Birds of Prey (39 page)

In contrast to this superabundance, the service was all of delicate blue and white pattern. Behind each chair stood a house slave in the green uniform of the Company, ready to recharge glass and
plate with nimble white-gloved hands. Would the man never stop talking and let them at the food, van de Velde wondered, and smiled and nodded at Kleinhans’ inanities.

At last, with a bow to the new Governor and a much deeper one to his wife, Kleinhans sank back into his chair, and everyone looked expectantly at van de Velde. He gazed around at their asinine
faces, and then with a sigh rose to his feet to reply. Two minutes will do it, he told himself, and gave them what they expected to hear, ending jovially, ‘In conclusion, I want only to wish
Governor Kleinhans a safe return to the old country, and a long and happy retirement.’

He sat down with alacrity and reached for his spoon. This was the first time the burghers had been privileged to witness the new Governor at table, and an amazed and respectful silence fell upon
the company as they watched the level in his soup bowl fall like the outgoing tide across the mud-flats of the Zuider Zee. Then, suddenly realizing that when the guest of honour finished one
course, the plates would be changed and the next course served, they fell to in a frenzied effort to catch up. There were many stout trenchermen among them, but none to match the Governor,
especially when he had had a head start.

As his soup bowl emptied, every bowl was whisked away and replaced with a plate piled high with thick cuts of sucking pig. The first two courses were completed in virtual silence, broken only by
slurping and gulping.

During the third course Kleinhans rallied and, as host, made a valiant attempt to revive the conversation. He leaned forward to distract van de Velde’s attention from his plate. ‘I
expect that you will wish to deal with the matter of the English pirates before any other business,’ he asked, and van de Velde nodded vigorously, although his mouth was too full of succulent
lobster to permit a verbal reply.

‘Have you decided yet how you will go about their trial and sentencing?’ Kleinhans enquired lugubriously. Van de Velde swallowed noisily, before he replied, ‘They will be
executed, of course, but not before their captain, this notorious corsair Francis Courtney, reveals the hiding place of the missing Company cargo. I would like to convene a tribunal immediately for
this purpose.’

Colonel Schreuder coughed politely, and van de Velde glanced at him impatiently. ‘Yes? You wanted to say something? Out with it, then!’

‘Today I had opportunity to inspect the work proceeding on the
kasteel
fortifications, sir. The good Lord alone knows when we will be at war with England again, but it may be soon.
The English are thieves by nature, and pirates by vocation. It is for these reasons, sir, that the Seventeen in Amsterdam have placed the highest priority on the completion of our fortifications.
That fact is spelt out very clearly in my orders and my letter of appointment to the command of the
kasteel
.’

Every man at the table looked grave and attentive at the mention of the sacred Seventeen, as though the name of a deity had been invoked. Schreuder let the silence run on for a while to make
good his point, then said, ‘The work is very much behind what their excellencies have decreed.’

Major Loten, the outgoing garrison commander, interjected, ‘It is true that the work is somewhat behindhand, but there are good reasons for this.’ The construction was his prime
responsibility, and Governor van de Velde’s eyes switched to his face. He placed another forkful of lobster in his mouth. The sauce was truly delicious, and he sighed with pleasure as he
contemplated another five years of meals of this order. He must certainly buy the chef from Kleinhans before he sailed. He formed his features into a more solemn pattern as he listened to Loten
making his excuses. ‘I have been hampered by a shortage of labour. This most regrettable revolt among the slaves has left us severely undermanned,’ he said lamely, and van de Velde
frowned.

‘Precisely the point I was about to make,’ Schreuder picked up smoothly. ‘If we are so short of men to meet the expectations of the Seventeen, would we be wise to execute
twenty-four strong and able-bodied English pirates, instead of employing them in the workings?’

