A rifle blast followed those words, echoing darkly beneath the dome.
The mahant dropped the kampilan and brought a hand to his chest. He remained standing for a moment, glaring at Sandokan, then fell to the floor, steps from the base of the colossal statute. “Avenge me... kill them... kill them all... it’s Kali’s will!” he shouted hoarsely.
Stunned by the sudden fall of their leader, the stranglers stopped, allowing Tremal-Naik, Yanez, the Frenchman, and the four Malays to regroup about the Tiger of Malaysia who had tossed down his carbine and drawn his parang.
That moment of hesitation lasted no more than a few seconds. Assured by their greater number, the Thugs quickly returned to the attack, rumaals whistling through the air as they charged towards their enemy and attempted to surround them.
Their intentions obvious, Sandokan swiftly gave the order to fall back. His men cleared the path in an instant, a volley from their carbines knocking five Thugs to the ground.
“Draw your parangs!” thundered Sandokan, as his back came up against the wall. “Watch out for their nooses!”
Yanez, Tremal-Naik and the rest of the squadron had fanned out alongside him, sabres flailing without pause as they sliced through the barrage of rumaals hissing towards them.
As their losses mounted the stranglers’ determination began to waver; the small band of men had proven to be deadlier than expected.
Another cry from the dying mahant, who now lay in a pool of blood, brought new life to their attack:
“Kill... destroy... those who fall in battle shall enter Kali’s paradise... Kal...”
Death took his final words, but all had heard his promise. Kali’s paradise awaited those slain in battle. Nothing more was needed to imbue those fanatics with renewed courage.
They charged forward a second time, filling the air with frightening cries, but their attack lasted no more than an instant. Sandokan and his friends had drawn their pistols and fired.
Ten or twelve Thugs fell dead or wounded before them. A noose had tightened about Lieutenant de Lussac’s neck and arm, but Yanez had immediately sliced through it with a swipe of his parang.
That second volley was even deadlier than the first, and with the mahant no longer there to lead them, panic quickly spread among the attackers.
Sandokan, sensing their confusion, immediately pressed his advantage.
“Attack!” he cried. “Attack those dogs!”
The formidable pirate lunged forward with all the fury of the beast whose name he bore, his heavy parang felling foe after foe.
His companions were quick to follow, the Malays shouted savagely, jumping through the fray as nimbly as antelopes, mercilessly hacking down anyone who fell within reach of their kampilans.
Unable to hold their ground against such a furious attack, the Thugs fell back, retreating towards the statute until their backs were pressed against it. They tossed away their rumaals, which were useless in a man-to-man struggle, then drew their knives and talwars, determined to fight to the last.
Enraged by the sight of such resistance, Sandokan attacked with even greater fury. The battle grew frightening. Blows from parangs and kampilans hailed down mercilessly, severing arms and heads, slicing through backs and chests, but, nevertheless, the stranglers held their line, putting up a proud resistance.
Three times the Tiger of Malaysia led his men forward, and three times they were forced to fall back, their sabres dripping with blood.
He was about to attempt another, when they heard the hauk thunder off in the distance, followed almost immediately by a volley of carbine fire from outside the pagoda.
“Take heart, my friends!” shouted Sandokan. “Our men are coming! Let’s finish these bandits!”
But another attack would prove unnecessary. At the sound of the drum the stranglers had rushed towards the door from which they had entered and which appeared to lead into their underground lair.
Sandokan was the first to pursue.
“After them!” he commanded. “Into the caverns!”
The Thugs had dropped several torches in their scramble to escape. Yanez and Tremal-Naik each picked one off the ground then raced after the Tiger of Malaysia.
Their enemies had been quick to reach the door and were rushing into the tunnel, pressing against each other as they fled towards safety. By the time Sandokan and his companions had made it into the passageway the stranglers had already disappeared, the sounds of frantic running echoing down the tunnel. Familiar with the layout of the caverns they had extinguished their torches to better hide from their pursuers.
