The young man studied them in silence, not daring to speak, afraid that a new band of enemies now stood before him.
Sandokan took a few steps forward and said, “There’s no need to worry, sir, we’re friends.”
The stranger stood up slowly and moved towards them.
“Forgive me for not thanking you immediately, gentlemen,” he said, the hint of an accent discernible in his English, “but there was a chance you’d take me prisoner.”
“Who are you?” asked Sandokan.
“Lieutenant Remy de Lussac, 5th Bengal Cavalry.”
“De Lussac. A Frenchman?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How did you end up alone in the jungle?” asked Yanez.
“A European!” exclaimed the lieutenant, eyeing him curiously.
“Portuguese, sir.”
“I’m not alone,” said the young man, bowing in greeting. “I came with two other men. They’re back at our camp or at least they were up until a few hours ago.”
“Do you think they’ve been attacked as well?” asked Sandokan.
“I don’t know; but if they’d been spotted, I doubt those dogs would have spared them.”
“Molanghis?”
“No, two sepoys.”
“Who fired that rifle shot?”
“I did, sir.”
“Just call me ‘Captain’ for now, Lieutenant.”
“As you wish, Captain,” said the young man. “It was my gun you heard. I fired at those five bandits; they attacked me while as I was preparing to shoot a deer for tomorrow’s breakfast.”
“And you missed?”
“Yes, unfortunately. I’m usually a very good shot.”
“So you’re here on a hunting expedition?”
“Yes, Captain,” replied de Lussac. “I have a three month furlough and I’ve been making my way through the Sundarbans for the last two weeks. This place is teeming with wildlife.”
Suddenly he jumped back and cried, “A tiger!”
Darma had left the riverbank and was slowly advancing towards her master.
“There’s no need to be afraid, Lieutenant,” said Tremal-Naik. “She’s our friend. She chased off the stranglers as they were about to attack our captain.”
“She’s magnificent, and highly intelligent by the sound of it.”
“Lieutenant de Lussac,” said Sandokan. “Where’s your camp?”
“About a kilometre from here, up the canal.”
“We could accompany you back if you like. We’ve finished our hunt for the evening.”
“You’re hunters?”
“Yes. Let’s see if the Thugs have found your men.”
The Frenchman searched among the grass for a few minutes, found his carbine, a beautiful double-barrelled weapon of British design, then said, “At your service, gentlemen.”
“Lieutenant, you and Tremal-Naik will lead the way. You know these jungles best. Yanez, Darma and I will bring up the rear. Keep away from the shore; the Thugs may have rifles as well as nooses.”
They set off, marching along the outskirts of the peepal forest, which appeared to stretch on forever, their carbines levelled, ready to fire in the event of a sudden attack.
It seemed, however, that the Thugs had run off, for Darma no longer showed any signs of uneasiness.
“What do you make of him?” Sandokan asked Yanez in Malay.
“He’s courageous, that much is certain, you have to be to hunt in these jungles alone at night.”
“Yes, I had the same impression. What if he offers to join us?”
“I’d accept,” replied Yanez. “It’s always good to have another brave soul among us.”
“He’s an officer in the Bengal cavalry, won’t that be a problem?”
“We’re going to battle men the Bengali government would gladly see destroyed.”
“So you’d tell him of our plans?”
“I can’t see why not. I bet he’d join us in an instant; he’s a warrior like us, a strong young man that’ll prove valuable when it comes time to battle Suyodhana. Plus, as an officer, he may be able to provide us with support from his government.”
“Very well then, if he asks to join us you’ll tell him our plans and let him decide. All things considered, I’d like to have a representative of the Anglo-Indian army in our ranks. You never know, we may have need of his connections. Ah! A thought just struck me.”
“Yes?”
“Those Thugs could have been following us and come upon the Frenchman by chance.”
“The same thought just crossed my mind. It’s a good thing we outnumber them and the Marianna is not far off.”
“She should have reached the canal by now,” said Sandokan.
Suddenly the officer cried out.
