1632 Snippets

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 14 He saw Klees' quizzical look. "Yes, I understand the point of the steam tugs, Lieutenant. It was not enough that the Spanish war galleons sped ahead of their main body and then could not maneuver back to engage you without turning into the wind and the current." He smiled. "You had begun the engagement motionless. That way, it wasn't just the war galleons that kept coming on, but the cargo ships of La Flota as well. In order to get Anvil -- the largest part of your fleet -- to the north of their main...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 13 Bjelke turned to Simonszoon. "Captain, battery two is asking: chain again, or ball?" Simonszoon glared at the Spaniard, as if willing its foremast to collapse. "Both," he sighed. Tromp smiled at his reluctance to use chain shot, regardless of design, in the carronades. "The cases don't harm the rifling of the barrels. That's been proven." Dirck mumbled darkly about the inherent untrustworthiness of mathematicians and engineers, just before all four guns of port battery two discharged in an uneven...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 12 Chapter 7 East of Dominica "Do we need to hit her again, Captain?" Rik Bjelke asked, looking at the smoke rising up from the side of third war galleon. Simonszoon squinted at the devastation wrought by the two hits that had been scored by the three guns in port battery one as they had crossed her bows. "Nee, she's fighting a fire even as she's taking water. And that mainmast won't bear the pull of canvas in a strong wind anymore. It will be hours before she's underway, and she'd be lucky to make two...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 11 The three Dutch man-of-wars with forty or more guns -- Prins Willem, Amsterdam, and Gelderland -- were actually keeping pace with the smaller, faster hulls, thanks to the three small steam tugs, powered by down-time-manufactured steam plants from Germany. Not particularly powerful, they still provided an extra knot or so of speed no matter the wind or seas, which was enabling Tromp's Anvil to maneuver steadily north of La Flota's main body. Tromp lowered the glasses as cries from both gun mounts...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 10 Chapter 6 East of Dominica "Captain Simonszoon," Rik Bjelke said sharply, "lead war galleon now approaching one thousand yards." "Forward mount reconfirm: target acquired and tracking?" A pause as the signal went down the wires to the turrets and the reply sped back. "Aye, and aye, sir." Simonszoon glanced at Tromp. Maarten relented and this time raised the binoculars to his eyes. "At your leisure, Capt --" "Watch the rise and fire!" Simonszoon shouted, so loud that the forward mount heard him. The...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 09 "None. Unless you fear you'll lose this battle. Then ye might want to keep me from spreading word of such a defeat." Tromp's eyebrow raised. "I had not considered that." He smiled. "I am doubly glad to have you here, then." "But . . . why, M'lord?" "I am not your lord. I hold a rank I earned, not a title I was born to. It should be thus with all men, I think. But, to resolve this matter: I am especially glad for your presence because you think quickly and accurately. And I will want that quality in...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 08 Chapter 5 East of Dominica Tromp involuntarily raised his left eyebrow in response to Sehested's subtle prompt. "I see. Well, Master Stirke, I presume you come with news from leeward? "Bless me if there's any news worth sayin', sahr. Nary a ship with uncertain intents. Hardly a ship at all." "Any hulls at all around Guadeloupe?" "Excepting your own jachts, bow into the wind and waiting, nothing." "And did you meet as agreed with Admiral Jol?" "I did, sahr. Not two days ago. He'd little more to report...

1637 No Peace Beyond The Line - Snippet 07 Sehested, hurrying to join Stirke, discovered what had stopped the small Bermudan in his tracks: his surprise encounter with a spectacle from another world:  A telegrapher hammering away at a device that was all levers and wires. Instructions being shouted down speaking tubes. An auxiliary binnacle with down-time copies of up-time barometric instruments. A tactical plot table with a glass -- or was that 'plastic'? -- weather cover, grease pencil markings showing the positions and headings of...