To Touch the Clouds : The Frontier Series 5

by Peter Watt

  Matthew and Alex were immediately secured in a storage room within one of the large sheds at the plantation. They were not mistreated and in the evening a good meal was brought to them by one of the housemaids, but a fierce-looking worker with a rifle had been posted at the entrance to ensure that they did not attempt to escape when the door was opened.

  ‘I want to see Herr Schumann,’ Alex said to the girl. He figured she was around fifteen years of age but she shook her head, not comprehending English. Alex tried again, this time in German. But he received the same response and the girl left.

  ‘It’s bloody obvious that your future father-in-law is not very happy with us,’ Matthew said, scooping a spoonful of pork and cabbage from his tin plate. ‘I just wonder what in hell they have specifically planned for us.’

  ‘I suspect that Schumann has notified their government in Neu Pommern that he has us in custody,’ Alex replied, wiping the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. ‘No doubt they will send someone to take us back to Rabaul and who knows what will happen after that.’

  ‘Maybe a quick trial followed by a slow drum roll and a firing squad,’ Matthew said with a wry grin. ‘But be assured that you will probably get full military honours because you are a commissioned officer.’

  ‘I doubt that the Germans would try us as spies,’ Alex said, but without much conviction. ‘It would cause too much of a political rift between Australia and Germany. Maybe they’ll just ship us home with orders never to return to German territory.’

  ‘If they were prepared to blow us up at sea I don’t think that they really want us around to talk,’ Matthew countered. ‘Think about it.’

  Alex settled himself against a pile of hessian bags. ‘I just don’t understand why Giselle has not at least come to see me,’ he sighed. ‘She must have heard that we are here.’

  Matthew did not comment. He had already considered that the love of Alex’s life would now see Alex in a different light. He had not informed her of the contents of the crates when they were brought ashore to be stored and no doubt she felt betrayed by the fact – not as a German citizen but as a woman who expected to be told everything. Alex did not know as much about the complex thought processes of women as he might think, Matthew mused, relishing the pork in its rich stew. He smiled, catching Alex’s attention.

  ‘What’s funny?’ Alex asked.

  ‘Nothing much,’ Matthew replied, putting his plate aside. ‘I was just thinking of a Yank story about an Indian princess called Pocahontas, and how she saved Captain Smith from the wrath of her father.’

  Alex shook his head. ‘What’s that got to do with our current situation?’

  ‘Nothing, I suppose,’ Matthew shrugged. ‘I think that we should get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow. It’s been a long and eventful day.’

  Alex watched as Matthew made a crude bed out of hessian bags, curled up and dropped into a peaceful sleep. Alex was not afraid of what they might have to deal with when the sun rose but he was in emotional agony because Giselle had made no attempt to contact him. His despair was more painful than even the thought of being executed. It was a terrible feeling that kept him awake until sheer exhaustion caused him to slip into a troubled sleep.

  Before sunrise, the door clattered open, waking both men.

  ‘Good morning, gentlemen,’ Schumann greeted in a less than friendly tone. Beside him stood his foreman with his carbine.

  Both men rose into a sitting position, blinking away the night’s sleep from their eyes.

  ‘I have had breakfast prepared for you and it will be delivered very soon,’ Schumann continued. ‘I must say how very disappointed I am with you, Captain Macintosh. You have betrayed my trust and used my family to carry out a blatant act of war against the Fatherland. However, that matter will be dealt with by our government when they come to escort you back to Rabaul. In the meantime, despite your act of treachery, you will be dealt with courteously and not harmed. I expect you, Mr Macintosh, to give me your word that you will not attempt to escape and if you do so I will allow you out of your current prison. You will be able to roam the plantation under the guard of my people. Do I have your word?’

  Alex glanced at Matthew, who had attempted to follow the conversation spoken in German.

  ‘I gather that Herr Schumann is asking for your parole,’ Matthew said.

  ‘That is correct,’ Schumann said in English.

  ‘I can’t see what is wrong with that,’ Matthew replied, smiling at the German planter. ‘After all, where can we go?’ Alex stood and held out his hand to Schumann. ‘You have my word as an officer and gentleman that I will not attempt to escape,’ he said.

