In Search of Spice (57 page)

“I will bring the seamstresses to you in the morning, sir.” Bai Ju spoke in perfect Harrhein, causing stares from several of those present, but the Captain was too interested in the uniforms to notice.

“Capital! Capital! Very kind. Now, everyone take your seats please.” The Captain sat down, followed by everyone else. Brian had laid out the seating plan so the older and more senior were at one end, the junior at the far end, which included Pat, Hinatea and Bai Ju, to her disgust. She spotted the slight straight away. Now she was inspecting the cutlery, which was good silver. She was particularly taken by the engraving of the royal crest on each item. Pat prayed she wouldn’t test the quality by biting the handle. She did.

Brian tapped his glass with his knife, and everyone looked to the head of the table, where Captain Larroche stood.

“I am very pleased to report we have concluded our negotiations with the Sung, and we are mutually very pleased. Tomorrow we shall lash the two ships together and we will exchange our cargoes here at sea - which saves us harbour charges and rapacious taxation, you will be glad to hear.” He waited for the buzz of comment to die down.

“The trepang is to be exchanged for a cargo of tea, pepper and a new herb called clove. The trepang from Pahipi and Vitu Levu is far superior to any they have seen for several years, as the dhows trading practices are not very good at producing quality. We have done very well on this exchange, I think. They are also interested in the artefacts we have brought along. Harrheinian silver is in demand, and they want some of the bows and crossbows. But what excites them most is the pigs! They have their own pigs, smaller, more layers of fat and an inferior flavour, so we are trading all our pigs. They want us to bring as many boars as we can next time.

“Next time, I said. Because we have agreed to meet here again in six months. Bishop Walters agrees we shall be able to sail home and return here in four months, so this affords you all six weeks of shore leave, enough to go home and visit your families.”

This caused a stir of conversation and he looked round the table. Everyone was looking excited and talking about this, except for Sara who looked grim. He saw Pat whisper to her, and she shook her head.

“Damn,” he thought, “it is too soon for her to go back. That is a problem we need to sort.”

He tapped his glass again and the room fell quiet.

“So I give you a toast, to a successful voyage, shorter than expected, which makes us all rich!”

A cheer went up round the table and everyone drank, though the Captain noted Lieutenant Mactravis and Suzanne looking less than festive and throwing glances at Sara.

“Brian, you can tell the cook to start serving the meal.”

The food started to come through, and Wu Chen took the opportunity to ask a question down the table.

“Honoured Lady,” he spoke to Bai Ju in Belada. “I could not help but notice you spoke in the language of this ship earlier. How is it you are able to speak it so fast? Even with drugs, we magicians cannot learn a language so quickly.”

“So sorry, not so good in Belada. I come on this voyage on mission to find out more about the new slaves coming into the Empire. My Master was concerned. So I learn Harrhein before I leave. Have to learn Belada on Imperial Orchid.”

All eyes turned to her, and she smiled sweetly. Wu Chen was silenced by the words, ‘
My Master
’. This revealed more about her than his school had discovered in five hundred years.

“You speak Harrhein very well,” said Sara, “but what interests me is why you have chosen to reveal your ability to us, and tell us you came to spy on us.”

“Excuse please,” she said to Wu Chen, “I need reply in Harrhein.” She turned to Sara. “It is because of you, Princess. When you offered to buy back the slaves from Sung, rather than make empty threats, I knew you were a civilised person and your country would not be a threat to us. Also, I understood from Bishop Walters the distance between our countries is so vast there is nothing to worry about.”

Walters spluttered. “I never said anything to you! We have not spoken!”

“No, we have not,” she smiled at him. “I listened when you spoke with the cartographers.”

“But you weren’t there!”

“Oh, I was, but I am very good at coming and going without being seen.”

Suzanne decided this was enough, she could sense Bai Ju beginning to go defensive and didn’t want her back in her shell. She spoke to Takeo in Belada.

