would do what needed to be done to get his ships battle worthy again. If only the French and English would cooperate. As they left the church, everyone wanted to get them aside for a private talk. Van Rensselaer’s prestige won out.

Chapter 4
    November 1633, Copenhagen  
    The Chancellor was waiting to greet him as the carriage arrived. Sir Thomas was mildly amused.  A successful mission has its advantages! Suddenly, everyone’s your friend. I hope it carries over to this meeting with the King.  It was only two days since their return from England with the signed treaty. He instinctively reached down to insure the seals were still intact on the pouch. It was in a lot better condition than he was. The return voyage had been swift, due to an autumn storm. Throughout the voyage, he and the Chancellor had both remained below decks, suffering from seasickness. His stomach still refused to keep down anything with even a hint of grease. Scheel, on the other hand, looked disgustingly cheerful.  Maybe the good news has put his master in a good mood too. For our sakes, I hope so.  The message summoning him had included a pointed request that his partners also come along. His two passengers were in answer to that request.
    Saul and Reuben Abrabanel had contacted him shortly after he first started putting out feelers to various investors about a planned expedition to the New World. They were younger members of the far flung Abrabanel banking family. They represented a number of interested parties from Germany that were interested in developing resources in the New World. Besides money, they had brought an even more valuable resources, information and access, to the partnership. They had eased the way for his explorer, Captain Luke Foxe, to investigate the records in Grantville. Most people were still not aware of the vast treasure trove of information that had