The hunters were now at the outskirts of the jungle, the swampy Sundarbans stretched out before them, on the other side of the lagoon.
The mahout cried out:
“Climb down all of you, quickly!”
The hunters tossed down the rope ladder, gathered their weapons and quickly scrambled out of the howdah.
They had barely gone a few steps when the poor koomareah fell head forward, its tusks cracking as they struck the ground.
It was dead.
“The poor beast,” said Yanez. “The Thugs will pay for this as well!”
Chapter 20
The Tower of Barrackpore
THE ELEPHANT HAD died twenty paces from the lagoon on soft marshy ground. Within minutes, half its enormous mass had been swallowed by the mire.
Water oozed into every step the men took forward. The jungle grew thickly about them; enormous mangroves lined the shore, their roots stretching far into the water. The foul stench of rotting flesh hung in the air, carrying with it the threat of fever and cholera.
“Nice place!” exclaimed Yanez, as he went to scout the mangroves while Sandokan, Tremal-Naik and the mahout emptied the howdah before it disappeared into the mud. “Have you ever seen anything more splendid, Lieutenant?”
“Welcome to the Sundarbans, Señor Yanez,” replied the Frenchman.
“Where’s this stench coming from?”
“Look over there. See those marabous slowly drifting towards the shore?”
“Yes.”
“Each one of those birds is perched on its next meal, a body floating just beneath the water’s surface. If a Bengali is too poor to pay for his cremation, he arranges to have his corpse thrown into the Ganges. They believe the sacred river will carry them to heaven. If they escape the gavials, they float from canal to canal until they end up here. This lagoon is a floating cemetery.”
“The stench is wreaking havoc on my stomach. The Thugs could have chosen a better place.”
“They’re safe here.”
“Spot anything?” asked Sandokan, taking in his surroundings now that the howdah had been emptied.
“Just a few birds catching a nap before dinner,” replied Yanez, attempting to smile.
“We won’t be here long. We’ll build a raft in the morning and set off to find the Marianna. She’s probably closer than we think. These are the banks of the Rajmatla canal, aren’t they, Tremal-Naik?”
“Yes, and we’re also pretty close to the tower of Barrackpore,” replied the Bengali. “See there? You can just see the top of it behind that group of tara palms.”
“Is it habitable?” asked Yanez.
“Probably.”
“Then we’ll take refuge there, my friend. We definitely can’t set up camp here.”
“Yes, it’d be dangerous to remain so close to the elephant.”
“What do you mean?”
“It won’t be long before tigers, panthers and jackals catch its scent and come looking for their next meal. They won’t hesitate to attack us.”
“I wish they’d go after those Thugs that tried to ambush us,” said the Frenchman. “Those scoundrels were excellent shots!”
“Three shots to the lungs,” said Sandokan. “The poor beast never had a chance.”
Cries and howls suddenly erupted among the large reeds a short distance from the shore.
“The bighanas have already caught the elephant’s scent and are heading towards us,” said Tremal-Naik. “Time to go, my friends; best we leave them to their banquet.”
They had barely taken a step when they heard what sounded like bleating coming from a clump of mussaenda bushes.
“Sheep?” exclaimed Yanez in surprise.
“A cheetah, they’re usually the first to arrive.”
“A cheetah?” asked Sandokan.
“Similar to a leopard, they’re quite courageous and can be trained to become great hunters. There’s one, see it? It’s not afraid of us, but don’t worry, it won’t attack.”
A beautiful animal with long legs and spotted fur had jumped out of a bush and landed twenty feet from the five men, fixing its green phosphorescent eyes upon them. It was about two feet tall and just under five feet long; it had a small head, and short blunt claws.
“It looks like a cross between a leopard and a panther,” said Sandokan.
“And it has the courage of one and the daring of the other,” replied Tremal-Naik. “They’re faster than tigers; they have a quick run, but it’s short, no more than five hundred paces. Still, that’s usually enough for them to bring even the quickest antelope to the ground.”
