“Continue,” said Sandokan.
“We ambushed your second elephant,” continued Sirdar, “planning to kill you before you set foot on Rajmangal.”
“And the sloop?” asked Tremal-Naik.
“Suyodhana sent it to us, once he had been informed of your plans. We knew you’d taken shelter in the tower of Barrackpore, and we would have come to your aid even if you hadn’t signalled us.”
“These bandits are incredibly well organized!” exclaimed Yanez.
“They have an admirable network of spies; they’ve thwarted every attempt by the government of Bengal to destroy them,” said Sirdar. “The Sundarbans are infested with Thugs. At the first sign of a squadron, a ramsinga sounds to signal their presence, then trumpets relay the warning throughout the jungle until they reach the shores of the Mangal. There’s no way they can be caught by surprise.”
“So it’s impossible to attack their island?” asked Sandokan.
“A direct attack would most certainly fail.”
“Are you familiar with those caverns?”
“I spent several months there,” replied Sirdar.
“Then you saw my daughter!” Tremal-Naik exclaimed anxiously.
“Yes, one night in the pagoda, while they were teaching her to offer blood to Kali. A Thug had strangled a poor Molanghi a few hours earlier.”
“Wretches!” howled Tremal-Naik. “They did the same to her mother! Scoundrels! Dogs!”
A sob erupted from the Bengali’s chest.
“We’ll rescue her, my friend,” Sandokan said soothingly. “I will not rest until I’ve slain the Tiger of India. Do you know if she’s still there?”
“She was when we left. That was almost four weeks ago.”
“You’ve answered all our questions,” said Sandokan as he took Yanez’ navaja and cut the prisoner’s rope. “Now, we’ll spare your life and restore your freedom if you promise to lead us to Rajmangal and guide us through its caverns.”
“I hate those wretched murderers as much as you do. I’ll join you if you’ll have me and help you in every way I can. May Yama, the Lord of Death, condemn me for all eternity if I do not keep my word.”
“Yanez, take the tiller,” said Sandokan. “The wind is rising and the Marianna may not be far off. Lieutenant de Lussac, take in the sheets! I want her at top speed.”
A fresh breeze had risen, filling the small vessel’s sails and scattering the fog that hung over the waters.
Guided by Tremal-Naik, the ship headed south towards the vast Rajmatla canal, a long stretch of water that flowed between two large flat islands covered with giant reeds.
Numerous islands and islets dotted the waters to the east, each covered with groves of coconut trees or thick forests of bamboo. Clouds of marabous, buzzards and arghilahs circled above their marshy shores, drawn by the stench of the rotting corpses driven there by the current.
The sloop advanced quickly and proved easy to manoeuvre. In less than an hour she reached the northernmost tip of the island and began to coast along the shore.
They were careful, however, not to draw too close for it was not uncommon for a tiger to leap from among the reeds and attack a vessel of that size. Those daring cats can pounce upon the deck of a launch or small ship and drag a man into the jungle before his terrified companions can make a move to assist him.
“Keep your eyes open,” said Sandokan, as he relieved Yanez. “If Sambigliong and Kammamuri have followed my instructions, they’ll have hidden the prahu in some large canal and taken down the masts. We may sail right past her if we’re not careful.”
“We’ll announce our presence with a couple of rifle blasts,” said Tremal-Naik. “I found one of our carbines.”
“The one the Thug fired at us?”
“It must be, Sandokan.”
“Yes,” said Sirdar from his seat on the aft bulwark. “The pilot ordered us to toss them into the lagoon.”
“Old fool,” said Yanez. “He could have used them to fight us.”
“Only one was loaded, and we do not have any bullets or powder on board,” replied the young man.
“Yes, that’s true!” said Sandokan. “We fired the others at the tower to attract the sloop’s attention. Lucky we didn’t reload, they would have slaughtered us.”
“That was the pilot’s intention,” replied Sirdar. “They took your weapons for that very reason.”
“Captain Sandokan,” said Lieutenant de Lussac who had climbed up a mast to get a better view of the horizon, “There’s something advancing up the canal.”
