“British?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“We’ll let her pass.”
“We have no other option. Get ready to submerge; she’s going to pass pretty close to us. Quickly, let go of your life preserver and await my signal.”
The ship advanced rapidly, the dark waves foaming beneath her wheels. She was heading south, and was going to pass close to the two pirates. When she was within a hundred and fifty metres, Sandokan and Juioko submerged and swam off to its left, keeping themselves underwater. When they resurfaced to take a breath, they heard a voice carried on the wind.
“I could have sworn I spotted something floating off the port side,” it said. “If it wasn’t for that shark following us, I’d lower a launch and take a look.”
At the sound of those words Sandokan and Juioko immediately re-submerged, but this time they remained underwater for a much shorter time. When they resurfaced, the ship had already sailed off, heading towards the south. About them, the waters gleamed with foam, the waves pulling at them as they caught their breath.
“Be ready for anything, Captain!” the Dyak shouted. “There’s a shark in these waters. You heard that voice.”
“Yes,” replied Sandokan. “Draw your knife.”
“You’re certain it’ll attack?”
“Absolutely. Those monsters may have bad eyes, but their sense of smell is extraordinary. It won’t be long before it picks up our scent.”
“I’m afraid, Captain,” said the Dyak, trembling nervously.
“There’s nothing to fear. There’s no sign of it yet.”
“It could attack from underwater.”
“We might be able to hear it approach.”
“And our life preservers?”
“They’re not far from us. We can reach them with a couple of strokes.”
“I’m too afraid to move, Captain.”
The poor man was almost petrified with fear.
“Juioko, we’ve fought together in countless battles. You’re no coward!” said Sandokan. “Now steady those nerves, grab your life preserver, and draw your knife.”
Steeled somewhat by those words, the Dyak swam towards the lifebuoy in the middle of the wake and drew his weapon.
“Now let’s see if we can spot that shark,” said Sandokan. “We may be able to escape it.”
For the third time, he leaned against Juioko, pulled himself out of the water, and quickly scanned his surroundings. There, in the middle of the wake, he spotted a large hammer-shaped silhouette emerging from the white foam.
“It’s fifty metres from us,” he said calmly.
“Then it didn’t follow the ship?” the Dyak asked nervously.
“It appears not,” replied Sandokan.
“Is it coming toward us?”
“Yes. Don’t move, and don’t let go of your knife.”
They drew closer and remained still, nervously waiting for the shark to approach.
The beast drawing towards them was a hammerhead shark, a ruthless predator and dangerous foe. Members of the shark family, they are named for the peculiar shape of their head which resembles a wide flattened mallet. They have large mouths filled with razor sharp teeth, perfect for ripping apart their prey. Aggressive and cunning, they love human flesh and when they spot a swimmer, they do not hesitate to attack.
Ears straining to catch the slightest sound, Sandokan and Juioko did not move. Several anxious minutes passed, then, hearing nothing but the sound of the waves, they cautiously began to retreat.
They had gone fifty or sixty metres, when the shark’s head suddenly emerged a few metres before them. It studied the swimmers with its yellow eyes for a moment, then without warning it suddenly rushed forward, slicing furiously through the waves.
“Captain!” Juioko exclaimed.
The Tiger of Malaysia was beginning to lose patience, but instead of retreating, he suddenly cast aside his life preserver, drew his knife and swam determinedly towards the shark.
“You dare measure yourself against me!” he shouted. “Fine! Come!”
“Leave it be, Captain!” begged Juioko.
“I’ve had enough, this must end!” replied Sandokan. “Damned shark!”
Shaken perhaps by Sandokan’s cries and determined attitude, the hammerhead suddenly disappeared beneath the waves.
“It’s attacking, Captain!” shouted the Dyak.
He was wrong. The shark reappeared an instant later, but now it was moving away from them, swimming playfully in the ship’s wake.
