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In the Hands of the Malays
And Other Stories
BY G. A. HENTY
Author of "The Cat of Bubastes" "With Kitchener in the Soudan" "Beric the Briton" "For Name and Fame" &c.
BLACKIE & SON LIMITED LONDON AND GLASGOW
_Printed in Great Britain by Blackie & Son, Limited, Glasgow_
BLACKIE & SON LIMITED 50 Old Bailey, LONDON 17 Stanhope Street, GLASGOW
BLACKIE & SON (INDIA) LIMITED Warwick House, Fort Street, BOMBAY
BLACKIE & SON (CANADA) LIMITED 1118 Bay Street, TORONTO
MAROONED]
CONTENTS
Page
IN THE HANDS OF THE MALAYS 7
ON THE TRACK--
CHAPTER I.--A SAD CHRISTMAS 55
" II.--TRUE FRIENDS 71
" III.--MAKING A START 89
" IV.--A CLUE 102
" V.--THE FOG CLEARS 117
" VI.--CONCLUSION 132
A FRONTIER GIRL 149
IN THE HANDS OF THE MALAYS
On the 1st of May, 1669, a man was standing at the edge of the shore ofa rocky island, one of a group of a dozen or so similar in character,lying off the south-western portion of Sumatra. It would have beendifficult to fix his nationality. The outline of the face was Arab; thecolour of the skin showed that though one or other of his parents hadbeen white, the other had been either Arab or Malay. He stood lookingafter a Dutch vessel, carrying guns, like all those engaged at that timein the Eastern trade. His hands were clenched, and he was regarding theship with an expression of malignant hate.
Close by where he stood, a roughly-made grave piled with rocks, with awooden cross standing at its head, showed that a Christian had beenburied there. Any seaman of the time who had seen the man would haverightly concluded that he had been marooned for some crime committed onboard the ship that was sailing away, and their judgment would havebeen a correct one.
The _Dordrecht_, a Dutch merchantman carrying sixteen guns, waschartered by a dozen rich citizens of Holland, who had sailed in her,determined to take up land, to settle, and to cultivate the plants thatgrew in the island of Java on a large scale. Some were traders, othershad been tempted by the tales of the wealth of the island, where theDutch had, fifty years before, acquired a settlement by conquest. Theship had touched at the Cape to take in a fresh supply of water and fillup with provisions. They had lost their cook overboard in a storm, andthought themselves fortunate in engaging in his place a man who hadserved with the governor there, and who was recommended as thoroughlyunderstanding his work, whose only drawback was that he possessed apassionate and revengeful disposition, which had led to his dismissalfrom his office. This, in a vessel carrying a strong crew and some fiftysoldiers, was not considered of any importance, and the man speedilyjustified his recommendation in other respects.
"I don't like the fellow," the lieutenant in command of the troops saidto his subaltern one day, when they were a month out from the Cape. "Igrant you that he is a good cook, but if I offended him I should notcare to touch any food he handled. The fellow is capable of poisoning awhole crew to get his revenge on one of them."
The other laughed. "I grant he has an evil face, Van Houten, but I thinkthat you are a little prejudiced. I own, though, that I felt inclined toknock him down myself this afternoon, when he stood at the door of thegalley staring at Fraulein Meyers through his half-closed eyes. He putme in mind of a cat watching a mouse."
"Yes, I have noticed it myself several times," the other said hotly. "Itis hardly a thing one can take up. The fellow might declare that it wasnot her that he was looking at, but that he was merely meditating; andto tell you the truth, although I am no coward, I would rather not makea mortal enemy of that man. I have no fancy for being stabbed to theheart while I am asleep. If he said or did anything insolent it would beanother matter. I would have him ironed and sent down below, and keptthere till we got to Batavia."
The other laughed again. "You would get into hot water with all thepassengers, Van Houten; the fellow cooks so well that they are alwayssinging his praises."
"Yes, there has been a great improvement in the diet since we left theCape; but still, even at the risk of displeasing the worshipfulpassengers, I would put the fellow in irons did he give me the shadow ofan excuse. I should not be surprised if he did so, for of late I haveobserved a malignant look on his face as his eyes fell upon me. It isabsurd to suppose that the hound feels any ill-will towards me because Iam a good deal with Fraulein Meyers. The assumption is too monstrous,but I really don't see any other reason for him to dislike me. I havenever spoken to him since he came on board."
"Perhaps the matter will be taken out of your hands altogether," theother said. "I heard the mate having a row with him this morning, andcertainly he is not likely to put up with any nonsense; and he is strongenough to pick the Arab, or whatever he is, up with one hand and throwhim overboard."
"I am not quite so sure about that, Erasmus. He looks small beside themate, I acknowledge, but I should say that what there is of him is allsinew and muscle, and it would be like a fight between a panther and abuffalo."
A week later the passengers were down at dinner. They were in highspirits, for the hills of Sumatra were dimly visible on the port side,and another two or three days' sail would take them to Batavia. Suddenlya shout was heard, and then a sudden uproar. The captain and Van Houtenran up. On the deck lay the mate stabbed to the heart, while the cook,with a knife in his hand, was struggling in the grasp of half a dozensoldiers.
"How did this happen?" the captain asked as he came up to the group.
"I don't know how it began," one of the crew said, "but the cook wasstanding at the door of his galley, the mate said something to him, andthe cook burst into a volley of curses. The mate knocked him down, buthe was up in a moment. With his knife in his hand he flung himself uponthe mate, and the latter fell, as you see. Two or three of us who wereclose by threw ourselves on the cook, but it was hard work to hold him,for he fought like a wild cat, and he had slashed some of us before wecould get hold of his wrists."
"Drop that knife!" the captain said sternly; but the man was half-madwith passion and continued to struggle desperately. Van Houten caught upa belaying pin from its place and struck him heavily on his fingers. Theknife dropped to the deck, and one of the soldiers snatched it up. Theman instantly ceased struggling and stood impassive, although his breaststill heaved with his exertion; then he said in a quiet voice to theyoung officer: "That is another I owe you, Van Houten, but I will geteven with you one day."
