Sea Robber (21 page)

The Ta-yin completely ignored the men of the
Nicholas
, who stood stock-still, gaping. He walked across and said something to the village headman, who cringed, then rose to his feet and disappeared into the village.

There followed a long, uncomfortable pause. Belatedly the crew of the
Nicholas
realized that they had been taken off-guard. All their weapons were aboard the ship and they were defenceless. Arianz, Stolck and a handful of the crew began to edge quietly towards the cockboat drawn up at the water’s edge.

One of the men-at-arms – their officer, to judge by the brilliant lacquer and gilt detailing on his chest armour – barked an order. A dozen of the matchlock men immediately ran down the beach and formed a cordon, preventing Arianz and his men from advancing farther. When Stolck tried to push past, one of the musketeers swung and hit him hard with the stock of his gun.

Hector, still on his feet despite Panu’s whispered pleas, saw the village headman scuttle back from his errand. He rejoined his people, bobbed humbly to the Ta-yin and dropped back on his knees.

A movement beside the nearest hut caught Hector’s eye. It was Ookooma, the fisherman they’d rescued. He’d not been seen since their arrival in the lagoon. Now Ookooma was on hands and knees, crawling forward. He moved close to the ground like a beaten dog, until he crouched at the feet of the banner man.

The Ta-yin spoke. His voice was angry. Each sentence was short and brusque.

‘What’s he saying?’ Hector whispered to Panu.

‘Ookooma has disgraced village by leaving, but worse crime to return with strangers.’

‘Christ, he had little choice,’ muttered Hector.

The Ta-yin nodded to the man-at-arms in the gilded armour. He marched forward until he was an arm’s length from the cowering fisherman.

‘Who’s that?’ Hector asked Panu.

‘A bushi. He lead Ta-yin’s personal escort.’

The Ta-yin was speaking again, haranguing the group of motionless villagers who kneeled on the ground.

When the Ta-yin finished speaking, the bushi reached down and seized Ookooma by his topknot, hauling him up on his knees. The soldier twisted the topknot cruelly, forcing Ookooma to look towards the open sea. Then he twisted again so that the fisherman faced the crew of the
Nicholas
, who still stood open-mouthed at the spectacle. The fisherman’s eyes were tightly closed. The man-at-arms growled an order, and Ookooma opened his eyes. Hector tried to make out some expression on the gaunt face, but Ookooma seemed to be in a trance. There was no trace whatever of the alert, calculating castaway rescued from the sea.

The bushi released the topknot, and at once the fisherman’s eyelids dropped shut again. The man-at-arms stepped back half a pace with his left foot, placed his right hand on the hilt of his longer sword, then uttered a low, sharp grunt. Ookooma’s eyes popped open. In one smooth movement the bushi drew the sword, and the long, glinting blade swept through the air. The fisherman’s head leaped off his shoulders and his headless corpse fell forward. Blood gushed from the severed neck and seeped into the sand. The head rolled once and lay still.

Hector’s stomach heaved. He clenched his hands and swallowed hard. The bushi calmly produced a pad of snow-white cotton and delicately wiped down his blade. Then he carefully slid the sword into its scabbard and strutted back to take up his position at the head of his soldiers.

The ‘great man’ had shown no interest in the execution. Even before Ookooma fell, the Ta-yin was on his way towards a line of tents and pavilions, which the porters and attendants were busily erecting at the rear of the beach.

‘Should I go to speak with him?’ Eaton asked Panu. The captain had gone pale under his tan. The crew of the
Nicholas
were slinking away, forming small, anxious groups and murmuring amongst themselves as they cast worried glances towards the armoured troops. Four villagers carried away Ookooma’s corpse.

As Stolck translated Eaton’s question, Panu blanched. ‘On no account approach the Ta-yin without a summons from him,’ advised the interpreter hastily. ‘He will take it as an affront. You and your men must stay where they are, until he wishes to speak with you.’

T
HAT EVENING
the crew of the
Nicholas
ate only leftovers and scraps. The villagers shunned their camp and could be seen carrying their panniers and baskets to the Ta-yin’s tents. None of Eaton’s men complained of their meagre meal. When dusk fell they were still debating what they should do next.

‘If we fought our way back to the ship, we could turn her cannon against those bastards,’ suggested Stolck.

‘Fight them with what?’ came an immediate objection. The speaker was the elderly, bald curmudgeon who was almost relishing their predicament.

‘Knives and cudgels. Jezreel could lead us. We know how good he is in a scrap, and he has his backsword with him.’

‘That’ll never be enough. You just saw what one of their blades can do.’

Stolck was not to be put off. ‘We rush the cordon. A few of us take the jolly boat out to the ship and grab our guns.’

This time Eaton objected. ‘Their muskets look antique. But the men in the boat wouldn’t stand a chance. They’d be shot to pieces before they got halfway to the
Nicholas
.’

There was a silence, and then Arianz spoke. ‘Maybe we should try stealth. Swim out to the ship in the darkness, up anchor and slip quietly away.’

‘On wings?’ called a voice from the darkness. ‘All our sails are still on the beach, and we’d need a pilot to bring us through the channel, as well as a fair wind.’