Sandokan and Juioko remained still for a few minutes, following the shark with their eyes. Realizing it no longer gave them any thought, at least for the moment, they decided to resume their swim. The danger had not subsided for though it appeared to ignore them, the shark did not lose sight of them for an instant. Smashing its tail, it flung itself repeatedly out of the water to determine their whereabouts. Then, quick as a flash, it advanced toward them again, taking care to draw no closer than fifty or sixty metres, most likely awaiting the right moment to attack.
A short while later, Juioko, swimming a few paces behind his captain, spotted the shark advancing, smashing its tail loudly. It began to circle the two pirates, tightening the ring with each pass, at times disappearing beneath the waves.
“Careful, Captain!” cried Juioko.
“I’m ready for it,” replied Sandokan.
“I’ll help.”
“You’re no longer afraid?”
“No, sir.”
“Don’t abandon your lifebuoy until I give the signal. Follow my lead.”
Clutching their life preservers with their left hands and gripping their knives with their right, the two pirates continued to retreat, their eyes fixed on the shark.
Its sharp teeth gleamed sinisterly against the darkness. It drew nearer and nearer, spraying water as it beat the waves with its powerful tail. Suddenly it veered and shot out of the sea, hurling itself at Sandokan, planning to cut the pirate in two.
The Tiger of Malaysia quickly abandoned his life preserver as Juioko, emboldened by the imminent danger, advanced, raising his knife. Spying Sandokan submerge, the shark dodged Juioko’s attack with a swipe of its tail and dove beneath the waves. The pirate was waiting for it. As soon as it was close enough, he attacked, grabbed onto one of its fins, and sliced through its stomach with a swipe of his blade.
Mortally wounded, the deadly beast writhed free from Sandokan’s grip and darted back to the surface before the pirate could strike another blow. Spotting the Dyak just two paces from it, the beast turned to attack, planning to cut him in two, but Sandokan had come up as well. With one rapid motion, he plunged his knife into the shark’s head, burying the blade to the hilt.
“And take that!” howled the Dyak, showering it with blows.
The shark submerged again as a large bloodstain spread over the water.
“I think we’ve seen the last of it,” said Sandokan.
The Dyak did not reply. Leaning against his lifebuoy, he was trying to pull himself up to get a better look at the surrounding waters.
“What are you looking for?” asked Sandokan.
“There… look… towards the northwest!” shouted Juioko. “By Allah! Another ship!”
“Yanez, perhaps?” Sandokan asked excitedly.
“It’s too dark to tell, but my heart’s pounding, Captain.”
“Let me get on your shoulders.”
The Dyak swam to his side. Sandokan leaned up against him and pulled himself up.
“What do you see, Captain?”
“It’s a prahu!… If it were him!… Damn!”
“What’s the matter!?”
“There are three ships advancing towards us.”
“Are you certain?”
“Very certain.”
“Perhaps Señor Yanez has found some help.”
“Unlikely.”
“What are we going to do then? We’ve been swimming for three hours now, I’m not sure I can continue for m
uch longer…”
“I agree, friend or foe, it’s best they takes us aboard. We’ll call out for help.”
Juioko gathered his strength and shouted, “You there in the ship! Help!”
A moment later a rifle blast thundered in reply then a voice cried out, “Who goes there?”
“Castaways.”
“Hold on.”
The three ships immediately tacked and began to advance towards them, moving quickly, driven by a powerful wind.
“Where are you?” asked the same voice.
“Over here,” replied Sandokan.
There was a brief silence, then another voice exclaimed, “By Jupiter! Either I’ve gone mad or it really is him! Who goes there?”
“Yanez! Yanez! It’s me, Sandokan!”
Loud cries erupted simultaneously aboard the three ships, “Hurrah for the captain! Hurrah for the Tiger!”
The first prahu was now only a short distance away. A rope was immediately tossed into the water; the swimmers quickly grabbed onto it and pulled themselves up onto the bridge. A man rushed towards Sandokan and immediately embraced him.
“Little brother!” he exclaimed. “I thought I’d never see you again!”
Cries of ‘Long live the Tiger!’ erupted from all decks as the men cheered that unexpected good fortune.
