Outlanders 39 Hydra's Ring by James Axler

Author:James Axler
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

With a thud of diesel engines and the splash of backwash, the junk lumbered toward the end of the dock. Like most of the other junks they had seen, the ship had high poops and overhanging stems. It was made to appear top-heavy by the pair of tall pole masts and big sails with batten lines running entirely across the deck.

Over the bang, thump and creak of the ship's approach they heard the bleat of goats, the squeal of pigs and the clucking of chickens, as well as the skirl of panpipes and the wail of a lute. A thick odor of wet fur, manure and even the astringent scent of burning charcoal wafted from the deck and clogged their nostrils.

Seng Kao took off his helmet and held the lantern close to his face. A hoarse voice shouted from the boat's deck, and Seng Kao responded, apparently repeating the same words in some sort of arranged pass code.

The junk eased up against the piling, bumping gently, the wooden hull cushioned by old tires lashed to it by thick hawsers. The engine roar softened as it throttled down to an idle. The junk looked for all the world like a Noah's ark, but the manner in which it was illuminated made it look more like pictures of Christmas trees they had seen. The open deck was filled with people, bales of cargo, bleating lambs, cages of chickens and even a few pigs, but the boat itself was immaculate, the paint fresh and all the metal parts polished and oiled. The ribbed sailcloth looked as spotless as a linen tablecloth.

A loop of rope snaked out from the rail, and Seng Kao secured it to the piling. A wooden gangplank stretched from amidships and clattered down loudly on the end of the pier. A medium-sized man appeared at the rail. The outlanders knew without benefit of a formal introduction that he was Captain Sun Fan.

He looked to be in his forties, with the long head and flat-featured face of a northern Chinese and a body as solid as the statues of Buddha they had seen earlier. He wore a blue-crowned nautical cap, a sleeveless black shirt and white, baggy ducks. The knees bore dark stains. His bare, muscular arms were covered with red-and-gold tattoos—serpentine dragons coiled seductively around simpering, naked girls.

Sun Fan did not seem surprised to see the five people standing on the dock. He exchanged brief words in Mandarin with Seng Kao, then declared in surprisingly good but somewhat broken English, "Told to expect you. Good thing you show up—this be my last down- river trip until further notice. All other boats been took by Wei Qiang."

No one responded for a long, awkward moment of surprise. Then Lakesh ventured, "Who told you to expect us?"

Gesturing impatiently, Sun Fan retorted, "Who you think? Come aboard, we behind schedule, got pirates to watch out for, too. This be their last chance at me so they be especially ambitious."

Without hesitation, Seng Kao strode up the gangplank, pausing long enough to clasp the captain's hand as he passed by.

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