“Are you mad!?! Those scoundrels would immediately resume firing. Now that they’re tired, leave them be.”
“I want them to know the Tiger of Malaysia is in command of this prahu!”
“They’ll greet you with a hail of grenades.”
“The wind is rising again, Yanez. We’ll be out of their range in less than ten minutes.”
“Fine, as you wish… why stop the madness now.”
At a sign from him, a pirate hoisted a blood-red banner up the mainmast; within seconds it was fluttering proudly in the pale moonlight.
“Fire at me now!” cried Sandokan, shaking his fist at the enemy ship. “Do your worst! I’ll show you my bride between volleys of gunfire.”
Two cannonballs were his reply. The enemy crew had spotted the emblem of the Tigers of Mompracem and resumed their attack with even greater intensity. The cruiser hurried her advance, planning to catch the small ship and attempt to board her. Smoke spewed from her smokestack as her wheels churned at the waters. When the shelling ceased, the muffled roar of the ship’s engine continued to fill the air.
Her crew quickly realized, however, it was not easy to overtake a prahu. The wind had increased, and the small ship, which until then had struggled to reach ten knots, started to pick up speed as her sails bellied full. The prahu raced over those tranquil waters, skimming over the waves, at times appearing to almost float above the sea. The cruiser continued to fire, but it was not long before her cannonballs were thundering harmlessly into the prahu’s wake.
Sandokan had not moved. Sitting beneath his red flag, eyes studying the sky, he appeared unconcerned, indifferent to that relentless pursuit.
The Portuguese, who could not even begin to guess his friend’s intentions, approached him and asked, “What exactly is your plan, little brother? If this wind holds, we’ll be out of range within an hour.”
“Wait a bit more, Yanez,” replied Sandokan. “Look over there, in the east, the stars are beginning to fade, you can see the first rays of the dawn.”
“Do you intend to lead that cruiser all the way to Mompracem?”
“No, of course not.”
“Well, then what are you waiting for?”
“I’ll fire upon her as soon as there’s enough light.”
“You’re too good a shot to have to wait until dawn. The mortar is ready.”
“I want them to see my face; I want them to see the man firing that weapon.”
“I’d wager they have a pretty good idea.”
“They may suspect it’s me, but that’s not enough. I want them to see the Tiger’s bride.”
“Marianna?”
“Yes, Yanez.”
“Such folly!”
“I want the people of Labuan to know that the Tiger of Malaysia landed on their island and defeated Lord James and his men.”
“I’m sure Victoria is abuzz with news of your latest exploits.”
“It’s not enough. Is the mortar ready?”
“Ready and waiting, Sandokan.”
“Just a few more minutes. One shot is all I need. I’ll smash one of her wheels.”
As they were talking, a pale pink light began to spread across the sky. The stars began to dim as the moon slowly disappeared into the sea. Sunrise was only minutes away.
The warship was now fifteen hundred metres from them. Though she continued to advance at full steam, she was losing ground with each passing minute. The prahu was quickly sailing away, the wind having strengthened with the arrival of the dawn.
“Little brother,” said Yanez at one point, “it’s time.”
“Reduce sail,” replied Sandokan. “I’ll fire the mortar when she’s within five hundred metres.”
Yanez immediately issued the command. Ten pirates climbed onto the ratlines, lowered the sails and quickly executed the manoeuvre. Instantly, the prahu dropped her speed.
At the sight of her prey begin to slow, the cruiser resumed firing, even though she was too far off to cause any damage. It would take her thirty minutes to get within range of Sandokan’s ship. Cannonballs had begun to rain down upon the prahu’s bridge when the Tiger leaped down from the bulwark and took his place behind the mortar. A ray of light had spread across the sea, illuminating the prahu’s sail.
“Now it’s my turn!” shouted Sandokan, smiling strangely. “Yanez, heave to!”
The manoeuvre was immediately executed and the ship came to an almost complete stop. Sandokan took a burning match from Paranoa and bent over the mortar, calculating the distance that separated the two ships with a glance.
