In Search of Spice (61 page)

“Did you say seven hundred years ago?” Mactravis asked. “Do we even have records from that long ago?”

Sara shook her head.

“Our written records go back three thousand years, we are an old Kingdom, thanks to Sung,” said Bai Ju before continuing. “They cut through the infantry as if it wasn’t there, a great slaughter. No elephants were hurt in the battle, and not many horse.”

“But they were beaten back eventually?” Sara asked.

“The elephants died. Some sickness from the passes, wrong food, who knows. The horses were fine, but they could not attack cities with them and after the elephants died they retreated. It was fifty years before they came again.

“This time they were met by the Eunuch General Sun Chai Yen. When the elephants charged, his men retreated before them, behind pits they dug and lined with sharp bamboo. The elephants fell into pits and could not get out, or turned aside. They could not cross. The horse too. Then our infantry crossed the pits and slaughtered them. They not come again for war, but sometimes one or two for carrying goods. I think not good as eat too much.”

“Yes,” said Sara. “The Archan was complaining about the cost of them.”

“We shouldn’t think about how to defend against them,” said Pat. “We should instead think of ways to use them.”

“Ha! Want some for yourself do ya?” Little was in quickly. “You ain’t getting me on one of those buggers.”

Pat looked at him. “It is the best way to know what they may do with them.”

“So how would you use them, Pat?” Sara asked.

“Their big advantage is the fear they inspire. So you can use them as shock troops, to break up an established position. They would be good at knocking down defences, I think. They are strong, so you could armour them against the Hind bow. I have not seen a crossbow here.”

“I like the idea of using them as cavalry,” said Lieutenant Mactravis. “Not all infantry will be capable of digging pits, and once you know about it you can avoid it. Go round the pits - they can’t dig them everywhere. Make sure you choose the fighting ground.”

“Wonder what they think of fire?” Little asked. “Either they don’t mind, or it is a good defence against them. You can use them to pull catapults bigger than usual too, and maybe they could push a ram against gates.”

“I think you have something there, Little,” said Sara. “The Archan said they are used to haul and push logs in the hills, so they would be used to pushing.”

They arrived at the barracks of the Tigers, where two guards stood outside the entrance, which had a wooden pole on a pivot across it. They saluted the Archan and raised the pole for them to enter. Waiting inside was an honour guard, who came to attention as the Archan dismounted from the palanquin, followed by Suzanne. The Colonel of the Regiment was waiting, and came up proudly to show them round. Sara left the men and went to join them. After a brief exchange, the Colonel called to a nearby officer and gave him instructions. He came over to the others.

“Which of you is Lieutenant Connorson?” He spoke in Belada.

“I am.”

“My name is Lieutenant Ranjit. I am instructed to show you our mascots. Please come this way.”

“Thanks. Are you in charge of them?”

“No, I am the Duty Officer. The tigers are in the care of a sergeant and his team.” He looked at Pat’s build. “You are a soldier?” There was a tone of doubt in his voice.

“I lead Her Majesty’s Scouts. This is my Lieutenant,” he indicated Bai Ju who smiled, “and some of my men.” He noticed Grey Fox and Little were with them, while Lieutenant Mactravis had gone with Sara. “These two are Royal Harrheinian Pathfinders.”

“Unusual. We do not have specific regiments of scouts, or pathfinders. We send out cavalry when required.” The young officer showed a great deal of interest and stared at Bai Ju. Pat liked him. “Have you seen a lot of action?”

“Here and there.” Pat smiled lazily.

Ranjit smiled. “I envy you. I think you are younger than I, but I have yet to see action. Maybe it will happen soon, as the Kalikut whoreson is rattling his sabre. I lead a troop of 50 men when we ride to war.”

“How do you train?” asked Little.

Ranjit looked surprised at being addressed by him, but answered readily. “I listen to my senior officers, who tell me what to do. They are happy to share their experience with me.”