The Tiger of Malaysia gave the tiller to Sirdar and walked to the bow with Yanez.
“South of us, Lieutenant?” he asked.
“Yes, Captain, and it appears to be heading towards Rajmatla.”
Sandokan, who had extraordinary vision, scanned the waters and spotted a thin black line crossing the canal about seven or eight miles from the sloop.
“It’s a launch,” he said.
“It must be the Marianna’s launch,” added Tremal-Naik. “No one ever ventures this far into the Sundarbans.”
“It’s heading towards the island,” said Yanez. “I think I can make out a small inlet. Perhaps the prahu has taken shelter there.”
“Luff a lee!” Sandokan commanded. “Head towards the coast.”
Driven by the breeze, the sloop advanced quickly, tacking towards Rajmatla as the launch disappeared into the inlet the Portuguese had spotted.
Three-quarters of an hour later the small vessel arrived at the mouth of a canal that appeared to lead into the island’s interior, its waters dotted by numerous tiny islands covered with mangroves and bamboo trees.
Sandokan sat at the tiller, boldly navigating the sloop through that tropical maze, while Tremal-Naik and Sirdar sounded the waters to avoid running aground.
“Fire a blast from your carbine,” the Tiger said to Yanez.
The Portuguese was about to obey, when a launch manned by twelve men armed with rifles and parangs suddenly emerged from a side canal and began advancing rapidly towards the sloop.
“The prahu’s launch!” exclaimed Yanez. “Lower your weapons, my friends! It’s us!”
That command was given in the nick of time, for the men in the launch had just put down their oars, drawn their carbines and were about to fire a volley of bullets on the small vessel.
A cry of joy greeted those words:
“Señor Yanez!”
Kammamuri, who appeared to be leading the expedition, had immediately risen to his feet to get a better look.
“Approach!” shouted the Portuguese.
The Malays and Dyaks quickly picked up their oars, greeting their captains with cries of delight.
With a few strokes the launch pulled up by the sloop’s port side just as Sirdar and de Lussac tossed an anchor into the water. Kammamuri immediately leaped over the bulwark and landed on the deck.
“Finally!” he exclaimed. “I was beginning to worry. Where did you get this boat?”
“All in good time. Do you have news, my good Kammamuri?” asked Tremal-Naik.
“All bad, master,” replied the Maratha.
“What do you mean?!?”
“The mahant escaped.”
“Escaped!” exclaimed Sandokan and Tremal-Naik in surprise.
“Yes, master; he disappeared three days ago.”
“Wasn’t anyone guarding him?” shouted the Tiger of Malaysia.
“Quite closely, Captain. As instructed we posted two men in his cabin to watch him at all times.”
“And he still managed to escape?” asked Yanez.
“He must be a witchdoctor, or a demon! Whatever he is, he’s no longer aboard our ship.”
“Tell us everything that happened,” said Tremal-Naik.
“As you know, he was locked in the cabin next to Señor Yanez’; there’s only one window and it’s too small for anyone to climb through. Three days ago, towards dawn, I went to check on him. He was gone, and the two guards we
re so deeply asleep it was almost impossible to wake them.”
“I’ll have them shot,” Sandokan said angrily.
“It wasn’t their fault they fell asleep, Captain,” said the Maratha. “They told us that the night before, toward sunset, they began to feel strange. The mahant had not moved, just stared at them fixedly. It almost seemed as if sparks were coming out of the old man’s eyes.
“At one point he said: “Sleep, I command you,” and they fell so deeply asleep, that, when I found them the next morning, I thought they were dead.”
“He hypnotized them,” said Lieutenant de Lussac.
“How could he have escaped?” asked Yanez.
“The wretch must have waited until nightfall, climbed up on deck and gone ashore. The Marianna had lowered her gangway; he didn’t make a sound.”
“His escape could wreck everything,” said Sandokan. “He’s probably heading straight to Suyodhana to warn him of our intentions.”