"Your threat is an idle one," the captain said. "At sunset you shallswing from the yard-arm. Tie him up tightly, men, and fasten him to themast. Carry the mate's body forward, and throw a flag over it. We willbury him after we have done with this fellow."
Going below, the captain briefly stated what had occurred.
"But you will not hang him, captain, will you?" one of the ladypassengers said. "It is awful that the mate should have been killed, butyou see he gave the most terrible provocation. It
would be a sad endingto our voyage if a man were hanged on board. Could you not hand him overto the authorities when we get to Batavia?"
"No, madam. I certainly might do so, but the chances are that the fellowwould make his escape long before his trial was concluded. I know thathe speaks Malay, and he would find some means to get some nativesoutside to help him, and I do not care to run the risk of the fate thathas befallen the mate. I should hardly think that Van Houten would careabout it either. I fancy that he would be the first victim, by the lookthat the fellow gave him."
An hour later the captain went up to Van Houten.
"The women have been begging me not to hang that fellow. As it isevident that I shall gain much ill-will if I do, for he has wellsatisfied them, and as I have no mind to risk my life and yours if heshould get free at Batavia, I have a good mind to land him on one of theislets ahead. I might heave the ship to for an hour, land the poor mateand bury him, and leave the scoundrel there. It will amount to the samething in the end, for as the rocks are thirty miles from the coast therewould be no chance of his getting off, for it would be very improbablethat any native craft will come along this way: they always keep closeinshore. That way one would avoid a scene with the women; and I own thatthere is something in what they say. The deed was done in a moment ofpassion, and under great provocation, for Werter was a strong fighterand a hasty man, and a blow from his fist was no joke."
"Just as you think fit, captain. It will give him time to think overhis misdeeds, which no doubt are pretty numerous, for I dare say hiscareer has been a black one. It certainly has, if his face does notbelie him greatly. Still, I would much prefer to see him hung."
Accordingly an hour later the vessel was hove to. The remains of themate, covered with a flag, were placed in a boat; the cook, still bound,was made to descend into it; and the second mate and eight well-armedsailors, with picks and shovels, took their places in it. The ship'scarpenter had made a rough cross, which he handed to the second mate.When they reached the shore, two men were left there with the cook; theothers dug a shallow grave, laid the body in it, refilled it, and heapedgreat stones upon it, and then stuck the cross in the sands at its head.The Arab was brought ashore, and the ropes that bound him wereunfastened. The crew and second mate took their places in the boat androwed off to the ship, which was put on her way again as soon as theyreached it. As far as they could make out the figure of the man onshore, he was standing where they had left him, gazing at the ship. Onthe following day there was a heavy gale offshore, and the ship wasblown some little distance out of her course.
In two days, however, the wind fell, and the _Dordrecht_ arrived fivedays later at Batavia. The passengers landed at once, and the captainwent ashore on the following day with his log-book. "Is there anyspecial item to which you wish to call my attention?" the officialasked.
"This is the only one, sir." And he pointed to the last page. "Cookstabbed the mate."
"And you marooned him on one of the rocky islands off the coast ofSumatra. Why did you not hang him?"
"Well, sir, we had a good many lady passengers on board, and they allrather took the man's part, on the ground that the mate had knocked himdown, and that he stabbed him in the heat of passion; but really I thinkit was because they had been highly satisfied with his cooking duringthe voyage."
"What nationality was the man?"
"A mixture. He spoke Dutch perfectly well, but his features were Arabrather than European."
The official did not speak for nearly a minute. "What height was he?"
"About the average height," the captain said with some surprise in histone; "broader than Arabs generally are, but lithe and sinewy. I usedto think there must be some Malay blood in him."
The official got up and took down a book from a shelf. "How long had hebeen at the Cape before you hired him, do you know?" he asked as heturned over the leaves.
"I did not question him. He said that he had been six months cook at thegovernor's house, and that was good enough for me."
"Had he any particular mark on his face?" the official asked, as hefound the entry for which he was in search.
"He had a scar on one cheek," the captain said, "a white line, as if ithad been a clean cut with a knife."
"That is the man, then. Your first description at once struck me. I willread to you what is written here. 'Middle height; age about thirty-five;clean shaven; very strong and active figure. Nationality uncertain,believed to be Arab on the father's side by Dutch or Portuguese woman,probably some Malay blood. Long thin scar across one cheek.'"
"That is the man to a T."
"Well, captain, you have missed five hundred pounds and the great credityou would have gained if you had brought in that man dead or alive. Hewas the boldest and most savage of the pirates who infest these seas,and is feared by the native traders as much as by the Dutch merchantswho trade with the East. He never spared a man, white or brown, thatfell into his hands. Sometimes he would sail alone, sometimes with ascore of native craft. With these he would land on one of the islands oron the mainland, burn, plunder, and murder, and carry off into slaverythe young men and women. The last we heard of him was two years ago. Aboat was picked up with two men still alive in her; they were the solesurvivors of one of our vessels that had been captured by him. He hadtransferred the greater part of his own crew to her. Every soul on boardour ship had been murdered, with the exception of these two men, whomanaged to conceal themselves among the cargo, and had, while thepirates were carousing, dropped into a boat that lay alongside, andescaped. In the morning they could see their own ship bearing west whilethe original pirate was making for the north-east.
"From that day nothing was heard of the Arab. It was supposed that hehad intended to cruise near the Cape. There his appearance would enablehim unsuspected to approach ships. Six months later, however, a shiparriving here brought news that the _Heldin_, which was the name of thevessel that they had taken, had been lost with all hands some fortymiles from the Cape. The natives had brought down a story of a wreckhaving occurred near their village, and a craft was despatched to thespot, and found the shore strewn with timber. Among the wreckage was thestern of a boat bearing the _Heldin's_ name, and an empty keg alsostamped with it. That seemed to settle the question, and the wreck hadtaken place just about the time that the pirate would, had she held onthe course on which she was last seen, have arrived off the Cape. Thereis not much doubt now that the "Sea Tiger", for so he was always called,managed to reach the shore and make his way to the town, and when hefound that he was the sole survivor, and no suspicion existed that theship had changed hands before she was wrecked, found some sort ofemployment until, by means no doubt of forged testimonials, he obtaineda position in the household of the governor. I must at once inform thecouncil, who are now sitting, of what has taken place."
