“Lord James,” she said, once she had finished, “I owe my rescue to Tremal-Naik and Kammamuri; and my happiness to the Tiger of Malaysia. Congratulate these men, Milord.”
Lord James approached Sandokan who had been watching the young woman recount her tale in silence, his arms crossed.
“Sandokan,” said the old man, his voice deeply moved. “You kidnapped my niece, but you have rescued another woman I love just as dearly. I forgive you and offer you my friendship!”
Though enemies for several years, the two men embraced as old friends. When they parted, his lordship’s eyes were welled with tears.
“Is it true Marianna is dead?” he sobbed.
The Tiger’s face grew sombre.
“Yes,” he replied hoarsely, his voice little more than whisper.
“My poor niece!”
“My wife,” murmured Sandokan.
A sob stifled his voice. The Tiger of Malaysia had begun to cry!
Yanez drew near his friend, placed an arm on his shoulder and said, “Be strong, little brother. You’re still standing before the Exterminator; the Tiger of Malaysia must not show signs of weakness.”
Almost in anger, Sandokan wiped away the tears and proudly raised his head.
“Rajah Brooke, my men and I surrender.”
“Name your men,” the rajah said solemnly.
“Yanez, Tanauduriam and Sambigliong.”
“And Tremal-Naik?”
“What! You dare—”
“I dare nothing,” said James Brooke. “It is beyond my control. Tremal-Naik will be taken prisoner along with your men.”
“Excellency!” exclaimed Lord Guillonk. “You cannot do this!”
“I’m sorry, Milord, but I do not have the power to grant Tremal-Naik his freedom. He was consigned to me, and I have to return him to the British authorities.”
“But you’ve heard Tremal-Naik’s story! He’s innocent and soon to be my nephew!”
“True, but I cannot ignore orders issued by the Anglo-Indian authorities. A few days from now, a ship transporting convicts will arrive in Sarawak and I’ll be forced to deliver him to its commander.”
“Sir!” Tremal-Naik exclaimed sadly, “How can you allow them to take me from Ada and send me to Norfolk?”
“Rajah Brooke,” said Sandokan, “This is pure treachery.”
“As I said, it’s beyond my control,” replied the rajah. “Lord Guillonk is free to go to Calcutta, deliver this new evidence, and request a pardon for Tremal-Naik. I promise, on my part, to support him completely.”
Ada, who until then had listened in anguish, stepped forward.
“Rajah,” she said sadly, “Do you wish to see my madness return?”
“You’ll have your fiancée back soon enough. Once the Anglo-Indian authorities have reviewed our testimonies, they will not hesitate to grant Tremal-Naik a full pardon.”
“Then allow me to embark with him.”
“What!?! Nonsense! Do you know what you are asking?”
“I want to be with him.”
“On a convict ship! That is no place for a woman!”
“I want to be with him,” she said firmly.
James Brooke looked at her with surprise, taken aback by the young woman’s energy and determination.
“Answer me,” said Ada, noting that he remained silent.
“Your love for Tremal-Naik is admirable, Miss,” he said. “But I cannot grant your request. The commander of the ship would not take you aboard. If you want to help your fiancé, accompany your uncle to India to obtain your fiancé’s pardon. As Captain Corishant’s daughter, and a witness to those events, your testimony will expedite his pardon.”
“That’s true, Ada,” said Lord Guillonk. “My testimony alone may not be enough to pardon him.”
“But you’re asking me to leave him once again!” exclaimed Ada, bursting into tears.
“Ada!” said Tremal-Naik.
“Excellency,” said Sandokan, advancing towards the rajah. “Grant me five minutes freedom!”
“What for?” asked James Brooke.
“I wish to persuade Miss Ada to accompany Lord James.”
“Very well. You have five minutes.”
“We will return momentarily.”
He left the hut and led his friends into the courtyard.
“Listen,” he said. “We can still defeat the rajah if you help me. Miss Ada, Lord James—”
“Call me uncle, Sandokan,” said the Englishman. “You are my nephew after all.”