“Provided the snakes and tigers don’t get him first,” said Tremal-Naik. “It’s a long way to Rajmangal and every step is fraught with danger. Did the mahant steal a weapon before he escaped?”
“He took a parang from one of his guards,” replied Kammamuri.
“No need to lose sleep over that old man’s escape, Sandokan,” said Tremal-Naik. “There’s a ninety-nine percent chance he’ll be killed by some ferocious beast before he gets anywhere near Rajmangal. Unless he really is some kind of demon, he won’t make it out of the swamps alive. Forget him; now let’s climb aboard your ship and finalize our plans.”
Chapter 23
Rajmangal
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER, the sloop left the small cove where the Marianna had been hidden and set off for the Thugs’ lair to rescue little Darma. Though it was unlikely the mahant would survive the tigers, panthers, and poisonous snakes that abounded in the Sundarbans, the old man’s escape had forced Sandokan to move forward his attack.
The small boat had been equipped with two swivel guns and stocked with a large supply of arms and ammunition. Six men and the merghee’s mahout remained behind to guard the prahu.
Heavy with crew and cargo, the sloop slowly made her way north, intending to sail round the lagoon. They hoped to reach Rajmangal undetected, the many islands hiding their approach.
Sirdar having won their trust, they had gone over their plans in detail, and assigned him an important role. They would approach the Thugs’ lair with utmost caution then once they had rescued young Darma, they would destroy the bloodthirsty cult and put an end to the Tiger of India.
A southern wind had been blowing since that morning, favouring the sloop’s advance. Shortly before noon, the small vessel rounded the northern tip of Rajmatla and entered the vast lagoon that stretches from the shores of the jungle to the islands of the Sundarbans. The entire voyage had taken them four hours.
“If this wind holds,” said Tremal-Naik to Sandokan, who was scanning the shores, “we’ll reach the floating cemetery before midnight.”
“Is there a good place to hide the sloop near there?”
“Yes, there’s no need to worry. I know every inch of the area; I used to live along the Mangal when I was a hunter in the Black Jungle. Who knows, my old hut may still be standing. I’d love to see it again. I first saw my beloved Ada not too far from there.”
Tremal-Naik sighed deeply, his face softening at the memory of his wife.
“It was a beautiful summer night; the sun was setting behind the tops of the bamboo trees and the sky was a fiery red when she emerged from a mussaenda bush. She was as beautiful as a goddess. Ah! What a sweet vision!”
“The Thugs allowed her to go for walks in the jungle?”
“They knew she’d never try to escape. Where could she go? I don’t think they knew I lived nearby.”
“And she appeared every night?”
“Yes, always towards sunset; we’d stand there and stare at each other, never uttering a word. I thought she was a goddess and I didn’t dare speak to her; then one night she failed to appear. That same night the Thugs murdered one of my men. He’d been tracking a tiger along the banks of the Mangal. When I learned of it, I immediately set off to find his killers and avenge him.”
“And, instead, found the young woman in the pagoda.”
“Yes. I watched her offer perfume to a giant statue of Kali, then she began to sob and curse the wretches who had kidnapped her.”
“And later in that same pagoda the Thugs attacked and Suyodhana plunged a dagger into your chest.”
“Yes,” said Tremal-Naik. “If his hand hadn’t trembled, I wouldn’t be here telling you this tale. It was a desperate battle; I killed quite a few of those wretches, but in the end I was overwhelmed by their number.”
“How did you get into the pagoda?”
“I climbed down a rope; there used to be a large lamp hanging from the ceiling.”
“Is it still there?”
“We can ask Sirdar.”
“We’ll go down the same way if we can,” said Sandokan. “When Darma comes to perform the offering, we’ll make off with her.”
“We should wait until Sirdar gives us the signal.”
“You’re sure he won’t betray us?”
“Absolutely,” replied Tremal-Naik. “He’ll be a precious ally. He hates the Thugs as much as we do, perhaps even more so. I promised we’d reward him if he helps us rescue little Darma and find the devadasi. I have no doubt he’ll keep his word.”
“Do you think Surama is being kept somewhere in the caverns?”