An hour later a government craft, with twenty soldiers on board, sailedfrom Batavia, taking with it the second mate of the _Dordrecht_ to pointout to them the island upon which the pirate had been landed and thespot where they had set him on shore. She returned a week later. Notraces of the man they sought had been found; but on the shore was adeep mark, evidently caused by a native boat having been pulled up thereduring the storm. The sand around was greatly trampled, there were chipsof wood as if some repairs had been done; and there was little doubtthat after the storm had abated and the craft been sufficientlyrepaired, the whole party had sailed away. The news that the famouspirate known as the "Sea Tiger" had escaped and was again at large,caused great consternation among the merchant community of Batavia.
The captain of the _Dordrecht_ was severely censured by the authorities,and was so overwhelmed with reproaches by the merchants that he was gladindeed when he had discharged his cargo and taken in another, and leftthe island behind him. The female passengers, whose intercession hadsaved the pirate's life, came in for some share of the unpopularity ofthe captain, and were made to regret bitterly the part they had taken inthe affair. Three months later repor
ts were brought by natives of thedoings of a piratical fleet, who had taken and sunk numbers of nativecraft, had landed at various points on the coast of Sumatra, anddestroyed Dutch factories. The natives who had escaped from thesemassacres all agreed in stating that the leader of this fleet was thedreaded "Sea Tiger" of whom nothing had been heard for so long. Thenthree Dutch ships which were due did not arrive, and one which came inreported that they had seen a glow of light in mid-ocean. It could havebeen caused only by a ship on fire very many miles away.
The ship had been headed in this direction, but the wind was contraryand the light had disappeared suddenly. They, however, kept on theircourse, and although the next morning they came upon some wreckage ofcharred timber, and had cruised for some hours in the neighbourhood,they had seen no signs of boats. Then rapidly came in the news thatdescents had been made upon various points on the mainland, and onemorning a horseman rode in, saying that a landing had been effected at apoint about thirty miles from Batavia. Plantations had been destroyed,all the white colonists killed, and able-bodied natives carried off asslaves. There was only one vessel of war at Batavia, but the governorand council took up two merchantmen that happened to be there, and puton board of each fifty soldiers, together with a strong crew to workthe guns. Lieutenant Van Houten was in command of the soldiers on one ofthese vessels. His engagement to Fraulein Meyers had now been announced.Her father was settled on a plantation that he had purchased from acolonist whose health had suffered from the climate, and who was nowreturning home. It was twelve miles to the east of the town, andsituated near the sea-shore.
He had been appointed to the command at his own request. He had morethan shared in the general consternation at the pirate's escape. He wasnot one, however, to blame the captain. Certainly the Arab had actedunder great provocation, and he knew that had he been in the captain'splace he would have yielded to the solicitations of the ladies,especially as it seemed that the death of the culprit was as certain as,if slower than, that by the rope. He himself would vastly have preferredto have seen the man hung. He recognized how dangerous an enemy he was;and as soon as he heard of his escape he became anxious about the safetyof his betrothed, remembering as he did the evident admiration that thisscoundrel had felt for her. He had even begged her father to move intothe town until the depredations of the pirates had been arrested. ButMr. Meyers had scoffed at the idea. "It is just the time for nutmegpicking. It is quite absurd. There is no other plantation within threemiles, and even if they came along here, it would not pay them to landfor the plunder of a solitary house."
His daughter was very tearful when she heard that her lover was goingout in search of the pirate. "There is no occasion for you to go," shesaid. "Why should you have volunteered for such dangerous service?"
"Because I have a particular wish to capture or kill this pirate. I haveno doubt that he has a strong enmity against all connected with the_Dordrecht_, and I shall never feel comfortable so long as he roves thesea. Even putting our own case aside, see the frightful destruction thathe is causing. He is depopulating islands, massacring peaceable natives,capturing ships, and murdering all on board. There is not an officerhere but is burning to take part in his capture. Besides, I feel he hasa particular animosity against me. How it arises does not matter. I knowthat he has that feeling, and so long as he is abroad and powerful mylife is not safe, even in the streets of Batavia."
After this, his betrothed had no further objection to his going. It wasknown that the pirate's rendezvous was on the east coast of Sumatra,where he had made an alliance with a tribe at war with its neighbours,and had aided in conquering the latter; and it was in that directionthat the three ships steered their course, hoping to encounter thepirates as they came down the Straits of Malacca on one of theirexpeditions. They cruised backwards and forwards for a week withoutseeing a sail, save a few native boats creeping along close to theshore. One morning, however, the look-out at the mast-head saw a numberof sail in the distance. Among them were two vessels much larger thanthe others. These were doubtless the Dutch ships that had been captured;the others were native craft, most of them rowing, as could be seen asthe sun flashed on their oars. Preparations were at once made forbattle, for there was no change in the direction of the pirate flotillaafter it was certain that they must have seen the Dutch fleet.
"It almost looks", Van Houten said to Erasmus, his young subaltern, whowas again with him, "as if they had received information as to ourstarting in pursuit of them, otherwise there would surely have been somehesitation when they first saw us, some consultation whether they shouldattack us or not. Unless I am greatly mistaken one of the ships is the_Dordrecht_. She was only three weeks at Batavia. The fellow must havelost no time in getting allies among the native princes in order towaylay her when she came out again. She would be the first object of hisvengeance."