“And they can be domesticated?”
“Yes, quite easily. They’ll hunt for their master as long as they can feast on the blood of their prey.”
“That beautiful cat is in for quite a banquet,” said Yanez. “There’s enough blood in that elephant to feed a pack of them.”
More howls filled the air just as the cheetah reached the pachyderm’s side; the bighanas were drawing nearer.
The small band of men quickly set off, keeping close to the shore where the vegetation was thinnest.
It was not long before the tower’s pointed roof could be seen rising beyond a grove of tara trees. Their carbines drawn and level, the five men cautiously made their way through a small forest and emerged in a clearing strewn with calamus.
The tower, a square building, four stories high, stood at the center. Carvings of elephant heads and daityas, mythical giants, adorned its ancient crumbling walls. At one time it may have been used to defend the shores from attacks by Arakanese pirates, but it had long been abandoned to the beasts of the forest.
The steps and part of the wall that faced the lagoon had crumbled, but there was a wooden ladder that led up to the second floor.
“Someone must have taken refuge here recently,” said Tremal-Naik. “This ladder looks fairly new.”
“I’ll go have a look,” said Lieutenant de Lussac.
The Frenchman had barely gone up a couple of rungs, when a shadow leaped out of a clump of calamus and landed in a thick mindi bush.
“Watch out!” shouted the mahout, who had spotted it first. “Climb up! Hurry!”
“What was that?” asked Sandokan, while Tremal-Naik and Yanez quickly followed the Frenchman who had immediately scrambled up the ladder.
“I don’t know, sahib, an animal...”
“Climb up... quickly!”
The mahout did not wait to be told twice and immediately raced up after them, the bamboo ladder quivering and crackling beneath the weight of those four men.
Sandokan, however, had raised his carbine. He had spotted the shadow just as it dove into the mindi bushes but could not tell if it was a cheetah or something more dangerous.
Not hearing another sound among the branches, he rushed toward the ladder and quickly began to climb.
He had just about reached the middle, when a sudden jolt almost knocked him back to the ground. Something heavy had landed just below him with such force the bamboo had almost shattered.
At the same moment he heard Lieutenant de Lussac shout from the platform:
“Hurry, Captain! It’s about to attack!”
Instead of scrambling up, the Tiger of Malaysia turned and looked down, holding onto the ladder with one arm and clutching the barrel of his carbine with the other.
A giant feline, with a large head and straw-coloured fur spotted with dark markings had jumped on the ladder, just below the pirate, clutching the bamboo rungs with its paws.
Without making a sound, Sandokan raised his carbine and swung, striking the beast in the head with a formidable blow. Dazed, the animal growled dully, loosened its grip and fell to the ground. The pirate quickly scrambled up the ladder before the beast could attack once more.
The Frenchman had drawn his carbine and was about to fire, but Tremal-Naik quickly raised a restraining hand, saying:
“No, Lieutenant, a gunshot would give away our location. The Thugs may be nea
rby.”
“That was quite a blow you gave it, little brother,” said Yanez, helping Sandokan onto the platform. “You must have put a nice dent in its skull; it’s limping off into the calamus. Do you know what it was?”
“I didn’t have time to get a good look at it.”
“A panther, my friend. If you’d been a couple of feet further down, it would have landed right on top of you.”
“I’ve never seen one that large!” added Tremal-Naik. “If the ladder had been made of wood instead of bamboo, you’d both have crashed to the ground.”
“Panthers often attack like that,” said the Frenchman. “I faced two of them once and almost got torn to pieces.”
“We should pull up the ladder as a precaution,” said Yanez. “Panthers are skilled climbers; the one that tried to attack Sandokan may come looking for revenge.”
“We may be able to get inside,” said Tremal-Naik. “I’ll go have a look.”
The window led into the tower. The Bengali climbed up and peered through it, then quickly returned to the small terrace.
