"Garry_Kilworth_Shadow-Hawk" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kilworth Garry)

Now he was sailing along the coast of Sarawak. Here he knew lived three races - Dyaks, Chinese and Malays. He knew a little about the latter two, but he had needed to look up the word 'Dyak' in his books. It seemed the Land Dyaks were split into several tribes - Kayan, Kenyah, Kejaman, Skapon, Berawan, Sebop, Punan, and many more - and they lived inland, in longhouses controlled by chiefs and paramount chiefs. Only the Iban were known as Sea Dyaks. They lived on the coast and were different in appearance to the Land Dyaks who lived along the rivers. The Iban were raiders, a fierce people, often hostile.

'There's a boat coming out, cap'n,' said the helmsman, John Keller, a red-headed seaman. 'A royal canoe by the look.'

Starke looked up to see that Keller was right. There was a canoe with a thatched roof. Starke could make out a figure sitting on a carved chair in the centre. The canoe was rowed by what appeared to be Dyak Indians. Starke had already encountered some Sea Dyaks sailing prahus - pirates - who tried to board him. He blew them out of the water with his six-pounder cannons and two swivel guns mounted fore and aft.

'I see them now, Keller, thank you.'

'Aye, aye, cap'n.'

Though his eyes were sharp and keen Keller was the only real troublemaker on board. Allen Starke intended to leave Keller in some foreign port when the time came. He was the cause of much unrest within the crew. Most of the others would have been happy to knock Keller on the head and tip his body overboard in the middle of the night, but Keller was handy with his fists. It would have taken more than one of them and they were not yet sufficiently cohesive enough unit nor confident of one another's willingness to remain silent afterwards.

Starke knew that if Keller remained on board the seaman would eventually disappear one dark night - or someone else would be killed by his hand.

Starke ordered Rediman, the First Mate, to take in sail.

Soon the canoe was alongside and a Malay dignitary came on board. After declining refreshments the man said he was Prince Usop. He was armed with a kris, a wavey-bladed dagger, and was wearing a colourful sarong and a red velvet jacket trimmed with silver which had large buttons made of hornbill beak. Usop was Prince Ahmed's older brother and the crown prince, but unlike his younger sibling Usop was extremely ugly, and had a humped back. The prince pointed to the beautiful Santubong Mountain on the mainland and said in good English, 'The Rajah of Sarawak requests your presence at a feast this evening. Will you come, sir?'

Starke thought about declining. There were treacherous people amongst the local rulers. However, at the last moment an impulse urged him to accept.

'Yes, thank you, I'll be there. I shall come in one of my boats, so you have no need to wait.'

The prince bowed and left. He did not sit down again but stood in the stern of his prahu, looking back at Starke's yacht the whole while until he reached the shore.

Starke waited for the flow tide and then went upriver in one of the ship's four boats. He took with him six of his crew, armed with muskets and cutlasses. Keller had given Starke a problem. If he took him along, he might cause some incident and ignite a riot. If he left him behind, there would without doubt be some kind of fight. He decided to take him, but made the sailor steer the boat to keep him occupied. Starke had made sure Keller was also without a weapon of any kind.

Harry remained on board. She had gained considerable respect amongst the crew for her doughty character. During the pirate episode she had remained on deck the whole time, not getting in the way, but determined to watch the battle. In her slim white hand had been a rather large pistol. It had been given to her to use on herself, if the battle had gone the wrong way, but she had no intention of committing suicide for such a silly thing as protecting her honour. She had used it to shoot a Dyak pirate between the eyes as he clambered over the gunwales.

She had now been left in charge of the Monarch. If Starke did not return she was supposed to order the rest of the crew to sail the yacht to Singapore. She was just as likely to take the craft up the Sarawak River and lay waste to the city. In her way she was as much a rebel as was Keller, only her intentions were good, whereas Keller's were at best dubious.

When Starke reached the royal jetty he found a large gathering of Malay princes waiting for him.

'Keller, you will accompany me,' said Starke, 'the others remain on the jetty. I want no trouble. You will wait for my direct orders before doing anything at all, is that clear?'

The boatswain nodded briskly. 'Aye, aye, captain.'

'Keller,' went on Starke, 'keep your mouth shut and your fists in your pockets. I'm taking you with me only because I don't trust you back here. If you give me any problem whatsoever, I'll shoot you dead. Do you understand?'

Keller growled, 'Murder, cap'n?'

'Out here there are different laws and no one cares about the rights of villains, Keller.'

The seaman shrugged and nodded sullenly.

The Malay princes, Ahmed and Usop among them, clustered around the two Europeans and bustled them towards the palace. Starke was taken through marble halls to a cool room in a high tower. Here he was ushered into the presence of an old man swathed in cotton, lying on a bed of silk. The old man was as shrivelled and wrinkled as a brown lizard. Starke could see that the spark of life within the man was all but gone. His breathing was quick and shallow, his throat pulsing like that of a reptile suffering from too much sun. There was not much time.

A gnarled, crooked hand, devoid of any flesh, beckoned the captain closer to the bedside.

'You are Allen Starke, the Englishman?'