"She certainly looks like her," the other agreed. "Well, if so, there isone more debt to be paid off. The captain was a good old fellow, and Iliked the second mate very much. I hope both of them fell before thevessel was seized, for we may be sure that they would not have had aneasy death if they were captured. It will be a tough fight, for I haveno doubt that the boats are crammed with men. There is one thing which Ido not expect they have--many guns, except in the two ships; butcounting only fifty men a boat--and no doubt many of them carry ahundred--we shall be tremendously outnumbered if they get alongside."
"Yes. It is a little unfortunate that there is not more wind; then wemight keep away from their boats, and pepper them hotly. As it is, theycan move three feet to our one."
As soon as the pirates were within range, the three Dutch vessels openedfire. They were unanswered for a short time, for the two pirate shipshad been outstripped by the prahs. But several of the latter now tookthem in tow, and presently they began to return the fire with theirbow-guns. Although several of the prahs were sunk, and some so badlydamaged that they had to drop behind, the others pressed on.
At a signal from the commander of the ship of war his consorts nowbrought their heads round so that they lay nearly in a line, with theirbroadsides to the pirates.
With loud shouts, beating of drums, and the blowing of horns, the prahscame along at racing speed. Instead of using round-shot, the guns werenow crammed to the muzzle with bags of bullets, and these did terribleexecution. But the Malays did not relax their efforts, and presentlydashed alongside of the Dutch ships. Soon a desperate fight took place.The soldiers kept up an incessant musketry-fire as fast as they couldload; the sailors cut down those who attempted to board; and the Malaysthrew showers of spears, stink-pots, and missiles of all kinds.
For half an hour the fight continued, and the result was still in doubt,when there was a crash, and the decks were swept by a storm of bullets.Scarce noticed while the struggle was going on, the two pirate ships hadcome up, passed ahead of the Dutch vessels, and had sailed close up onthe opposite side to that on which the fight with the prahs was takingplace. The pirates had shifted all their guns so as to bear on the Dutchvessels. Each mounted sixteen cannon, and these poured in their contentssimultaneously. The effect was terrible! More than half the defenderswere swept away, and a minute later the pirate ships were alongside; andas the Dutch turned to repel the storm of figures leaping on to theirdecks, the men in the canoes crowded up on the other side. The Dutchsoldiers and sailors fought with desperation. They knew there was noquarter, and held out to the last. But in five minutes the ship of warand the one next to her had been captured, and the last of the defendersslain.
The ship that carried Van Houten was at the end of the line, and had upto now been only attacked by the natives. A few of the sailors werewithdrawn from their work of the defence of the bulwarks, and wereordered to haul on the sheets so that the sails might catch what windthere was. If she could escape from the attack of the two ships, shemight yet beat off the natives. But it was too late; the pirates threwoff the grapnels that attached them to the ships they had captured, andagain some of the canoes to
ok them in tow. Several of these were sunk,but the way given was sufficient, and the leading vessel rangedalongside the merchantman.
The exultant shouts of the Malays rose high in the air as the men fromthe pirate ship and prahs swarmed on deck. The Dutch soldiers heldtogether and fought steadily, but their numbers lessened fast as thespears of the Malays flew among them. Few of them had time to reloadtheir muskets and fire a second shot. Erasmus fell by Van Houten's sidewhen the latter had but a dozen men left around him. The leader of thepirates, whom he now recognized, shouted: "Do not touch that whiteofficer! Make him prisoner--I want him!"
A moment later there was a general rush of the Malays. Three of themsprang upon Van Houten and dragged him to the ground, and soon a yell oftriumph told that the last of the defenders had fallen. Van Houten wasnow allowed to rise to his feet, his arms still clasped by hisassailants. "Why don't you kill me, you scoundrel, the same as theothers?" he said to the pirate.
"You will be killed soon enough," the Arab said; "but I want to keep youfor a while just to have the pleasure of showing you that girl in myhands. I was not good enough to look at her, you thought. Good or not,she shall be mine! I settled on that the first moment that I saw her.Bind him tightly and take him below. Be sure that his cords are tight.No!--tie him to the mast; we shall have the pleasure of looking at himand talking to him sometimes."
Then he gave a number of orders. Prize crews were told off to the threecaptured vessels; the remaining prahs took the five ships in tow, and ina body they moved away. Six hours' rowing brought them to a narrowinlet. Here was a native village. Two of the men were placed as guardsover Van Houten, and the work of emptying the ships of their valuablesthen began and continued until late at night, everything being takenashore by the boats. Three days passed in feasting and rejoicing. Theprisoner's arms were unbound, so that he could eat the food given him atregular intervals. His guards were changed every two hours, and thepirate came round each day to taunt his captive. Even had the guardsbeen removed, the latter could not have freed himself, for the ropesround his legs and chest were all tied round the other side of themast, and he could not therefore possibly get at the knots.
On the third evening Van Houten saw that one at least of the two men whocame on guard was the worse for liquor. He grumbled loudly at beingbrought off from the pleasures on shore to look after this whiteprisoner.
"However," he said, "I have brought off my gourd."
"You had better be careful," the other said. "If the captain came offand found you drunk, he would shoot you like a dog."
"Bah! He went into his hut half an hour ago, and he won't be out againto-night. Besides, I am not going to get drunk; I am just comfortable,that is all."
Nevertheless, the warning had its effect, and the man only took smallsips from his gourd. Van Houten let his chin drop on his breast as ifasleep, and presently the man, as he passed in front of him, lurchedagainst him. In a moment Van Houten snatched one of the knives from hisgirdle and hid it beneath his coat. The other guard was standing a fewpaces away watching the shore, and the action was unnoticed. Feeling forthe first time since he had been captured that there was some hope, theyoung soldier now went off to sleep, a thing he had not been able to dobefore owing to the tightness of his bonds. When he woke, the sun wasjust rising, and his guard had been twice changed. The day passed asbefore, but that evening the boats pushed off to their various ships.
Early the next morning these were towed out of the inlet. The boats thatwere not to accompany them returned to the village. Slowly and clumsilythe sails were hoisted, and the five vessels, each crowded with Malays,set sail. Van Houten had been carried the evening before to the warshipof which the pirate captain had taken the command. He was, as before,tied to the mast, but was fastened in a sitting position on the deckinstead of a standing one.