“Come to my cabin,” said Yanez. “You must have quite a story to tell.”
As the ships continued on their course, Sandokan silently followed Yanez below deck. The Portuguese opened a bottle of gin and offered it to Sandokan, who drained several glasses in rapid succession.
“So how did you end up afloat on the open sea? I thought you’d been imprisoned aboard that steamship I’ve been following for the last twenty hours.”
“Ah, you’ve been following the cruiser? I thought as much.”
“By Jupiter! How could I not? I have three ships and a hundred and twenty men at my disposal; the least I could do was attempt a rescue.”
“Where did you get so many men?”
“You’ll never guess who’s in command of those two ships! Pisangu and Maratua!”
“So their ships survived the storm after all!”
“Maratua was blown all the way to Pulo Gaya and Pisangu found refuge in the Bay of Ambong. They remained there for several days, repaired the heavy damage caused by the storm, then headed towards Labuan where they eventually met up. Not having found us in the small bay, they returned to Mompracem. I met them by chance last night as they were planning to set sail for India, believing that to be our final destination.”
“Did they land on Mompracem? Who’s occupying my island now?”
“No one, the British abandoned it after setting fire to the village and destroying what remained of the ramparts.”
“All for the better,” sighed Sandokan.
“Now then, what happened to you? I saw you board the ship while I was shelling the gunboat with my cannons; I heard the British cry out in victory, then nothing more. I escaped to protect our riches. When we realized we were not being followed, we set off in pursuit of the cruiser, determined to board her.”
“I fell on the deck of the enemy ship, knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. I awoke in chains, imprisoned with Juioko in the hold. The pills I keep hidden in my sash aided our escape.”
“I understand,” laughed Yanez. “They thought you were dead and tossed you into the sea. But what happened to Marianna?”
“She’s being held aboard the cruiser,” Sandokan replied darkly.
“Who was in command of that ship?”
“The baron, but I killed him in battle.”
“Good heavens! What a terrible end for that poor rival. What do you intend to do now?”
“What would you do?”
“I’d follow the cruiser and board her.”
“That’s exactly what I had in mind.”
“Do you know where the vessel is headed?”
“Not precisely, while I was aboard they mentioned Labuan, but I had the impression she was sailing towards the Three Islands.”
“What would take her there? I smell a rat, little brother. How fast was she going?”
“She was flying at eight knots an hour.”
“How much of a lead does she have?”
“Maybe thirty miles.”
“Then we can catch her as long as the wind holds and—”
A sharp cry from the bridge cut off his words.
“What was that?” asked Sandokan.
“Time to go above, little brother.”
They rushed out of the cabin and ran up onto the deck. At that very instant, several men were hauling a wooden case out of the water. A pirate had spotted it just as dawn was breaking, floating a few dozen yards off the starboard side.
“That’s no ordinary box,” exclaimed Yanez.
“Are we still tracking the cruiser?” asked Sandokan, suddenly anxious.
“Always,” replied the Portuguese.
“Ah, if only…”
“What?”
Instead of replying, Sandokan drew his kris and slashed open the box. It contained a letter, which though damp, bore several lines written in a fine elegant hand.
“Yanez! Yanez!” Sandokan stammered, his voice trembling.
“Read it, little brother, read it.”
“I think I’ve gone blind…”
The Portuguese took the paper from him and read:
“Help! They’re taking me to the Three Islands. My uncle has arranged to meet the ship and take me to Sarawak.”
Marianna
Sandokan let out a ferocious cry and sunk to the deck as if he had been struck by a bullet.
“Lost!… Lost!… His lordship!…” he exclaimed.
Deeply moved, Yanez and the pirates quickly gathered round him. It seemed as if they too were suffering from the pain tearing at the unlucky pirate’s heart.
“Sandokan!” exclaimed the Portuguese. “We’ll rescue her, I promise, even if we have to board his lordship’s vessel, or attack Sarawak and its governor, James Brooke.”
