Wake of the Red Witch

From Marquesas to the Celebes, from Sumatra to the Hawaiis,

the idyllic peace and beauty of the South pacific lay undisturbed for centuries,

but the white man came eventually.

He rolled it up, put it in his pocket, and took it home to sell.

His great trading empires, like Batjak, limited,

the Batjak of the Dutchman Mayrant Sidneye reached out everywhere...

Hungry, greedy, demanding...

In the year 1860 that I shipped out on the Red Witch, flagship of the Batjak line,

under the command of captain Ralls.

Stand clear.

Wet them down, Mr. Loring. They can go some more.

Mr. Arrezo, water.

- They had enough, captain Ralls. - Did I ask your opinion?

You're getting it.

Anybody else who wants to fight aboard this ship...

can see what he'll look like when he is through.

Now throw them in the brig. Follow me, Rosen.

Strange, sadistic, and cold.

His eyes seemed to hold some hidden story.

Yet he commanded loyalty and a strange devotion from those about him.

I was one of them. My name is Rosen, Sam Rosen, and this is my story.

Hand me a pair of those glasses.

- Careful, are you? - Yes, sir.

Rosen, what would you say if I were to tell you I was going to throw you in irons?

Say? You're the captain.

If I object, mutiny. But you'll be making a mistake.

- Got your master papers? - Yes, sir.

I don't know what you were doing on the beach when we picked you up.

That's your business.

But I had an eye on you Rosen, seem to know what you want,

And I think I know what it is.

Nice round pieces of silver.

Round enough maybe to roll right into a court of inquiry.

As long as they don't stick on the deck there.

All right.

Our sailing orders call for a meeting with an American ship at Davao in the Philippines.

Course East the Carolines and due west.

Now, somewhere around longitude 149,3 degrees South, we're going to need a new mate.

Named Rosen?

Named Rosen.

That's for the benefit of the crew.

- Is that clear, Mr. Arrezo? - Aye, sir.

Ripper...

- What are we doing on a starboard tack? - Mr. Loring orders.

- I told you port tack. - I thought you said starboard.

What's the matter with you lately?

- Nothing captain only you... - You look tired, are you sleeping?

Not very well, no.

- You worry too much. - Yes, sir.

Now listen carefully, Mr. Loring.

Head due north one hour and then west by South for St. George channel.,

- But that's off our course, sir. - Is it, Mr. Loring?

- Don't you know our destination? - Davao.

What course would you follow, the Southern or the Caroline skirt?

We were mapped due north to Kieta, but as you say, sir.

I don't like it, Mr. Arrezo. That man is sick.

Loring is been acting like he's off his rocker or any.

- Bring him to my cabin in a few minutes. - Aye, sir.

Mr. Rosen.

- Know who owns this ship? - Batjak limited.

- Know what Batjak is? - Mayrant Sidneye.

Sit down.

Know anything about him?

Only that he seem to own most of this part of the world.

I sailed this ship for him a long time and he has great confidence in his captains.

But Loring? A very noble character. Protector of Cargos.

Especially protective now.

See, we're carrying a cargo of 5 million dollars in bullion.

That's why I'm scuttling this ship.

Come in.

What's your course, Mr. Loring?

Why, due north.

Your head cold, Mr. Arrezo?

I said head this ship 2 points west from north.

But, sir, I...

I'm sorry to contradict you captain, you said due north.

Mr. Arrezo, what did I say?

- West, sir. - Mr. Rosen?

West.

And that's the way it's entered in the log.

Nobody told you to sit down, Mr. Loring.

Captain, what are you trying to do?

Do, Mr. Loring?

If I keep changing the orders around the crew will think I'm crazy.

Not just the crew.

But you're not, Mr. Loring.

Just a sick man, need attention.

Look at me.

Turn your head to the left.

To the left, Mr. Loring.

Put him to bed, Mr. Arrezo.

To protect the crew keep him locked in his cabin.

Locked in my cabin? Wait a minute. This is a trick, you can't do this to me.

It's all right Mr. Loring, now you got no more worries, you're crazy.

- This is going too far. - Off to bed.

- I take we're near longitude 149. - Very close, Mr. Rosen.

I want you to remember every detail of what happened today.

The court will connect our stories.

Another thing...

Tomorrow make sure this position reaches the ears of the crew.

Where will we really be?

Right here under short sail.

You and Ripper take over the watch, head her into the sun.

- Yes, sir. - No questions?

No sir, I follow orders.

One night, while skirting the Caroline reef under shortened sail.

