The Shadow of Great Britain

107: Chapter 67: Two Black Thorns?

107: Chapter 67: Two Black Thorns?

Arthur stood at the bow with a telescope, observing the azure sea, while beside him, sailors bustled about.

The improved Beagle had three masts, each manned by six sailors and one officer on duty, whose main task was to watch the sea, discern the course, and detect any enemy presence.

Spread across the deck were also numerous sailors, including gunners led by the master gunner, craftsmen led by the purser who were repairing firearms, and over twenty naval infantrymen responsible for boarding combat, led by an assault commander and two officers.

Tom and Tony nervously watched the busy crew, the two Scotland Yard officers feeling uneasy on board a ship for the first time in their lives.

The young waiter assigned by Colonel Fitzroy to serve them saw their anxious expressions and quickly asked, “Gentlemen, do you need any assistance?”

Tony, covering his mouth and leaning on the ship’s rail, his face turning green, said, “It’s nothing, I just feel a bit nauseous, ugh…”

Tom’s reaction was slightly better than Tony’s.

He sized up the waiter and asked, “How old are you this year?”

“Me?

Nine.”

The young waiter seemed afraid of being looked down upon, quickly adding, “But don’t let my age fool you, I’ve been working on ships for two years now.

If we talk about time spent on ships, I’ve been here longer than those naval academy cadets who just came aboard.

They are four years older than I am, but they can’t do a thing right and only cause trouble for Colonel Fitzroy.

I’m much better than them!”

Tom, hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh and patted the young waiter on the head, “I didn’t expect you to be the same age as my son, you seem much sturdier than him.”

“Of course,” the young waiter assumed an air of maturity, “The prerequisite for working long on a ship is being robust.

Even if you are weak, you need to fatten up quickly; the sea is not going to pity you.

If you die at sea, there’s not even a coffin—all get thrown into the sea to feed the fish.”

Just as he said this, he saw Arthur gesturing to him, and the young waiter hurriedly approached, flattering, “Sir, what do you need?”

Despite his young age, he understood how to discern the hierarchical differences between people.

He immediately recognized Arthur’s revered status among the three and saw the respectful manners of Captain Fitzroy towards him.

To put it nicely, this ability might be called being observant and perceptive.

To put it bluntly, it is being opportunistic.

But one couldn’t really blame the waiter.

After all, this was the skill these kids depended on for survival on the ship.

As those closest to senior officers on the ship, nearly every waiter dreamt of being noticed by the captain and then sent to the Naval Academy.

Although the chances of such a meteoric rise were slim, the few precedents kept the waiters persevering in their mission to serve the senior officers diligently.

Arthur spoke up, “Could you bother Colonel to borrow a sailor’s knife for me?”

“Oh?

What…what are you planning to do?”

Arthur did not hide his intentions, stating, “According to the information on Black Thorn, that ship might be carrying seventy to eighty armed militants.

If we board for combat, relying solely on the infantrymen might not be enough.

So, as a Scotland Yard officer, I plan to join them.”

The waiter, hearing this, was absolutely shocked, his hair standing on end, “Mr.

Hastings, please don’t joke about such matters.

Participating in a boarding combat can really be lethal!

If you are worried about insufficient infantry numbers, it’s actually a minor issue.

If they run out, there are still the sailors.

You don’t really need to go into battle yourself.”

Arthur pulled out a pipe from his pocket and lit it, “Young man, do you have some misunderstanding about the role of a police officer?

What do you think the law is for?”

“The law?” the waiter began, “Isn’t it to protect people like you?”

Red Devil, hearing this, burst into laughter clutching his stomach, “Brilliant!

Arthur, look at this kid, his understanding surpasses even yours.”

Tom and Tony also couldn’t help but laugh at this remark.

They explained, “Young man, it’s not the law that protects us; we use the law to protect you.”

“Protect me with the law?” The witty little waiter smirked, “If it did protect me, I wouldn’t be here.

Please, gentlemen, for the sake of the law—oh wait, there’s no law on the high seas.

Then for God’s sake, don’t make things difficult for me.”