“When do you work with your soldiers?”

“The soldiers? Why would I work with them?”

“We do things a little differently, I think,” murmured Pat. “Is this the tiger quarters?”

“Yes. Havildar! Our guests would like to see the tigers.”

A soldier came rushing out of the building in front of them. “Yes sahib. Rani is in a good mood. This way please, gracious sirs.”

They went through the door of the low whitewashed building and found themselves in a cool corridor, also whitewashed. The right side of the corridor was lined with iron bars about six inches apart, and there were several rooms on the other side of the bars. In the first was a large tiger, lying on a pile of straw. Pat noticed there was a low open door leading outside where the sunlight shone in. The tiger raised her head and considered them.

Pat went forward and squatted down by the bars.

“Careful, honoured sir. She can reach easily through the bars.” The others backed away at this, but Pat stayed where he was, looking at the tiger who looked straight back at him. There was a snarl from the next cage, where a tiger had come up to the bars and was glaring at them fiercely, one paw already through the bars. The size of him close up was astonishing, at least twice the size of Mot who was a big dog.

Pat spoke quietly to the Havildar, without taking his eyes of Rani. “Are their habits the same as ordinary cats?” He had to fumble for the word in Belada.

“Yes, sahib, except the tiger likes to swim.”

“Seeing her now, she is content and happy to lie there.”

“This is true, sahib.”

“I think she would like her ears rubbed.” Pat turned to the Havildar.

“Indeed, sahib, it is something she likes.” The Havildar considered him with interest. “Would the sahib like to rub her ears?”

Pat thought for a moment, and nodded. The Havildar went up to the cage door and opened it, holding it for Pat. There was devilment in his smile. Bai Ju grabbed Pat’s arm for a moment, and released it. Pat walked into the cage and the Havildar closed the door behind him. Rani raised her head and the tip of her tail twitched. Pat stopped and crouched down, with his head at the same height as Rani. She stared at him for a moment, turning her head slightly, still watching him.

Pat moved closer, still crouching down, and stopped six feet from her. He started to talk quietly to her in Harrheinian, low so all the others could hear was a murmur. She looked at him again. He leaned forward and proffered his hand to her. She smelled it, from a distance, then leaned forward and took his hand in her mouth, her eyes not leaving his.

Pat kept talking, never changing his tone, leaned further forward and started to scratch her ears. A deep rumbling sound came from her, and he realised she was purring. He smiled. She released his hand and licked it, the warm scratchy feeling making him laugh.

He heard the door open again, and the Havildar came in. He walked up to Rani and also started to stroke her but looked at Pat while he did so.

“You know animals, I think Sahib. Would you like to meet Rajah now?”

“Him in the next cage?”

“Uhuh.”

“Thank you, I think not...”

The Havildar smiled again. “You are welcome to come and visit the tigers whenever you wish, sahib.”

In the Captain’s cabin, they sat around the table. Sara was presiding.

“OK, Suzanne, can you recap your thoughts please. You seem to have got on well with the Archan.”

“Yes, Princess. He would like to be allied with us for a simple reason: Kochin needs allies. They will be at war with Kalikut before long.”

Pat stirred, and the girls looked at him. He blushed.

“The Duty Officer expects to be at war with Kalikut shortly. He looks forward to it.”

“Bloody fool,” said Suzanne. “They don’t have the resources. The Archan knows this, but the Maharajah is conscious of every slight and there are many. Kochin will be a vassal state of Kalikut within a year, I think.”

“Resources can be overcome, if the army is good enough,” said Sara, slowly. “What do you make of the Army, Mactravis?”

“I can’t tell you about the soldiers. Oh, they look very pretty and have discipline on the parade ground, but in war, who knows. But the officers are poor. There is no affection with the troops, and no training together. I suspect it is a show army, not much good when it comes down to it.”

“What will happen if Kalikut takes over?”