“It’s more than likely.”
“Then we’ll rescue her as well. We must be cautious, we can’t let Suyodhana escape. You’ll have Darma, Yanez will have Surama, and I’ll have Suyodhana’s hide,” said Sandokan, smiling cruelly. “I won’t go back to Mompracem without it.”
“That’s Rima,” said Sirdar, advancing towards them and pointing to an island that lay off the sloop’s bow, “it’s the first of four islands off Rajmangal’s western shore. We should head north, sahib.”
“We should avoid Port Canning,” said Tremal-Naik. “One of Suyodhana’s spies could be stationed there.”
“We can sail up the canal,” replied Sirdar. “No one will see us.”
“Take the tiller.”
“Yes, sahib, I’ll guide us in.”
A few moments later the small vessel tacked past Rima’s northern tip and headed up a large canal. Its waters were thick with human remains, the stench so strong that even Darma and Punthy cringed in disgust.
By six that evening they had crossed the canal and the sloop was weaving through a series of sandbanks and small islands.
They had reached the outskirts of the floating cemetery. Hundreds upon hundreds of corpses, the current having dragged them from the Ganges to the Mangal, floated among the black waters, pairs of marabous perched upon them like sentries. Heads, torsos and limbs nudged one another in the gentle waves as the advancing sloop broke the stillness of the surface.
The islands slowly grew larger as they drew closer to Rajmangal. Sandokan ordered the two large sails reefed, keeping only a jib sail to drive the ship forward. Tremal-Naik stood by the helmsman, scanning for sandbanks while the crew sounded the water to ensure the sloop did not run aground. The vessel sailed up the river for twenty minutes, then tacked towards the left bank and hid in a small cove lined with immense trees.
“This place will do,” the Bengali told Sandokan. “We’ll take down the masts and hide the sloop among the mangroves. The jungle is only a few
paces from here. No one will find us.”
“How far is the pagoda?”
“Less than a mile away.”
“In the jungle?”
“On the shores of a swamp.”
“Sirdar!”
The young man was before them in an instant.
“It’s time,” said Sandokan.
“I’m ready, sahib.”
“Remember your promise.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I’ll report to Suyodhana and tell him that the sloop was captured by a band of men, that the entire crew was slain and that I alone managed to escape.”
“And he’ll believe you?”
“Yes, he’s always trusted me.”
“And then?”
“I’ll find out if Darma is still in the caverns. If she is, I’ll find out when she’s to make her next offering to Kali and send word to you. Be ready to move on the pagoda at a moment’s notice.”
“How will you get word to us?”
“If Surama is here, I’ll send her to you.”
“Do you know her?”
“Yes, sahib.”
“What if they haven’t taken her to Rajmangal?”
“Then I’ll relay the message myself, sahib.”
“When do they usually perform their offerings?”
“Midnight.”
“We can climb up to the dome then down into the pagoda,” said Tremal-Naik. “There used to be a large lamp hanging from the ceiling. Is it still there, Sirdar?”
“Yes, sahib. I think it would be best if only a small number of you hid in the pagoda,” said the young man. “Leave the bulk of your men in the jungle and instruct them not to attack until they hear a ramsinga.”
“Who will sound the charge?”
“I will, sir; I’ll be in the pagoda when you attack Suyodhana.”
“You’re sure he’ll be there?” asked Yanez, having joined them.
“He always presides over her offerings.”
“Go then,” said Sandokan. “Remember, if you deliver Darma and Surama to us, your fortune is assured, betray us, and we won’t rest until we’ve killed you.”
“I’ll keep my word,” Sirdar said solemnly. “I renounce the Thugs, I am a Brahmin.”
He took a carbine from Kammamuri, jumped ashore and disappeared into the night.
“Can he rescue my little Darma?” Tremal-Naik asked anxiously. “What do you think, Sandokan?”
“He’s bold, daring and appears to be quite loyal; I’m confident he’ll succeed. Let’s set up camp. All we can do is wait.”
Sandokan: The Two Tigers (The Sandokan Series Book 4) Page 18