Arthur turned and glanced at the little waiter, patting him on the head, “You little devil, you really are impervious.

But then again, I can’t really blame you.

Fine, I won’t trouble you any further; I’ll go talk to the Colonel myself.”

Just as he turned around, he saw Eld carrying several navy blue naval uniforms towards them.

As he handed out the clothes to the three of them, he said, “The biggest taboo in naval warfare is wearing a uniform that stands out.

Many senior officers of the Royal Navy were killed because they couldn’t bear to remove their epaulettes and uniforms.

So, Colonel Fitzroy specifically sent me to have you change into these.

Also, if a fight breaks out later, remember to hold back; otherwise, if a cannonball hits you square in the face, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Arthur, however, was nonchalant about it.

He pulled Eld before him and demanded, “Go get me a naval saber, and while you’re at it, grab some bandages too.”

“What are you planning?” Eld asked warily, “Arthur, don’t do anything reckless!

I know you know a bit of swordsmanship, but real combat and practice are two different things.

You should just stay back and shoot.”

Arthur didn’t argue but simply asked, “I haven’t planned on boarding the enemy ship, but what if they come over to us?”

“Well…” Eld pondered for a moment as he took a deep breath of cool air, “You always think things through better!

How could I forget that!

No, I need to get one for everyone, not just you; I’ll have to dig one up from the armory myself!”

In a panic, Eld rushed onto the deck and had a brief chat with the quartermaster, then soon grabbed a set of keys from him.

Before long, he was running back with Darwin, arms laden with weapons.

“Charles, stop being a coward!

Weren’t you a doctor?

If he dares to come over, just amputate, amputate all his limbs!”

“Easier said than done!

Will he lie down obediently on the operating table like a patient?

Besides, even patients, if not properly sedated, will struggle desperately.

Pinning him down on the operating table is no easier than pushing over a donkey!”

Eld couldn’t argue with him, so he changed the subject, “Arthur, I’ve got your saber.”

However, Arthur didn’t reach for the weapon from Eld first; instead, he picked up the bandages tucked under Eld’s arm.

He took off his left glove, revealing the calloused palm from practicing swordplay, and then tightly wrapped the bandages around his hand, layer over layer.

“What are you doing?” Eld asked, puzzled by Arthur’s actions, “Wrapping up in advance to save trouble later?”

At that moment, the Marine Assault Commander passing by took an interested glance at Arthur, chin in hand.

He asked, “Do you know the Half-Sword Technique?”

“Half-Sword Technique?” Recognizing that the Commander was a swordsmanship enthusiast, Eld quickly asked, “Just by wrapping a bandage, it’s called Half-Sword Technique?

What exactly is this technique?”

The Assault Commander didn’t answer Eld but merely smiled and raised an eyebrow, “Young man, if not mastered well, Half-Sword Technique is merely for show, and you’re more likely to hurt yourself.

Don’t throw away your life just to look cool, it’s not worth it.”

Hearing this, Arthur also looked up and smiled at him.

“I may not be the best, but I should be good enough to handle a few slavers.”

“Oh…

it seems you do have some real skill!” The Commander laughed heartily, unhooking the officer sword from his waist and tossing it to Arthur, “If that’s the case, use this sword.

You can’t fully utilize Half-Sword Technique with a saber.”

Arthur had no compunctions; he caught the officer sword, and with a ringing sound, drew it from its scabbard.

The bright blade threw the stubble on his chin into sharp relief.

“It’s a good sword.”

The Commander grinned, “Now it remains to be seen if it’s matched with a good man.”

As the two exchanged pleasantries, the lookout in the foremast suddenly narrowed his eyes.

He scrutinized through his telescope for a long time before confirming beyond doubt and shouting back, “Attention all hands!

Two unidentified ships spotted at 15 degrees southeast!”

Colonel Fitzroy roared, “Two ships?

Are they sailing together?”

The lookout checked again with his telescope, then hesitated before saying, “Doesn’t look like it!

They’re too close to each other.

Aren’t they afraid of colliding?

And…

wait, damn!

What exactly are those two ships doing?

It seems like they have even set up a gangplank between them.”