“What’s the matter, Lieutenant de Lussac?” asked Yanez, racing to his side.
“When I left I ordered my men to keep several fires burning. They’ve gone out. I’m afraid something’s happened to them, sir.”
“Where’s your camp?” asked Sandokan.
“Down there, beneath that neem tree by the canal.”
“It’s a bad sign if the fires have gone out,” Sandokan murmured with a frown.
He stood there for a minute, eyes fixed on the tree.
“I don’t see anything,” he said finally. “Have Darma check it out.”
At a sign from Tremal-Naik the tiger leaped forward, but when she had gone fifty paces she stopped suddenly and turned to look at the Bengali.
“She smells something,” said Tremal-Naik. “Keep your guard up.”
They advanced cautiously, fingers resting on the triggers of their rifles. When they were within a hundred paces of the tree, they spotted two small tents. All was silent.
“Rankar!” shouted the Lieutenant.
Howls shattered the silence then several shadows jumped through the grass and raced off into the night.
“Jackals!” exclaimed Tremal-Naik. “Lieutenant de Lussac, I’m afraid your men have been killed.”
“Yes,” said the Frenchman, visibly shaken. “Those bloodthirsty wretches have murdered them.”
They ran towards the camp and as they reached the tents their eyes went wide in horror.
The remains of the two sepoys lay side by side near the smouldering embers, one man’s head had disappeared; the other’s face had been chewed beyond recognition.
“My poor men!” sobbed the Frenchman.
“Come with us,” said Sandokan, resting a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “We’ll help you avenge them.”
The Frenchman quickly turned around, casting a stunned look upon the Tiger of Malaysia.
“We’ll talk of that later,” said Sandokan, foreseeing the officer’s next question. “For now let’s bury what remains of these poor souls.”
“But… sir…”
“We’ll answer all your questions later, Lieutenant de Lussac,” said Yanez. “Now tell us, would you like to avenge your men?”
“Naturally!”
“We’ll give you the means. Is there anything you wish to take with you?”
“The tents are empty,” said Tremal-Naik, having quickly inspected them. “Thieves and assassins, typical Thugs.”
They dug a hole with their scimitars and buried what remained of the men, covering their graves with several large rocks to protect the corpses from the jackals.
When they had finished, Sandokan turned to address the lieutenant. The young man’s eyes were still fixed on the ground, staring in sadness.
“Lieutenant de Lussac,” he said, “I offer you the chance to avenge your men. The Thugs are our enemies. We’ve come to the Sundarbans to destroy them.”
The Frenchman remained silent, stunned by those words.
“The choice is yours,” said Sandokan. “If you’d rather leave the jungle and go back to Calcutta, I’ll lend you one of our elephants and an escort to take you back to Khari or Diamond Harbour.”
“You came here to destroy the Thugs?
” the Frenchman asked in disbelief.
“My friend, Yanez de Gomera, a Portuguese nobleman, and I, left our island in the South China Sea, to rid this country of that wretched cult, and give our friend back his family. Tremal-Naik is one of the bravest men in Bengal, and a close relative of one of the most courageous officers who ever served in the Anglo-Indian army, Captain Harry Corishant.”
“Corishant! The Thugs most ruthless enemy!” exclaimed the Frenchman.
“Yes, Lieutenant,” said Tremal-Naik, taking a few steps forward. “I married his daughter.”
“Corishant!” repeated the Frenchman. “The man the Thugs murdered in the Sundarbans those many years ago?”
“Did you know him?”
“He was my captain.”
“We’re going to avenge him.”
“Gentlemen, we may be strangers, but my captain’s friends are my friends, especially when they plan to avenge him. I don’t have to be in Calcutta for another ten weeks, consider me one of your men for the remainder of my furlough.”
“Come then, Lieutenant, we’ll take you back to our camp,” said the Portuguese, “You’ll be safe there.”
“Yes, sir. At your orders, Señor Yanez.”