"I do not wish you to die yet," the man said, giving him a kick. "Idon't want you to be so sleepy that you will be stupid. I want you to beable to take it all in."
The change was an intense relief. For five days he had been keptstanding; at times his legs refused to bear his weight, and he had beensupported entirely by the ropes round his body. He dropped almostinstantaneously asleep when the pirate left him, and the sun was highnext day before he awoke. For a time his neck was so stiff from theposition he had slept in that he almost cried out from the pain as helifted it. He had been dreaming that he was in the dungeon of theSpanish Inquisition, and that he was being tortured, and for a moment hecould scarce understand where he was, for the pain of the tightly boundropes seemed to be part of his dream.
Four days passed. He was no longer strictly guarded, for escape inmid-ocean was impossible; nevertheless, the knots of his ropes wereexamined two or three times a day, as had been the case all along. Hewas liberated from his bonds for five minutes four times a day, four ofthe Malays keeping close to him to prevent him from jumping overboard.Early one afternoon the western extremity of Sumatra was made out, andafter the fleet had passed through the narrow straits between thatisland and the island of Banca, they headed south, keeping closeinshore, towards the Straits of Sunda. As Van Houten, when he had takenhis last walk before it became dark, saw the ships' heads were pointedsouth, he thought that from the course they were taking they wouldstrike the island of Java early next morning some thirty miles to thewest of Batavia.
"I have no doubt you are thinking," the pirate said to him coldly, "thatthe people on shore will see us in the morning and take the alarm. Thereis no fear of that. Before it is light, the two ships I had before willmake their way to sea again. We shall have the Dutch flag flying, andshall sail along two miles or so from the coast. Of course we shall berecognized as we pass Batavia, and the authorities will suppose thattheir fleet has not come upon the vessels they were in search of, and,having obtained news that they were likely to attempt a landing on theisland farther to the east, are now coasting along in hopes of fallingin with them.
"A bold plan, is it not? By evening we shall be back again off theMeyers's plantation, and by nightfall I shall have my beauty on board.We shall have been already joined by our consorts, and shall sailtogether to Batavia. The artillerymen in the fort will think we havemade a capture during the night, and we shall get in without a shotbeing fired at us. At the same time the party that have landed willattack the place on the land side. Then we will sack and burn the town,attack the forts from the land side, where they are weak, kill theartillerymen, and carry off such guns as we choose. After that, weshall have a wedding, which you shall witness. If we cannot get aminister to perform it, we will manage to do without one. She shall thenbe taken on board my ship while I superintend your roasting on abonfire. That is my programme, what do you think of it?"
Van Houten had stared stolidly astern while the pirate was speaking. Thelatter, apparently not expecting any answer to his question, with amocking laugh turned away. As soon as it had become quite dark a boathad been lowered, and the pirate had gone on board the other vessels togive his orders. The prisoner listened eagerly for his return. If theboat were pulled up it seemed to him that the last chance of escape wasgone, for, cramped as he was by his long confinement, he felt sure hewould not be able to swim ashore. He almost held his breath as he heardit returning to the ship's side. There were no such appliances as nowexist for raising boats, and to get one of the clumsy and heavy boats ondeck was a work of no small labour.
The pirate sprung on deck and gave an order to the men in the boat. Asthe prisoner did not understand Malay he was ignorant of its purport;but when the four men who had been rowing her came on deck, and one ofthem, holding the boat's painter in his hand, walked astern with it, hefelt sure that she was to be allowed to tow there, at any rate tillmorning. After the ships had been put on their course, parallel with theshore, there was soon silence on board. There was no moon, but the starswere bright, and the vessels moved along with a gentle breeze, aboutthree knots an hour. That evening the guard of two men had again beenposted over the prisoner, for, cert
ain as the captain felt that escapewas impossible, he thought it would be as well to neglect no precautionnow that land was near. The Malays themselves seemed to consider that aguard was altogether unnecessary, and, after some talk between them, onelay down between the guns, while the other took up his place by the mastand leant against it, close to Van Houten.
The latter waited for half an hour until he felt that the other guardwas asleep, then, taking out his knife, he cut the cords. The slightnoise as these fell aroused the sentry on guard, half-asleep as he leantagainst the mast, and he stooped down so as to assure himself that allwas right. Van Houten seized his throat with one hand, and with theother drove his knife up to the hilt into him. There was no need torepeat the blow. It had been driven through the heart. Noiselessly VanHouten lowered him to the deck, then, moving a little on one side,propped up the body against the mast in the attitude in which he himselfhad been bound. After taking off his shoes he made his way astern. TheMalays were lying thickly between the guns on either side, but all weresound asleep. Reaching the ladder up to the lofty poop he climbed it.
There were no Malays here except the man at the wheel, and he was sointent on his work that he did not notice Van Houten as he crept past.He found the boat's rope, which was tied to the rail, and loweredhimself till he was in the water. The boat was some ten yards astern,and, severing the rope, he was soon alongside her. Keeping his hand onthe gunwale, he worked along it till he reached the stern; this hegrasped and hung on. The boat soon lost her way, and the ship recededfast. He made no effort to climb into the boat until the latter hadquite disappeared from his sight, for had he, in climbing on board,moved one of the oars in her, the rattle might have been heard bysomeone sleeping lightly on the ship. Once assured that she was wellaway, he cautiously raised himself and clambered over the stern, usingthe utmost care in each movement so as to avoid touching anythingmovable. He waited a quarter of an hour, then he crept forward; took offhis coat, cut off one of the sleeves, fastened this round one of theheavy oars and put it out over the stern, so that the cloth was in thegroove made for the purpose of enabling one man to scull her when nearshore. This would prevent the slightest chance of the pirates hearinghim at work.