Fearing a trap, Tremal-Naik had attempted to hold back the Tiger of Malaysia saying:
“We should wait for your men, Sandokan.”
“The ten of us can handle them,” the pirate replied. “The others will join us soon enough.”
Though the hauk continued to thunder, likely summoning the Thugs to arms, he took the torch from Yanez and bravely headed down the dark passage.
Driven by the fear that Suyodhana would escape with little Darma, he advanced quickly, unconcerned by the dangers that might await him.
His men followed at a run, howling at the top of their voices and striking the walls with their kampilans and parangs to make it sound like their number had been swelled by the arrival of reinforcements.
The tunnel led ever downward; it was two metres high and just as wide, the steep slope occasionally broken by steps carved out of the rock. The walls grew damp as they advanced, water dripping from overhead indicating they were now beneath the river.
The stranglers ran on, never once turning back to resume the battle.
The pirates of Mompracem, Tremal-Naik and the Frenchman followed their every step, screaming loudly and firing their pistols whenever they caught sight of them.
They were determined not to stop until they reached the Great Temple. Once there, they would await their men, certain they would arrive in minutes, for they could hear rifle blasts thundering at the mouth of the tunnel, a sign that Kammamuri and the Tigers were already inside the pagoda.
They had gone four or five hundred paces, running without pause, when they suddenly found themselves before a heavy bronze door that led into a circular cavern. The Thugs had left it open.
“We should stop here,” said Tremal-Naik, eyeing the door suspiciously.
“No,” replied Sandokan, spotting several shadows fleeing out a door at the far end of the cavern.
“I can’t hear your men anymore.”
“They’ll be here soon. Kammamuri knows every inch of these tunnels, he’ll find us. We have to go after them; we can’t let Suyodhana escape with Darma.”
“Yes, after them!” exclaimed Yanez and de Lussac in unison.
They rushed into the cavern and were racing towards a second door through which the Thugs had escaped when a pair of loud metallic thuds abruptly stopped them in their tracks.
Sandokan howled with rage.
“The doors!”
“By Jupiter!” exclaimed Yanez, as a shiver went down his spine. “We fell right into their trap!”
The men exchanged anxious looks. The room was silent. Not a cry, not a rifle blast reached their ears.
“They’ve locked us in,” Sandokan said finally. “There must have been a few Thugs hiding behind us! And I led us right into their trap like a fool! I should have taken your advice, Tremal-Naik; I was too determined not to let Suyodhana escape.”
“We’re not done for just yet, Captain,” said de Lussac, still clutching a parang drenched in blood. “Your men can blast through those doors with their explosives.”
“I can’t hear them anymore,” said Yanez, “Could the stranglers have killed them all?”
“Unlikely,” replied Sandokan. “You know how formidable our men are once they launch their attack, not even a dozen cannons can stop them. It sounded like they’d already attacked the pagoda; it won’t be long before they find us.”
“Yet I still feel uneasy,” said
Tremal-Naik, who had remained silent until then, “and I’m starting to fear Suyodhana may have already escaped with my Darma.”
“Are there any other tunnels that lead out of the caverns?” asked Sandokan.
“Only the one that led out through the sacred banyan tree.”
“Sirdar told us it had been sealed,” observed Yanez.
“It may have been reopened,” replied Tremal-Naik. “Suyodhana has more than enough men to make quick work of it.”
“Is Kammamuri familiar with that tunnel?” asked Sandokan.
“Yes.”
“He may have sent some of my men to keep an eye on it.”
“Sir,” said de Lussac, having inspected the cavern, “best we try to find a way out of here.”
“Right,” said Sandokan. “We’re wasting time in idle chatter. Have you examined the doors, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, both of them,” replied the Frenchman, “we’d need a cannon to blast through them. They’re made of thick bronze. Those wretches must have planned this all along.”
“And there’s no other way out of here?”
“No, Captain.”
“Where are our men?” asked Yanez, beginning to grow impatient. “They should have been here by now.”
“I’d give half my riches to know what’s become of them,” said Sandokan. “This silence does not bode well.”