The Tiger, who only moments earlier had been felled by such terrible pain, sprang to his feet, his eyes aflame, his face contorted in anger.
“Tigers of Mompracem!” he thundered. “We have a queen to rescue and some enemies to kill. Set a course for the Three Islands!”
“Revenge!” howled the pirates. “Death to the British! Long live our Queen!”
Chapter 32
The Tiger’s Last Fight
ONCE THEIR NEW course had been set, the pirates began to work feverishly, preparing themselves for the upcoming battle, perhaps the last they would ever undertake against their hated enemy.
They loaded the cannons and swivel guns, opened barrels of gunpowder, put up barricades, reinforced the rigging, readied the grappling hooks and piled cannonballs and grenades along the bow and stern. They even stockpiled bottles of alcohol, planning to light them and hurl their flaming contents at the enemy decks. Sandokan led them with word and deed, vowing to sink the ship that had held him prisoner, made off with his beloved, and killed so many of his men.
“We’ll destroy those wretches!” he exclaimed. “We must thwart his lordship’s plans!”
“We’ll storm his ship if we have to,” said Yanez. “Who can withstand an attack by a hundred and twenty Tigers of Mompracem?”
“What if we’re too late and his lordship has already set off for Sarawak?”
“We’ll comb every inch of James Brooke’s kingdom if need be. We have bigger concerns at the moment. How are we going to take possession of the cruiser? She’s probably dropped anchor off the Three Islands by now. We’ve got to surprise her somehow… Ah! Where’s my head!”
“What do you mean?”
“Sandokan, do you remember what Lord James tried to do when we attacked him on the path to Victoria?”
“Yes,” murmured Sandokan, the thought making his blood run cold. “Good Lord! Do you think the commander…”
“He could have been ordered to kill Marianna at the first sight of us.”
“He wouldn’t! He couldn’t!”
“Anything’s possible. We should assume the worst.”
“What should we do?” Sandokan whispered hoarsely.
Yanez did not reply, his head bowed in thought. At one point, he struck his brow and said, “I’ve got it!”
“Quickly, brother. If you have an idea, tell me.”
“One of us has to be with Marianna the moment we attack. It’s the only way we can ensure she’s safe.”
“That’s true, but how?”
“You know the Sultan of Varauni sent several ships to assist in the attack on Mompracem.”
“Yes, I haven’t forgotten.”
“I’ll disguise myself as one of the sultan’s officers, we’ll hoist the flag of Varauni, and I’ll board the cruiser, pretending to be a messenger sent by Lord James.”
“Excellent.”
“I’ll tell the commander I have a letter to deliver to Lady Marianna then as soon as we’re alone in her cabin, I’ll barricade the door. When I give the signal, you’ll board the ship and attack her crew.”
“Ah, Yanez!” exclaimed Sandokan, embracing him. “How much I’ll owe you if we succeed!”
“We’ll succeed, Sandokan, as long as we arrive before his lordship does.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a cry from the deck, “The Three Islands!”
Sandokan and Yanez rushed above.
The islands were no more than seven or eight miles away. All eyes were fixed on that collection of rocks and cliffs, scanning for the cruiser.
“There she is!” exclaimed a Dyak. “Do you see that black smoke behind that reef?”
“Yes,” confirmed Sandokan, his eyes blazing. “It can only be the cruiser!”
“We’ll proceed cautiously, now let’s prepare our attack,” said Yanez. “Pisangu, have another forty men board our prahu.”
The order was executed immediately, and the crew, seventy men strong, gathered around Sandokan for his final words.
“My Tigers,” he said as his eyes swept their faces, “We’re outnumbered and outgunned, about to fight well-trained, battle-hardened men. This is our last battle, the last battle you’ll ever fight for the Tiger of Malaysia, the last time you’ll face those men who chased us from our beloved home. At my signal, you’ll storm that ship with the valour and courage that have made you legends throughout these waters. We shall not stop until we’re victorious! What say you Tigers of Mompracem!?!”
Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem (The Sandokan Series Book 1) Page 27