Every eye at the table turned to van de Velde to judge his reaction, waiting for him to give them a lead. The new Governor swallowed, then used his forefinger to free a shred of lobster leg
caught in his back teeth before he spoke. ‘Courtney cannot be spared,’ he said at last. ‘Not even to work on the fortifications. According to Lord Cumbrae, whose opinion I
respect,’ he gave the Buzzard a seated bow, ‘the Englishman knows where the missing cargo is hidden, besides which my wife and I,’ he nodded towards Katinka, who sat between
Kleinhans and Schreuder, ‘have been forced to suffer many indignities at his hands.’

‘I quite agree,’ said Schreuder. ‘He must be made to tell all he knows of the missing bullion. But the others? Such a waste to execute them when they are needed on the walls,
don’t you think, sir. They are, after all, dull-witted cattle, with little understanding of the gravity of their offence but with strong backs to pay for it.’

Van de Velde grunted noncommittally. ‘I would like to hear the opinion of Governor Kleinhans on this matter,’ he said, and filled his mouth again, his head lowered on his shoulders
and his small eyes focused on his predecessor. Sagely, he passed on the responsibility of making the decision. Later, if there were repercussions, he could always unload a share of the blame.

‘Of course,’ said Governor Kleinhans, with an airy wave of the hand, ‘prime slaves are selling for almost a thousand guilders a head at the moment. Such a large addition to the
Company purse would commend itself highly to their excellencies. The Seventeen are determined that the colony must pay for itself and not become a drain on the Company exchequer.’

All present gave this their solemn consideration. In the silence Katinka said, in ringing crystal tones, ‘I, for one, will need slaves for my household. I would welcome the opportunity to
acquire good workers even at those exorbitant prices.’

‘By international accord and protocol it is forbidden to sell Christians into slavery,’ Schreuder pointed out, as he saw the prospects of procuring labour for his fortifications
beginning to recede. ‘Even Englishmen.’

‘Not all the captured pirates are Christians,’ Kleinhans persisted. ‘I saw a number of black faces among them. Negro slaves are much in demand in the colony. They are good
workers and breeders. Would it not be a most desirable compromise to sell them for guilders to please the Seventeen? We could then condemn the English pirates to lifelong hard labour. They could be
used to hasten the completion of the works, also to please the Seventeen.’

Van de Velde grunted again, and scraped his plate noisily to draw attention to the fact that he was ready to sample the beef. He pondered these conflicting arguments while a freshly loaded plate
was placed in front of him. There was another consideration to take into account of which no one else was aware: his bitter hatred of Colonel Schreuder. He did not want to ease his lot in life and,
truth to tell, he would be delighted if the Colonel failed dismally in his new command and was ordered home in disgrace – just as long as that failure did not redound to his own
discredit.

He stared hard at Schreuder as he toyed with the idea of refusing him. He knew, all too well, what that one had in mind, and he turned his attention from the Colonel to his wife. Katinka looked
radiant this evening. Within a few days of arriving at the Cape and moving into their temporary quarters in the castle, she was fully recovered from the long voyage and from the captivity forced
upon them by Sir Francis Courtney. She was, of course, young and resilient, not yet twenty-four years of age, but that alone did not account for her gaiety and vivacity this evening. Whenever the
bumptious Schreuder spoke, which was too often, she turned those huge, innocent eyes upon him, with full attention. When she spoke directly to him, which was also too often, she touched him, laying
one of her delicate white hands on his sleeve, and once, to van de Velde’s intense mortification, actually placing her fingers on Schreuder’s bony paw, letting them linger there for all
the company to see and smirk at.

It almost, but not quite, spoiled his appetite to have this blatant courtship ritual take place not only under his nose but under the collective noses of the entire colony. It would have been
bad enough if, in private, he had been forced to face the fact that the valiant Colonel would soon be rummaging around under those rustling petticoats. It was insufferable that he must share this
knowledge with all his underlings. How could he demand respect and sycophantic obedience from them while his wife was set on publicly placing horns upon his head? When I packed him off to Amsterdam
to negotiate my ransom, I thought we had seen the last of Colonel Schreuder, he thought sullenly. It seems I will have to take sterner measures in the future. And as he ploughed his way through all
sixteen courses, he turned over in his mind the various alternatives.