“Best we set off immediately,” said Sandokan, “We’ve been away from camp for quite awhile; our men may have started to worry.”
“Lead the way, Darma!” commanded Tremal-Naik.
The four men formed a small group behind the tiger and set off along the outskirts of the forest. Two hours later, they reached the camp.
The Malays and the mahouts, still on guard, were sitting around the bonfires, talking amicably as they smoked their cigarettes.
“Anything to report?” asked Sandokan.
“Nothing, Captain,” replied a Tiger.
“No one buzzing about the bushes?”
“Punthy would have noticed, sir.”
“Lieutenant de Lussac,” said Sandokan, turning towards the Frenchman who was admiring the two large elephants sleeping peacefully near the bonfires, “you’ll share a tent with Yanez. I hope you’ll find it to your liking.”
“Thanks for your hospitality, Captain.”
“It’s already late, let’s go to sleep. ‘Til tomorrow then, Lieutenant.”
He signalled to Yanez then withdrew to his tent with Tremal-Naik, while the Malays stirred the fires and selected sentries to stand watch over the camp.
“Lieutenant de Lussac,” said Yanez with a smile. “My tent is at your disposal. We can talk for awhile if you’re not too tired.”
“I do have several questions,” replied the lieutenant.
“I can imagine,” said Yanez, offering him a cigarette.
They sat down in front of the tent, near one of the many bonfires about the camp; Yanez smoked in silence, a frown forming on his brow as he collected his thoughts.
After a few minutes he tossed away his cigarette and said: “It’s a long story, but you may find it interesting; it’ll explain why we’ve come to the Sundarbans to wage war upon the Thugs.
“Several years ago, an Indian tiger hunter encountered a beautiful young woman in this very jungle. They met repeatedly for several days, every night at sunset, until the Indian’s heart burned with love for her. Unfortunately, he soon discovered that the Thugs were forcing his new beloved to serve as priestess to their goddess Kali. She lived with them in their secret lair, in the great caverns beneath Rajmangal.
“Their High Priest had had her kidnapped in Calcutta; she was the daughter of one of the bravest officers in the Anglo-Indian army: Captain Harry Corishant.”
“I knew him well,” said the Frenchman, not missing a word. “His hatred for those stranglers was implacable. He was renowned for it.”
“After several incredible adventures, the Bengali accompanying us, the unfortunate captain’s son-in-law, stole into the Thugs’ lair and made off with the woman he loved.
“However, his daring plan did not succeed and the poor man fell into the stranglers’ hands. Surprisingly, his life was spared; he was even promised the woman’s hand, but on one condition: he had to kill Captain Corishant! The brave officer’s head was to have been her wedding present.”
“Ah! Wretches!” exclaimed the Frenchman. “The Indian didn’t know the captain was the young woman’s father?”
“No, for at that time Captain Corishant was going by the name MacPherson.”
“And he killed him?”
“No,” said Yanez. “Fortunately, he learned in time that the captain was the priestess’ father.”
“And then what happened?” the Frenchman asked anxiously.
“With troops from the Bengali government, Captain Corishant set off for Rajmangal determined to free his daughter and destroy the Thugs and their evil cult. They sneaked into the caverns and attacked, killing many, but their leader Suyodhana managed to escape with a large number of men.
“The captain’s sepoys, taken by surprise in the heart of the jungle, were slaughtered, the captain was murdered, the Indian and the priestess recaptured.”
“I remember the attack on Rajmangal, the news caused quite a stir in Calcutta,” said the Frenchman. “Please continue, Señor Yanez.”
“The young woman went mad. Her beloved, drugged by his captors, was denounced as a Thug, tried and condemned to spend the remainder of his days in the penal colony on the Isle of Norfolk.”
“What?”
“All true, Lieutenant,” replied the Portuguese. “It was by mere chance that the ship taking him to Australia was wrecked off the coast of Sarawak, at that time ruled by James Brooke, the White Rajah.”
“The Exterminator?”
“Yes, Lieutenant; our deadliest enemy.”
