AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Macklin nodded grimly. “Everyone believed Tambora was dormant.”
“Extinct, actually,” Stoepker corrected. “At least, that was the consensus until now. Though, I heard rumors that the natives of Sumbawa felt occasional shakes or heard deep-earth rumbles. Maybe we should not have dismissed such tales out of hand.”
“Clearly.”
“And last night... I think that second eruption from Tambora was even fiercer than the first. Or maybe it only seemed that way because we were much closer.”
“No, it had to be worse,” Macklin countered. “The thunderous blast it gave off sounded like the very Earth had cracked in half.”
“True. And the huge swell of the seas afterward did indeed feel monstrous. No doubt there’ll be even more coastal flooding throughout these islands.”
Macklin pictured the wave that had struck Java following the first eruption. TheTenebraehad been anchored in deep water and spared any damage. Along the shore, docks had been crushed by that surge, tossing ships and debris far inland.
“Let’s just pray we have a port to return to,” Macklin grumbled.
By now, Lieutenant Hemple had returned to the forecastle. He moved swiftly toward the deck, his legs stiffened by urgency. “Commander, the crow’s nest reports fresh fires ahead of us.”
“From one of the outlying islands?”
“No, sir. At sea. Starboard side. Half-mile out.” Hemple lifted a brass spyglass. “I confirmed the same.”
Macklin waved for the scope. “Let me see.”
Hemple passed him the spyglass. Macklin carried it to the starboard side of the bow. As he crossed, he noted the faintest glow through the pall. He fixed the scope to his eye and took a few breaths to center and focus down upon it. He studied it for a full minute. As theTenebraeswept toward the location, the sight grew clearer.
“It appears to be a ship,” Macklin reported. “Aflame and listing badly.”
“One of His Majesty’s, sir?” Hemple asked. “Or an Indiaman?”
Macklin lowered the glass and shook his head. “Still too far off to make out any colors or flags. But we’ll strike for it, nonetheless.”
Hemple nodded crisply and left to alert the quartermaster at the helm.
“These seas remain hot,” Stoepker warned. “It would not be hard to imagine an errant flake of flaming ash setting torch to a wooden ship.”
“Not on theTenebrae. My men know what to watch for. We’ll not be caught unawares.”
“Perhaps the other ship did not have as diligent a crew.”
“We shall see.”
Even at half sail, it did not take long to reach the foundering ship. By then, Macklin and Stoepker had joined Lieutenant Hemple on the quarterdeck. Master Welch manned the ship’s wheel. No one was taking any chances. Especially as it had become clear that the vessel in distress was that of a Bugi pirate, the scourge of the Dutch in this region. The ship’s masts had become torches, tilting crookedly out of the water. The hull smoked so thickly it nearly obscured the flames from view.
Several smaller boats rowed away from the wreckage through the heavy ash. Most were also burning, smoldering, or dancing with flames.Two boats turned and headed for theTenebrae, with oars desperately chopping the waters.
Macklin found it strange that such pirates would seek succor aboard a ship waving His Majesty’s flag. They must know that they would only find the end of a noose if they made it here. Still, both fought hard for theTenebrae.
One of them caught fire. The suddenness of it drew a gasp from Stoepker. Pirates crowded into the center of the boat, as if fearing the water more than the fire. But there would be no escape from either. Clothes quickly caught the flames and the boat broke out from under them. Men tumbled into the sea, vanishing below the layer of ash. One arm burst high, still burning, then drowned away.
“What’s happening?” Hemple asked, his eyes huge.
Stoepker backed away from the rail. “We must leave these waters. Something is infernally wrong here.”
As if punctuating the naturalist’s warning, a thunderous boom erupted, shaking the waters. The gloom behind them brightened with fire. It marked yet another eruption of Tambora.
Macklin grimaced, realizing the ship’s name was proving all too apt this day. Her first owner had run her as a convict ship and fittingly named the vessel after a Catholic ceremony of punishment. The celebration of Tenebrae marked the last three days of Holy Week, when a hearse of fifteen candles, representing Christ’s travails on the way to the cross, were extinguished one after the other—until there was only darkness. The ceremony ended with a loud bang in the dark, representing the closing of Jesus’s tomb.
Macklin stared at the sunless skies as the blast echoed away.
