Sandokan: The King of the Sea (The Sandokan Series Book 5)

by Emilio Salgari

  “But how is that possible?” she exclaimed.

  “You’ll see, keep your eyes on the horizon.”

  The sun was casting a brilliant ocean of light, bathing the sky in reddish yellow hues that faded to purple as it drew nearer the horizon. Just as the tip of its rim was about to slip beneath the waves, an emerald green ray shot into the heavens, only to vanish in an instant, as the fiery disk disappeared from sight.

  “Magnificent!” exclaimed Mister Howard.

  “Superb!” added Darma. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

  “You’ve rarely sailed in these waters,” replied Yanez.

  “And it can’t be seen anywhere else?” asked Kammamuri, coming up beside them.

  “It’s difficult; you need fine weather, a clear horizon and other atmospheric conditions unique to these regions. Ah, there’s the dinner bell. Best we eat while things are still quiet,” said Yanez, offering the young woman his arm.

  Two hours later, the King of the Sea, having maintained a constant speed, was within a half dozen miles from the mouth of the Sedang.

  “Is the Marianna hiding somewhere upriver?” Kammamuri asked Yanez who was scanning the coast with a pair of binoculars.

  “No, too dangerous. She’s probably dropped anchor among the reefs to the east of here. We’ll go look for her there.”

  The ship reduced speed and set off towards the mouth of the river, then tacked and headed east, towards a long line of tall jagged boulders that protruded from the sea. She was within a few cable lengths of the outer rocks, when the crew heard several faint discharges thunder off in the distance.

  Summoned immediately by Kammamuri, Sandokan, Tremal-Naik and Mister Howard rushed onto the deck.

  They carefully scanned the horizon, but did not spy a single ship. Yet those shots, three in all, had been heard by everyone. A look of uneasiness spread across Sandokan’s face.

  “Could the Marianna be under attack?” he wondered. “Where did those shots come from?”

  “From the west,” said Yanez who had been on watch.

  “Did you spot any smoke?”

  “No, not a trace.”

  “And you said the blasts were faint?”

  “Yes, very faint.”

  “They must have been fired a good distance from here then,” said Mister Howard, “the wind is blowing from the east.”

  “Sandokan,” Tremal-Naik said with a frown. “We’ve got to find the Marianna immediately.”

  “I plan to,” replied the Tiger of Malaysia. “If we don’t find her behind those rocks, we’ll head back towards Sedang. Have Kammamuri join the topmen in the crow’s nest and make sure he has a good pair of binoculars.”

  The King of the Sea continued to advance towards the east, keeping a few miles from the coast to avoid the sandbanks; the waters, however, remained deserted.

  All aboard had suddenly become anxious, no one more so than Sandokan and Yanez. Their prahu should have arrived in those waters several days ago; her absence did not bode well. Could she have been discovered by an enemy ship and forced to flee, or, even worse, been destroyed in battle?

  Sambigliong could barely contain his anger. Pacing between the turrets, he vowed to hunt down and destroy whoever had dared to attack the Marianna.

  Though the King of the Sea advanced for another hour, the topmen did not catch a glimpse of the prahu in any direction. Finally at Sandokan’s command, the cruiser tacked and made her way toward a row of tall rocks that enclosed a small bay. By then all were convinced the poor ship had met with some misfortune.

  “Increase speed!” Sandokan commanded. “We may still be in time to assist them! The British will pay dearly for this attack!”

  “What about the squadron?” Tremal-Naik asked Yanez. “How close do you think they are?”

  “I’d say we have about a twelve hour advantage,” the Portuguese replied. “They’ll never make it here in time.”

  The ship flew over the waves, engines straining for every ounce of speed. Tons of coal disappeared into her boilers, stokers and engineers struggling to work in the sweltering heat.

  The night was clear, the moon having risen shortly after eleven. But though the topmen kept their eyes on the silvery waters of the bay, they did not spot a single black speck on the horizon.

  All wondered anxiously if those cannon blasts had announced the Marianna’s end.

