Dourado

Prologue

The precious dream fled like the last mist of morning before the rising sun. Another wave broke against the side of the Dourado, the resounding crash booming like thunder in the tiny cabin. Monsieur le Chevalier Louis Domenic de Rienzi clutched the side of his bed to steady himself against the pitching and rolling. He had been dreaming of a triumphant return to France, where he would display the fruits of his years of hard work. He tugged the damp, musty blanket over his head, but it made a pitiful barrier against the shouts that penetrated from above. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to force himself back to sleep, but to no avail. Muttering a curse, he pushed the sodden covers down to his chest and stared up at the aged wooden ceiling.

A man of his standing should have finer accommodations, he told himself. Of course, this was the best the captain had to offer. When he got back to France, when they saw what he had recovered, then he would be an important man. He would have only the finest lodgings. He smiled. For a moment, the aged wooden cabin was transformed into a luxurious berth on the finest ship.

Another wave sent the ship tilting like a drunkard, and his imagined stateroom dissolved in a dizzying roll. Rienzi held on until the ship righted before rising to don his boots and coat. The shouts on deck grew strident, tinged with an urgency that had not been there before. The storm must be more serious than he had believed.

He spared a moment to glance in the tiny mirror nailed to the wall opposite the bed. He was no longer a young man, but age was blessing him with a touch of the dignity he lacked in his youth. He had left home a young man, but was returning as a seasoned adventurer with a fabulous story to tell.

His cabin door opened onto a narrow hallway. A petite woman in a dressing gown peered out of the door directly opposite his own. Her nightcap was askew, giving a comical bent to her pinched features. Their eyes met and she gave a little shriek before slamming the door. Rienzi chuckled and made for the narrow stairwell leading up to the deck.

Tangy salt air filled his nostrils as he stepped out into the chill night. Fat raindrops struck his face, washing away the last vestiges of sleep. A crewman bustled past, jostling Rienzi in his haste. The sailor muttered something that might have been an apology, but Rienzi’s Portuguese was very limited.

Angry black clouds proclaimed the ferocity of the storm that assailed the ship. The brig surged through waves that broke across the deck like hungry fingers clutching its prey. He drew his coat tighter around him to fight off the chill wind that sliced through him and thanked the Blessed Mother that it was summertime here on the bottom half of the world. What might this storm be like at home in the heart of a French winter?

With a fencer’s grace, he stepped out onto the deck, keeping himself balanced on the tilting platform. Deckhands scurried about, obviously trying to put on a brave face in front of the knot of passengers who clung together near the mainmast. Strange that people felt safer on deck, where an errant wave might sweep them away, than down below where it was warm and dry.

He soon found the captain, Francisco Covilha, who was fighting with the wheel and simultaneously barking orders.

“Captain,” he shouted, “may I be of assistance?” Rienzi had some knowledge of sailing, though certainly not as much as the veteran sailor. Yet, it seemed proper to at least make the offer.

The Portuguese sailor shook his head, and called back in heavily accented French. “I am sorry, Monsieur. I must keep us from the rocks.” Maintaining his grip on the wheel, he nodded forward and to port.

Rienzi spun and saw with alarm a jagged line of rocks protruding from the sea, the faint glow of dawn illuminating their jagged features. Despite the crew’s best efforts, the Dourado hurtled toward certain peril, borne on the crest of deadly wind and waves.

There was no helping the captain and crew, nor did he hold out much hope that the ship would avert her impending doom. But there was, in fact, something Rienzi could do. Reeling with each ebb and swell, he made his way to where the frightened passengers huddled in fearful disarray. Taking him for someone in authority, they all began calling out questions.

Most of them spoke English, but a few were French. Rienzi could speak the uncultured tongue of the oafs from the north side of the channel, but he would not do so unless it was absolutely necessary. He did have his reputation to consider.

“Do not speak,” he shouted over their confused questions. “There is little time.” Though his words were in French, everyone seemed to grasp his meaning and fell quiet. He stole another glance at the looming rocks. They looked like the teeth of some primordial beast, ready to crush their fragile vessel. There was no time to get the others below, and should the crash be a serious one, belowdeck would not be the safest alternative.

He found a length of rope lashed to a nearby rail. It was one used by crewmen to secure themselves to the ship in just such a situation. He sat the passengers down and showed them how to double the rope around each of their arms so they all could tie on to the same rope. One of the Englishwomen complained about the cold and the rain, but he ignored her. When everyone was secure, he wound the end of the rope around his wrist and dropped to the deck, waiting like a condemned prisoner for the guillotine.