“Yes,” said Tremal-Naik. “We can’t waste any more time, Sandokan, we’ve got to get out of here before the Thugs launch the next stage of their trap.”
“Let them come, we’ve got more than enough powder and bullets for them.”
“They may not be so direct. The night Kammamuri and I made off with Ada, the three of us hid in one of these caverns. When the Thugs found us, they sealed us in and almost roasted us alive. They may be planning something similar to force us to surrender.”
“Let’s hope my men prevent—”
“Quiet!” shouted Yanez, who had put his ear to the door sealing the passageway they had come through. “I just heard several rifle blasts.”
“Where are they coming from?”
“The pagoda, I think.”
Everyone rushed to the thick bronze door and pressed their ears against the metal.
“Yes, gunshots,” said Sandokan. “My men are still fighting. Quickly, we’ve got to reach them.”
“There’s no way we can knock down this door,” said de Lussac.
“We’ll blow it up,” replied Yanez. “We each have a pound of gunpowder in our bags. We should be able to build a pretty good mine.”
“Can we survive the blast?” asked Tremal-Naik.
“The cavern’s quite large,” said Sandokan. “There’s more than enough space to shelter us from the explosion. What do you think, Lieutenant de Lussac?”
“Lying down by that far wall will put us out of danger,” replied the Frenchman. “Two pounds of powder will suffice to blast our way out of here.”
“Let’s begin then,” said Yanez. “We’ll need to dig a small hole at the base of the door.”
“I’ll use my belt to construct the bomb,” said the Frenchman. “It’s made of good strong leather.”
The Malays had already drawn their parangs and were preparing to dig a hole beneath the door when they heard a series of explosions followed by frightening cries.
“What’s happening?” asked Yanez.
“Our men must have blasted through the entrance to the tunnel,” replied Sandokan. “It sounds like there’s a battle raging up there.”
A dark rumbling sound suddenly thundered above them.
“Now what?” asked Sandokan.
“The Thugs are planning to drown us,” Tremal-Naik replied hoarsely. “Look!”
An enormous gusher of water had erupted from an opening in a corner at the far end of the cavern.
“We’re done for!” exclaimed Yanez.
Sandokan looked on in silence, his face grave, a trace of anxiety in his eyes.
“We have five minutes at most,” said de Lussac. “Only your men can save us now.”
“So much for the mine,” added the Portuguese. He drew a cigarette from his pocket, lit it and began to smoke as calmly as if he had been standing on the deck of his prahu.
“Any ideas, Sandokan?” asked Tremal-Naik. “We can’t just let ourselves drown!”
The pirate remained silent. Leaning against the wall, arms tightly crossed, lips pursed, a deep frown lining his brow, he studied the water roaring into the cavern.
“Gentleman,” said Yanez, “it’s almost time to start swimming. Let’s hope the Thugs allow me to finish my cigarette before–-”
A loud explosion cut him short, the blast so strong it shook the heavy bronze door for an instant.
The water, in the meantime, had reached their belts, rising quickly as it roared into the cavern.
Chapter 26
The Pirates Attack
WHILE SANDOKAN AND his companions were preparing to scale the pagoda, the remainder of his men, led by Kammamuri and Sambigliong, had stopped in the middle of the jungle, about six hundred metres from the pond, and awaited the signal to advance.
They had not encountered a soul during their journey across the Mangal, and Punthy had not shown any signs of unease.
Kammamuri who was even more familiar with the pagoda and its surroundings than Tremal-Naik, having been held captive by the Thugs for six months, had stationed his men in the nearby bushes opposite the entrance. Though they were a fair distance from the pagoda, they could still make it out clearly, no one could approach it without being seen. Darma’s return had signalled that his master and the others had made it to the top, and he immediately gave the order to advance towards the outskirts of the clearing.
“It’s only a few minutes to midnight,” he said to Sambigliong, who was crouching by his side. “It won’t be long before we hear the signal. Have the explosives been prepared?”