He found it terribly hard at first, so sore was his body from thepressure of the ropes. Gradually, however, as he warmed to his work, hebecame able to put out his strength, the stars being a sufficient guideto enable him to make his way straight to shore. He had no fear of beingovertaken even if his escape were speedily discovered, for they wouldnot be able to tell how long a time had elapsed since he got away. Hethought it probable, however, that the escape would not be discovereduntil morning. The other Malay would have slept till he was roused byhis comrade, and would not be likely to wake until day broke, when hewould discover the change that had been effected.
The heavy boat moved but slowly, and it was not until a good hour afterleaving the ship that he made out the shore. Fortunately the breezeduring the afternoon had been a good one, and so the pirates had passedthe Straits of Sunda at nine o'clock, and had then changed their courseto the east. What wind there was, was from the north, and so helped him,and two hours after leaving the ship he reached the shore. He had fiftymiles to go to Batavia, but there would be plenty of time. It wascertain that the attack at the station could not take place till thefollowing night. He knew a plantation where a colonist with whom he wasacquainted lived, and this could not be more than two or three milesaway. His strength, weakened by suffering and mental torment, wasgreatly diminished, and after walking for a mile he felt that it wouldbe better for him to rest till morning broke, when he would be able toascertain exactly where he was, and find his way to the plantation.
Accordingly he lay down, but would not permit himself to doze, as, wornout as he was from want of rest, if he did so he might sleep far intothe day. He soon found that, lying down, it would be impossible for himto keep awake, and accordingly sat down by a large rock in the positionto which he had become accustomed. The hours passed slowly, but he hadnow no difficulty in keeping awake. He was filled with exultation at hisescape and at the prospect of turning the tables upon the pirate. Assoon as day broke he struck inland, for he knew that a road ran east andwest, by which the various products of the land were taken to the town.In half an hour he came upon it, and after following it for a mile cameupon the plantation fence. Arriving at the gate, he entered and made hisway up to the house. There was already movement there. A group of nativelabourers were receiving orders from an overseer, who looked inastonishment at the appearance of an officer, haggard, and blistered bythe sun, and whose uniform was still wet, and one sleeve altogethermissing.
"This is the station of Meinheer de Koning, is it not?" Van Houtenasked.
"It is, sir; but he is not up yet."
"I am the bearer of important news and must see him at once. Will youorder one of the servants to arouse him, and tell him that LieutenantVan Houten desires to see him instantly on a matter of the most pressingimportance?"
In five minutes the planter came down. Philip had met him several timesin Batavia. The latter gazed at him in surprise, failing at first torecognize the figure before him as the smart young officer of hisacquaintance.
"It is I, just escaped from one of the ships of the 'Sea Tiger', who,with four vessels beside his own, is on his way to attack Batavia, andunless I can arrive there in time to warn them, he will do terribledamage."
"Which way were the ships going?" De Koning asked in consternation.
"They were going east. The five ships are crowded with Malays, and theyreckon upon destroying the town and overrunning the whole country. I begof you that you will at once lend me a good horse."
"You don't look fit to ride five miles much less fifty. I will have twohorses put into my vehicle and drive you myself. In the meantime, comein and take a glass of wine and some bread. I will have a basket ofprovisions put in the trap for you to eat as we go along."
In a quarter of an hour a light vehicle drawn by two horses drew up tothe door. Philip, who felt refreshed and strengthened by the wine, atonce clambered up. The planter took the reins, and they started.
On their way Philip told the story of the events he had gone through.
"And so the scoundrels captured the ship of war and her two consorts? Nowonder they think that, with five ships crowded, as you say, with men,they can take Batavia."
The basket contained a good supply of provisions and fruit, and Philipwas able to make a hearty meal after the diet of bread and water onwhich he had lived for the last ten days. The planter had lent him adoublet, which he had put on in place of his uniform coat, and theytherefore attracted no attention when, after six hours' drive, theyarrived at Batavia and went straight to the governor's house. Thelatter, on hearing Philip's story, summoned the members of the counciland the military commander. After some discussion the plan of action wasdecided upon. All the troops in garrison were to march to Meyers'splantation. They were to take with them six light guns. The crier wentround the town summoning all the inhabitants to gather in themarket-place.
Here the governor told them the news that he had received, and thenexplained the plan of operations. "The artillery are to remain here toman the guns of the fort in case the pirates should change their plan,and one company of soldiers is also to stay behind to oppose anylanding. In the first place, I beg that all having vehicles will placethem at our disposal--they will be used to carry the troops out toMeyers's station. Then if the troops hear firing here, they will knowthat the pirates have changed their plans, and will be brought back tothe town with all speed, so that in a little over an hour after thefirst gun is fired they will be here ready to help in the defence. Inthe next place, it is all-important for the safety of the island and thetown that a heavy blow shall be dealt these pirates. There are now fourmerchant ships in the harbour and a number of native boats. I trust thatevery man capable of bearing arms will volunteer to man them. I myselfshall remain here, but all the members of the council have d
ecided to goin the boats. I think it probable that by far the greater portion of theMalays will land and attempt to capture Meyers's plantation, with theintention of afterwards marching upon the town and attacking it on theland side. If they do this their ships will naturally be but feeblymanned, and we have decided to adopt the suggestion made by LieutenantVan Houten, who has been in the hands of the pirates and has escapedfrom them, that as soon as the fight begins on shore, and the attentionof the pirates on board is fixed on the struggle, they shall be attackedon the other side by the flotilla of boats.
"This attack shall be chiefly directed against the ship of war, which, Iam sorry to say, they have captured. She carries heavier guns than theothers, and is a fast sailer. Therefore, when she is once taken, herguns can be turned on the others, and I hope these will all berecaptured. The officers and crew of the merchant ships here will aid inthe attack. They have as great an interest as we have in theirdestruction, and will be able to work the guns. If we are successful, weshall at one blow destroy the power of this terrible pirate, the'Sea-Tiger', and render the sea open again to commerce. Captain Smidt,one of your council, who is, as you know, a distinguished naval officer,has volunteered to take the command of the expedition, and will lead theboats to the attack.