My treasures! The sudden thought pierced the veil of apprehension and embedded in his heart. A cold sliver of fear soured his stomach and sent a tremor of fear through him. Priceless, irreplaceable artifacts representing a lifetime’s work were stored below. How many years had he spent collecting them? Above all others, one item in particular could not be lost.

With that thought in mind, he rose up from the deck to look out at the ocean. The rocks still loomed perilously close ahead, the waves crashing over them sending up gouts of foam that put him to mind of a rabid beast. They now seemed farther to port. Was the captain gaining some control of the craft? They flew faster toward the far end of the line of rocks, the cold rain now stinging his face. He held his breath. Were they going to make it?

Unwinding the safety rope from his forearm, he belly crawled to the side, and clutched the rail, watching as the dangerous objects flashed by, the gap between the Dourado and these sentinels of doom ever narrowing. The last rock flew past with scarcely a foot to spare.

And then the world exploded.

A loud, ripping sound filled his ears, and everything somersaulted. He tumbled toward the bow, pain lancing through his cold, numb flesh as he half-rolled, half-bounced across the hard, slick deck. He crashed into the foremast with a breathless grunt and a sharp crack to the base of his skull. Dizzy, he struggled to stand. His feet and hands did not want to work, though, and his head seemed full of sand. Surrendering with an agonized groan, he closed his eyes.

“I have no choice, Monsieur Rienzi. I must give the order to abandon ship.” A barrel of a man, Francisco Covilha stood a hand shorter than Rienzi, yet managed to appear as if he were looking down his nose at the explorer. The moonlight accentuated his crooked nose and lined face.

“Captain, you cannot be serious,” Rienzi pleaded. “You have kept us afloat since morning. Surely we can hold out until help arrives.” He rubbed his head, which still throbbed from the blow that had rendered him unconscious. He had tried drowning the pain with wine, but had managed only to dull his senses to the point of being an annoying distraction.

“No help is coming.” Covilha shook his head. “We lost the rudder when we hit those rocks just beneath the surface. Most likely, we have drifted out of the shipping lanes. We cannot expect anyone to come to our aid, and this craft will not be above water much longer. The pumps have not kept pace with the inflow of water. Perhaps you have noticed, no?”

Rienzi stared at the shorter man for a moment. He had, in fact, watched the rising waterline with an equally rising sense of despair. He could not afford to lose this cargo. It was too precious. The world could not afford for him to lose this cargo. How could he make the man understand?

“Captain, if you do not know where we are,” he argued, “then how can you possibly hope to get the passengers and crew safely to port?” Perhaps it was selfish of him to try to keep the sinking ship in the water, but he had no choice. It was imperative that he convince Covilha not to abandon the ship and cargo. There remained the remote possibility that someone might come to their rescue. Any amount of time he purchased, no matter how small, increased that chance.

“I do not know precisely where we are,” Covilha said, holding up a scarred finger, “but we have drifted south and southeast all day. I have a general idea of our location, and I know that I can get us to Singapore. That is, if we get off this ship before we all drown.” The Captain’s face was a mask of determination, and in that moment Rienzi understood that he would never dissuade the man.

“Captain,” called a voice from behind Rienzi. One of the crewmen, a short, swarthy man with a crooked scar running from his left ear to his upper lip, brushed past, a frightened look further marring his disfigured face. “The water is coming much faster than before. We may have only minutes!” He flashed a sympathetic glance at Rienzi. “I am sorry, Monsieur.”

The moment of guilt he felt at having thought only of the sailor’s ugliness dissolved with Covilha’s subsequent words.

“Give the order to abandon ship,” the captain instructed. Without further word, he turned away from Rienzi and began shouting hastened instructions.

Muttering a curse under his breath, Rienzi hurried to the foredeck and descended to the level where the crew bunked. He had made certain he knew exactly where his treasures were stored, the one in particular, and he quickly found the trapdoor that led down into the hold. The sounds of frightened passengers drifted down from above, as people who had believed the worst was over now found themselves abandoning ship. Fitting this should happen at midnight, he thought.

Yanking open the trapdoor, he mounted the ladder and began his descent. Only a few rungs down, he heard the sloshing of water inside. It must be filling rapidly. An icy sense of doom rising inside him, he strained his eyes to peer into the inky blackness, but it was too dark for him to see anything. He needed to find a lantern, though it would likely do little good. Why had he not stored it in his berth? He knew the answer; it was too large for him to hide it in the tiny room, and it would have proved too great a temptation for either captain or crew. It had seemed safer to leave it crated with the other artifacts. It was certainly safe from prying hands now. Or soon would be. He gave a mirthless laugh at the irony.

