To the Eastern Seas

Things are quiet in Europe.  Boney seems to behaving himself for the time being.  So, Britain is looking to protect its eastern interests, and the East India Company asks that the navy support its interests there.  Captain Thomas Kydd is chosen along with his crew and ship, the Tyger, to go there.  Kydd’s wife, Persephone, is not happy because he will be away for a couple of years at least.

The sail to Madras was uneventful, however Admiral Pellew was glad to see Kydd and the two other frigates, which had accompanied Tyger.  Knowing that they would be stationed in the area for quite some time, Kydd arranges housing and servants.

Pellew is concerned about French privateers in the area.  He gives Kydd three days to prepare to go in search of them.  He also takes from Tyger, Bray, the first lieutenant and assigns him his first command.  In addition, much to the shock of Kydd, Pellew demands forty of his men to be distributed amongst the ships on station to strengthen the quality of the men on those ships.

With a new first lieutenant, and down in men, the Tyger sets out in search of a French privateer.  But where to find him?  The Indian Ocean is vast.  They do sight the privateer, but when the privateer saw that what they were trying to capture was a Royal Navy ship, it quickly ran.  But to where?  It takes some study of books and charts for Kydd and his officers to come up with an answer.  They set sail for their target.

Author Julian Stockwin has plenty of adventures ahead for Kydd and the crew of Tyger, which will take them through the Indian Ocean, up to Macao on the Chinese coast and into the area of the Spice Islands.  It is a rough area for the Tyger as the heat and humidity take its toll on the ship and crew.  Once again Stockwin provides the reader with a very good read.