  At midnight the eastern coast of Sedang was spotted, its dark jungle towering above the shore.

  Shortly after the King of the Sea had entered the canal on the far side of the reef, a voice sounded from the base of the foremast.

  “Smoke off the bow!”

  Yanez raised his binoculars.

  A large black speck, spewing clouds of thick black smoke, was racing off towards the east.

  “A steamship!” shouted the Portuguese. “At two thousand metres! A hundred rupees to whoever stops her!”

  Before he had even finished speaking, Master Steher, the old American gunner that had sunk the torpedo boat with a single volley, had gone to man the large cannon beneath the fore port turret.

  He could make out the fleeing ship perfectly in the moonlight.

  “I’ll fix ‘em!” he said, unperturbed by the considerable distance. “I can always use more money for tobacco and gin.”

  He waited for the ship to sail past the cruiser’s bow then fired.

  Had he struck her or had he missed? It was impossible to tell, for seconds later the ship disappeared behind a dark mass, perhaps a reef or small island.

  The King of the Sea had immediately gone off in pursuit, reducing her speed to manoeuvre through the numerous sandbanks that stretched out before the mouth of the Sedang.

  When they had gotten to within a kilometre from the shore, Sandokan ordered the crew to sound out. Unfamiliar with those waters, he did not dare advance blindly, for fear of running his mighty ship aground.

  Their prey seemed to have disappeared. She must have taken advantage of the numerous rocks that lay towards the north, headed into a canal and vanished or found shelter in some small bay.

  Believing the fleeing ship was probably too damaged to attempt another attack, Sandokan and Yanez decided to abandon the chase and return to the reef to look for the Marianna. There was still a good chance the ship had escaped from her attacker and found a new place to hide.

  They had been scouring the area at reduced speed for a quarter of an hour when they spotted a dark mass with a tall mast by a group of rocks, her sails still unfurled.

  “Ship to starboard!” shouted the lookouts from the crow’s nest.

  “It must be our Marianna!” exclaimed Yanez. “Finally!”

  The King of the Sea tacked and slowly advanced towards the vessel.

  All had rushed to the bow to get a better look at that ship, but joy quickly turned to unease as the crew realized she had grounded on a rock.

  A large searchlight was immediately pointed at her, but though bathed in light, her deck remained deserted.

  “Light three flares,” commanded Yanez. “If there’s anyone aboard, they’ll reply immediately.”

  “Could it be the Marianna?” asked Tremal-Naik, sharing his friend’s apprehension.

  “Still too far to tell,” the Portuguese replied. “However, those look like the type of sails you’d find on a prahu.”

  “Your men may have tried to escape from a surprise attack and grounded on those rocks.”

  “I fear you may be right.”

  “Where could they be? Do you see anyone?”

  “Still no reply,” said Sandokan, coming up beside them as the three flares launched by Kammamuri and Sambigliong faded into the night.

  “Then the British must have captured the crew,” said Tremal-Naik.

  “We’ll free them, even if we have to chase that ship all the way to Sedang. Have a launch readied; we’ll go see if it really is the Marianna.”

  The cruiser had reduced speed as she advanced towards the reef. The sou
nding poles had measured a depth of twelve metres and it appeared the bottom was rising quickly.

  The steam launch was put into the water, then Sandokan, Yanez, Tremal-Naik, and twenty armed Malays climbed aboard and set off towards the reef, a long line of dark jagged rocks about five or six hundred metres from them.

  The waves being rather strong, the King of the Sea tacked and headed back towards open water.

  The ship had grounded on a sandbank and was listing to one side, leaning against a large rock that rose above her mast tops.

  Fearing a surprise, Sandokan commanded ten men to arm their rifles, then steered the launch into a small lagoon enclosed by a ring of large rocks.

  He left six men to guard the boat then set off across the reef with the others towards the ship.

  “The Marianna!” he shouted once he was close enough to see her, his voice filled with pain.

  The unfortunate ship had been dashed against the rocks, damaged beyond repair. Her keel had been breached, and wave after wave roared through the large opening into her hold.

