New to Baron Britpop Blastfurnace? You can read Books 1 & 2 here:
In the previous chapter, Captain Peanut Butter and Ana said goodbye to Isabella and joined the crew of The Jellyfish as they sailed toward a new life in a brand new country, The United States Of America. Once underway, they saw a ship approaching.
I grabbed my spyglass and scanned the ship. It was flying the black. Pirates. I turned to Barrelhoop and said, “They’re pirates.”
“What are your orders, Captain?” Barrelhoop replied.
“We can’t outrun her. We are too loaded down for the crossing.”
“Then we fight.”
“No. I won’t risk it with Ana onboard. Outrun her for as long as you can.”
“Aye, Captain.”
I shouted orders to the crew.
“Pint and Jonas, find as much rope as you can and tie it together. Cookie and Scar Arm, get the balloon unpacked and ready to fly. Stout, gather six cannonballs, and bring them to the balloon. Make haste!”
Barrelhoop steered away from the pirate ship and tried to put as much distance as he could between us. The pirate ship pursued. We managed to stay ahead, but the pirate ship was slowly closing the gap. It wouldn’t take long before they caught us.
Once the balloon was ready to fly, we loaded the cannonballs inside the basket. Jonas and I climbed in and took off. The lads had tied the rope to the balloon basket and the Jellyfish. We started to climb into the sky. It must have been a shocking sight for the pirate ship crew. I doubt any of them has seen a balloon before. Precious few souls had.
The rope kept us tethered to The Jellyfish as we rose higher and higher. It also slowed The Jellyfish slightly. But that was part of the plan. Within a half turn of the glass, the pirate ship was below the balloon. The crew tried firing muskets at us, but at our range, the shots missed. Their cannons were also useless, as we were above them.
“Jonas, drop a cannonball,” I said.
Jonas lifted a cannonball and sent it hurling down toward the pirate ship. It hit with a mighty crash, busting through the deck and sending wood fragments flying in all directions. The pirate crew ran for cover.
“Another,” I said calmly.
Jonas sent another one down. This one hit the fore main yard, breaking off a sizable chunk and leaving one sail fluttering uselessly. The cannonball then landed on the deck and rolled across it. There was a great commotion on the ship as the pirates ran about, not knowing what to do.
“One more, please,” I said.
This one crashed through the deck inches from the ship’s wheel and the pirate Captain. The pirate ship turned and started to flee.
“It worked, Captain. They are running away,” Jonas said excitedly.
“Well done, Jonas. Now, let’s bring her down and be on our way.”
We closed the burner, and the crew reeled us in. Once we were safely onboard The Jellyfish, there was a grand celebration and many cheers. Ana grabbed me in an embrace.
“Well done, everyone,” I said.
“I bet they never seen a cannon in the sky before,” Stout said.
“No doubt. They will have a good story to tell at the next port. If anyone believes them,” I said and laughed. The crew all joined me in laughter.
Next Chapter:
Story Notes
This chapter stumped me for almost two weeks. I knew this chapter needed some action. I ran through several complicated scenarios for the ship. A pirate ship. A merchant ship. A merchant ship that was used as bait for a second pirate ship. Etc. But the scenarios all ended with the Jellyfish crew having to board a pirate ship and fight (probably killing several of the pirates.) Which I figured was the last thing Captain Peanut Butter would want to do, especially with Ana onboard.
I considered a rowboat full of gunpowder to be used like a torpedo, but that would be difficult to pull off. I also considered the Jellyfish crew throwing crabs at the pirates’ faces as they fought. 😂
I thought about using the hot-air balloon early on but figured it was too far-fetched as balloons are hard to steer. But once I thought about a tether, I decided the balloon was the best way to go. And since this is imaginative fiction, I didn’t worry about the plausibility of launching a balloon from a pirate ship. A little artistic license, if you please.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, Mateys.
Mark
I welcome your thoughts, questions, suggestions, corrections, typo catches, etc. Thank you.
Mark
Far-fetched? Who cares! That's the charm of this story. Never was such an aerial battle fought. Also, the names of your characters are delightful, Mark.
Okay, you already identified that balloons don't launch off underway sailing ships. ✔️
The cannonballs being dropped would cause the balloon to buck, but we'll say the tether provides stability.
Fireships were in use in that period and were deadly... but only against ships moored or at anchor. Not applicable (and also why your gunpowder boat would have failed).
I'm guessing there will be a paragraph or three setting up this chapter?