The discussion dragged on until the small hours. Nothing was decided except that it would be better to stay out of the Ta-yin’s way.

They awoke to the unwelcome sight of a work party of villagers at the water’s edge. Under the direction of the bushi, they were manhandling three of their larger fishing craft down the beach. Soon a squad of men-at-arms was being rowed out to the ship, and the onlookers could see them clambering aboard.

‘The swine are plundering the ship,’ said Arianz in disgust. Men were moving about the deck, and a short while later it was evident they were lowering various packages and a number of kegs down into the fishing boats that headed for the shore.

‘They’re stealing all our gunpowder, the bastards,’ added the quartermaster. ‘I hope it’s too strong for those matchlocks and they blow up in their faces.’

‘I’ve been trying to recall where I saw their emblem before. Now I remember,’ Stolck said unexpectedly. Those closest to him fell silent.

‘It was when I was working in the VOC’s factory in Ke-cho. We received an occasional shipment from Japan. Some boxes had seals with that cross in the circle. The same mark was painted into the glaze of those big jars they used for packing high-value goods. Am I right?’

He looked across at Panu. The interpreter had earlier arrived from the direction of the Ta-yin’s encampment.

‘The cross in circle is the mon, the emblem of the Shimazu clan,’ said Panu softly through Arianz. ‘They are overlords of this island and many more, all the way to their homeland in the north, Satsuma.’

At last Hector understood. The
Nicholas
had blundered on to an island lying somewhere between Japan and Formosa. The area was notorious for reefs and shoals and was generally avoided. It was unlikely to be on any chart.

‘How far away is Satsuma?’ he asked.

At least a week’s sailing with a good wind. The Shimazu forbid outsiders to come to their islands. The people here are their bond servants.’

‘Slaves, more like,’ grunted Jezreel.

‘The Ta-yin follows his own people’s code,’ said the interpreter carefully. ‘He knows no other way. He is bound by honour and a sense of duty.’

‘Enough talk of honour,’ snapped Eaton. ‘I don’t care whether that cold-blooded savage wishes to talk to me or not. Let’s go find out what he intends to do with us.’

T
HE
T
A-YIN’S
own pavilion was easily identified. Two men-at-arms stood guard in front of it with long pikes. They wore bowl-shaped metal helmets in addition to the now familiar scale armour. Each helmet 7had a small visor jutting out to protect the eyes, and a long, thickly padded flap hanging down the back of the neck.

Panu had warned the men from the
Nicholas
to stay well back. Led by Eaton and Arianz, they came to a ragged halt some fifteen paces away from the guards.

‘My dad brought home a lobster hat like that after his time in Cromwell’s cavalry,’ remarked one of the sailors. His companion nudged him to be silent. The front of the tent had been pulled aside, and the Ta-yin emerged.

He was wearing the same loose black silk trousers as the day before, and a sleeveless jacket of dark-brown silk. The shoulders of the jacket were so exaggerated they extended well beyond the body. Silver thread picked out the circular mon of the Shimazu on his breast. The Ta-yin’s face was again powdered white, but this time his queue of jet-black hair had been oiled, twisted tight and brought up over the crown of his head, then doubled back again. This cockscomb was topped by a round cap of black gauze held in place by a white tape under his chin. He was unarmed, and the handle of a fan protruded from his sash.

An attendant ran forward with a folding stool even as Panu dropped into a humble crouch. The Ta-yin sat, placed his hands on his spread knees, straightened his back and threw out his chest so that, without lifting his chin, his gaze took in the assembled crew. They stood, curious and apprehensive and uncertain what to do. For a full minute the Ta-yin said nothing. His eyes glittered with disdain. When he spoke, his voice came from deep within his chest.

‘The Ta-yin says . . .’ translated Panu. He shifted his crouching position so that his voice could be heard more clearly by Stolck, who relayed his words into English so that all could hear. ‘The Ta-yin says that if he had his way, he would behead all of you forthwith. But he is obliged to consult his superiors and await their instructions.’

‘We came here in good faith . . .’ began Eaton. The Ta-yin turned on him a look of such ferocity that the captain’s voice trailed away.

The Ta-yin was speaking again, and Panu and Stolck were gabbling as they tried to keep up with his words. ‘In the Ta-yin’s opinion, you are like mongrel dogs who trespass, then lift their legs and piss to mark their territory.’

Eaton coloured with annoyance. ‘Tell him we came here by chance, and wish to leave quietly and without trouble.’

Panu muttered his translation, and the Ta-yin’s response was curt. ‘What is the true intention of your voyage?’

‘We are merchants seeking new markets.’ The captain was glib with the falsehood.

‘You lie. My men have searched your ship and found no trade goods. Only weapons.’ The Ta-yin gestured towards various items lying at the feet of his guard commander. The bushi picked up a musket and brought it forward. It was a flintlock from the
Nicholas
.

‘Such guns as these are much sought after,’ explained Eaton. If he hoped to placate the Ta-yin with an offer to sell him arms, he was promptly disappointed.

‘We have no need of guns.’

‘They are of modern design, very efficient.’ Eaton had adopted a huckster’s wheedling tone.

From close to the ground, Panu hissed, ‘The Shimazu manufacture their own guns, copies from long ago. Please don’t insult them.’