“Checked and ready,” replied the Marianna’s quartermaster. “We have a dozen in all, more than enough to blow open the door. Do you think the Thugs will put up much of a fight?”
“They won’t surrender little Darma without a struggle,” replied Kammamuri. “The stranglers do not fear death.”
“Are there a lot of them on the island?”
“When I was a prisoner here, there were never less than two or three hundred of them living in the caverns.”
“Look,” said a Malay a few paces from them, “there’s a light in the pagoda.”
Kammamuri and Sambigliong sprang to their feet.
“The Thugs must have lit the great lamp,” said the Maratha. “They’re preparing to make the blood offering.”
“It won’t be long now,” said Sambigliong.
“Stand ready!” commanded Kammamuri.
The thirty pirates quickly armed their carbines. Suddenly a frightening clamour erupted from the pagoda, followed by a rifle blast, then a volley of gunfire.
“They’re attacking the captain!” cried Sambigliong. “It’s time, Tigers of Mompracem.”
“Attack!” commanded Kammamuri.
The squadron rushed through the reeds as the sound of the clash grew louder. It took them less than five minutes to reach the pagoda, but they arrived too late, the battle had ended, the rifles had fallen silent and the cries were growing faint.
“The explosives! Quickly!” shouted Kammamuri, unable to open the heavy bronze door.
Two Malays had just rushed up the steps and set a couple of bombs at the foot of the door, when a loud cry erupted from the surrounding bushes.
Two large bands of Thugs, two hundred stranglers armed with talwars and rumaals, charged towards the men at the base of the steps.
Though surprised by that unexpected attack, the Malays and Dyaks did not lose heart. They quickly formed two columns, levelled their carbines and fired at the advancing horde, knocking thirty attackers to the ground.
“Stand firm!” commanded Sambigliong.
Undaunte
d by those volleys, the stranglers charged towards them, howling ferociously, believing victory was assured, unaware they were facing the most formidable warriors in Malaysia, each man a veteran of over a hundred boarding raids.
As rumaals hissed towards them from all directions, the Tigers of Mompracem threw down their carbines and drew their heavy sabres, weapons better suited for slicing through the nooses and fighting man to man. Darma and Punthy bore their teeth, snarling menacingly as they prepared to tear through enemy flesh.
Within seconds the Thugs were upon them, but the legendary pirates, standing side by side, absorbed the impact without flinching, their blades swiftly felling the first line of attackers.
Shrieks and howls mingled with the clang of clashing metal as the battle swiftly grew more violent. Then at Sambigliong’s command, the Malays charged, immediately clearing the ground before them, for as Sandokan had stated, once on the attack, nothing could stop the pirates of Mompracem.
Overwhelmed by such force, the Thugs rapidly fell back. The Malays, taking advantage of the confusion, rushed into the dispersing horde, slaughtering all that stood before them while Kammamuri’s Dyaks quickly retrieved their carbines and fired into the fray.
Just as the stranglers had begun to retreat, the bombs at the top of the stairway went off with a frightening roar, blasting open the pagoda’s bronze door.
A group of Indians that had gathered at the base of the steps to launch a counterattack turned and ran inside.
“Into the temple! Into the temple!” shouted Kammamuri. “To the Tiger of Malaysia! Sambigliong! Cover our backs!”
He rushed up the steps followed by the Dyaks, as the quartermaster’s Malays scattered the last few stranglers that had assembled near the pond, forcing them to flee towards an enormous banyan tree at the outskirts of the jungle.
The Thugs who had taken refuge in the pagoda, realizing their adversaries were planning to invade the caverns, turned to attack, talwars flailing as they raced forward.
Four times the pirates intrepidly charged up the steps, only to be forced to fall back just as quickly, a few men killed or wounded in the attempt. Fortunately Sambigliong’s Malays quickly came to their aid.
Two volleys from their carbines sufficed to put an end to that last bit of resistance. The Malays and Dyaks rushed into the pagoda but by then their enemies had already disappeared.
Sandokan: The Two Tigers (The Sandokan Series Book 4) Page 20