In Search of Spice (60 page)

“Ah, you know how the girls swim, sir. The locals appreciated them and kept throwing the fruit to see them. The girls shared them with the kai Viti. It seems it was a popular entertainment this morning.”

“The Captain processed this information, his brow furrowed trying to work out why the locals wanted to see the island girls dive. Finally he realised what they would wear.

“Oh. Brian, Bosun, new orders for the crew. Nothing to be purchased from these boats and they are to be kept well clear. Use the jolly boat to patrol if you have to, Brian and I don’t care if you sink a couple of the bastards. Keep them and their filthy produce away from my ship.”

The wardroom was transformed into a makeshift hospital, full of sweaty, moaning islanders as the flux ran its course through their guts. Unused to such problems, they were poor patients, unlike the stoical Spakka who endured. Hinatea retained a death’s grip on Pat’s hand while he gently washed her repeatedly. She moaned in pain and terror, never taking her eyes from his face, one hand on her stomach as it roiled and cramped.

Beside them, Silmatea squealed in pain as she voided herself again and Rat cleaned her patiently. One of the benefits of the partner system on the ship, reflected Suzanne as she considered the scene, was they all had nurses. She thought this might pull them through, as the islanders were convinced they were about to die. Maciu came in with more water, and with several of the kai Viti emptied the slop buckets. Suzanne considered again banning them from the sick room, concerned they would pick up the illness, but thought their presence gave heart to the invalids.

Bai Ju slipped into the room, bearing a tray with mugs of hot tea. Pat snagged one, lifting it to Hinatea’s face. She tried to push it away with her chin, sticking her tongue out and grimacing, knowing the taste would be bitter. The Sung didn’t believe a medicine would work unless it tasted bad. Pat simply took a sip into his mouth, bent forward and pushed the liquid into hers, holding her lips till he felt her swallow. Hinatea glared at him and her stomach heaved and squelched. Bai Ju sat beside them, after distributing the teas, and started to gently massage her feet. Hinatea screamed and tried to pull them away. Bai Ju yanked them back, concentrating on one.

“Silly girl. Stop it, this good for you. It hurts because I massage your stomach area on your feet. Soon better.”

Suzanne came to watch and saw her run her thumbs through the middle of the foot. It didn’t appear any different to anywhere else, but it certainly hurt Hinatea. She tried it on Silmatea, and was rewarded with a scream of pain. She couldn’t feel anything in the foot but she persisted as Hinatea relaxed under the ministrations. Soon Silmatea relaxed as well, and Suzanne set up a team rubbing the feet, filing the information away in her mental library.

A sweating Suzanne sat down heavily opposite Captain Larroche. “We’re over the worst of it, sir”

The Captain tried to prevent his nose from wrinkling, as a distinct smell emanated from Suzanne, a dirty, exhausted Suzanne. He began to rue the instruction for her to attend him immediately.

“It is not a dangerous illness, just new for the Pahippians. A few of the Harrheinians are a bit queasy, and the kai Viti took it quite well. The Spakka are fine, used to eating rotten food it seems. I am told a rotting bird is a delicacy to them. I expect the girls will be stronger in future but it underlines Taufik’s warning about the water. Sung Bai Ju proved her worth, and so did her serving girls. They knew the illness and the right herbs to treat it, making teas. I took heart from them, as at no stage were they worried. I prepared samples of the herbs so we can buy more, I think we shall need a lot and it will also prove a hit at home.”

Captain Larroche peered at her through the lamplight. This was the first time she appeared dishevelled which interested him. He thought it made her appearance far more human and attractive.

“Well done, Suzanne, I’m pleased with you. Nursing agrees with you. Take to your bed now, that’s an order, you have a busy day of diplomacy tomorrow which will present more challenges. Do you think Sara will be fit?”

Suzanne snorted in unladylike fashion. “She’ll be fine. First time I have seen Maciu strong with her. Wouldn’t let her anywhere near the sick bay. Not that she tried very hard. Good night, sir.” Suzanne staggered a little as she pulled herself up and made her way to her cabin.