“Your enemy? Why?”
“That’s another long story,” said Yanez with a smile. “Sandokan was once a rajah in Northern Borneo, and well, best we leave it there for the moment; they’re private matters and have no bearing on what I must tell you.”
“I respect your secrets, Señor Yanez.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Now back to my tale. Around the same time, a vessel was shipwrecked off the shoals that ring the island of Mompracem.
The captain’s daughter and one of the Indian’s most loyal servants were among its passengers.
“Though the young woman was still mad, the servant had arranged her escape and set off to find his master. They boarded a ship bound for Sarawak, however, before it reached port, it was caught in a violent storm and stranded near our island. A few hours later the servant and the captain’s daughter fell into our hands.”
“Fell into your hands!” exclaimed the Frenchman in amazement.
“Guests, they were our guests,” smiled Yanez. “We took great interest in their tale and Sandokan and I decided to rescue the poor Indian, the victim of the Thugs’ merciless vengeance.
“It wasn’t an easy task, for he was being held by James Brooke, and at that time the Rajah of Sarawak was the most powerful and most feared ruler in all of Borneo. But, nevertheless, our forces prevailed. We rescued the Indian, and forced the White Rajah from his throne.”
“You’re powerful enough to declare war upon one of England’s protectorates! Who are you?”
“Two men with some guts, several ships, many warriors, great riches and a little cunning,” said Yanez. “Please save your questions until the end, otherwise I’ll never finish this tale.”
“Yes, yes, by all means continue, Señor Yanez.”
“Sandokan found a way to cure the captain’s daughter and two months later the young woman and the Indian hunter returned to India where they married. However, Captain Corishant’s daughter had not been born under a lucky star. Less than a year later she died giving birth to a daughter: Darma.
“Several weeks ago, the little girl, like her mother, disappeared, kidnapped by the Thugs. The daughter of the Priestess of the Eastern Temple was abducted to take her mother’s place. That’s why we’re here. We’ve come to rescue our friend’s daug
hter and destroy a deadly cult that kills thousands upon thousands of people every year. That’s our mission, Lieutenant. Do you wish to join us?”
“You’ve come from Malaysia to battle the Thugs, bloodthirsty stranglers who have survived every campaign the Anglo-Indian government has led against them. I ask you again, who are you?”
“Who are we?” said Yanez, rising to his feet. “Men who once made all the Sultans of Borneo tremble, men who toppled James Brooke, the Exterminator, from his throne, the British Lion knows us well, we’ve defeated it several times in battle, we are the pirates of Mompracem.”
Chapter 17
Mysterious Signals
HALF AN HOUR later, once Lieutenant de Lussac was sleeping soundly, Yanez silently left his tent and entered Sandokan’s. A lantern burned inside, the formidable leader of the pirates of Mompracem was still awake, smoking with Tremal-Naik, while Surama, the beautiful devadasi, prepared some tea. Sleep did not weigh upon the proud pirate’s brow, accustomed as he was to long vigils at sea and though it was well past midnight, the Bengali’s eyes were as clear as if he had just risen.
“Finished your talk with the Frenchman?” asked Sandokan, as Yanez stepped into the tent.
“It took a little longer than I expected,” said the Portuguese with a smile, “but, I told him the full story.”
“And?”
“He’ll join us.”
“Does he know who we are?”
“I thought it best not to keep anything from him. It appears, my dear Sandokan, that our last exploits caused quite a stir in India. We’re better known here than we expected. Why, among the locals, toppling James Brooke has practically turned the Tigers of Mompracem into heroes.”
“And the lieutenant still accepted?”
“We haven’t come here to pillage India,” laughed Yanez, “but to liberate her from an evil cult that preys on her population. We’re providing England, our old enemy, with a great service, so great her officers will overlook our past. Who knows, my friend, one day the leaders of the Tigers of Mompracem may end up as rajahs or maharajahs.”
Sandokan: The Two Tigers (The Sandokan Series Book 4) Page 13