Suzanne shrugged. “Either the Maharajah bends his knee, which the Archan doesn’t expect, or he will be trampled by elephants in a large parade and a nephew of the Kalikut Maharajah will take his place, while the Archan will keep on running things.”

“How would this affect trade?”

“Should be good prices when they are desperate, if surrounded, but in the long run it won’t make much difference. Kalikut will tell us not to trade with them while they are attacking.”

“Is this a good port to have a base in, Captain?”

“The harbour is excellent, but the port authorities are thieves who line their own pockets.”

“That is the same everywhere,” interjected Taufik.

Captain Larroche glared at him and went on. “There are plenty of unused facilities near the docks we could hire. I noticed one disused wharf with its own warehouses. Rent the whole thing and get a licence from the Archan to handle your own port charges. Bet we could charge lower prices and still pay more to the crown.”

“That’s a good idea,” mused Sara, “and this is a pleasant place. If the war won’t affect us...” She checked their faces. Pat looked worried. “Come on Pat, don’t be shy. You have something to say.”

“If we stay here, at least half of us will be dead within six months.” He shrank back in his chair beneath the astonished stares.

“Why Pat?” Sara was sharper than usual.

“This is a city of disease. They shit in the river and drink the water. Downtown, away from the palace, it is teeming. I cannot believe how many people there are. There is sickness everywhere, and in this heat our people do not know how to prepare food or look after themselves. All the men have heat rashes, sores, we have two with boiled heads and already six with the flux, never mind the islanders who are recovering slowly.”

“What are you talking about?” Walters spoke warily, having lost previous health talks with Pat. “Boiled heads?”

“Boiled heads are people who walk in the full sun with no covering. Their head gets too hot. If the head gets hot people go crazy. They have to be cooled down and it takes a few weeks for them to get right. The flux comes from drinking water with shit in it. If the men drink clean water, they do not get sick. The islanders ate fruit washed in the river.”

Walters started to protest, but Taufik leaned forward first.

“This is true. In Hind everyone drinks tea, which is made with boiled water. When the water is boiled, it is safe to drink. Here we know this.”

“This is true,” Bai Ju joined in. “We have many people in Sung as well, and the same problems. We boil our water too, and also drink tea. Nobody drinks water, it is not safe. These are habits learnt from childhood. I think your Harrhein does not have so many people?”

“Nothing like here, that’s for sure,” answered Sara. “I take your point, and I think our people would have difficulty adjusting, while the kai Viti would find it hard and the Pahippians would simply die. Fine, so it is the water for the flux, head coverings for boiled heads, what about the rashes? Are they incapacitating? I have rashes myself, but not bad.”

“Wash,” said Bai Ju succinctly. “It is where the sweat gathers that it gets bad, the skin cannot get dry. Wash three times a day or more, and dry carefully.”

“Wash three times a day?” Walters demanded. “They will get the vapours and die. It is dangerous to wash more than once a week.”

Mactravis showed his interest. “We have a similar problem on the northern frontier, not from heat but from campaigning in the marshes. We also have to ensure the men keep dry. Half the reason an officer is successful is because he keeps his troops healthy. He does that by making them ignore the priests and wash daily.”

Walters subsided with an unhappy expression.

“Very well, I accept these arguments, but surely they will affect us everywhere in Hind? Does this mean we cannot establish an outpost here?”

“Princess, to the north there are mountains that come down to the sea. In the mountains it is cool, and the people in the region are not so numerous. Above Kalikut there is another kingdom, a larger kingdom with much agriculture, then there are mountains for many days. Amongst these mountains are many small kingdoms, and I am thinking of one with a good harbour, some of which backs onto the mountain. There are streams coming off the mountain that are safe to drink.

“It is a small kingdom, Vijaya, with little going for it, but it has trade routes to the larger kingdoms, and the people are healthy. In Hind there are always plagues, but they attack the masses in the big cities, never in the little kingdoms.”