Pat stared at the elephant in delight, oblivious to the disbelief coming from those around him. He was sitting on a stand of benches beside Bai Ju, with Grey Fox on the other side of him. They were watching a procession laid on for their benefit by the Maharajah, who was entranced by Sara and was keenly showing off the might of his country in an effort to win a trading post from Harrhein. The Pahippian girls still recovered aboard ship and missed the excursion.

The elephant was leading a procession of a dozen other elephants, richly dressed with a tapestry over its back and head, coming down to a point over its trunk. On its back was the box Taufik had described, which he learnt was called a howdah, and contained some half a dozen archers. Richly dressed, but the bows were puny in his opinion. The elephant was something else. Little rheumy eyes, that long trunk and long white spears growing from its mouth, it exuded menace and danger, to his knowledgeable eyes.

Little moved along the bench behind and above him, pushing some of his trainees out of the way to sit behind Pat.

“Wot you think, then mate. How’d you kill one of those buggers?”

Pat examined it, as did Grey Fox.

“Lots of meat, probably fat as well. Those bones are heavy and strong. You would have to know where to put an arrow.” Grey Fox answered first.

“Look at the legs,” said Pat. “See how the tendons stick out. Reckon you could snap those with a broadhead? Then it wouldn’t move so fast.”

“They do quite well on three legs,” said Bai Ju quietly. “You would need to take two legs. I have read reports of fighting them. It is best to hurt them, then they attack whoever is nearby, including their own people. Very dangerous.”

“So a crossbow bolt up its arse would be just the thing,” said Little, “if you can get round” Pat was interested to see him thinking so deeply.

“See the horse,” said Bai Ju, looking behind the elephants. “That is their strength. Very good horsemen.”

The cavalry was marching behind the elephants, five hundred strong with beautifully matched, lithe, strong horses.

“Light stuff,” said Little, “no heavy horse. Pat and Foxy would sort them in no time.”

“Yes, but I think the kai Viti might have more trouble.” said Bai Ju.

Sara was sitting in the place of honour a few rows down, with Suzanne on one side and Captain Larroche on the other. She had clearly been following the conversation, as she now turned.

“Little, when we leave here, I want you to teach the kai Viti how to deal with cavalry charges.”

“No worries. Reckon they can handle a pike twice the bloody size of normal.”

“Oh my!” Pat’s long distance vision was fixed on something behind the cavalry.

Grey Fox could also see something, and stiffened. Their reactions caught the attention of everyone, who strained to see behind the cavalry. It was possible to see infantry marching, and in front were two soldiers with something beside them like large dogs.

“What is it, Pat?” asked Bai Ju.

“You see those animals in front of the soldiers?” he answered. She nodded. “They’re cats. Huge cats, with stripes.”

“Don’t be bleeding stupid,” said Little, “look at the size of the things! They must be dogs.”

Pat didn’t answer, he wore a half smile on his face as he watched them come closer. They all fell silent at the sight of the cats, which walked beside soldiers on chain leads. They seemed a little unsettled, heads turning constantly towards the crowds on either side.

“Bloody hell,” breathed Little, “giant cows, monster cats, I’ll be bloody careful next time I need a shit in the night ‘cos the rats might be bigger than your bloody dog!”

“It’s a tiger,” said Bai Ju, “we have them at home. Often there is trouble in the villages as they eat people. The Emperor has them as pets, I have never heard of them being used for war.

The Archan sat beside Suzanne, pointing out items of interest - the Maharajah rode in splendour on the largest elephant. He was aware they were discussing the parade and could see the reaction to the tigers. He turned with a smile, and spoke to them in Belada.

“These are our best regiments. The first is the Tigers, and they are followed by the Leopards.”

Pat leaned forward. “Thank you, sir. Would it be possible to visit the regiments and meet these animals?”

The Archan gaped momentarily at being spoken to by an inferior, but he smiled. “Certainly, I will arrange it after the parade.”

