To Die a Dry Death: The True Story of the Batavia Shipwreck Read Online Free Page A

To Die a Dry Death: The True Story of the Batavia Shipwreck
Book: To Die a Dry Death: The True Story of the Batavia Shipwreck Read Online Free
Author: Greta van Der Rol
Tags: Historical fiction, Historical, Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Sea Adventures
Pages:
Go to
he’d already befriended.
    “Why’re you still here?” slurred a sailor. “Thought you’d be up there with the rest of the toffs. They’ll get off all right. Only us poor bastards left here to drown. Might’s well drown happy.” He raised the bottle he held and poured some more fine brandy into his mouth.
    He’d have to be careful, thought Cornelisz. He was the under merchant, nominally third in command on the ship, after Pelsaert and Jacobsz, most definitely a toff, and those knives looked dangerous. “Ah, Lenert. You have wine?” He asked one of the cadets. Of course they did. Some held bottles, clearly stolen from the officers’ stores. “Only it’s cold out there.”
    Lenert van Os stepped forward grinning, bottle in hand. “Here, Jeronimus. There’s plenty more.” He gestured in the direction of the store room and chuckled. “We’re in charge of drink, now.”
    Cornelisz smiled, took the bottle and drank. “Why not? Life’s short. Enjoy it while you can.”
    The men cheered and a couple slapped him on the back. Too familiar, really, but they were drunk, staggering as they fumbled over Pelsaert’s valuables. They’d broken open Jacobsz’s chest, too. Papers and documents were scattered about. Cornelisz scooped them up. The captain’s log, charts and—ah—proceedings about the incident with Lucretia. Pelsaert hadn’t shared the findings with him, said it could wait until they reached Batavia.
    “What’s that?” said Coenraat van Huyssen, coming to read over his shoulder.
    Cornelisz snatched the papers away. Silence fell. He could almost feel the distrust in the stares. He managed a smirk. “I’ll read it out for everybody.”
    They sat in chairs around the table in the saloon, bottles in hand, while Cornelisz placed himself in the commandeur’s ornate, padded chair at the far end. Grey light from the three windows in the stern fell over his shoulder onto the pages.
    “ In the matter of the incident concerning Lucretia, Jansdochter, wife of Boudewijn van der Mijlen ,” he read.
    It was all there. She’d been waylaid as she left from the table in the evening. Unknown attackers, faces covered, had dragged her off, pulled her gown up over her waist, smeared her with tar and excrement and left her in the gallery, where she was found by Upper Steersman Claas Gerritsz. But she recognised a voice, when one of her attackers spoke. She was sure it was Jan Evertsz, the boatswain. Pelsaert added that he thought the captain, Adriaen Jacobsz, had instigated the attack.
    “Shouldn’t never have women on a ship,” said the gunner. “Bad luck, it is. That’s why we’re here on this reef. Mark my words.” He upended the last of the bottle he held into his mouth. “Or if you must have a woman on a ship… well, then.” He gestured with his fingers to illustrate his thoughts.
    The listeners laughed. “You’re right,” said Lenert. “I know what I’d have done if she’d had her dress around her ears.”
    Cornelisz laughed with them as they added detailed suggestions. He wondered if any of them had had anything to do with the attack. Animals. He’d know how to punish the scum. They wouldn’t be attacking any other women. Ever. “Well, perhaps they didn’t have time.”
    “Huh. Who did she say? Jan Evertsz? He can’t get it up at the best of times. Probably too cold for him,” said one of the sailors. He hung his little finger out of his fist.
    “Or too old,” jeered another.
    “Can’t see why they think the Cap’n had anything to do with it. He’d had his way with the maid months ago.”
    Easy enough, thought Cornelisz. He’d been surprised to read the words, but the ill-feeling between Jacobsz and Pelsaert was well known. Pelsaert would be happy to accuse his captain of just about anything. “Well, be that as it may, names have been given. No need to leave evidence against anyone, is what I say,” he drawled. He tore the papers up, slowly and thoroughly and handed the
Go to

Readers choose

Arthur C. Clarke

Max Allan Collins

Marsha Canham

D.Y. Phillips

A.M. Belrose

Elizabeth Haynes

Patricia Highsmith

Lori Foster