Her quarry having halted, the warship immediately attempted to draw nearer. She advanced with ever-increasing speed, her smokestack spewing clouds of black smoke, her wheels devouring the water as she showered the prahu with bullets and grenades. Cannonballs and iron shards whistled about the crew, tearing through the sails, severing rigging, strafing the beams and rattling against the armour plates. Ten minutes more and the pirate ship would have been damaged beyond repair.
Sandokan, impassive, continued to adjust his aim.
“Fire!” he shouted suddenly, jumping a step back.
The shot tore through the air. He leaned over the smoking mortar, eyes fixed in front of him, following the shell’s trajectory. A few minutes later a second blast thundered in the distance. The grenade had exploded near the paddle-box, destroying one of the wheels. Gravely damaged, the steamboat listed to one side, and began to turn in on herself, as her other wheel continued to bite at the waters.
“Hurrah for the Tiger!” howled the pirates as they leaped onto their cannons.
“Marianna!” Sandokan shouted, eyes fixed on the cruiser, watching her crew scramble about the deck.
The young woman came up to the bridge. Sandokan took her in his arms, lifted her up onto the bulwark and thundered, “This is my wife!”
The pirates unleashed a last volley of grapeshot then the prahu tacked and quickly sailed off towards the west.
Chapter 25
Mompracem
THE ENEMY SHIP had stopped to repair the grave damage that Sandokan’s grenade has caused, and the prahu now safe, continued on her way, her immense sails driving her at a speed that would have drawn the envy of the fastest clippers of Europe and Asia.
Exhausted by the excitement, Marianna had retired to her cabin; most of the crew had gone below to rest, now that the ship was out of danger. Yanez and Sandokan, however, remained on the bridge. Sitting on the stern railing, they chatted calmly, glancing towards the east from time to time, their eyes resting on a thin plume of smoke.
“An excellent shot, my friend!” said Yanez. “She won’t bother us again and it’ll be quite awhile before she reaches Victoria. Do you think Lord Guillonk sent her after us?”
“I doubt it, Yanez,” replied Sandokan. “He couldn’t have had the time to inform the governor of our escape. That ship’s probably been searching for us for the past several days. Word must have spread that we’d landed on Labuan.”
“I imagine it won’t be long before he comes after us.”
“Yes, we’ll have to prepare ourselves for a formidable battle. Lord James is a wealthy man with a lot of influence. He’ll rally the governor to his cause; they’ll arm the fleet and any other ship they can find. It may only be a matter of days before we spy them advancing towards Mompracem.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Fight our last battle.”
“Our last…? So you’ve decided?”
“I’m hanging up my sword, Yanez,” sighed the Tiger of Malaysia. “The sea has been a fine stage for my battles, but now, alas, those days have come to an end.”
“Well, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting this.”
“What can I do, Yanez? It was so written. The love of the golden-haired young woman conquered the pirate of Mompracem. The thought of hanging up my sword, of bidding goodbye to these lands after all we’ve done, fills me with great sorrow, yet I must do so. No more battles, no more b
oardings, my vendettas have come to an end… Believe me, Yanez, my heart breaks at the thought the Tiger will soon be separated from these waters, that my island and this sea will soon be ruled by others…”
“And our men?”
“I’ll leave them Mompracem once we’re victorious; they may stay there if they wish, or do as their captain does and bid this life goodbye,” Sandokan said sadly.
“After all those battles…”
“Yes, Yanez.”
“It won’t be easy to leave Mompracem,” the Portuguese said sadly. “I love that little patch of land!”
“And you think I don’t? My heart bleeds at the thought I may never see it again. If I could cry, my cheeks would be bathed in tears! It’s fate. We must resign ourselves, Yanez. Let’s not dwell on the past.”
“Yet, I can’t accept it, Sandokan. To see our power vanish in an instant, after so many battles, after all the sacrifices, after all the rivers of blood it cost us!”
“Fate has decreed it so,” Sandokan said dully.