He clambered up the ladder and back onto the deck. The Dourado was listing to port, and he was hard-pressed to maintain his balance as he hurried back to his quarters. Inside, he gathered his small lantern, along with his journal, which he kept safe in an oilcloth bag. Hastily lighting the wick, he returned to the deck.

The ship now listed mightily, and he was forced to place his free hand on the deck and scurry along like a wounded crab. As he made his way toward the foredeck, a noise caught his attention. He raised his lantern and the light fell on two young women, their faces frozen in terror, clutching the mast.

“Get to the boats,” he shouted. “Quickly!” The shorter woman, a blonde whose milky complexion was almost ghostly in the blended moon and lamp light, shook her head. The other did not respond at all. Fear held them rooted to the spot.

“Monsieur!” The Captain’s voice boomed. “The second boat is leaving! You must come now!”

“Wait for us, Captain! There are yet passengers aboard!” Rienzi cried. If the man would not wait for Rienzi, perhaps he would wait for them.

“Hurry, I pray you!” Covilha’s voice covered a remarkable distance. “The ship is sinking fast!”

“Mon dieu,” Rienzi muttered as he scrambled over to where the frightened women sat. “Come with me,” he ordered. “I will get you to the boats.” The one who had sat in mute silence a moment before, a thin brunette with brown eyes, nodded. She released her grip on the mast with obvious reluctance, and crawled to his side.

“Come, Sophie,” she called to the blonde. We must go quickly. There is no time.” Still Sophie shook her head and refused to move.

This time not bothering to muffle his curse, Rienzi moved to the woman’s side, his boots sliding on the damp decking. Gripping the oilcloth bag in his teeth, he used his free hand to pry Sophie’s fingers loose from the mast. He grasped her around the waist, and heaved her onto his shoulder. He felt the other woman’s arms encircle him, steadying him as they stumbled together across the sloping deck.

The captain was waiting at the rail. Together, they helped the women into the smaller boat. A short distance away, the longboat awaited. Each craft overflowed with anxious looking sailors and travelers.

“That is everyone?” Covilha asked.

Rienzi nodded and tossed his oilcloth bag down into the boat. “Cast off. I will join you shortly.” He turned and left the captain gaping open-mouthed at the top of the rope ladder. He stumbled and skidded his way back down through the crewdeck to the opening that led into the hold. He dangled his lantern through the open trapdoor and felt his heart fall into his stomach. Everything was under water. All would be lost. It would be lost. He should have taken it from the hold when the ship first struck the rocks. Burn it all, he had not believed that the ship would truly sink!

A pitiful whimper snapped him out of his dark thoughts, particularly when he realized that it did not come from his own throat. He looked down to see a small dog furiously paddling through the icy salt water that sloshed through the flooded hold. How had it gotten there? The water level was so high that he was easily able to reach out and catch the pitiful creature by the scruff of the neck, and lift it to safety.

The Dourado lurched, and now he could actually feel the craft sinking. If he did not get clear before it went down, the suction could pull him under. He tossed away the lantern, ignoring the tinkle of shattering glass. Clutching the frightened dog to his chest, he stumbled to the ladder and clambered up onto the deck. Not even looking for the lifeboats, he dashed to the rail and leapt over. The Dourado was sitting so low that he scarcely had time to brace himself for the shock of the cold water.

When he felt his feet touch, he kicked furiously, trying not to go too far under. He raised the yelping, clawing dog above his head, and managed to keep the tiny creature above water. He broke the surface with a gasp and shook his head to get the stinging salt water out of his eyes. He was relieved to see the smaller boat close by, and heading in his direction. Ignoring his body’s instinct to curl into the fetal position, he fought to stay afloat as his rescuers rowed to him. His legs felt like lead and his sodden clothes and heavy boots weighted him down. He kicked with desperate fury, but he was sinking. His shoulders sank beneath the surface of the water, then his chin, then his entire head. He was going to die.

Strong hands took hold of his shoulders and hauled him up. Covilha and the scarred sailor dragged him into the boat. He dropped to the bottom and slumped, exhausted, against someone’s legs.

“All of that for a dog,” a voice behind him whispered.

Rienzi was too tired and disconsolate to reply. Instead, he clutched the wet ball of fur to his chest, and watched with tear-filled eyes as the greatest discovery in the history of mankind sank into the depths of the sea.