  ‘And you, Mr Duffy?’ Schumann asked.

  ‘The same,’ Matthew shrugged, but did not extend his hand.

  ‘Good,’ Schumann responded. ‘You are now free to take advantage of your limited freedom,’ he said in English. ‘You will remain within the borders of the plantation. Herr Schmidt will show you where they are. At night, you will be confined to this place and you will not, under any circumstances, attempt to speak with any of my family or workers. Do you understand what I am saying?’

  ‘We do,’ Alex answered. ‘I will respect your wishes and add that I am truly sorry if we have caused you or your family any embarrassment for what you perceive as an act of betrayal. That is the last thing I would want to happen between us.’

  Satisfied that he had settled the issue of the Australians’ captivity, Schumann nodded to the foreman and turned on his heel to leave.

  ‘You stop here, ja,’ Schmidt said in heavily accented and fractured English. ‘Kai kai come.’

  He left, closing the door, and moments later the housemaid appeared with bowls of porridge which both men devoured. Then the foreman returned, waving with the rifle barrel for them to exit the shed. Matthew and Alex stepped into the tropical sunlight. Plantation workers were moving about, chattering in their language as they prepared to go to work among the coconut palms.

  ‘I did not exactly promise not to escape,’ Matthew muttered in Alex’s ear as they walked in front of the armed foreman. ‘After all, I am neither an officer nor a gentleman.’

  Alex turned his head quickly towards Matthew. ‘I kind of thought that,’ he said softly. ‘If you do make it, tell my father that I attempted to do my duty.’

  ‘I will be getting you out of here,’ Matthew said.

  ‘No, I gave my word,’ Alex answered. ‘Besides, I have to see Giselle and explain that I never intended to hurt her with my actions. You will have to go alone.’

  Matthew did not respond. After all, he knew his cousin was a man in love and blinded to the realities of their dire situation. Matthew suspected that they would be quietly disposed of when the authorities from Rabaul arrived. After all, they had already tried once to kill them.

  Throughout the day they roamed the plantation, Matthew scheming to escape while Alex plotted to see Giselle. Always they were followed by either the foreman or an armed worker.

  21

  For almost the week that he and Matthew had been allowed the freedom of the plantation, with the exception of being permitted near the main house, Alex had not seen Giselle. Alex observed that Matthew was forever noting all that occurred around them and it was obvious that his cousin was plotting his escape. They had learned from Schumann on one of his visits to their makeshift prison that the German navy was sending a ship to pick them up and take them back to Rabaul; the transport was due in three days. This news spurred Matthew on in his plans to escape and made Alex consider a desperate plan to speak with Giselle.

  In the evening the two men were confined to the storage shed and brought their evening meal of baked sweet potato and roast pork.

  ‘I have worked out that Herr Schumann owns a cutter – the one we have seen in the harbour,’ Matthew said, putting aside his plate. ‘And from what I have seen in the last week Schumann has relaxed his guard on us. They don’t even post a guard at the shed by ni
ght anymore.’

  ‘I know you can fly, but what are you like at handling a large sailing boat?’ Alex asked.

  ‘It has an engine,’ Matthew answered. ‘I expect that I would get the boat out of here on the engine and with the right winds sail her south.’

  Alex knew they were on a countdown and the pain he felt at not being able to communicate with Giselle had not abated. ‘I will do anything I can to help,’ he replied. ‘What do you need?’

  ‘I am going to make my move tomorrow night,’ Matthew told him. ‘Around midnight when most of the plantation is asleep I will break out of here and make my way to the bay. With any luck the boat will not be guarded and all I have to do is take her out. Hopefully, I will not be missed for at least six hours and that will give me a head start. All I have to do is get the boat into Papuan waters and the Germans are powerless to act against me.’

  ‘Sounds fairly straightforward,’ Alex agreed. ‘If all goes well you will be able to get back to Sydney and brief my father on the situation.’

  Matthew and Alex played a couple of hands of cards from an old pack they had been given by Schumann, and then put out the lantern to get a good night’s sleep.

