Tim Severin - Sea Robber

‘There can’t be many turtles left with so many hungry crews about,’ observed Hector.

‘True. There aren’t as many as before.’

A small flock of doves, perhaps a dozen birds, fed on some low bushes ahead of them. They ignored the two men until they were almost within touching distance, then flew up, circled and slanted down again to land no more than a couple of yards away.

‘Look at that,’ said the Miskito. ‘They are half tame. The birds never saw humans before we came, so they would even perch on our hats. That was before our men took to shooting them with their muskets for sport. Now the creatures are a little more wary, though you can still knock them down with a stick when you’re hungry.’

They walked on until they came to the edge of a small glen. Here was more ground cover, mostly weeds and small shrubs, and three or four stunted trees spread their branches to provide some shade. Dan turned aside, and Hector thought it was to stop and rest, for it was now midday under a clear sky and, despite the breeze from the sea, he felt the heat of the tropical sun.

Dan pointed to several large, brownish-grey boulders in the shadow of the trees. As Hector approached, the nearest boulder slowly began to lift itself from the ground, using four scaly grey legs.

Astonished, Hector watched a long, serpent-like neck extrude from a cavity. The head that turned to face him was extraordinarily ugly. It reminded him of a very old, toothless, bald man with small holes for nostrils.

He stepped back in alarm before realizing that he was confronted by a giant tortoise.

Dan gave an amused chuckle. ‘That is why I don’t have to go striking turtle,’ he said. ‘This island is full of these creatures. Their flesh tastes like chicken.’

The tortoise advanced with agonizing slowness, clearly annoyed. It opened its slit of a mouth and gave a loud, angry hiss.

‘Does it bite?’ Hector asked.

‘It is harmless. The creature feeds on leaves and grass, and its jaws are only useful for nipping,’ said the Miskito. He stepped forward, threw a leg over the creature’s back and rode the animal as it inched forward, still making a sound like escaping steam.

‘There are not many this big left,’ he said. ‘The men carry them back to the ships as food. It can take four men at a time to lift one. Aboard ship the creatures keep alive and well. Jacques would get a good twenty pounds of fine oil off this one. He likes to flavour our breakfast dumplings with it.’

He dismounted from the back of the tortoise. ‘A child could locate and capture these creatures. But there is something else I want to show you.’

Another half-hour’s tramping brought them to the end of the island. Here they crunched across loose plates of rock that shifted and clattered under their feet, before they arrived at a small rocky promontory, which sloped down to a reef where the sea was breaking in regular bursts of spray.

Dan found a convenient outcrop on which to sit. ‘This is where I come when I need some peace,’ he said.

Hector sat down beside his friend. ‘I know what you mean. When I was a captive in Valdivia, I used to go down to the harbour to get away by myself.’

‘You have not told me what it was like to be a prisoner of the Spanish.’

Hector paused for a moment before replying. ‘It’s made me see things differently. I was well treated. The Governor of Valdivia was a decent man, and I can’t say I relish the thought of plundering Spaniards once again.’

‘Maybe that is because your mother was from that country,’ said Dan. ‘It would be the same among the Miskito. When someone has a parent from another tribe, it is difficult to go fighting them.’

The two men sat silently for a while, watching a frigate bird as it wheeled and swooped, harrying a pair of gulls, bullying them to disgorge the fish they had caught.

Eventually Dan broke the silence. ‘What about Maria?’ he asked. ‘Have you found out anything about her?’

Hector felt the familiar hopelessness creep over him. ‘Maria is no longer in Peru. I brought you and the others on a futile quest.’

‘Where is she?’

Hector nodded towards the horizon. ‘Somewhere out there. Her employer was transferred to a post in the Ladrones.’ His voice was dull and flat.

‘I never heard of them. I thought the Encantadas were as far out in the ocean as you can go.’

‘The Ladrones are much, much farther, nearly all the way to Asia.’

Dan seemed unconcerned. ‘And do you still want to find her?’

Hector shrugged. ‘There’s no point. Maria is out of reach.’

Dan was persistent. ‘These Ladrones, how many days would it take to sail there?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe six or seven weeks in a well-found ship.’

‘The Nicholas is a well-found ship, and with a nice clean hull.’

Hector looked at his friend, astonished. ‘What on earth are you talking about? Why would Captain Eaton want to go sailing off across the Pacific?’

‘Captain Eaton might not want to, but his crew could be persuaded.’ Dan picked up a loose piece of rock and threw it, waiting for the splash as it hit the sea. ‘Remember how Cook and his men took the Carlsborg on the Guinea coast? You and I, Jezreel and Jacques had little choice but to go along.’

‘Of course.’

‘Well, we could do the same and take the Nicholas .’

‘That’s preposterous. The four of us could never handle such a ship.’

‘I don’t mean to steal her. Just to use her for what we want. I think that can be arranged.’

Suddenly the Miskito pointed downwards to where the foam was frothing on the rocks. ‘See there. That is another thing that bewilders me on these islands.’

It took Hector several seconds to pick out what Dan had spotted. Crawling up the nearly vertical weed-covered rocks were three or four lizard-like creatures nearly as long as his arm and shining wet. They had just emerged from the water.

‘They’re iguanas, aren’t they? Like the ones we used to catch and eat back on the Main.’

‘Yes, but we never saw iguanas swimming in the sea. Here they behave like seals.’ The Miskito got to his feet. ‘Come, Hector. There will be plenty of time to tell me more of Valdivia once we are aboard the Nicholas and she is heading across the Pacific. Right now we must get back to camp so that I can speak with Jacques and Jezreel. I need to put matters in hand before everyone at Jacques’ barbecue is too drunk and the food has all been eaten.’

Hector was confused and continued to sit looking out to sea. ‘It’s no good, Dan. Whatever your plan is, I don’t want to go back to a life of piracy, sailing with men who think of nothing but plunder and prize.’

Dan touched him on the shoulder and pointed into the air. ‘Hector, look at those frigate birds up there. See how they behave, robbers in the sky. That is their nature. Just as man’s nature is to thieve when he can. You cannot change that. Just turn it to your advantage.’

SEVEN

NEXT MORNING Hector was awakened by a foot nudging him in the ribs. He was lying face down on sand, head cradled in the crook of his elbow, and a voice above him said insistently, ‘I wish to speak with you, mynheer.’ He turned his head sideways and blearily opened his eyes. In the half-darkness he could make out the glow of a camp fire and thought briefly it was the same fire that he and Dan had found when they returned to the beach the previous evening. Jacques and the other cooks had served up a feast, and the men from the Cygnet and the Delight had gathered round, eating and drinking. Hector had joined them and, after filling his belly, had stretched out on the sand, still mystified by Dan’s intentions.