Slave Of Destiny Read Online Free PDF Page B

a bucketful, please Michael.”
    “I’ll get it
straight away” he said, rushing off.
    Constance Kane was
a kind and gentle person and Michael had grown to respect her in the short time
he had been on The Teresa . Even though she didn’t have much time to
spare she had nurtured him like a seedling, just waiting to grow up.
    “By the way we’re
anchoring in Forlorn Bay tomorrow. Most of the crew can go ashore for some rest
and recreation. There should be some fresh water there where we can replenish
our supplies. You could have a swim with Sally and really have a good wash with
the soap I gave her” she mentioned, before returning to her task.
     
    “How far do we sail
during a twenty-four hour period?” Michael asked Alby during dinner.
    “The trade winds
have only been light over the last few days, but I suppose we sail about 80 nautical
miles a day. The captain is watching the barometer and the pressure is falling,
so we’ll be in for some rain, strong winds and rough seas soon. That’s why The
Teresa will be anchoring in Forlorn Bay about mid-morning” he replied.
“We’ll be there for a few days until the conditions improve.”
    Alby left Michael
to go up on deck and smoke his pipe, so Michael decided to join the smokers on
the deck until Sally finished her shift in the galley. The silvery moon cast
its weak light across the sea as if trying to display a path to a land of
enchantment. The wind and waves were already beginning to strengthen, but The
Teresa sliced through the water, whipping a chilling spray across the deck.
Michael descended the companionway and back into the galley to find Sally
finishing her last chore. She greeted him with a smile and a knowing nod, as if
she was anticipating their kisses. Hand in hand they crawled through the rear
hatch and out to the rear second deck, but Michael failed to notice mad Wayne
staring at them with murder in his eyes.
     
    * * *
     
    The sparkling sea
of yesterday had been replaced with an angry sea of white. The Teresa had rolled and thrashed around all night and all the crew had to eat for breakfast
was stale bread and mouldy blue cheese. Michael had never felt so seasick in
all his life and he was looking forward to walking on dry land again.
    “You’ll feel better
if you come up on deck and get some fresh air” mentioned Alby. “We’re not too
far from our destination, Matukus Island.”
    He struggled up the
companionway and stood up, feeling the salt spray and cool wind on his face.
Sally had been his nursemaid; emptying the bucket during the night and making
sure he didn’t dehydrate. The sails had already been reefed in case the winds
became so strong they dismasted the ship.
    “Land-ho!” shouted
the lookout from the crow’s nest, high up on the mast.
    Michael strained
his eyes and he could make out a small strip of dark-purple on the horizon, so
he assumed they were less than twenty miles away from a relatively calm harbour. 
Michael vaguely remembered, from his history lessons, was that Matukus Island
was controlled by the Dutch. Most of Indonesia was controlled by the Dutch
after signing a treaty with Britain, hence the name, Dutch East Indies.
     
    * * *
     
    “This part of East
Indies is sparsely populated, but there could be some natives around. I
recommend going ashore in groups of two or more, but you need to be back aboard
before dark. My wife and I will be staying aboard, but Jack and four oarsmen
will row to the nearest village for supplies. Are there any questions?” he
asked when all the crew had assembled on deck.
    It was about
mid-day when the anchor was finally lowered into the crystal clear waters of the
bay and Michael had been so thankful for small mercies.
    “Well it’s all
settled then. Alby will be in charge of the landing party which will depart in
forty minutes, so those other five people need to have lunch and get ready if
they want to go ashore” the captain advised. “Martha and Constance will remain
aboard