“The floors have collapsed,” he said, “and the tower is empty. We’ll have to spend the night out here; at least it’ll be cooler.”
“And we can keep an eye on our surroundings,” said Sandokan. “Where did that panther go, I don’t see it anymore.”
“It seems to have gone off. Of course it may be hiding among the calamus, planning to ambush us when we go back down,” replied Yanez.
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” said de Lussac. “They may not be as strong as tigers, but they’re just as fearless. They always attack, even if they’re not hungry. It could lay siege to us just like the ones I faced at the tower of Sjawrah.”
“That sounds like an interesting tale. Why don’t you tell it, Lieutenant,” said Yanez, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from one of his ten pockets and offering them to his companions. “I doubt anyone feels like sleeping.”
“Those Thugs may be tracking us,” said Tremal-Naik. “They may even be nearby. Best to keep awake.”
“Yes, tell us your tale, Lieutenant de Lussac,” said Sandokan. “The time will pass more quickly.”
“It happened four months ago. I’d had a strong desire to hunt in the jungles along the Hugli for quite awhile. A friend finally managed to secure me passage aboard a supply ship that was making the rounds of all the refuge towers.
“There were eight of us aboard: the captain, the quartermaster, three sailors, an engineer, a stoker and myself. We had already visited several towers, replenishing provisions at every stop, when one night, just before sunset, we came within sight of the tower of Sjawarh.
“I’d spotted a few ducks circling above the reeds and several antelopes among the trees as we were drawing towards the shore so I grabbed my rifle and set off with the two crewmen carrying supplies to the tower, determined to do a little hunting once we’d delivered the provisions.
“I knew that tigers and panthers often lurked about the shore so I’d also taken my revolver as a further precaution.
“The tower was about a hundred metres from the shore. We were making our way towards it, up a path cut through the mangroves and bamboo, when we heard the captain cry out from aboard ship:
“Panthers! Quick, take shelter!”
“Our ship immediately pulled back from shore to avoid an attack. Seconds later I heard several branches snap right behind me.
“Drop the supplies and run!” I shouted at the two crewmen in front of me.
“As you can imagine, they did not wait to be told twice. They dropped their crates and ran at full speed towards the tower, then just a few paces in front of them.
“I was right behind them. I had almost reached the ladder, when I spotted two enormous panthers, a male and a female, bounding towards me five or six metres at a time, determined to attack before I could climb to safety.
“Since I’d been hunting birds, my rifle was loaded with buckshot. I knew it would not kill them, but I fired nevertheless.
“The sound of the blast stopped them in their tracks. I tried to scramble up the ladder, but sadly I wasn’t fast enough. Before I could reach the platform, the male leaped and landed just feet below me, followed seconds later by its companion.
“The impact had been so strong that for a moment I feared the bamboo would give way beneath me. Fortunately, I managed to keep calm. Realizing that my life was in grave danger, I hooked my left arm around one of the rungs; drew my revolver with my right and fired three times, aiming directly at the beast’s head.
“Struck in the face, the male fell, dragging the female down with him. I discovered later that one of my bullets had struck her just below her throat. As soon as they hit the ground, they attacked again, rushing back up the ladder. But by then I had already reached the safety of the platform, from where the two sailors, unable to come to my assistance, being unarmed, had been encouraging me with their cries.
“The panthers refused to give up. They raced up after me, growling angrily, the bamboo crackling beneath their weight.
““Push down the ladder!” shouted one of the crewmen, and with one swift movement, we sent beasts and the ladder crashing down. We were safe at last, but we had also trapped ourselves in the tower.”
“And you remained under siege?” said Tremal-Naik.
“All night,” replied the lieutenant. “Though wounded, those wretched beasts kept watch beneath the tower, hoping we’d come down.”
“The next morning, we signalled to the captain that the panthers were still prowling about near the tower. The ship drew closer to shore, firing its small cannon, the only weapon the crew had at hand. The second blast felled the two beasts; then the captain and his men came ashore, raised the ladder and rescued us.”
