Read Online History Keepers: Nightship to China by Dibben Damian - Free Book Online Page A

yacht cracked in two and suddenly sank, almost dragging them down into the vortex with her. Jupitus held onto the rope as his top hat went swirling away, but Isaksen lost his footing. Jupitus reached out to save him, grabbing his broken arm and making the man howl in agony. Jupitus, sinews stretching to their limit, managed to hold onto the man’s coat, while Jake and Chatterju, hooking their feet onto the rigging, hauled the two of them up onto the deck. As the injured Swede was lifted over the rail, he dropped his leather satchel into the sea.
    ‘No!’ Isaksen bellowed. ‘Save it! You must save it.’ He looked like he was about to throw himself back into the water.
    Jake acted on impulse, leaping onto the rail and diving into the roiling sea. First there was a shock of cold, then blindness. It was like being inside an avalanche, with debris smashing into him from all sides. But he knew where the sack was. He grabbed its strap and kicked back with all his might. Twice he was pulled down again, but finally he surfaced.
    The others, shouting from the
Tulip
, threw a lifebelt. Jake caught hold of it and they yanked him up onto the deck.
    He stood there shivering, and Galliana wrapped a blanket around him. ‘That was brave of you, young man,’ she whispered, her eyes glinting with pride. ‘It was worthy of the Djones name.’
    Jake grinned: it had been worth it just to hear that. He handed her the leather satchel, and she turned to Isaksen, who was sitting on a trunk, while Dr Chatterju felt carefully along his arm to see where it was broken.
    ‘Good morning, Fredrik,’ she said. ‘I must admit, you were the last person I was expecting.’ Isaksen looked up at her and gave a little grunt. ‘You know Dr Chatterju, of course; and Jupitus.’
    ‘It’s – it’s been a while,’ Isaksen stammered hoarsely.
    ‘And the boy who saved your satchel,’ she said, pointing, ‘is Jake Djones.’
    At the sound of the name, Isaksen’s head came up, and he studied the boy keenly, before offering a smile. ‘Good to meet you, Jake.’
    ‘Good to meet you too, sir,’ Jake answered back, intrigued by Isaksen’s reaction.
    ‘So what happened, Fredrik?’ Galliana asked.
    ‘I was mad, completely mad to make the journey on my own. It’s been decades since I’ve set sail and I’m rusty at the helm,’ he said. ‘I was in such a hurry to leave 1792, I didn’t chart my journey properly. I struck some rocks. It wasn’t until I was two leagues from the horizon point that the ship started listing and I realized that the hull had been ruptured. That’s when I sent out the mayday. Thank God you came.’
    ‘Why the terrible hurry?’ Galliana asked.
    ‘Because I found something late last night – something important – and I wanted to hand it over immediately. In person.’
    Jake looked at the man. There was something in his tone that made his heart beat faster. Jupitus had turned the
Tulip
round to head back towards the coast, but he too was now listening closely.
    ‘What did you find?’ Galliana asked gravely.
    ‘Open it,’ Isaksen said, nodding towards his satchel.
    She unbuckled it and withdrew a bound portfolio. It was old and cracked, and stuffed with odd pieces of paper. As Galliana turned to the first page – holding onto it tightly so it wouldn’t take off in the wind – Jake noticed Isaksen scrutinize him once again. The commander glanced over a few more sheets, then, without comment, put them back in the bag.
    ‘Thank you for bringing this,’ was all she said.
    His examination complete, Dr Chatterju spoke. ‘Well, you’ve fractured your humerus, no doubt about it. We’ll have to deal with that later. In the meantime I’m going to pop your radius back in its socket. The sooner, the better. You might feel this.’ Without a moment’s hesitation, Chatterju took hold of the patient’s forearm and, pivoting it at the elbow, snapped it back into place, making Isaksen roar once again and thump his good hand