[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
turning. "Follow the leader" was the only reliable signal in a battle like
this.
Avenger could not break out of the formation by going ahead, into easy range
of the Imperial guns. So there was nothing to do but drop back through the
formation to the rear.
During the next few minutes Blade was quite sure that he would finish up this
day with his hair and beard as white as milk, if he lived through it at all.
As Avenger slowed, the other galleys seemed to be racing past her. For one
ghastly moment it seemed that Avenger's next astern was going to ram her
barrel straight up the flagship's stern and set it off almost under Blade's
feet. By a margin so narrow that it made
Blade sweat, that disaster was avoided.
Another galley shot up from astern and, by an even narrower margin, avoided
plowing along Avenger's starboard side. That would have smashed half of the
flagship's oars and flattened a good many of her rowers for good.
A third galley swerved in plenty of time to avoid coming close to Avenger. In
the process she found herself almost across the bows of still another galley.
This one had to swerve in turn, missed blowing her comrade to bits, but came
so close to her stern that one anchor caught in the other's main rigging.
Shrouds parted with dismal twangs and the mainmast went over with a tremendous
crash, amid a chorus of furious yells. For the moment it looked as if those
two galleys were about to start a private war of their own.
Finally Avenger slid out of the formation. As Blade watched from the
quarterdeck, he could see some of the other galleys in the allied center
already following his lead and coming about to port. Still others were trying
to follow but were too mixed up with their comrades to maneuver safely. Around
and among and occasionally on all of them the shot from the Imperial line
still fell. Kul-Nam's captains either had unlimited powder or were less afraid
of wasting it than of seeming not to be doing their best for their terrible
master.
Avenger was now racing along almost parallel to the Imperial line, within
range but not taking any fire for the moment. Blade looked away toward the
rest of the battle. A bank of smoke was slowly swallowing everything astern,
but he could see no real changes. He could barely make out the rest of the
Imperial sailing ships. Apparently they were following through on their
planned movements.
Fine. If he couldn't see the ships, neither could Kul-Nam. If Kul-Nam couldn't
see them, he couldn't signal to them. If he couldn't signal new orders to
Page 93
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
them, they would go right on obeying the old ones.
Fear of the Emperor was making his captains incredibly brave and stubborn. At
the same time, it would also make them incredibly rigid in obeying what they
thought were his orders.
Rule by fear was a two-edged sword.
Twenty galleys were now moving after Avenger in something that might be called
a formation. Even better. They were gaining on the sailing ships. Soon they
could swing around and cross the bows of the
Imperial line. Instead of twenty sailing ships shooting at sixty galleys,
there would be twenty galleys surrounding two or three sailing ships at a
time, with full room to maneuver-and full room to swing in and strike with
what they thrust ahead of them.
It had been a bloody battle and it would become still bloodier before it was
over. But it might also turn into a victory. Blade mentally crossed his
fingers-he'd done everything else that could be done for the moment.
Eventually the Imperial ships noticed Avenger and the galleys following her.
They couldn't figure out what the galleys' maneuvers meant, but they could see
a lot of targets. By now, though, Avenger was using the room created by all
the confusion to swing still farther to port. Most of the other galleys were
following her. Two-thirds of Blade's attacking force was now out of range from
the Imperial line, but the
Imperial captains didn't seem to realize this. They went on blazing away as if
the galleys were practically
alongside.
"They can't see very well, can they?" said Prince Durouman.
"No," said Blade. "Or perhaps they can see nothing but Kul-Nam's flag-and
Kul-Nam's rage if they stop firing. We shall have to ask them, after we win
the battle."
Durouman looked sharply at Blade, realized that Blade had spoken with a
perfectly straight face, and nodded.
Blade was glad to see that the galleys were drawing ahead of the Imperial
ships. They were moving at a pace the rowers could not hold for much longer,
if they were to have any strength left for the actual attack. That would have
to be made at absolute top speed, for they would be closing to ranges where a
gunner blind drunk and half paralyzed could hardly miss.
Avenger was a mile out ahead of the leading Imperial ship when Blade ordered
the helm over again and the rowers to increase to the ramming stroke. Looking
astern, he saw one galley after another doing the same. He heaved a sigh of
relief. They had done all the complicated things he'd wanted them to do as if
all the captains had been reading his mind. Now it was going to be a straight,
uncomplicated attack again, with every galley for herself.
Avenger swung in a wide circle around the head of the Imperial line. Some of
the galley captains behind her were too impatient to do that. They put their
helms hard over and drove straight in at the enemy.
Blade prayed that no more than half of them would be sunk as a price for that
magnificently foolish courage.
It was not Avenger that drove home the first attack with Blade's secret weapon
against a sailing ship of the Empire. It was a galley of Nullar and a pirate
galley, racing in almost side by side, not firing their guns, every man aboard
except the rowers lying flat on the decks. They raced in, waves rising so high
over the bows that Blade half expected them to drive right under.
