Read Online Battle Fleet (2007) by Paul Dowswell - Free Book Online

its power and beauty.
    I had taken every care not to step on a dry branch, and had moved as silently as I could, but the tiger had powers of detection way beyond human senses. Languorously, he turned his head round to look at me, showing no surprise when our eyes met. My heart was beating so hard in my chest I imagined it was its thumping that had given me away. I froze in both motion and body. I had never felt so terrified, even with a noosearound my neck on HMS
Elephant
.
    The tiger’s steady gaze was mesmerising. The eyes were both beautiful and petrifying. A yellow band around the orb, then a wide jade-green swathe before the black dots of the pupils. When I looked into Sydney’s eyes, or the cats’ and dogs’ I had known, I sensed an understanding, even an affection. Here there was no empathy at all. Just teeth and flesh, predator and prey.
    The tiger stared with regal disdain, daring me to come closer. I stood stock still, clutching my coconut. I began to tremble with fear, a wave of shivering which I could not stop. I wondered if he’d let me walk away or would that be his moment to pounce? I could not bring myself to move.
    The loud crack of a musket broke the spell. The shot whistled past my ear and sent a shower of bark and splinters down on the tiger’s head. Startled, the beast gave a ferocious roar and leaped into the dense undergrowth. It was all Bagley needed. He staggered to his feet and ran for the tree. We both scrambled up, as swiftly as our limbs allowed. ‘Quickly,’ screamed Bel. Any second now I expected those claws to dig into my back like ten little daggers. I hardly noticed Garrick, musket in hand, climbing up beside us.
    Only when we had all reached the safety of a higher branch did I dare look down. The tiger came back amoment later, fluid as quicksilver, pacing backwards and forwards at the base of the tree. Stretching up again, waving those paws. But this time we were out of reach. He roared and we recoiled from the stench of his breath. It was the kind of roar you could imagine starting an earthquake.
    ‘You roar all you like, mate,’ Bel shouted down. ‘Roarin’ won’t do us no harm.’ He turned his attention to her, looking her straight in the eye as he snarled.
    ‘Lord Jesus,’ said Garrick. ‘Just look at the thing.’
    ‘You saved my life, Mr Garrick,’ I said.
    ‘I heard you shoutin’. Didn’t you hear me callin’ back?’ he said. We hadn’t.
    Garrick tried to reload his musket, but it was a difficult procedure balanced on a narrow branch, just out of reach of a man-eating tiger. Whenever he moved, the branch wobbled or creaked alarmingly. He gave up and fixed a bayonet to the muzzle instead. ‘Just in case he tries to climb up.’ Garrick seemed quite calm, and his courage gave me heart.
    The tiger started licking a paw. Then he turned away from us, as if in a huff. Bel giggled. ‘He’s just like my Growler, back home. He sulks too, when he doesn’t get his own way.’ It was strange seeing this magnificent beast behaving like a house cat.
    Bagley was too shocked to talk. Four streaks of blood matched four ragged tears in the back of his shirt.His neck was raw and bruised where the tiger had dragged him along.
    The monkey made a little squeak and held out his hand. We gave him more fruit and I gingerly stretched out my hand to stroke the back of his head. Much to my delight he shuffled up the branch towards me and put one of his arms around my back.
    A few minutes passed. Birds erupted from the trees behind us. Something else was bumbling or prowling around. The tiger had grown bored. He strolled slowly back into the forest, searching for something less troublesome to have for his dinner.
    We weren’t ready to move. Anything could happen when we came down from that tree. But after a while we heard other voices calling for us, Evison’s among them. Startled, the monkey bounded away.
    ‘Over here,’ cried out Bel, and soon enough Evison and three of his men