  Matthew did not know what it was that caused him to awaken, sit up and look across to where Alex normally slept, but when he did he could clearly see that his cousin was gone. Confused, Matthew tried to fathom what had happened to Alex.

  ‘You old dog,’ he muttered. ‘Be bloody careful.’

  A couple of hundred yards away, Alex moved stealthily along a wall of the main house to a window which he knew from his previous visits was Giselle’s bedroom. The window was wide open and he cautiously hauled himself over the ledge to drop softly to the wooden floor below. In the dim light cast by a lantern outside the room he could see the huge mosquito net over the young woman’s bed.

  ‘Do not shout,’ Alex ordered, his hand clamped over Giselle’s mouth. ‘It is only me, Alex.’

  Giselle attempted to struggle against him but he used his strength to pin her down. ‘If you cry out I will be surely shot,’ he pleaded. ‘I just wanted to speak with you before your people come and take us away.’

  Giselle’s struggles ceased, but her eyes were angry. Slowly, Alex took his hand away.

  ‘How could you have done it?’ the young woman demanded angrily. ‘Betrayed me and my family?’

  ‘I am a soldier,’ Alex said. ‘I have my duty to my country. I never intended to hurt you or your family.’

  ‘Well, you have,’ Giselle snapped. ‘How do you think I felt when I saw that aeroplane burned in the yard? To hear from my father that the authorities in Rabaul knew you were on some kind of spying mission against my country? Do you know what the penalty is for spying?’

  ‘I do,’ Alex replied. ‘I could lie to you and say that I am innocent of the charges but I will confess to you – and you alone – that I was doing my duty as best as I could, under the current circumstances. That does not mean that I don’t love you with my heart and soul. I am sorry, Giselle.’

  ‘What will happen to you now?’ Giselle asked with concern creeping into her voice. Her anger was gone and Alex sensed that she still cared for him.

  ‘You know the answer to that,’ Alex replied with a shrug. ‘Anyway, Matthew is under the impression that we won’t even make it back to Rabaul.’

  Giselle gripped his arm. ‘I cannot see you come to any harm,’ she said with fierce conviction. ‘Despite your misguided actions I still love you.’

  ‘I gave my word to your father that I would not attempt to escape,’ Alex replied. ‘I just have to take my chances.’

  ‘I could not bear to think that you could be hurt,’ Giselle said, moving to put her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder. They clung to each other, tears rolling down Alex’s face. He stroked her hair and smelled the depths of her sweet scent.

  ‘I will help you to escape,’ Giselle said, pulling back to face him. ‘I don’t care how many promises you made to my father, I love you more than life itself.’

  ‘They are the only words that I wanted to hear,’ Alex said gently. ‘That you love me as I do you. That love overrides any oath that I might make as an officer.’

  ‘How will we do it?’ Giselle asked.

  ‘Matthew has a plan,’ Alex revealed. ‘I only have to join him and when I am in a better position, return to take you away from here. I want you to be my wife and share my life.’

  ‘I want to come with you when you escape the plantation,’ Giselle said with a note of determination that told Alex she would be very hard to dissuade.

  ‘That would be too dangerous to consider,’ Alex countered gently, stroking her face. ‘Matthew plans to steal your father’s cutter and sail for Papuan waters. What if your navy on its way here goes in pursuit of us?’

  ‘I know the boat and waters around here better than both of you,’ Giselle said. ‘I also know of places ashore where we could hide by day.’

  ‘I will have to discuss your involvement with Matthew,’ Alex replied. ‘How can I communicate with you before tomorrow evening?’

  Giselle thought for a moment. ‘I will ride to the western edge of the plantation where my father is planting more trees. Do you know where I mean?’

  ‘We have walked there,’ Alex answered.

  ‘Good,’ Giselle continued. ‘I will be there mid afternoon when most of the workers and my father take a break.’

  ‘I will meet you,’ Alex said, realising that he should leave before much longer. There was a chance that an early rising house worker might spot him departing the house. ‘I will leave now and see you later this day,’ he said, taking Giselle in his arms. He kissed her passionately and she returned the gesture. Reluctantly they broke apart.

