Black Sails on the Horizon (eBook)

A Cape pirate adventure, Book 24

Gerrie Radlof, Pieter Haasbroek (Autoren)

Pieter Haasbroek (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
79 Seiten
Pieter Haasbroek (Verlag)
978-0-00-072755-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Black sails on the horizon.

A ruthless pirate invasion.

A secret agent trapped behind enemy lines.

Plunge into the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1720), where the treacherous waters of the Cape of Good Hope are just the beginning of a worldwide adventure.

When a fleet of fearsome pirate ships led by the ruthless Kromklou Moran descends upon the peaceful coastal village of Moma, chaos erupts across the Indian Ocean. But amid the fire and fury, one man holds the key to survival.

Tier van Heerden, a humble miner with a dangerous secret, is no ordinary villager. He is a covert agent serving the legendary Oloff the Pirate. His mission. Uncover the dark resurgence of piracy threatening to reignite terror across the seas. Now, stranded in the heart of Moran's invasion, Tier faces a deadly choice. Escape, or risk everything to stop a new age of bloodshed on the high seas.

As cannon fire thunders and cutlasses clash, Tier's path grows more perilous. Entangled with Moran's cunning children, torn between loyalty and the desperate dream of freedom. He must navigate a web of shifting alliances, treachery, and betrayal. In a world where trust is a gamble and survival demands sacrifice, one wrong move could cost him his life... and the lives of all he swore to protect.

Packed with swashbuckling action, storm-lashed battles, and high-stakes intrigue, this gripping tale plunges you into the heart of a brutal pirate war.

Fans of Treasure Island, Master and Commander, and Bernard Cornwell's naval adventures will be swept away by this thrilling blend of historical fiction, nautical suspense, and classic pirate storytelling.

Step aboard and discover the unforgettable last and twenty-fourth book in the epic Oloff the Sea Pirate saga, where loyalty is tested and new legends are born.

Textauszug

Chapter 2

Oloff van Wagenaar stands against the railing of the quarterdeck. His bright blue eyes are troubled. The scene before him evokes memories that alternately fill him with nostalgia, with a void for what his life could have been, and what it is, but also with pride for what he has achieved and courage for the task that he has imposed upon himself and to which he still dedicates his life daily.

On this coast of Madagascar, he lived with pirates. Here, he acquired the name Oloff the Pirate, a name that was feared by the world, until it was discovered that he was in reality following the calling to send every pirate who came within his reach to the depths. He cleaned the Indian Ocean of pirates and secured the trade routes to the East. He destroyed the largest pirate nest and then settled down peacefully with his faithful crew and friends at Wagenaarsrust.

And now the message has come. Kromklou Moran, a name that Oloff has heard a few times already, has apparently built up a pirate force and has come to dig himself in here in the vicinity of Madagascar. Anew, unrest and cruel pillaging have broken out. Oloff has received reports of pirate crimes weekly. He has begun to gather information and send out spies.

Over time, with fine planning by indicating on a map at what places Moran has been seen or heard of, he has determined where his headquarters ought to be. The message from Tier van Heerden was the last piece of knowledge that he needed.

He smiles proudly, but the slight trace of sadness does not leave his strong, straight lips. He prays that Tier has escaped safely. Too many times Oloff has to hear of the death of one of his men and each time it is like a knife stab in the heart for him. But Tier is intelligent and can fight like few others.

He throws his shoulders back. He raises his head and breathes in the fresh sea air. His regular, handsome facial features relax. He rubs his hand over his unpowdered red hair which is neatly tied with a ribbon at his neck. With a smile, he joins the helmsman.

“We were lucky, Sias,” he remarks. “The winds were favourable.”

“Remarkably so,” replies Sias Myburgh. His slightly red freckled face is creased as he looks around in the air and throws the helm slightly to port. “I still think the place we are looking for is Kapersgat, as we have always called it?”

“Yes,” Oloff nods convincingly. “It is the designated place according to Moran’s movements. I doubt, however, whether it will be called Kapersgat. Most likely Morans Bay or something like that. I have a feeling Kromklou is rather conceited and thinks enough of his own name to use it.”

“I hope we arrive before he is there, Oloff,” says Sias thoughtfully.

“How come?” Oloff laughs cheerfully. “It almost sounds as if you are a little bit afraid to run into him. We have come looking for him, after all.”

“You know I don’t mean it like that,” Sias retorts indignantly. “If we only have a chance to have a look around the place and wait for him, it will go so much easier.”

“Mm.” Oloff strokes his chin. “I think I should just dismiss you. Afraid of a skirmish, eh?”

“On the contrary. I am looking forward to it. We have been sitting still long enough. It is just the unnecessary loss of lives.”

“I know, Sias,” replies Oloff seriously. “I am only joking. It is possible that we will be there before Moran returns from the raid. It depends whether he has attacked other places besides Moma. We shall see.”

“In any case, we came faster than anyone else will ever manage, thanks to the speed of the Seewraak and the Jansje Meer.”