“Thank you, uncle,” said the Tiger, moved by those words. “Miss Ada, you must renounce the notion of accompanying your fiancé to Norfolk. We’ll try to convince the rajah to keep Tremal-Naik in Sarawak until the authorities in Calcutta have reviewed his trial and decided his fate.”
“But it’ll be a long separation,” said Ada.
“No, Miss, it’ll be short, I assure you. I’m just playing for time.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tremal-Naik and Lord Guillonk.
A smile crossed Sandokan’s lips.
“Tried in India!” he said. “Do you think I’m unaware of the fate awaiting me in Calcutta? The British hate me; I’ve waged a ferocious war against them. They’d show no mercy and I’m not ready to die just yet.”
“Do you have a plan?” asked Lord Guillonk.
“Our fate rests with Pangeran Macota.”
“The late Sultan’s nephew?” asked Lord James.
“Yes, uncle. He’s plotting to retake the throne and he’s slowly undermining Brooke’s power.”
“How can we help?” asked Ada.
“Find him and tell him that the Tigers of Mompracem will help him execute his plans. My pirates will land here, take command of his insurrection, attack our prison and set us free.”
“But I’m British, nephew,” said his lordship.
“I’m not asking you to play any part in this, Uncle James. You cannot conspire against one of your own countrymen.”
“Who will do this then?”
“Miss Ada and Kammamuri.”
“Yes, sir,” said the young woman. “You restored my reason and reunited me with Tremal-Naik. My life is yours to command. What must I do?”
Sandokan unfastened his jacket and drew a swollen purse from the folds of his sash.
“Go to Pangeran Macota and tell him that Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia, offers these diamonds, worth two million, as a gift to expedite his insurrection.”
“And what must I do?” asked Kammamuri.
Sandokan removed a ring adorned with a large emerald and gave it to him saying, “You’ll sail to Mompracem and show my pirates this ring, tell them that I’ve been taken prisoner and that they must embark for Sarawak immediately to assist in the insurrection against James Brooke. Let’s go back now; the rajah must be growing suspicious.”
They entered what remained of the hut. Brooke was waiting for them, surrounded by a group of officers that had just come ashore.
“Well then?” he asked.
“Ada renounces the notion of going with her fiancé, on the condition that you, Excellency, keep the prisoner Tremal-Naik in Sarawak until the Court of Calcutta has reviewed her testimony,” said his lordship.
“Very well,” said Brooke after a moment’s reflection.
Sandokan advanced, cast his scimitar and kris upon the ground and said, “I am your prisoner.”
Yanez, Tanauduriam and Sambigliong also cast down their weapons.
His eyes damp, Lord James stood between the rajah and Sandokan.
“Excellency,” he said, “What are you going to do with my nephew?”
“I’ll meet his terms.”
“Specifically?”
“I’ll send him to India. He’ll be tried by the Supreme Court of Calcutta.”
“When will he set sail?”
“In forty days, on the postal ship from Labuan.”
“Excellency... he’s my nephew and I helped to capture him.”
&n
bsp; “I know, Milord.”
“He saved Ada Corishant, Excellency.”
“I know, but he is a pirate and must answer for his crimes.”
“What if my nephew promised to leave these waters forever? If he promised never to set foot upon Mompracem again?”
“There’s no need for that, Uncle James,” said Sandokan. “Neither I nor my men fear human justice. When our last hour has sounded, the Tigers of Mompracem will face death with honour.”
He approached the old Lord, whose eyes had welled with tears, and embraced him, then turned towards Ada and Tremal-Naik.
“Goodbye, Miss,” he said, pressing the sobbing young woman’s hand. “Don’t give up hope.”
He turned to face the rajah who was waiting for him by the door and said, “At your service, Excellency.”
The four pirates and Tremal-Naik left the fort and were seated in the launches. Once the vessels had pulled away from the shore and were heading towards the Royalist, the prisoners cast their eyes upon the island. Ada, Kammamuri and his lordship stood before the fort’s entrance, weeping.