They struck. There was a thudding roar, and a great column of water spewed up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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turning. "Follow the leader" was the only reliable signal in a battle like
this.
Avenger could not break out of the formation by going ahead, into easy range
of the Imperial guns. So there was nothing to do but drop back through the
formation to the rear.
During the next few minutes Blade was quite sure that he would finish up this
day with his hair and beard as white as milk, if he lived through it at all.
As Avenger slowed, the other galleys seemed to be racing past her. For one
ghastly moment it seemed that Avenger's next astern was going to ram her
barrel straight up the flagship's stern and set it off almost under Blade's
feet. By a margin so narrow that it made
Blade sweat, that disaster was avoided.
Another galley shot up from astern and, by an even narrower margin, avoided
plowing along Avenger's starboard side. That would have smashed half of the
flagship's oars and flattened a good many of her rowers for good.
A third galley swerved in plenty of time to avoid coming close to Avenger. In
the process she found herself almost across the bows of still another galley.
This one had to swerve in turn, missed blowing her comrade to bits, but came
so close to her stern that one anchor caught in the other's main rigging.
Shrouds parted with dismal twangs and the mainmast went over with a tremendous
crash, amid a chorus of furious yells. For the moment it looked as if those
two galleys were about to start a private war of their own.
Finally Avenger slid out of the formation. As Blade watched from the
quarterdeck, he could see some of the other galleys in the allied center
already following his lead and coming about to port. Still others were trying
to follow but were too mixed up with their comrades to maneuver safely. Around
and among and occasionally on all of them the shot from the Imperial line
still fell. Kul-Nam's captains either had unlimited powder or were less afraid
of wasting it than of seeming not to be doing their best for their terrible
master.
Avenger was now racing along almost parallel to the Imperial line, within
range but not taking any fire for the moment. Blade looked away toward the
rest of the battle. A bank of smoke was slowly swallowing everything astern,
but he could see no real changes. He could barely make out the rest of the
Imperial sailing ships. Apparently they were following through on their
planned movements.
Fine. If he couldn't see the ships, neither could Kul-Nam. If Kul-Nam couldn't
see them, he couldn't signal to them. If he couldn't signal new orders to
Page 93
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
them, they would go right on obeying the old ones.
Fear of the Emperor was making his captains incredibly brave and stubborn. At
the same time, it would also make them incredibly rigid in obeying what they
thought were his orders.
Rule by fear was a two-edged sword.
Twenty galleys were now moving after Avenger in something that might be called
a formation. Even better. They were gaining on the sailing ships. Soon they
could swing around and cross the bows of the
Imperial line. Instead of twenty sailing ships shooting at sixty galleys,
there would be twenty galleys surrounding two or three sailing ships at a
time, with full room to maneuver-and full room to swing in and strike with
what they thrust ahead of them.
It had been a bloody battle and it would become still bloodier before it was
over. But it might also turn into a victory. Blade mentally crossed his
fingers-he'd done everything else that could be done for the moment.
Eventually the Imperial ships noticed Avenger and the galleys following her.
They couldn't figure out what the galleys' maneuvers meant, but they could see
a lot of targets. By now, though, Avenger was using the room created by all
the confusion to swing still farther to port. Most of the other galleys were
following her. Two-thirds of Blade's attacking force was now out of range from
the Imperial line, but the
Imperial captains didn't seem to realize this. They went on blazing away as if
the galleys were practically
alongside.
"They can't see very well, can they?" said Prince Durouman.
"No," said Blade. "Or perhaps they can see nothing but Kul-Nam's flag-and
Kul-Nam's rage if they stop firing. We shall have to ask them, after we win
the battle."
Durouman looked sharply at Blade, realized that Blade had spoken with a
perfectly straight face, and nodded.
Blade was glad to see that the galleys were drawing ahead of the Imperial
ships. They were moving at a pace the rowers could not hold for much longer,
if they were to have any strength left for the actual attack. That would have
to be made at absolute top speed, for they would be closing to ranges where a
gunner blind drunk and half paralyzed could hardly miss.
Avenger was a mile out ahead of the leading Imperial ship when Blade ordered
the helm over again and the rowers to increase to the ramming stroke. Looking
astern, he saw one galley after another doing the same. He heaved a sigh of
relief. They had done all the complicated things he'd wanted them to do as if
all the captains had been reading his mind. Now it was going to be a straight,
uncomplicated attack again, with every galley for herself.
Avenger swung in a wide circle around the head of the Imperial line. Some of
the galley captains behind her were too impatient to do that. They put their
helms hard over and drove straight in at the enemy.
Blade prayed that no more than half of them would be sunk as a price for that
magnificently foolish courage.
It was not Avenger that drove home the first attack with Blade's secret weapon
against a sailing ship of the Empire. It was a galley of Nullar and a pirate
galley, racing in almost side by side, not firing their guns, every man aboard
except the rowers lying flat on the decks. They raced in, waves rising so high
over the bows that Blade half expected them to drive right under.
They struck. There was a thudding roar, and a great column of water spewed up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]