“Not Fate,” replied Yanez, “the love of a young woman. Had it not been for her, the Tiger of Malaysia’s mighty roar would have still thundered over the sea to the shores of Labuan, making the British and the Sultan of Varauni tremble for many long years to come.”
“You’re right, my friend,” Sandokan said. “That young woman has dealt Mompracem a fatal blow. Had I never set eyes on her, who knows, our flag might have flown triumphantly over these waters for many more years; but it’s too late to sever the ties binding us. Had it been any other woman, the thought of relinquishing my power would have driven me away from her… but I would die if I were never to see Marianna again. This passion burning within me is too strong to put out. Ah! If she desired to stay! If she were not horrified by war and bloodshed! How I’d make Mompracem’s star shine! I’d give her a throne, but… how can we fight against fate? We’ll go to Mompracem, fight our last battle, then leave the island forever.”
“And go where Sandokan?”
“I’m not sure, Yanez. We’ll go wherever she wants, far from these shores, so far that we’ll never hear speak of them again. If I remain in these waters, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist the temptation of returning to Mompracem.”
“Well, so be it. We’ll fight our last battle and then sail off to who knows where,” Yanez said resignedly. “It’s going to be an awful battle, Sandokan. His lordship’s going to fight to the death.”
“And he’ll quickly discover that the Tiger’s den is impregnable. No enemy has ever set foot on my island and he isn’t going to be the first. We’ll strengthen our defences so that our village can fend off the most terrible attack. The Tiger has yet to be tamed and his roar will strike fear in the hearts of our enemies.”
“And what if it’s not just the British, Sandokan? You know the Dutch have allied with them to battle pirates in these waters. What if they unite their fleets? We’d never withstand such an attack.”
“If defeat seems imminent, I’ll set fire to our powder and destroy what’s left of our village and our ships. I won’t allow them to take Marianna. I couldn’t live without her. I’d rather die at her side than see her torn away from me.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Sandokan.”
The Tiger of Malaysia lowered his head and sighed, remained silent for a moment then added, “Yet, I have a bad feeling about this.”
“What do you mean?” Yanez asked anxiously.
Sandokan did not reply. He leaned against the bulwark and turned his face to the wind, a deep frown upon his brow.
“Such a fate!” he sighed. “And all because of one young woman.”
He was going to give up everything for her, everything, even the sea he loved and called his own! It would fall to those men he had fought so relentlessly for the past twelve years, to the very men that had stolen his throne and hurled him into the mud, the men that killed his mother, brothers, sisters!
“You too are restless,” he continued, turning his eyes to the sea, listening to it roar beneath the prahu’s bow. “You do not wish to be ruled by the British. You have no desire for the peace that reigned over you before my arrival. I too am suffering. But I know for all my protests that divine young woman is worth more to me than all that I would lose.”
He brought his hands to his brow as if to dispel those tormenting thoughts, then stood up and walked slowly to the cabin. At the sound of Marianna’s voice, he stopped.
“No, no…” gasped the young woman. “Leave me be… I want no part of you… I love the Tiger of Malaysia. Why do you try to take me from him? Go, William! Go! I hate you! Go!”
“She’s dreaming,” murmured Sandokan. “Sleep safely, my darling. You run no danger here. I’m watching over you now and they’ll have to cross my dead body before I’ll let them take you from me.”
He opened the cabin door and peered inside. Marianna was in fact sleeping, breathing heavily, shaking her arms as if trying to dispel a bad dream. The pirate looked at her tenderly, watched her for a moment then silently withdrew into his cabin.
Having maintained a good speed throughout the night, the prahu greeted the dawn just sixty miles from Mompracem. The crew was beginning to think their safety was assured when the Portuguese spotted a thin plume of smoke on the horizon.
“More company!” he exclaimed.
He picked up a spyglass and scrambled up the mainmast, eyes fixed on the column of smoke that continued to draw nearer. By the time he had climbed back down, his brow had darkened.
“What’s the matter, Yanez?” Sandokan asked, having just stepped on deck.
“I’ve spotted a gunboat, little brother.”
“I doubt she’ll be much of a threat.”