“Poor Ada, poor Uncle James,” murmured Sandokan. “Rest assured my friends, we won’t be parted long, and James Brooke will lose his throne!”
Chapter 15
Aboard the Royalist
TEN MINUTES LATER, James Brooke’s small schooner triumphantly left the bay and headed out to sea. The rajah’s crew had hoisted sails on the fore and mainmasts, and the ship, driven by a fresh breeze, flew over the azure waters of Borneo, a bright wake stretching behind her.
Guarded by four soldiers armed with bayonets, Sandokan and Yanez stood at the stern, their eyes fixed upon Lord Guillonk’s yacht, attempting perhaps to catch a last glimpse of their friends. Once the ship had disappeared from view, the Tiger turned towards the Portuguese.
“Well, Yanez,” he said. “That good deed cost us dearly.”
The Portuguese shrugged.
“You’re not worried?”
“No,” replied Yanez.
“But we’re Brooke’s prisoners.”
“You’re still the Tiger of Malaysia; I have faith in you.”
A pale smile spread across the pirate captain’s lips.
“The Tigers we led into battle have been slain,” he sighed.
“There are others on Mompracem ready to take their place.”
“Mompracem is far off and we’re still prisoners.”
“We’ve escaped from worse situations,” said Yanez. “I wonder where James Brooke will put us while we wait for transport to Calcutta.”
“We’ll know soon enough, he’s coming to speak to us.”
After having conferred with his officers, the rajah had come back on deck and was walking towards the two prisoners. He signalled to the four soldiers to stand down then turned to address the pirates.
“Come with me,” he said.
“What do you want of us?” Sandokan asked arrogantly.
“You’ll find out at sundown,” replied the rajah. “My officers have just held a tribunal and pronounced sentence upon you.”
“I do not recognize that as one of their rights.”
“I recognize that right and I am the Rajah of Sarawak.”
“James Brooke! I wouldn’t count the Tiger of Malaysia as dead just yet!” Sandokan said menacingly.
“What do you mean?”
“One day, I’ll return to Sarawak, leading the Tigers of Mompracem!”
“Ah! You’ll soon be quite far from Mompracem,” said the rajah, smiling darkly. “A month from now, there’ll be an ocean between your island and your new home.”
“What new home?”
“The Isle of Norfolk.”
Sandokan started. Surprise quickly turned to anger, but when he spoke his voice was calm and laced with irony.
“Ah! So you’re sending us to a penal colony. Not a bad idea, James Brooke! Will the Royalist be taking us there?”
“My ship is of better use to me here.”
“Then I imagine we’re to make the journey aboard the ship that was to collect Tremal-Naik.”
“Correct.”
“Has she already reached Sarawak?” Sandokan asked mockingly.
“She’s been anchored off Matang since last night.”
“Well then, we’ll visit Norfolk, provided of course, that something unexpected doesn’t happen.”
“What do you mean?” asked the rajah, eyeing him suspiciously.
“The seas are filled with peril, you can never be certain of reaching your destination.”
“That’s not what you meant. You think you’ll escape before the ship reaches Norfolk. I’d expect no less, but it’s a foolish dream; quite impossible, I assure you. You’ve obviously never experienced life aboard a convict ship.”
“I’ll find out soon enough, sir, the Royalist should be within sight of Matang by nightfall.”
James Brooke looked at him fixedly for a moment as if attempting to read his thoughts.
“Come with me,” he said.
“Do you wish to clap us in irons so soon?” Sandokan asked sardonically.
“You’ll be my guests for the remainder of the journey,” James Brooke replied gallantly. “Come.”
He led Sandokan and Yanez below deck and stopped before a lavishly set table.
“The two of you must be hungry after such a long battle,” he said. “It would give me great pleasure if you would join me.”
“With pleasure,” replied Sandokan, as Yanez bowed in agreement.
The rajah and the two captains of Malay piracy began to eat with excellent appetite, chatting as if they were the best of friends instead of the bitterest of enemies. They competed in courtesies; they spoke of the sea, of navigation, of ships, of arms and boardings, without once referring to their past clashes, the Isle of Norfolk or Mompracem. An observer would never have guessed that only three hours earlier those formidable men had been engaged in a merciless battle to the death; that one was the ‘Exterminator’, and the other two led the most feared pirates in the South China Sea.