“I have heard the Sung refer to you as a Tokkaidan, Takeo. I take it Tokkaido is another country?”

“Yes,” he replied. “A small country, north of Sung and Cathay, islands. We are known as warriors.”

“Very good warriors,” affirmed Bai Ju. “Master smith, you should see his sword. Special way of making, you interest I think.”

The dwarf looked up from his meat which was disappearing at high speed. “Special way? Steel, huh? What is special about it?”

Takeo answered. “I pleased to show sword. Steel heated, beaten and folded one thousand times. Very hard. Cut through Sung swords. Very sharp. Carry two, short one and long one.”

“A thousand times? Must be more to it. Would be pleased to see your sword, please come to the forge tomorrow.” He returned to his food and called for more beer.

Sara called down the table. “Sir, will we be going directly back to Harrhein, or do you plan to stop anywhere on the way back?” The conversation stopped while the Captain took a moment to respond.

“The final leg of the voyage will be past the pearl islands of the Umayyad and of course Spakka, as well as other countries like Havant which are likely to be equally unfriendly. I wish to avoid them, and get the cargo home as quickly as possible So we shall go up the side of Hind, calling at the ports on the way, possibly do a little trading, and at the last city of Hind we shall put out to sea and sail home, far from shore and out of sight. We need to see what cargoes we can pick up in Hind, but we can go no further north than a city called Kadwad, after which there is a Havant trading station.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He considered her expression. “Is it too soon for you to return, Princess?”

“I don’t know sir, it is impossible to get news. But I am concerned about the situation in Harrhein, and my advisors told me to stay away for at least six months.”

“Hmmph. Would a trip away of nine months make more sense?”

“I would be happier, sir.”

“Well, pity Sung doesn’t have a city here. We’ll see if any of the countries in Hind are civilised, and, if so, you can stay and build an embassy and trading post. How does that sound?”

“Perfect, sir, and you would have news for me on your return.”

“Exactly. I am sure we can find a few crew to stay with you.”

“Never mind the crew, you will need a load more officers,” said Suzanne.

“The army will stay with the Princess,” said Lieutenant Mactravis flatly.

“Yes, I’m sure you will,” said Captain Larroche. “We’ll need to train up some more officers, and I’m sure the kai Viti and Spakka will stay with you, Princess, apart from the academy kids. You will have enough to keep you safe. Any thoughts on who should be promoted?”

“Why not Nils?” asked Pat, who was still irked at being promoted ahead of him.

“Not an option, Nils is a topsailsman and that’s all. Brilliant there, but nowhere else.” Brian spoke with confidence. “Josh has been with us long enough, sir, I’d like him to step up. Perhaps young Phil as well.”

“You will be without any female officers,” said Suzanne. “Shouldn’t you have at least one? Mattie is very capable and been a Bosun’s mate long enough.”

“Sure you don’t want to get back to the bright lights, Suzanne?” asked the Captain.

“My duty is with the Princess, sir,” said Suzanne.

“I will need all my recruits, their training has only just started,” said Bai Ju. “It would be dangerous for them to stop now.”

Brian looked at her and Pat. “So you will stay with the Princess, too, young Pat?”

“Hadn’t occurred to me not to, sir,” said Pat.

“I think, Princess,” said Bai Ju, “I will ask Captain Lim if I can have a couple of those girls, particularly the one who is good with hair. If we are going to be in a hot country for several months, it will be useful to have servants who understand civilised behaviour.”

“Brilliant idea, Bai,” said Suzanne with feeling. “The courtesans have a young man - do you think I could borrow him?”

“Do you mean Taman?” said Bai Ju with a smile.

“Yes, I think that is his name.”

Bai Ju laughed. “He is very special. I do not think you can persuade the Old Mother to let you have him!”

To Sara’s surprise, Suzanne turned slightly pink. She had never seen Suzanne show any embarrassment before, and was fascinated. She wasn’t the only one to notice, as Lieutenant Mactravis leaned forward with interest.

