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Sailors who had been weeks at sea would be curious about recent events.
Pocketing the coins, the pilot then peered through the front ports and turned
to the helmsman.
"Don't get this ship above five knots," he said. The man ignored him.
"The helmsman, he don't speak English?" the pilot asked suspiciously.
"No more than you do Russian," the Count said, forcing himself to ignore the
man's stupidity. "I will translate."
"Slow ahead.Five knots maximum speed. That's theEast Margate buoy ahead. Keep
it to port for the Princess Channel or we will be onto the Margate Sands."
The Count called down to the deckhands and they let go one end of the line
through the eye of the buoy and pulled it aboard.Wilson in his role of deck
officer pointed and tried to look as though he were in command. Gathering
speed, theAurora puffed slowly away from her mooring and out into the channel
toward the mouth of theThames .
The tide was on the ebb and the downstream current was very strong. The
riverbanks moved slowly by; green fields on both sides, with the occasional
village beyond them. WhenWilson saw the turn in the river appearing ahead, he
walked casually around the deck to position himself out of sight of the
bridge.
The Count had been wrong; Coalhouse Fort was not deserted, but boasted a new
battery of big guns.Wilson counted them and made a mental note.
Then they were coming up onTilbury Fort and he gasped at the size of it. It
was built on the spit of land just where the river narrowed, and it dominated
the river and could target any vessel coming upstream. It was star-shaped,
with high, grim bastions looming above the water. Gun muzzles studded these
defenses; more muzzles were visible behind thegunlines at the water's
edge.Wilson stared at the fort until it vanished behind them, then stepped
into the main cabin and opened his drawing pad. General Sherman lowered his
binoculars and turned from the porthole.
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"Impressive," he said.
"Disastrous,"Wilson answered, quickly sketching in the lines of the fort.
"Any ship, no matter how armored, will never get past her unharmed. I can
truthfully say that as long as that fort is there,London is safe from any
invasion by sea."
"Perhaps the fort could be taken from the land side."
"Hardly.There is an inner and an outer moat with gun positions in between
them, aredan as well, then the brick bastions of the fort itself. They can
probably flood the marshland beyond if they have to. I would say that this
fort is next to impregnable except possibly by a long siege "
"Which is of course out of the question,"Sherman said, watching the outlines
of the fort take shape on the paper. He touched the drawing, tapping the
westgunline on the riverbank. "Twelve heavy guns here; I counted them. From
the size of their muzzles they could be hundred-pounders."
Wilsonwas still hard at work on his drawings when the engine slowed then
stopped.Aurora bumped lightly against the fenders of the seawall as they tied
up. There were shouted commands and the sound of running feet on deck. The
Count came in and went toWilson to look at his drawings. "Most excellent," he
said. "This voyage is starting very auspiciously. But the same is, unhappily,
not true of the rest of the world."
He took a newspaper from his jacket pocket and opened it on the table. "The
pilot sold me this overpriced copy ofTheTimes. This item will be of interest
to us all."
AMERICAN TRADE POLICY DENOUNCED IN COMMONS
Threat to British Cotton Trade Taken Under Advisement
"What is it about?"Sherman asked, looking at the lengthy article.
"I read it with great attention while we were coming upriver. It seems that
Prime MinisterPalmerston has accused your countrymen of dumping American
cotton on the European market at ruinous prices, thereby undercutting the
British cotton trade."
"There is nothing new in this," Fox said. "The British have been going to the
Empire countries for cotton ever since the War Between the States
began.MostlyEgypt andIndia . But their cotton is inferior to the American
variety and more expensive to produce. Therefore, Yankee traders have been
selling cotton to the French and German mills. The British do not like this.
We have been here before."
"I hope you are right. But in his speechPalmerston threatens the American
trade if it continues in this fashion."
"Any specific threats?"Shermanasked.
"Not really. But he is a man to be watched."
"He is indeed," Fox said, seatinghimself with the newspaper and giving it his
close attention.
Korzhenevskicrossed the room and took a sheet of crested notepaper from the
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sideboard. He wrote a quick note and closed it with a wax seal.
"Simenovhas been here with me before, so he can find his way to the college.
He'll deliver this note toJohnstone and wait for an answer. I'm inviting him
for dinner tonight. If he accepts, we might very well be out of here tomorrow.
We'll decide what to do as soon asJohnstone leaves. I'm also taking the
precaution of sending a sailor withSimenov . He will be carrying a bottle of
champagne. Harbinger of joys to come! Might I suggest, Commander, that you
continue your engineering pursuits in your cabin? Thank you."
Fox seemed more concerned with the newspaper than with his champagne, reading
not only the article that had attracted the Count's attention but all the
other news as well. A distant look entered intoSherman 's eyes, one
thatKorzhenevski noticed.
"Is something disturbing you, General?"
"Something is,you are right. Is it really necessary for a ship to be guided
by a pilot to proceed up theThames ?"
"Not only necessary but essential.The sands here are in constant motion, and
it takes a pilot skilled in local knowledge to find the correct channel."
"Does every ship need a pilot?"
"Not necessarily. On a clear day a small group of ships could follow the
first one with the pilot in line astern." The Count drank some champagne and
easily followedSherman 's thoughts. "You areright, this is a very serious
concern. I suggest that you leave that matter to me for the time being. I am
sure that something can be done."
There was a knock onWilson 's cabin door;Sherman , standing behind Wilson and
Fox, looked up from the drawings when he heard the Count's voice.
"One moment," saidSherman . He went over and unlocked the door.
"Most industrious,"Korzhenevski said, looking at the growing sheaf of
drawings. "I am pleased that our little voyage has begun so well. Now I would
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