As the sun peeked its lazy head above the horizon, giving a glow that turned the darkness to light, the Revenge sat hidden in a small cove waiting for the Antoinette to make her way out of Baltimore into the vast opening of the Atlantic.
When she did, the Revenge fell in behind her full with sail in pursuit. Once beyond sight of land the Revenge pulled alongside her and both captains tipped their hats to one another in acknowledgement. The captain ordered the colors be raised as they pulled in front of the Antoinette leading the way to France.
The weather could not have been better if they had ordered it up from a menu. Blue skies and smooth waters set the scene for the few weeks it took to cross the vast ocean through the straits of Gibralter, past Spain and into French waters.
Two ships passed them at a distance, but bearing the notorious jolly roger of Thaddeus Stillwater, kept them from journeying any closer than need be. Fifty miles off the coast, the Revenge took her leave and headed back to the straits and northwest to the Azores where they would catch the current pulling them into the north Atlantic gulf stream.
Luck seemed to be with the cunning captain and within a week the Revenge spotted a German ship head to the colonies. Their advantage of surprise on the unsuspecting crew made hand to hand combat unnecessary.
Flaming cannon balls in the black of night left the ship an inferno. One of the first balls to hit took out the mast that lay atop the deck trapping the men who’d been sleeping below to be consumed by flames.
Jessop and William stood on the deck of the Revenge looking at the bright flames shooting across the lame ship and up its mast like a liquid with nothing to curb or dam its destruction.
Screams from the men trapped lingered in their ears and Jessop was awestruck at the dismal sight that played out before him. The fire had no mercy and even if the pirates aboard wanted to help, there was nothing that could be done. Too fast had the plot unfolded for anyone to change their minds.
Soon the screams stopped and only the crack of wood and the hiss of steam were heard. It seemed to affect everyone on board, for they all stood, even the captain, and watched the horror until the ship mercifully slipped beneath the undulating waves and was gone.
Jessop and William had seen misery and annihilation in their bouts of warfare and battle, but the burning and sinking of this ship was almost like an accident that had been long awaited and anticipated by whomever controls natural disasters. Like the souls lost below Vesuvius, these souls too, never had a chance—it just happened too quickly.
The incident here would surely scar every man aboard. Men think they can control the things around them until something like this happens and they remember just how small they are, thought Jessop.