The World Odyssey of a Balinese Prince by Idanna Pucci

Author:Idanna Pucci
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

Thankfully, the wind was blowing in the right direction and the oarsmen were pumped with energy. Singing and chanting, they stroked the waves with their paddles in cadence to the rhythm of their songs. The tension melted away as their voices rose to the sky. The doctor loved their songs even though he couldn’t understand the words.

The whole scene turned even more idyllic when the speeding canoes rounded a rocky cape lined by a forest of deep shadow and a wide ivory sand beach. The turquoise water was so transparent that the doctor scanned the sea bottom and toyed with the idea of jumping into it. But then, suddenly, an unexpected sight prevented him from jumping into the water for a refreshing swim.

A large sailing vessel with two masts lay resting on the shore, tilting on its side. The masts had no sails. Clearly it was a merchant’s boat. Strange, the intrepid doctor thought, where is the crew? He was curious. He ordered the men to pull up on the beach. And then he leaped ashore and marched quickly up to the boat. With the help of his faithful Lamusa, he managed to climb up to look inside. The hull was empty and the boat was stripped bare. But then his eyes saw a body lying under a bench. A dead man! A Chinese, his chest pierced by an arrow! The doctor lost his balance and almost fell. What was he to do? Had the man been murdered? We should dig a grave for the poor victim, he thought. But just as he turned to give orders to his oarsmen, a hysterical scream split the air from one of the men peering over the side of the boat.

“Maati, maati! Dead, dead!”

Howling, he started to run back in the direction of the canoes. His friends followed behind while Dr. Djelantik shouted at them, his face red with anger. This was very unusual behavior for the doctor, who seldom raised his voice

“Stop! Come back!” he yelled. As he stood frozen in place, wondering how he could dig the grave by himself, he heard Lamusa’s voice calling him.

“Quick, Doctor! Let’s go! They’re leaving!”

The men were pushing their canoes into the water and grabbing for their oars. Lamusa was running across the beach screaming, “Stop, Stop!” He then reached one of the boats and was holding it in place with all his might. Meanwhile, the doctor stood on the shore, bubbling with rage. His knees shook as he shouted at the top of his voice, waving his arms, but no one seemed to care. Only Lamusa.

“Dooooc! Please…. Come on!”

At that point Dr. Djelantik realized he had lost control of his men. It was mutiny. And if he didn’t act quickly, they would abandon him right there. He had no choice but to run as fast as possible and jump aboard.

In a frenzy the men rowed out in unison over the waves with powerful swift strokes, stirring up the sea. Once far enough from shore, everyone glanced back at the abandoned vessel in the distance.

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