“What’s special about this Taman, then?”

“Oh, nothing really,” said Suzanne, to no avail, as Bai Ju answered with enthusiasm.

“He is from the south eastern tip of this continent, a place called Perak. They are very nice people there, live well, and don’t work too hard. Very much like sex. They take gold beads, small, hollow and with a grain of sand inside them so they rattle. With a special knife, they make a small incision in the skin at the head of the penis and insert the beads. This Taman has them all around the head of his penis, in a ring.” Bai Ju was talking to Mactravis with great pleasure, totally oblivious of Captain Larroche’s increasing horror. “It makes a noise when he makes love and is supposed to be very pleasurable for the ladies. Is this true, Suzanne?” She smiled demurely across the table.

“Yes, it is,” said Suzanne, not looking at the Captain.

“I don’t think Old Mother will give up Taman for anything, but I am sure she will let you have some gold beads and perhaps some of the men will have them fitted. Will you volunteer, Lieutenant Mactravis?”

Mactravis had been smiling broadly, but this wiped it off his face. “Ah, perhaps not, but I am sure Little would delight in being a test case.”

“No thank you,” said Suzanne. “Nothing could make up for his other habits!”

Everyone laughed at this, but Pat’s laugh was cut off when Bai Ju started looking at him contemplatively.

“Perhaps I’ll get Pat done. Might be fun if Tantric Master Suzanne recommends it.” She smiled innocently.

Hind

L
ashing the ships together was a ticklish task, which had the Bosun bellowing. The capstans did the work of pulling the ships together, sweating sailors on each ship turning them, while the Bosun shouted at them to stop and start depending on the slack. The Sung had an equivalent of a Bosun doing the same job on the Imperial Orchid, almost identical to the Bosun, apart from the eyes, dark hair and an elaborate moustache. Sara and Suzanne had a fit of giggles, till quelled by a suspicious glare from the Bosun.

The Bosun did not allow anyone else to be involved, with her mates plus Nils and Pat overseeing sailors tying fenders along the side of the ship. These were big balls of old rope designed to stop the two ships from damaging each other. The Sung used identical fenders, perhaps slightly different tying of the balls, and Sara overhead Walters telling Perryn it was a remarkable example of how different cultures found identical solutions to a common problem. Taufik, standing by the wheel, remarked they had been around long enough for the idea to spread across the world from the Sung. Walters ignored him.

The ships came together with a creaking groan, and the sailors from each ship exchanged ropes and tied them off, while the Bosun oversaw a sweating group of sailors manhandle a wide gangplank, hastily assembled overnight by the carpenters out of several planks, across the short remaining gap. Both ships were fatter below deck, so they needed to bridge more than ten feet. There was a slight difference in height, the junk being much larger.

The various cargoes were brought up from the holds, each ship using their own methods. The Harrheinians used a crane, the cargo being put into a net which was hauled up to a yard using a block and tackle, whereupon the yard was swung round over the Imperial Orchid to lower the cargo to the deck.

The Sung, on the other hand, used labour, each bale being manhandled to the deck and carried on the head of a coolie; stocky, grinning little men who worked tirelessly, chattering to each other in their own language which Suzanne’s trained ear noted as being different from that spoken by the Sung. Chen Li He confirmed to her they were a different people, who lived on boats. They spent their whole lives afloat and never went ashore. They made excellent sailors provided your officers understood them.

Each bale was checked and graded, the price for the grades pre-determined. This caused the trading masters to argue. Sara, watching from the poop, explained to Pat, Suzanne and Bai Ju that the grading was where the money was made, the better seller pushing a bale up a grade here and there, the better buyer pushing it down.

Eventually the exchange was complete, and the two ships made their farewells. Bai Ju’s two little girls were on board, looking confused. Suzanne took charge of them, as they were terrified of Bai Ju, and bedded them down in her cabin, threatening castration on anyone who molested them.