Oloff just nods. He looks at the beautiful hull and graceful sails of the Jansje Meer which is sailing head to head with the Seewraak in front. Few ships can keep pace with them. And Oloff and his men had not hesitated after they had received Tier’s message. They had departed immediately.

He waves to the tall, slender man at the railing of the Seewraak’s sister ship. Henning Roux is Oloff’s best friend. They have been through much together.

“The inlet cannot be too far now,” Sias remarks again after a while. “It is flat on the other side of that peninsula. Should we wait for the darkness?”

“Never!” Oloff rubs his hands in satisfaction. It is as if the alert look in his eyes is an indication of the bustling blood in his veins. Life has made him a fighter. He had to fight to exist. And he has become the best. With the sword and with the pistol, he has not yet met his equal. And now he feels the tingling of an approaching battle through his body. “We sail in openly!” he exclaims.

“Boatswain! Run that black flag with the skull and bones up the mast! Request Captain Henning to do the same!”

Hastily, Oloff goes to his cabin. He has always refused to wear a wig. And yet he knows that his red hair is the best-known characteristic of his appearance. It is as well-known as the name Oloff the Pirate itself. By that he will be recognised immediately in pirate circles.

He tarries for a while in front of the mirror and only when he feels sure that there is nowhere a red hair to be seen in the black oiled quiff, does he go back on the deck.

They sail around the tip of the isthmus. Before them, an inlet unfolds between the slopes and cliffs. At the deepest point, there are numerous sheds and huts. But if this was not enough indication that this port has become particularly busy in the past couple of years or so, the fleet of ships is proof enough of that.

Oloff’s expert eye glides over the surroundings. It is indeed a strong fortress, and undeniably, he recognises numerous hallmarks that brand the ships as pirates. Through his telescope, he sees the grappling hooks piled up on deck, the dirty, unkempt condition of the hulls, but the thorough maintenance of the sails. It is on those that the safety of the pirates depends. Quick escapes and rapid attacks.

Slowly, the two ships sail into the bay. There are several batteries on both sides against the slopes and Oloff sees the anxious looks of men with colourful headscarves and heavy earrings who are peering over the rampart along the barrels of cannons at the two ships. Deliberately, Oloff looks away unconcerned, as if their defence measures do not concern him in the least.

When they pass the first pirate, they are so close that the suspicious expression on the faces of the few guards on board is clearly visible. Oloff waves cheerfully.

“Good evening, friend,” he greets kindly, “and where are we?”

“What are you looking for here if you do not know,” comes the answer after a brief hesitation from one who, according to his bearing, might be a first mate or boatswain.

“I am looking for Kapersgat,” Oloff retorts calmly. “Now such an unwelcome reception greets me. I wanted to come and rest a bit here. I didn’t know the place was inhabited.”

“Where do you come from and who are you?” Apparently the officer is in command of the guards at the entrance to the bay. It is his duty to question visitors.

“Frans Hesper,” Oloff answers fluently, “from Barbary.”

“How do you know of Morans Bay?”

“I was in Deelen Bay at the time when the Admiral was still in power. I know these parts.”

“Then I understood that Oloff the Pirate had destroyed the entire Deelen Bay. Everyone died.”

“Nonsense!” Oloff barks out scornfully. “That traitor cannot manage it. Many of us escaped. If he did not have the entire Dutch fleet behind him, things would have been different.” Like people of arrogance without character, he puts the blame for his defeat on other factors. The pirates understand such language.

“Drop anchor,” comes the order after a second or so. “Wait on board.” Six pirates run with the ladder to the mid-deck.

Moments later a small boat glides over the calm water inside the bay. Behind him, the anchors of the Seewraak and the Jansje Meer splash. “Then we are here,” remarks Oloff.

“That is not all that is,” replies Sias. “And as it would seem, Moran and his entire fleet are home. Surely he cannot have more ships than these.”

Oloff keeps an eye on the boat. The first mate jumps out and runs over the beach. He disappears around a corner.

Here, he composes himself, as if it does not befit him as an officer to run through the streets in broad daylight. Nonetheless, he walks quickly until he reaches a large comfortable dwelling on the outer edge of the port village. He knocks and a black servant opens the door.

After he has requested to speak to Captain Moran, he is taken over thick, expensive carpets to a waiting room. He does not sit down, however, but walks up and down impatiently while the servant knocks on a centre door. Consequently, he can see into the sitting room when the door opens. In dumb astonishment, he stands motionless, for inside, Kromklou Moran has his arm lovingly around the shoulder of his son, Daan. Something like this the first mate would never have expected. Everyone knows, after all, how brutally Kromklou treats his children.

And when Moran sees the black servant peering inside, he pushes his son away from him hastily and hard. His entire facial expression changes and he snarls at the servant.

“Yes? What do you want?”

“The officer of the guard wishes to speak to you, Captain,” answers the black man timidly. Apparently he is accustomed to such treatment. “Let him come in.”

When the first mate steps over the threshold, Kromklou smiles indulgently, like the leader he is and who realises that he has to act diplomatically towards his crew in...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 27.8.2025
• Übersetzer: Pieter Haasbroek, Ai
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-072755-5 / 0000727555
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-072755-8 / 9780000727558