“I know she won’t dare attack us, those ships are never armed with more than a cannon, it’s something else…”
“Oh?”
“She’s coming from the west, maybe even from Mompracem.”
“What!”
“I hope our island hasn’t been attacked during our absence.”
“Mompracem attacked?” asked a silvery voice behind them.
Sandokan turned quickly and found Marianna standing before him.
“Ah, it’s you, my darling!” he exclaimed. “I thought you were still asleep.”
“I got up moments ago. What were you talking about? Are we in danger?”
“No, Marianna,” Sandokan replied. “However, we are a little concerned; we just spotted a gunboat approaching from the west. Mompracem lies in that direction.”
“Could she have attacked your village?”
“Possibly, but not alone; a volley from our cannons would have sufficed to sink her.”
“Ah!” Yanez exclaimed, taking two steps forward.
“What is it?”
“The gunboat has spotted us and she’s changing course. She’s heading straight towards us.”
“She’s coming to spy on us,” said Sandokan.
The pirate had not been mistaken. The gunboat, a small hundred tonner armed with a cannon, advanced to within a thousand metres, then tacked about, but did not sail off, a plume of smoke marking her presence as she continued to follow, keeping about ten miles from Sandokan and his men. The pirates gave her little thought, knowing she would not have dared attack them, their prahu equipped with enough artillery to hold off four such ships.
Towards midday, a pirate who had scrambled up the foremast to fasten a rope to a yardarm spotted Mompracem, the dreaded lair of the Tiger of Malaysia. Their safety assured, Sandokan and Yanez breathed a sigh of relief and escorted Marianna to the bow. Off in the distance, where the sky met the sea, they could just make out a long dark strip. Eyes fixed upon it, they watched, as it slowly turned a splendid verdant green.
“Finally!” Sandokan exclaimed anxiously.
“You seem nervous, my love,” said Marianna. “Do you still fear for your home?”
“Something has happened, I can feel it. Is the gunboat still followin
g us?”
“Yes, there’s smoke still visible to the east of us,” replied Yanez.
“A bad sign.”
“I fear as much, Sandokan.”
“Do you see anything else?”
Yanez raised his spyglass and carefully studied the island for several minutes.
“Our ships are still anchored in the bay.”
Sandokan let out a sigh of relief.
“Excellent.”
Driven by a good wind, the prahu arrived to within a few miles of the island in less than an hour then tacked towards the bay that stretched before the village. She was soon close enough to the shore to allow her crew to make out the island’s fortifications, longhouses and storage huts.
Atop the cliff, from the roof of the large hut the Tiger called home, they spotted the pirate’s flag, fluttering boldly in the wind, but the village was deserted and there appeared to be far fewer prahus anchored along the shore. As they drew nearer, they saw that the longhouses had been scorched with fire and several of the ramparts had been severely damaged.
“Ah!” Sandokan exclaimed, clutching his heart. “It’s as I feared: Mompracem has been attacked.”
“You’re right,” Yanez murmured gloomily.
“How terrible!” said Marianna, struck by the pain she saw in Sandokan’s face. “Your enemies have taken advantage of your absence.”
“Yes,” replied Sandokan, shaking his head sadly. “Once feared and unassailable, my island has been breached, my power, my fame will soon be no more…”
Chapter 26
The Queen of Mompracem
UNFORTUNATELY, MOMPRACEM, THE formidable island the sight of which would make even the boldest tremble, had not only been attacked, it had almost fallen to the enemy. Having learned of Sandokan’s departure and certain of triumphing over a handful of pirates, the British had attacked without warning, bombarding the fortifications, sinking several ships and setting fire to part of the village. They had even landed troops in an attempt to take possession of the island, but, after a prolonged battle, Giro-Batol and his small band of Tigers had triumphed in the end. The attackers, afraid of being surprised by Sandokan’s prahus, believing the formidable pirate could return at any moment, were forced to retreat. Though it had been a victory, the pirates had barely escaped defeat.
Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem (The Sandokan Series Book 1) Page 22