  “Our poor ship!” exclaimed Yanez, no less moved than the Tiger of Malaysia. “What could have happened to her crew?”

  “There’s a ladder on her port side,” said Tremal-Naik. “Let’s go take a look.”

  “Ready weapons,” commanded Sandokan, “there could be British soldiers aboard.”

  “Ready!” said Yanez.

  He climbed up on deck, followed by Sandokan and the rest of the men, their weapons drawn and ready.

  A deep silence reigned over the ship. Boxes and barrels lay strewn about, empty and half broken, a few rifles scattered in pieces alongside them. Her swivel guns had been blown from their carriages and her bow had been pierced by a grenade. The main hatch was open and they could hear the water roaring below in her hold.

  “There’s no one here,” said Yanez.

  “What happened to my men?” Sandokan asked anxiously. “And the ship’s cargo? It looks like the hold has been emptied.”

  At that moment a voice cried out from the top of the large rock.

  “Captain!”

  Sandokan and Yanez raised their heads, while the Malays, as a precaution, quickly levelled their carbines.

  A dark-skinned man clothed in nothing but a chawat[6] was quickly making his way down the rock, clutching a parang in one hand, its wide blade gleaming in the moonlight.

  Within minutes he reached the port bulwark and jumped on deck.

  “I was waiting for you, Captain,” he said.

  “Sakkadana!” exclaimed Yanez and Tremal-Naik in unison, recognizing the Marianna’s pilot.

  “What happened here?” asked Sandokan.

  “We were surprised by a steamship last night and forced upon these rocks after she tore two holes in our side. She fled at the sight of your ship.”

  “Her crew looted the Marianna?”

  “Yes, Tiger of Malaysia. They took the weapons and ammunition.”

  “And the rest of the men, where are they?”

  “They’ve probably reached Sedang by now.”

  “You were the only one who remained behind?”

  “The launch was full; the other had been damaged by a cannonball.”

  “Did you meet with the Dyak leaders?”

  “Eight days ago,” the pilot replied, “but to little avail. The rajah, suspecting they might aid us, had most of them arrested shortly after our meeting. They’ve either been imprisoned or banished far into the interior.”

  “Damn!” exclaimed Yanez. “So much for our plans!”

  “We waited too long,” said Sandokan.

  “What are we going to do now, little brother?”

  “The only thing we can do: fight them at sea,” replied the Tiger of Malaysia. “Since the bulk of the squadron is still plying the waters off Sarawak, we’ll head north and resume our attacks on the shipping lanes. Back to the ship, my friends! There’s no time to waste.”

  They were about to go back down into the launch, when a cannon blast thundered from the King of the Sea.

  Sandokan started.

  “Have they spotted the allied fleet?” he wondered.

  “Must be,” replied Yanez. “She’s moving right towards us.”

  “Look!” shouted Tremal-Naik.

  An intense light had suddenly lit up the western horizon. A half dozen ships were racing towards them, determined to block the cruiser’s path.

  “Hurry! Back to the ship!” shouted the Tiger of Malaysia.

  They slid down the rope one after the other and the launch quickly rowed off toward the King of the Sea, which was moving to meet them.

  Though still far off, the enemy ships had opened fire. Cannon blasts thundered through the air, shots striking the water a few dozen metres from their vessel. A few minutes more and the shells would be in range.

  The King of the Sea was only a few cable lengths from them. She tacked as she drew forward, shielding the launch from enemy fire as she quickly lowered her ladder.

  Mister Howard, Darma, Surama and Kammamuri had left the stern turret, shouting:

  “Hurry! Hurry!”

  The hoists had already been lowered to haul up the launch. Once the hooks had been secured, Yanez, Sandokan, Tremal-Naik and the Malays rushed up the ladder.

  “Finally!” the American exclaimed. “I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

  “Gunners to their stations!” shouted Sandokan. “Double the helmsmen at the wheel!”

  “Brace yourselves, gentlemen,” said Yanez. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

  Chapter 14

  The Lord of War

  THE KING OF THE SEA quickly hoisted up the launch, tacked, and headed north, so as not to be trapped among that line of rocks that stretched out towards the west.

