studied the three faces in front of him. ‘Before I begintelling you what I’m thinking, I want to remind you: the Sulus greatly outnumber us.’
Babcock whispered, ‘But have you seen how many cannon each boat has? One!’
‘My men can blow them to bits,’ Kiro said excitedly.
‘More important, what about your men, Jud? Can they work quickly?’
‘The men recruited in Madras are now as good as any crew from Bombay,’ Jud assured him.
‘The men will do anything to get out of this fix,’ Babcock put in encouragingly. ‘They’re all grumbling and scared about what’s going to happen to them.’
‘Before we start anything,’ Horne stipulated, ‘I’ll also have to talk to Groot and Jingee—if we are going to do anything. But it must be soon. When daylight begins to go, it goes quickly.’
Reminding the men that they were undoubtedly being closely observed, he began describing how a trapped seabird could escape from a multitude of attendant sparrows.
* * *
Horne moved from his conclave on the quarter-deck to speak to Groot at the helm. Explaining how Babcock, Jud and Kiro concurred with his proposal to break away from the Sulu escort, he said, ‘The move will be dangerous and I won’t proceed without total agreement amongst you men.’
Groot’s hands steadied the wheel. ‘I’d rather take a chance, schipper, than end up a slave.’
‘Slavery’s not something you yourself are likely to have to worry about with the Sulus,’ Horne objected.
‘I don’t want slavery for anyone, schipper —me or a man with black skin like Jud.’
‘Then you agree to chance a break?’
‘Aye, aye, schipper. ’
Horne explained the plan to him and then moved on to Jingee in the forecastle.
Jingee listened eagerly and was full of praise. ‘Captain sahib, you are indeed brilliant,’ he exclaimed. ‘We would all be stupid not to try such a plan.’
‘I won’t act without every man’s agreement, Jingee.’
Jingee glanced guardedly at the crew. ‘These men, Captain sahib, will do anything to escape this—’ He frowned toward the praus in the side escort.’—this trap.’
‘Babcock and Jud assure me of the same thing.’
‘I can go now, Captain sahib, and prepare them for the move and they’ll do it. Believe me, I know, Captain sahib. I have heard them all worrying about what will happen to them.’
‘Do stress to them, Jingee, that the Sulus are most likely observing our every move.’
‘Count on their best co-operation, Captain sahib.’ Jingee promised. ‘They know the Sulus buy and sell men like animals.’
He hesitated. ‘Captain sahib, may I ask you your opinion on one matter that’s troubling me?’
‘Of course, Jingee.’ Horne hoped the question wouldn’t take long.
‘It’s about the Sulus. They claimed that the English ship fired on one of their villages. Do you think such a thing is true or do you think it’s merely their reason for seizing us?’
Jingee’s curiosity pleased Horne. He had been pondering the same question himself.
‘It is my opinion, Jingee, that such an armada would not need an excuse to seize one solitary ship. Especially since they found us becalmed, virtually helpless.
‘Secondly, we know little about the character of the man, Fanshaw, except that he’s certainly one to take chances and is most likely avaricious; probably not someone whoshrinks from violent measures. Such a person could have done such a thing.’
‘Why would he have fired on the village, Captain sahib?’
‘My answer can only be guesswork. Plunder. Pillage. Fear of pursuit.’
‘So you think, Captain sahib, we are being made to pay for Fanshaw’s crime?’
‘Remember, we do not know if the man who supposedly gunned their settlement was indeed Fanshaw. But whoever it was, or why they did it, the Sulus want to punish some English ship for the act. I must confess, too, that I think they have good cause. But we have our own cause, Jingee,’ Horne reminded him. Patting his
Babcock whispered, ‘But have you seen how many cannon each boat has? One!’
‘My men can blow them to bits,’ Kiro said excitedly.
‘More important, what about your men, Jud? Can they work quickly?’
‘The men recruited in Madras are now as good as any crew from Bombay,’ Jud assured him.
‘The men will do anything to get out of this fix,’ Babcock put in encouragingly. ‘They’re all grumbling and scared about what’s going to happen to them.’
‘Before we start anything,’ Horne stipulated, ‘I’ll also have to talk to Groot and Jingee—if we are going to do anything. But it must be soon. When daylight begins to go, it goes quickly.’
Reminding the men that they were undoubtedly being closely observed, he began describing how a trapped seabird could escape from a multitude of attendant sparrows.
* * *
Horne moved from his conclave on the quarter-deck to speak to Groot at the helm. Explaining how Babcock, Jud and Kiro concurred with his proposal to break away from the Sulu escort, he said, ‘The move will be dangerous and I won’t proceed without total agreement amongst you men.’
Groot’s hands steadied the wheel. ‘I’d rather take a chance, schipper, than end up a slave.’
‘Slavery’s not something you yourself are likely to have to worry about with the Sulus,’ Horne objected.
‘I don’t want slavery for anyone, schipper —me or a man with black skin like Jud.’
‘Then you agree to chance a break?’
‘Aye, aye, schipper. ’
Horne explained the plan to him and then moved on to Jingee in the forecastle.
Jingee listened eagerly and was full of praise. ‘Captain sahib, you are indeed brilliant,’ he exclaimed. ‘We would all be stupid not to try such a plan.’
‘I won’t act without every man’s agreement, Jingee.’
Jingee glanced guardedly at the crew. ‘These men, Captain sahib, will do anything to escape this—’ He frowned toward the praus in the side escort.’—this trap.’
‘Babcock and Jud assure me of the same thing.’
‘I can go now, Captain sahib, and prepare them for the move and they’ll do it. Believe me, I know, Captain sahib. I have heard them all worrying about what will happen to them.’
‘Do stress to them, Jingee, that the Sulus are most likely observing our every move.’
‘Count on their best co-operation, Captain sahib.’ Jingee promised. ‘They know the Sulus buy and sell men like animals.’
He hesitated. ‘Captain sahib, may I ask you your opinion on one matter that’s troubling me?’
‘Of course, Jingee.’ Horne hoped the question wouldn’t take long.
‘It’s about the Sulus. They claimed that the English ship fired on one of their villages. Do you think such a thing is true or do you think it’s merely their reason for seizing us?’
Jingee’s curiosity pleased Horne. He had been pondering the same question himself.
‘It is my opinion, Jingee, that such an armada would not need an excuse to seize one solitary ship. Especially since they found us becalmed, virtually helpless.
‘Secondly, we know little about the character of the man, Fanshaw, except that he’s certainly one to take chances and is most likely avaricious; probably not someone whoshrinks from violent measures. Such a person could have done such a thing.’
‘Why would he have fired on the village, Captain sahib?’
‘My answer can only be guesswork. Plunder. Pillage. Fear of pursuit.’
‘So you think, Captain sahib, we are being made to pay for Fanshaw’s crime?’
‘Remember, we do not know if the man who supposedly gunned their settlement was indeed Fanshaw. But whoever it was, or why they did it, the Sulus want to punish some English ship for the act. I must confess, too, that I think they have good cause. But we have our own cause, Jingee,’ Horne reminded him. Patting his
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