There was a feeling of tension, uneasiness throughout the ship.

Ralls was in his cabin in one of his black, strange moods.

I sensed tonight I would know something about him.

The man who held the destiny and fate of all of us in his hands.

I got out, Ralls.

You're not going to keep me locked up, not now or any other time.

I know what you're trying to do and I'll stop you cold.

I'm going to take this cargo to Davao even if I have to...

Get forward.

Look like Mr. Loring picked a bad time to break out of his cabin.

- How so? - Look...

Been expecting to see them bottles two or three days now.

- Ralls was drunk, eh? - Yeah, only not like you and me or anybody.

- Does he do it often? - Only once in a while.

He's a good man most of the time, only drink a little, but...

- when he gets like that he, he is bad. - Why did he do it, then?

- Maybe he remember things. - What things?

I don't know. His whole life, I guess.

It was near dusk and we're heading into the rays of the fading sun.

Even though the plan was set...

I felt that Ralls was destroying a part of himself in sinking the Red Witch.

- We all set? - Yes, sir.

Give me the wheel.

Get to your station.

All hands abandon ship.

Mr. Van Schraeven, you want to question this man on behalf of Batjak?

- There's no need. - Thank you.

Captain Ralls's defense is based on the ships log and Mr. Loring supposed insanity.

Batjak, that is my brother in law Mayrant, whose illness prevents his being here,

believes that Mr. Loring is sane, that the log entries are false.

- The only log there is. - Yes Mr. Ralls, you made certain of that.

But there are other points which have yet to be brought up.

One is that you sailed contrary to orders after you been relieved of your command.

First time I heard that.

Mr. Loring...

did Mr. Ralls receive a note from Mr. Sidneye a few hours before sailing?

- Yes sir, I brought it to the ship myself. - What was in that note?

- I don't know that, sir. - Mr. Arrezo, did Mr. Loring bring me a note?

No sir, he came aboard empty-handed, empty headed too.

You're a liar, Mr. Arrezo.

Ralls, I gave you that note as sure as I'm in this room.

Are you sure you're in this room, Mr. Loring?

Captain Ralls, Mr. Loring, please.

Very well then, disregarding the note...

perhaps Mr. Ralls can explain this in terms of Mr. Loring mental health.

If the Red Witch sank in the position indicated in this log...

why did it take the survivors only 12 hours to reach a place that should taken 50?

My explanation to that is that unfortunately you're picked up sooner than you expected.

Will you explain this, captain Ralls?

I see.

Captain Ralls, it is the purpose...

of this investigation to determine whether or not an act of barratry has been committed.

And in the event that it has, to recommend that you be held for further investigation.

- The evidence presented... - Mr. Prosecutor...

I just received a communication from Mr. Sidneye.

Batjak limited withdraws its complaint.

The court is adjourned.

Pardon me.

Jail don't bother me none, I got out jail.

But that Sidneye, he is something else, you can.

Once he gets his hands on you, you never gets free.

I'm telling you Captain, old Ripper is scared.

What you figure on doing?

Picking up a little schooner and keeping out of sight.

Plenty of routes in these island they never heard of Sidneye.

In a year or so, we'll head back for the Witch...

- and the gold. - How do we live till then?

Fishing, we'll cut up old Ripper here and use him for bait.

Yeah, I'll bet is a better deal than he'll get from Sidneye.

I can't understand why Sidneye dropped the charge.

- They had us good. - They got his own ideas.

And his own ideas I don't like.

I'm telling you Sam, that Sidneye is a bad one.

One fella did something to him once...

and he put this fella in the mountains with cannibals for ten or fifteen years.

With cannibals.

What is to me, they gave him a ring in his nose.

Any ring old Ripper is wearing, is wearing right hear in his ear.

Hello, Munsey.

I thought you settled down.

How is their majesty Navy?

Still able to fire a shot across your bow ship if the occasion arise.

Look as if you got yourself into real trouble this time.

- Not at all, you were at the hearing. - That means nothing.

Mayrant Sidneye is a big man.

- He doesn't let go so easily without reason. - I agree.

He's hard and tough and crafty.

- So I heard tell. - No one has beaten him yet.

- Is that include your majesty Navy? - The Navy has infinite patience.

We shall reckon with Mijnheer Sidneye sooner or later.

- It goes for me too, eh? - Definitely.

- How about a drink? - Why not? This may be our last together.

Ralls said we spend a year fishing and that's pretty much what we did.

But it wasn't that lazy, basking in the sun sort of thing like fishing for pleasure.