  ‘I love you,’ Alex said, slipping from his position by the bed to go to the window.

  ‘I love you,’ Giselle echoed softly across the room as Alex slipped through the window into the yard to make his way carefully back to the storage shed.

  ‘Good morning, Romeo,’ Matthew greeted in the dark as Alex tiptoed through the doorway. ‘Hope the risk was worth it.’

  ‘It was,’ Alex answered. ‘Giselle has expressed her desire to join us in our escape.’

  ‘Us?’ Matthew asked softly. ‘Do I rightly deduce that you and Miss Schumann plan to flee with me in the cutter?’

  ‘That’s right,’ Alex replied. ‘Three can handle the cutter better than one. We would have a better chance of escaping.’

  Matthew stood and stared through a crack in the wall at the yard beyond now under the soft glow of a rising sun. ‘I have no problem concerning you breaking your parole,’ he said. ‘But you would be risking Giselle’s life if we get caught. Have you considered that?’

  ‘We love each other,’ Alex answered. ‘I cannot live without her.’

  Matthew shook his head. It was obvious that his cousin was acting like an infatuated school boy and not the commissioned officer he was supposed to be. ‘We have a duty to report back to your father,’ Matthew reminded his cousin. ‘You cannot let your personal feelings interfere with why we are here.’

  ‘Giselle knows the cutter better than either of us could learn under the hasty conditions,’ Alex defended. ‘Surely you can see that.’

  ‘Okay,’ Matthew sighed. ‘She comes with us.’

  ‘Good,’ Alex said and lay down to rest. He had an appointment that afternoon with Giselle to tell her the good news – if putting her life on the line could be considered good news! The plan that Matthew had set out earlier was simple. They would wait until midnight, leave the unguarded shed and make their way to the beach where the cutter lay moored to a small jetty. All going well it would be unattended and they would push it off and set a course south. It all seemed so straightforward. With the wind and luck on their side the cutter would sail into Papuan waters which were under the administration of Australia. Here they would be safe and Giselle free to wed him in Sydney regardless of her father’s oppo
sition. With these final reassuring thoughts, Alex dozed off until he was awoken for breakfast.

  The day passed without incident and Alex was successful in meeting with Giselle and explaining what Matthew had planned. They parted with a passionate kiss and unspoken fears for what may lay ahead. Giselle mounted her horse and rode back to the house leaving Alex to gaze after her, afraid that he could lose her if the plan failed. However, he shook off his doubts and tried to feel confident in his cousin’s plot to escape.

  When evening came Matthew noted that there appeared to be no change in the routine around the plantation. Neither man could get any sleep as midnight approached. They sat and spoke softly on a myriad of inconsequential subjects to calm their nerves.

  ‘It’s time,’ Matthew said quietly, glancing down at the pocket watch in his hand, a present from his mother for his twenty-first birthday. It had survived many dangerous situations and even the long swim to shore, wrapped as it had been in an oilskin wallet.

  They rose and cautiously exited the shed. Moving across the dark yard they reached a row of tall, uniformly spaced coconut trees which they followed until they reached the natural vegetation adjoining the beach.

  ‘Where is she?’ Matthew hissed. ‘You said she would meet us here.’

  Alex crouched in the rotting vegetation and just beyond the beach below they could see the dark outline of the cutter secured to the small jetty. ‘Giselle will be here,’ Alex replied. ‘She must have been held up.’

  ‘We cannot wait for very long,’ Matthew warned. ‘According to what I was able to find out from a worker the tide will be coming in within the hour. If she is not here in ten minutes I am afraid we will have to leave.’

  ‘Give us ten minutes,’ Alex pleaded, swatting at the clouds of mosquitoes rising in the still, humid air.

  They waited with only the buzzing sound of the mosquitoes and the gentle hiss of the sea surging onto the beach disturbing the oppressive silence. Finally, Matthew rose to his feet. ‘Are you coming? I am sorry, but we can’t afford to wait any longer for Giselle,’ he whispered.