  The enemy fleet was advancing at full steam, straining their engines as they attempted to block her path.

  None of those old ships could keep pace with the mighty cruiser, which was already sailing off at full speed, nor could they compete with her formidable artillery comprised of the latest in modern weaponry.

  Shells rained down upon her deck and sides, grenades exploded against her turrets in a deafening barrage of flames. But through it all, the great ship’s armour held.

  The King of the Sea replied in kind. Her chasers thundered without pause, blasting through the enemy defences.

  Yanez and Sandokan watched the battle unfold, unmoved by the spectacle before them. But whenever a volley would find its mark, the two would silently express their delight, the Tiger with a nod of his head, and the Portuguese by taking a longer drag on his cigarette.

  The noise was frightening, deafening.

  Volley after volley thundered from the turrets’ gun ports, enveloping the ship’s sides in smoke.

  The King of the Sea barrelled forward, racing out from the tightening ring of ships, her stacks spewing thick clouds of smoke and sparks. She passed like a bullet between two vessels attempting to block her path, her stern chasers firing relentlessly.

  Her enemies immediately turned to follow, but their engines, even at full power, could not match her speed and it was not long before their shells were landing in the water.

  The Tigers of Mompracem had begun to think the worst had passed, when four cruisers as large as the King of the Sea suddenly appeared from behind the rocks and began barrelling towards them at full speed.

  “Saccaroa!” exclaimed Sandokan. “Where did those ships come from, Yanez? Take us north!”

  Though the four cruisers had moved to block the King of the Sea’s path, they had arrived too late.

  “A few minutes sooner and we would have been trapped,” said Yanez, taking in their every detail from the command turret.

  “They won’t catch us now, Señor Yanez,” said Mister Howard, his eyes fixed upon them. “They may be a match for our guns; but I doubt they can keep up with our engines. If we maintain this speed, they’ll be out of sight within six hours.”

  “They’r
e not flying any flag,” said Tremal-Naik. “I wonder who they belong to.”

  “They’re probably British,” replied Yanez. “Part of the Anglo-Indian fleet. I’ve never seen such ships in Labuan.”

  “Well, it appears they aren’t planning to give up just yet,” said Sandokan, entering the turret. “Fortunately we’re out of range of their guns. We’ll wait for nightfall then change course and head west towards Labuan.”

  “They may think we’re planning to attack Victoria,” said Yanez.

  “Or Mompracem,” replied Sandokan, “but it matters not. I’m more concerned about our coal, at this speed we’ll burn through it in no time.”

  “We have more than enough to escape. Once we’ve lost them, we’ll attack a few steamships and replenish our supplies.”

  Engines straining, the King of the Sea continued on her wild run. The squadron had almost disappeared from view, but the four cruisers had not relented, refusing to give up the chase even though they were slowly losing ground.

  They must have been equipped with powerful engines, for as dawn broke, the King of the Sea had only gained a mile on them. Having started with a four-mile lead, she was safely out of artillery range, but the cruisers showed no signs of relenting. Nevertheless, by midday she had gained another mile.

  Yanez, who had not left the deck for a single minute, was about to descend into the mess hall for lunch, when Darma suddenly appeared before him.

  The young woman looked distressed.

  “Señor Yanez,” she said. “Have you seen him?”

  “No, Darma. Not so much as a glimpse of him on any of the ships that attacked us.”

  The young woman turned pale.

  “What if he’s dead?” she asked.

  “Unlikely, he was very much alive when I blasted a hole into the side of his torpedo boat.”

  “Could he be on one of those four ships?”

  “I haven’t seen him, Darma, and I’ve scanned every inch of their decks with my binoculars.”

  “He must be on one of those cruisers; I can feel it in my heart.”

  Yanez smiled reassuringly, offered her an arm and led her into the mess hall.

  By evening the four cruisers were still in sight, twelve miles from them. But though torrents of smoke spewed from their funnels, they continued to lose ground.