Seas of Fortune(99)
“Good-bye, Bento,” said Henrique. “And good riddance.”
Below, one of Bento’s men, eyes shaded, was pointing upward at the airship.
A telegraph wire connected Henrique with the airship, and he clicked out a quick signal. As the spy basket lurched upward, and Parente’s men fired wildly into the air, Henrique remembered one of Maria’s odd American phrases. “Beam me up, Scotty,” he murmured.
Gustavus (Paramaribo)
Captain David de Vries stared up into the sky in amazement. A small airship floated there, like a cloud. The airship delivered by steamship to Maria Vorst, for an aerial raid on the botanical treasures of the Amazon.
Carsten Claus beamed at him. “Quite a sight, isn’t it?”
“Carsten, I am tired, fucking tired, of being a governor. You’re the one interested in politics. On behalf of the Company, I appoint you as my successor.”
Carsten nodded sympathetically. “I always knew you were more interested in adventure than colonial management. Going to go privateering in the Spanish Main?”
“No need. We did well in the gold field. It’s time to head back to Amsterdam. But after that, I am going to learn to sail one of those things.” He pointed upward. “I want to be an airship captain.”
* * *
The Sandterne faced into the wind, and slowed down its propellers just enough to hover, the gondola a few feet off the ground. Lars and his ground crew grabbed hold of the mooring ropes attached to the Sandterne’s nose cap.
The airship fought to remain airborne, like some wild animal resisting capture. For a moment, the ground crew found themselves with their feet dangling in the air. Fortunately, there was still mooring rope on the ground, and colonists, watching the landing, ran over and grabbed hold. The ground crew regained their footing and with the colonists’ help eased the Sandterne into its mooring position, nose almost nuzzling the metal ring of the airship’s mooring mast. Then a couple of crewmen raced up the stairs of the tower and fastened the bowlines to the mooring ring.
* * *
Maria had intended to watch the entire deflation of the Sandterne, but left after a few minutes. She couldn’t help thinking of the Sandterne as a living thing, a “she,” not an “it.”
It was like watching a beloved mount be put down.
Henrique had refused to talk about her proposal that he join her in Copenhagen, and later in Asia. She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t jumped on the idea. After all, if he secretly wanted her, despite their difference in religion, he should want to come along, as otherwise they might never see each other again. And if the religious difference was insurmountable, then he should come along at least as far as Copenhagen, and then travel to one of the Jewish enclaves of Europe.
Was he afraid of joining society—real society, not the crude community life he had experienced in Belém and then Gustavus? Well, then he could go with her to Asia, soon enough.
Or was it that he couldn’t bear to be parted from Maurício? Maria had thought that with Maurício’s new role, that he needed Henrique to step away and let him become the man he could be, not just Henrique’s shadow. But perhaps Henrique didn’t see it that way. And perhaps Maurício wasn’t ready to let go, either.
* * *
“Thank you for the letter of introduction, Captain Neilsen.”
“My pleasure, Captain de Vries. The airship service would profit from having a skipper of your maritime experience. But please remember that there will be much to relearn. You will need to first serve as a crewman on an airship, under another captain.”
“I understand. Flying is not sailing. But the freedom . . . To travel as easily over the land as over the sea.”
They exchanged knowing looks. “It’s too bad they won’t let you sail this airship across the Atlantic,” de Vries added.
Captain Neilsen shrugged. “The Royal Anne could do it, I think. It made it to Tranquebar, with a refueling stop in Venice. I was a crewman on that flight. Perhaps you will fly to Asia, or back to the New World, one day.”
“I hope so, Captain.” He touched his hat in salute, and Neilsen returned the honor.
* * *
Maria stood on the dock as the Valdemar made its final preparations for departure. Many colonists had come to personally thank her for her services. But where was Henrique?
“Do you need any help, Maria?” It was Kojo. The Ashanti was traveling with her to Copenhagen. There, she would make arrangements with friends in Amsterdam for him to go to Havana, in the guise of a free servant of a Spanish gentleman. The gentleman in question was a trusted colleague of Captain de Vries, and he would carry a letter of credit with which he could buy Kojo’s children . . . assuming they could find them. She had been taught Kojo Spanish . . . enough to get by, at least.