They stood up from the table shortly before nightfall. James Brooke offered them coffee and Manila cigars, then led them onto the bridge, continuing to chat quite amiably, to the great amazement of the Royalist’s crew. Driven by a favourable breeze, the ship headed swiftly towards Mount Matang, its majestic peak, towering 2900 meters above the sea, soared before them to the west, coloured in the hues of fading light. As the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, the sea slowly turned from red to black, and the last golden glimmers faded from the waves. Partridges, gannets, sea swifts and petrels wheeled aloft, filling the air with their cries.
The rajah and the two pirate captains had been strolling about the deck for a half hour when the Englishman stopped abruptly and cast his eyes towards the bow; he had sighted two bright specks shining not too far from Matang. He frowned suddenly and his face, which until then had born a good-natured smile, hardened. He turned towards a crewman and said, “Light a flare.”
Sandokan and Yanez remained silent, their eyes fixed anxiously upon those two bright specks, one red, one green, that heralded the presence of another ship.
Minutes later, a flare was launched from the Royalist’s stern and exploded in a shower of golden light. Standing on the bow of his small vessel, the rajah stared expectantly at the two bright specks. Suddenly a bluish flare tore through the darkness.
“That’s the ship,” said James Brooke.
He turned toward Sandokan and Yanez.
“You’re no longer my guests,” he said brusquely. “You’ll be taken aboard her immediately.”
“We’re ready,” replied Sandokan.
The Royalist’s crew quickly lowered a launch into the water, manned by an officer and eight crewmen armed with rifles and axes.
As he stepped toward the ladder, Sandokan turned to the rajah, looked him in the eye, and said in a slow, measured voice, “We shall meet again, James Brooke.”
An ironic smile s
pread across the rajah’s lips.
“You don’t believe me?” asked Sandokan.
“Hardly.”
“It’s unwise to underestimate your enemies, James Brooke. When next we meet, you shall fear the combined might of the pirates of Mompracem and the rebel Dyaks.”
“What do you mean?” the rajah asked uneasily. “Pangeran Macota is in my custody and his Dyaks have been disbanded.”
“Perhaps things will change. Goodbye, James Brooke! The battle between us is not yet over; sparing my life may prove to be your greatest error.”
With those words of challenge, Sandokan descended the ladder and sat down among the soldiers followed by Yanez, Sambigliong and Tanauduriam who had also been brought up on deck.
At the officer’s command, the launch pulled away from the Royalist and rowed off towards the two bright specks shining in the darkness. Sandokan raised his head and sighted the rajah leaning over the bulwark, watching their departure. The pirate waved contemptuously then turned to Yanez and said, “Let’s get a look at this convict ship.”
“Should be as happy as a funeral,” smiled the Portuguese.
“Perhaps, but we’ll change that once we’re aboard,” murmured the formidable pirate leader in Bornese.
“You’ve given this some thought, I see.”
“Convicts are a rough lot and desperation will make them fearless. They’ll try anything to regain their freedom. They just need to be given the opportunity and I intend to provide them with one.”
“What? How?”
“Quiet now, we’ll see how events unfold.”
Driven by three pairs of oars, the launch quickly flew over the dark waters. Rifles resting on their knees, the soldiers sat in a square about the four prisoners to prevent them from escaping; even though it was highly unlikely, the launch being more than ten miles from the coast.
They spied the vessel an hour later as the moon rose over Mount Matang. She was a large three-masted frigate, an old ship that had seen service with the British squadron of 1830, good vessels in their time, but long since decommissioned. Sandokan and Yanez studied her in silence, their eyes sweeping over her tall masting and large hull, then looked at each other and smiled.
“It looks like we’ll have a good deal of company,” said the Tiger of Malaysia.
Sandokan: The Pirates of Malaysia (The Sandokan Series Book 3) Page 18