4. ECHOES FROM THE SKY

Chapter 1

MYSTERIOUS FIND

The elegant sailing ship cleaved through the breakers in the vicinity of the West Indies. It was a calm day, and the sea was tranquil. The wind was just right, and the great sails billowed. Those who knew ships would immediately recognize this vessel as an aristocrat of the oceans. Proudly emblazoned on its prow was the name, Red Ruby.

The Red Ruby sat low in the water, having loaded a large cargo of merchandise in Table Bay. This cargo, entrusted to the renowned sea captain by enterprising merchants in the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, was bound for trade in the prosperous West Indies. There was wine, there were hides, there was meat, and all manner of other products from the fledgling colony.

But although it was a calm day, although the horizon stretched far and wide and open, the lookout in the crow’s nest had very explicit orders to keep his eyes peeled. This was the domain of the pirates. Here, peaceful vessels were ambushed by those who appropriated the ocean’s treasures for themselves. This was the sea where violence and greed reigned supreme.

Simon Verbeeck strode across the deck, checking that all was in order. This large, dark man, broad-shouldered and with clear blue eyes, was a captain who kept a sharp eye on everything. He also knew that the pirates had it in for him, and for that reason, he was doubly vigilant. He surveyed the great billowing sails of his vessel, he examined the crossbeams, he paid close attention to the masts and rigging. He inspected his deck. He was checking for any possible flaws, but everything was in order, for his second-in-command, Wilhelm Rieckert, was a man who knew his duty on a ship. He kept a ship in perfect order, just as a horse lover would always keep a magnificent stallion in good condition.

Simon Verbeeck had just completed his inspection and was about to return to his cabin to study some nautical charts when the lookout, high in the crow’s nest, shouted so loudly that Simon froze in his tracks and looked up at the man.

“An object on the starboard bow!” yelled the lookout.

“What is it?” Simon called from below.

“I can’t quite make it out, captain,” the lookout called back. “It’s just something small. It’s not a ship or anything. Sometimes it almost looks like a skiff.”

“Where is it?” Simon shouted.

And the lookout pointed with his hand, diagonally forward, towards the horizon.

Simon summoned a cabin boy and ordered him to fetch his telescope from the cabin. When he had the telescope in his hands, he went to the railing and began to scan the sea. Wilhelm Rieckert also approached and stood there next to his captain.

“Well, Simon,” said Wilhelm, “it’s been a voyage without any excitement since we left Table Bay. We might be in for a bit of adventure now.”

Simon paid no heed to his good friend’s remark. He was observing the object, which he now had captured within the lens of the telescope. From here, it did indeed look like a skiff to him. Then, the object would disappear, then it would reappear on the wide swell of the sea.

“See if you can make it out,” Simon said to Wilhelm, handing him the telescope. “I can’t quite see what it is.”

Wilhelm observed the object in turn, and when he was finished, he announced that, in his opinion, it was a skiff.

“A skiff? What would a skiff be doing out here? We’re miles from the nearest land. Perhaps it’s a few mutineers who have been cast adrift by their captain,” said Wilhelm with an uneasy chuckle. Wilhelm Rieckert knew as well as Simon that a skiff in this part of the ocean was something extraordinary.

Simon determined the direction and