Everyone wanted to come with him, and numbers had to be limited. Sara and Suzanne were not going to be left behind, so the Archan came with them. They went to the elephant barracks first which was in the charge of a wizened little old man with limited Belada. He was delighted with his visitors, though completely unaware of who or what they were. He led them to the first stall.

“This is Puthupally Keshavan. She very nice elephant, very friendly. Like peanut.”

They had been armed with peanuts on arrival, but the sight of the elephant was intimidating. Nobody had realised quite how big they were, and Puthupally was twice the height of Grey Fox, never mind anyone else. Sara stopped abruptly as the elephant peered at them and raised its pale trunk in their direction.

Pat pushed passed her and went up to the elephant, a smile on his face. He stopped a trunk’s length from her, and stood patiently while the elephant’s trunk snuffled over his face before offering her some peanuts. After tweaking at his head, inhaling his scent, the elephant curled up her trunk and blew it into her mouth. Pat could see red marks flare on the back of her throat as she did so and wondered, but recognised the scenting behaviour of an animal. These must be the scent glands of the elephant, and she was blowing his scent on to them. Noting the tiny eyes, he asked the little old man, “I think her eyes are bad? She likes to smell things?”

“Yes, yes, just so! See, come here and scratch behind her ear - you can climb on wood here. She like!”

Pat did as he was bid, scrambling up the side of the stall and scratched hard behind the elephant’s ear, where the skin was pink and tender. The elephant made a little hiccoughing sound, quite ridiculous in such a large animal, leant against the side of the stall, closed her eyes and started to run her trunk up and down Pat’s side as she blissed out, making a little crooning noise.

The others watched in silence from well out of trunk range. Little stepped forward slowly, proffering some peanuts in his hand.

“Not good idea for you, Steven! She hunt by smell!” Maru called out, and the brittle laughter caused the elephant to open her eyes, lean forward and inspect Little with her trunk. She accepted the peanuts, then ignored him and went back to stroking Pat.

Sara was the next to brave the elephant, and climbed up beside Pat, but nobody else was prepared to get close, though Bai Ju and Grey Fox were going down the lines looking at the other elephants from a safe distance. Pat left the ear scratching to Sara and started to examine the animal more closely, running his hands over the skin, feeling the ribs and examining the various parts closely. Reluctantly, he left her when Sara called him away, the Archan having grown impatient and it was some distance to the barracks of the Tigers.

Puthupally watched him go sadly, a tear dribbling down her cheek, and trumpeted loudly after him, which set several other elephants trumpeting as well.

“She really fell for you, that elephant,” said Suzanne in wondering tones. “Look, do you see? She is crying because you are leaving!”

“I don’t think so,” said Pat. “See there is a regular line down her cheek - the eyes of all the elephants weep a lot, I think. Probably to clean the eye of dust.”

“You’re so romantic.” She punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“Aie! I have to be careful,” cried Bai Ju, “I have a rival for Pat’s love! Maybe I should eat more to be the same size!”

Suzanne climbed into the palanquin with the Archan, but Sara elected to walk with the others, to the shock of the Archan who worried about the heat. Sara insisted she needed the exercise. In fact, she wanted to talk to Lieutenant Mactravis, as well as the others.

“Well, Jim,” she said as the palanquin pulled out of earshot, “what do you think?”

The lieutenant pulled at his ear and replied thoughtfully. “Hard to stop. Very big. They don’t look very fast, though.”

“They can run fast,” interjected Bai Ju. “Not as fast as a horse, but almost as fast. Can run a long way too.”

“You know a bit about them, Bai Ju?”

“I am always interested in war and threats to the safety of the Imperial City. I have read accounts of all the invasions to Sung over the centuries, which included first-hand accounts of being attacked by elephants.”

Everyone was looking at her. “Tell us about them,” asked Sara.

“The first time they attacked was seven hundred years ago, when they brought sixteen elephants over the passes into Sung. They were met with infantry, a force more than ten times their size. They charged the infantry with the elephants in the middle and horse either side. Each elephant had one rider.”