"He will also arrange the crews of each boat. I beg that you will allinscribe your names as ready to fight for your homes, families, andpossessions, all of which will be in grievous danger unless thesepirates are crushed. At seven o'clock this evening those who havevolunteered will assemble at the fort. The boats will be in readinesswith a number painted on each, so that when you are told off you will beable each one to take his place without confusion in his allotted boat,or in one or other of the ships. The pirates will make their landingabout eleven o'clock. The boats will row till within three miles ofthem, then they will be taken in tow by the ships. The sounds of theboats' oars would be heard for a long way on a still night. You willprobably get quite close to them before you are seen. The moment thealarm is given, the tow-ropes must be thrown off. The ships will fire abroadside into the man-of-war, and at once range alongside her, and theboats will attack the other pirates."
The speech was received in silence, save that a hearty shout arose whenthe governor called upon them to volunteer.
"Captain Smidt is already at the town-hall," he said. "Go there andregister your names, in order that he may know how many boats will berequired, and will be able to make his arrangements accordingly. Acordon of troops has been placed round the town, and no one will beallowed to leave without a permit. Some of the natives might, if theyknew the preparations that have been made, make off, and swim to thepirate ships with the news."
As he ceased speaking, the little crowd moved off towards the town-hall.Mounted men were at once despatched to all plantations within fifteenmiles, calling upon the planters to drive in instantly with their armsfor the defence of the town, which was menaced by an attack frompirates.
At four o'clock in the afternoon the three vessels that had left thereten days before were seen sailing past the town. They should have beensighted some hours earlier, but shortly after daybreak the wind hadfallen, and the calm had lasted till midday. All were flying the Dutchflag, which they hauled down in salute to those flying on the fort, butproceeded on their way without changing their course. Everything wasapparently quiet in the fort, and the salutes were duly returned. Boatssufficient to carry the number of men available had by this time beendrawn up close to the shore, each bearing its number painted on her bow.
At half-past six the townspeople began to gather. All were armed withmuskets or rifles, pikes or swords, and quietly and without confusionthey took their allotted places, some on the boats, some on the twoships.
The troops had marched an hour before, joined by between forty and fiftymen who came in from the plantations. Van Houten had gone with them.They halted half a mile from the station. It was desirable that theyshould not come up until the native labourers were all asleep. VanHouten himself rode on, and it was nearly nine o'clock as he entered. Hewas greeted by a cry of joy and surprise from the planter's daughter.
"Why, Philip!" she exclaimed. "How have you got here? We saw your threevessels come along just as it became dark, an hour ago. I suppose youmust have landed as they passed Batavia. But what is the matter? youlook strangely ill. Have you been wounded in a fight with thosepirates?"
"You do look strange," her father added, "and you are not in uniform."
"Things have gone badly," he replied. "Our three vessels have all beencaptured, and I am the sole survivor of the crews. I have been aprisoner, and only escaped last night."
"Then what are the three ships we saw?" the planter said. "I could havesworn to the man-of-war _Leyden_. I was not sure as to the other twoships."
"They were full of pirates, meinheer, and have probably been joined bytwo more ships by this time. They are going to land at about eleveno'clock to burn this place down and carry your daughter off, and afterthat they will storm and sack Batavia."
"Are you in earnest, Van Houten, or dreaming? If your news is true,there is not a moment to be lost. We must have the horses and trap roundat once and drive inland or to Batavia. The town can successfullyresist."
"I should certainly advise Elise to retire at once to a station a mileor two away. There will be a battle fought here. Two hundred soldiersand forty or fifty planters, with six guns, halted a mile away. Theywill be here in an hour's time, and will give the Malays a receptionthat they do not dream of. As soon as the fight begins, their ships willbe attacked by two merchantmen and a flotilla of boats manned by everyavailable man in Batavia, with the exception of the governor himself anda small garrison, who will remain in the fort to protect the town shouldthe pirates change their plans. Captain Smidt is in command of theflotilla, Colonel Stern is with the troops."
"This is startling news indeed," the planter said after a moment'ssilence. "You say they will not attack till eleven. I will have thehorses put in at once. I will take Elise to my neighbour Rogen, whosehouse is three miles inland. I shall be back again in plenty of time totake my part in the affair. Or, no--you shall drive her there, VanHouten. I dare say that you would like to do so."
"Thank you, sir!"
"But can I not stay here?"
"No, dear," her father said decisively; "you might be hit by a chanceshot, and I don't want to be in a state of anxiety about you while Ihave other things to do."
He rang the bell standing on the table. A servant entered. "In the firstplace, go and tell Domingo to put the horses into the carriage at onceand to bring it round to the door, then bring in glasses and a bottle ofRhine wine."
Ten minutes later Van Houten started with Elise, the native driving. Onthe way he gave her a sketch of all that had happened since he wentaway, and told her of the plans of the "Sea Tiger". The girl shuddered.
"From what a fate have you saved me!" she murmured; "but it would nothave been so, for I would have killed myself."
"I do not think that he would have given you much opportunity for doingthat. He said that he would take good care that no weapon should be putin your way. However, thank God that his schemes have been thwarted byhis own folly in torturing me by telling me of his intentions! You needhave no fear of the results of this fight; taken wholly by surprise asthey will be, and bewildered by the attack on their ships, we arecertain to defeat them on land, and I trust that we shall capture alltheir ships; and the lesson will be so terrible that it will be a longtime before any other is likely to follow the 'Sea Tiger's' example."
On arriving at the planter's house he found that he and his son hadridden into Batavia at four o'clock in obedience to the governor's call.His wife and daughter were glad to have Elise with them, and, leavingher to tell the story, Philip drove back to her father's.
The column arrived three minutes after his return, and the colonel wentround the ground with Van Houten and the planter. The house stood somethree hundred yards from the shore, the ground slanting
gradually downfrom it; there were plantations on either side. Four of the guns wereplaced under the broad verandah, with the five-and-twenty men who wereto work them. The rest were distributed among the shrubberies on eitherside of the open space running down from the house towards the water,where they would take the pirates, as they advanced, in flank. VanHouten offered to take ten of the planters down to destroy the boatswhen the Malays had left them.