Van de Velde was so stuffed with good food that the short walk from the great hall of the castle to the council chamber was only accomplished with much heavy breathing and the occasional pause,
ostensibly to admire the paintings and other works of art that decorated the walls, but in reality to recover his resources.

In the chamber he settled with a vast sigh into the cushions of one of the high-backed chairs, and accepted a glass of brandy and a pipe of tobacco.

‘I will convene the court to try the pirates this coming week, that is immediately after I formally take over the governorship from Mijnheer Kleinhans,’ he announced. ‘No point
in wasting any more time on this riff-raff. I appoint Colonel Schreuder to act as attorney-general and to prosecute the case. I will take on the duties of judge.’ He looked across the table
at his host. ‘Will you have your officers make the necessary arrangements please, Mijnheer Kleinhans.’

‘Certainly, Mijnheer van de Velde. Have you given any thought to appointing an advocate to defend the accused pirates?’

It was clear from van de Velde’s expression that he had not, but now he waved a pudgy paw and said airily, ‘See to that, will you? I am sure one of your clerks has sufficient
knowledge of the law to perform the duty adequately. After all, what is there to defend?’ he asked, and chuckled throatily.

‘A name comes to mind.’ Kleinhans nodded. ‘I will appoint him and arrange for him to have access to the prisoners to receive their statements.’

‘Dear God!’ Van de Velde looked scandalized. ‘Why would you do that? I don’t want that English rogue Courtney putting all sorts of ideas into the man’s head. I will
set out the facts for him. He need only recite them to the court.’

‘I understand,’ Kleinhans agreed. ‘It will all be ready to hand over to you before I step down next week.’ He looked across at Katinka. ‘My dear lady, you, of
course, will wish to move out of your temporary quarters here in the castle, and into the much more commodious and comfortable Governor’s residence as soon as possible. I thought that we
could arrange an inspection of your new home after the church service on Sunday. I would be honoured to personally conduct you on a tour of the establishment.’

‘That is kind, sir.’ Katinka smiled at him, glad to be the focus of attention once more. For a moment Kleinhans basked in the warmth of her approval, then went on diffidently,
‘As you can well imagine, I have acquired a considerable household during my term of office in the colony. Coincidentally, the cooks who prepared the humble little meal of which we partook
this evening are part of my own span of slaves.’ He glanced at van de Velde. ‘I hope that their efforts met with your approval?’ When the Governor nodded comfortably, he turned
back to Katinka. ‘As you know, very soon I shall return to the old country, and into retirement on my small country estate. Twenty slaves will be far in excess of my future requirements. You,
Mevrouw, voiced your interest in purchasing quality slaves. I would like to take the opportunity of your visit to the residence to show you those creatures that I have for sale. They have all been
hand-picked, and I think you will find it more convenient and cheaper to make a private acquisition than to bid at public auction. The trouble with buying slaves is that those who look good value
on the auction block can have serious hidden defects. It is always comforting to know that the seller has sound and sufficient reasons for selling, is it not?’

H
al set a constant lookout at the high window of the cell. There was always one man standing on another’s shoulders, clinging to the bars,
to keep a watch on the castle courtyard. The lookout called down all sightings to Hal, who in turn relayed these up the stairwell to his father.

Within the first few days they were able to work out the timetable of the garrison, and to note the routine comings and goings of the Company officials, and of the free burghers who visited the
castle regularly.

Hal called a description of each of these persons to the unseen leader of the slave rebellion in the Skellum’s Den. Althuda knew the personal details of every person in the settlement and
passed on all this accumulated knowledge, so that within the first few days Hal came to know not only the appearance but also the personality and character of each one.

He started a calendar, marking the passage of each day with a scratch on a slab of sandstone in one corner of the cell and registering the more important events beside it. He was not certain
that anything was to be gained from these records, but at least it gave the men something to talk about, and fostered the illusion that he had a plan of action for their release or, failing that,
for their escape.

‘Governor’s carriage at the staircase!’ the lookout warned, and Hal jumped up from where he was sitting between Aboli and Daniel against the far wall.