The Wreck Of The President

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Captain Hide was among the injured and he rested for several weeks as work to repair his ship continued. It was a slow business, so much needed to be done before they could set sail once more. Those that were hurt were healed, those who were dead were mourned. The repairs took about two weeks and when the President finally set out again reports of the battle had travelled all over the Country.

On their arrival at Surat, about a month late, they found that much of their intended cargo had be sent out on other ships. Captain Hide made his official report to John Child, the man in charge of the East India Company’s operations at Surat, and learned that the Arab leader of the pirates had been captured and was in prison awaiting his fate.

A gift of the finest silks arrived for the Captain, it was a reward from the court of the Great Mughal for his defeating the pirates. It looked as though the President’s troubles were over, but then an accident happened while the ship was being loaded.

The Gunner was carrying out maintenance work on the ship’s big guns. Acting against the advice of the Captain, he fired one of them and it burst. The explosion set off several nearby charges of gunpowder and seven other cannons that happened to be loaded. In addition to the damage done inside the ship, the seven cannon blew away their gunport covers and pieces of the hull. The Gunner, the Armourer and two seamen were killed and several others were wounded.

Storm, battle and explosion – no ship could be expected to sail more than twelve thousand miles home after so much damage without having been thoroughly checked. Captain Bowers, commander of the ship Persia Merchant, led a team who inspected the President and reported back the Mr Child. The report pointed out a few things that were still in need of repair but once these were attended to the ship would be fit to sail.

Loading continued, but it was proving difficult for John Child to find enough cargo to fill the three vessels loading at that time, namely the President, the Persia Merchant and the Berkley Castle. He sent another ship, called the Return, down the coast to call in at other Company depots and collect whatever pepper they had. In any case sacks of pepper didn’t weigh much and the President had loaded a consignment of heavy crates full of red ceramic dye as ballast. Transporting this ‘red earth’ wouldn’t earn them much, but it was necessary to stabilize the ship.

Time was running out and the there was still no sign of the Return. Mr Child gave Captains Hide and Bowers their orders to sail, but he allowed them to call in at the port of Bombay in the hope of meeting the Return. If they met the Return at Bombay, or anywhere else, they were permitted to take on board as much of its pepper as they wanted.

John Child was worried for the President. He urged them to be careful on their return voyage, instructing Captain Hide not to risk approaching the coast of England in darkness. As soon as they drew near they were to anchor by night and sail only in daylight. It seemed as though a terrible fate was pursuing the ship. They had sailed from one disaster to the next, and Child could see the shadow of an even greater one looming before them.

He felt so helpless letting them go but what could he do? As Jonathan Hide left his office Child felt a wave of dread pass through him, he knew they would never meet again.

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