Ten of the colonists volunteered for the service, and were provided fromthe storehouse with axes for staving in the boards. They postedthemselves in a clump of bushes close to the shore. A quarter of an hourpassed, and then they heard five loud splashes and a confused noise, andknew that the pirate's ships had anchored. Then came a creaking ofpulleys and grating sounds, and they knew that the boats had beenlowered. The lights in the house had all been extinguished, and perfectsilence reigned. Presently there was a sound of many oars and the beatof paddles, and five minutes later ten large boats crowded with menappeared, making for the shore, and in a few minutes the grating of thekeels was heard on the sand, and dark figures could be seen making theirway up the beach.
"There must be three hundred of them at least," Van Houten said to theman who was standing next to him, "and I fancy that about the samenumber remain on board. As far as I can make out, there are only one ortwo men left on guard at each boat. We will creep up as quietly as wecan, directly the firing breaks out; each of you will pick off hisman--the noise will not be noticed in the row that will be going on upabove. Then let two go to each boat and stave in a couple of planks, andthen go along and do the same with the others, but see that it is donethoroughly. Directly all the boats are damaged hurry back here and openfire upon the pirates as they return. Traces have been fastened to theguns, and the artillerymen will run them down towards the water's edge,and the soldiers will advance and surround the scoundrels as they striveto push the boats off; not one of them should be able to regain theirships."
The pirates were led by a man whose white dress showed up clearly in thedarkness, and who Van Houten was sure was the "Sea Tiger" himself. Theyadvanced towards the house in an irregular line, the two flanks ratherin advance. No sound was heard among them. It was evident that they hadbeen ordered to preserve silence until the house was surrounded. Theywent on and on until they could be no longer seen by the watchers.Suddenly a voice shouted "Fire!"
Six guns loaded to the muzzle with bullets spoke out, and the musketry,in a semicircle, flashed from the shrubbery. "Now is our time!" VanHouten cried. The ten men went forward at a run. Within twenty yards ofthe nearest boat they halted and poured in their fire, and more thanhalf the men standing together on the beach fell. Then they dashedforward. Two minutes sufficed to do the work, and they ran back to thebush from which they started. The din above was terrible. The Malays,for a moment staggered by the terrible and unexpected fire, had run backa few paces; but the voice of their leader encouraged them, and withloud yells they again rushed forward.
The cannon were silent, for loading was a long operation in those days;but by the colonel's orders only half the soldiers had taken part in thefirst volley, and the others now poured in their fire.
The Malays pushed on recklessly, and were within twenty yards of thehouse when they paused, as two broadsides were fired in quick successionout at sea. The Dutch vessels had passed behind the pirates, and, havingdelivered their first broadside, had tacked and laid themselvesalongside the ship of war, pouring in their other broadside as they didso. At the same moment a musketry-fire opened from the whole of thepirate ships, answered more loudly from the boats, for comparativelyfew of the Malays carried firearms.
This unexpected attack did what the fear of death could not effect. Witha yell of alarm and rage they turned and ran down towards their boats.Then the soldiers poured out from their concealment. Those by the gunsseized the traces and ran them down to a distance of fifty yards fromthe shore, and poured their contents into the crowded mass. The Malaysleapt into their boats and pushed them off, but before they were fairlyafloat they were full of water to the gunwale. Most of them jumped overand started to swim towards the ships; others leapt ashore, and, drawingtheir krises, rushed at the troops and fell there, fighting fiercely tothe end. Then the guns were run down to the shore and poured showers ofgrape among the swimmers. In the meantime firing had ceased on board theship of war and two of the pirates, and the cheers of their captors roseloudly. On the others fighting was still going on, and the yells of theMalays and the cheers of the Dutch could be plainly heard.
In one the fighting presently ceased, but in the other the Malays wereapparently successful. The sounds grew fainter, and the direction showedthat the Malays had beaten off their opponents, cut their cable, andwere under sail. Three minutes later there was a flash of guns, andtheir light showed the warship also under sail, evidently in pursuit.Answering guns came back, and these grew farther away. Of the Malays whohad landed, some twenty unwounded had alone been taken prisoners. Thesewere placed under a strong guard. The colonel hailed the ships to send aboat ashore. It presently arrived, and they heard, as they supposed,that four of the ships had been recaptured and that the _Leyden_ was inpursuit of the other.
They also heard that only some twenty of the men of the naval expeditionhad been killed, for so completely were the Malays taken by surprisethat their assailants had gained a footing on their decks comparativelywithout opposition. Sails had been at once hoisted when the boat hadrowed ashore, and the vessels made for Batavia, where, at noon next day,the _Leyden_ arrived with her prize. Not a man had fallen of the Dutchforce on shore, though a few had been wounded by the Malays, who,finding their retreat cut off, had rushed at them.
Directly the fight was over, Philip drove over in the trap that had beenkept waiting on the other side of the house, and told Elise and theRogens that all was over, that the former's father and he were bothunhurt, and that the dreaded pirate had fallen, shot through the head,within twenty yards of the house.
"Your father requests that you will stay here till morning, Elise," hesaid, "then he will drive over and take you into Batavia, where he willjoin you, and you will stay there until all signs of the fight have beenremoved."
Batavia went wild with joy at the news of the capture of the whole ofthe pirate fleet, and the destruction of the "Sea Tiger" and hisfollowers. No quarter had been given on board the vessels firstcaptured, and thirty Malays alone survived the fight of the vesselbrought in by the _Leyden_. All the prisoners were tried and shot threedays later. Van Houten was the hero of the occasion, and receivedimmediate promotion. All felt that, had he not warned them, the townwould almost certainly have been captured and every soul in itmassacred.
A month later the whole of Batavia and the neighbourhood thronged to thechurch to witness the marriage of Captain Van Houten and Elise Meyers.
ON THE TRACK