“They’re worse than tigers,” said Sandokan.
“More daring and more determined, Captain,” replied the Frenchman.
“Look!” exclaimed Yanez, standing up suddenly. “Over there! A light!”
All eyes turned to where the Portuguese was pointing.
A bright red light had appeared upon the dark waters of the lagoon and seemed to be advancing towards the tower.
It was approaching from the east, tacking slightly as it drew nearer.
“The Marianna?” asked Tremal-Naik.
“Or her whaleboat?” said Yanez.
“I doubt it’s either of them,” said Sandokan, after having carefully studied that bright dot. “Do any ships ever come to this lagoon, Tremal-Naik?”
“Some fishermen,” replied the Bengali. “It may even be castaways. The cyclone probably did quite a bit of damage in the Bay of Bengal.”
“I’d be grateful if they landed here. We wouldn’t have to build a raft.”
“Well, it’s heading this way,” replied the Portuguese. “If it sails past the tower, we’ll draw the crew’s attention with a couple of rifle blasts.”
“There’s no need to wait,” said Sandokan. “Once they hear rifle shots, they’ll come right to us.”
He raised his carbine and fired.
The shot thundered over the dark waters and faded into the distance.
Less than thirty seconds later the bright speck changed direction and began advancing towards the tower.
“It’s almost dawn,” said Sandokan. “They’ll be here before the sun is up.”
“What if they refuse to take us aboard?” asked the Frenchman.
“If our gold doesn’t persuade them, our carbines will,” Sandokan replied dryly. “I doubt there’ll be much discussion. Mahout, lower the ladder; they’ll be here soon.”
Chapter 21
Betrayal
THE VESSEL DREW up before the tower just as dawn had begun to break.
Sandokan had not been mistaken: it was not their launch or their prahu. It was a sloop, a large vessel with tall boards, a bridge and two masts rigged with large square sails. These vessels are common in India, often used for voyages up and down the great rivers of the Hindus
tani peninsula; however, they can hold their own on the open sea as well as any ghrab, for they are equipped with strong masts and a solid keel.
The ship making its way towards them was manned by eight Indians. They were young, strong, and dressed in white like sepoys. An old pilot with a long white beard sitting at the tiller appeared to be in command. At the sight of two Europeans among those five men, the old man bowed courteously and quickly came ashore.
“Good morning, sahib,” he said in perfect English. “Are you in need of assistance? We heard a rifle blast and rushed to help, fearing that someone may have been in danger.”
“What brings you to these parts, old man?” asked Tremal-Naik.
“We’re fishermen,” replied the pilot. “The fish abound in these waters, we come here every week.”
“Where did you come from?”
“Diamond Harbour.”
“Would you like to make a hundred rupees?” asked Sandokan.
The Indian fixed his eyes upon the Tiger of Malaysia and studied him for an instant.
“A hundred rupees?” he said. “That’s more than we earn from a week’s fishing, sahib.”
“Put your sloop at our disposal for twenty-four hours and they’re yours.”
“You’re as generous as a nabob, sahib,” said the old man.
“Do you accept?”
“No one, in my place, would refuse such an offer.”
“You said you’ve come from Diamond Harbour,” said Tremal-Naik.
“Yes, sahib.”
“Did you come by way of the Rajmatla canal?”
“No, by the Iamere.”
“Then you haven’t seen a small ship cruising about these waters.”
“Well… yesterday I spotted a launch sailing about the northern tip of Rajmatla,” replied the old man.
“That must have been our launch, our crew was probably exploring the area,” said Sandokan. “We’ll be back aboard our prahu before nightfall. Time to go, my friends; tomorrow we’ll send a launch here to collect the remainder of our men.”
He placed fifty rupees in the pilot’s hands, then all climbed aboard, the crew welcoming them with great courtesy.
Sandokan: The Two Tigers (The Sandokan Series Book 4) Page 16