Across to America: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 9) Read Online Free PDF

withstand punishment.
     
    Phillips addressed the bosun. “Very well, do your duty!”
    The prisoner was tied to the upright grating, his face toward the mast and a leather apron strapped to his lower back to protect the kidney area. Then a petty officer stood behind the victim with a cat-o’-nine tails in his hands. The lash had been made specifically for this task and would be discarded overboard as soon as the punishment had been inflicted.
     
    The Marine drummer stood nearby and began to slowly beat his instrument. At Phillip’s nod and order. “Do your duty” the bosun’s mate drew his arm back and struck Willis’ back with full force, leaving nine red stripes where the lash had landed. Willis winced but made no other expression of pain. The other eleven lashes were laid on. The victim made not a sound during the punishment. At the end of the dozen, the petty officer backed away, and said, “Punishment inflicted, Sir.”
    Willis was unstrapped from the grating and a bucket of seawater was thrown over his now bloody back. This time he did let out a howl as the salt water burned his wounds.
     
    Lord Forsythe, who had been below during much of the punishment, approached and reported, “Sir, Doctor Baynes says he is most sorry for his actions and wished to express his apologies. He assures me he had no idea of his role in the ship and thought he was just to tend to me. Doctor Baynes told me there will be no further instances of disobedience.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
     
    In due course, Doctor Baynes approached Captain Phillips on the quarterdeck and expressed his apologies personally. On his part, Phillips assured the doctor that he himself had over-reacted and offered his own. Fortunately the log had not yet been brought up to date, so the matter could be forgotten. The doctor explained he had not been thoroughly briefed concerning his duties.
    His London practice had become very tiring for him and a friend employed at the Foreign Office informed him of this position. He understood he would be the personal physician of an important envoy to South America, and had fancied the voyage as something of a vacation. He had heard something of a Navy Warrant but that had little meaning to him and escaped his memory.
    Back on Harley Street, he had been something of an important person and he assumed this would be the situation here. When he began receiving orders from all and sundry, he was sure he was being practiced upon.
     
    Days later, the convoy had now gone as far south as it needed and was now to sail due west to the Windward Islands. HMS Andromeda would be leaving the convoy to continue on its course to its destination a little farther south.
     
    The envoy had long since left his sickness behind and now joined the captain on the quarterdeck. Another deck chair had been constructed, and now the pair sat for hours discussing various topics. Lord Forsythe was well-travelled, with an extensive education and was able to expound upon many a subject Phillips had barely heard of. To Phillips intense relief, the subject of his wife’s deliverance from her captivity never came up.
    One of the subjects that did, involved the envoy’s mission. Forsythe explained, “Last year a wealthy young man by the name of Bolivar, from the Spanish Province of Venezuela on the South American mainland, appeared in London and began discussing an agenda to anyone who would listen to him.”
    “At the Foreign Office he announced his participation in a struggle for the independence of the Spanish regions of the South American continent. He had been sent to Britain by the junta in control of the area around Caracas. His mission was to obtain recognition, arms and hopefully funding. HM government did not wish to make commitments at this stage of the game, so nothing was promised. After due consideration, Government has decided to remain strictly neutral for the time being.”
    “For now, the alliance