Benton was scheduled to present a lecture on his System for filing evidence and reports, in an effort to help the local constables make better cases against some of the habitual criminals of this area.

Inspector MacGreggor accompanied him to Government House and the gaol to interview Mr Gideon Spillet, who was taken into "protective  custody" last night after the attempt to kidnap him.  (I refrained, with difficulty, from commenting that the police must have kidnaped him). 

I accompanied Lady Cowperthwaite, Mrs MacGreggor, Mrs Salmalin, Mrs Cuthbert, and a suitable escort to the Naval Hospital, to look in on Mr O'Brien and ask him some questions.

His stay in the nasty hospital has thus far failed to kill him, so I expect he will recover from at least some of his illness.  Lady Cowperthwaite took the lead in questioning him, though this time he did not seem to mistake her for someone he knew and feared (he'll no doubt learn to fear her in her own right soon enough).  I noticed that his eyesight is quite poor, which might explain his tendency to mistake identities.

The man was readily convinced to describe how he had gotten his pocket money (since he was living high when Mr O'Flaherty met him last evening).  He had been paid to go up to the prison encampment and pretend to be an inmate's uncle in order to deliver a letter from a Captain Sao (a merchant/pirate ship's captain).  The inmate in question was none other than Lefty Molloy, who was so recently sent here after his conspiracy to steal one of Mr Wonka's candy-making machines.  No-one at the prison made any effort to ascertain the truth of Mr O'Brien's claim of kinship, and apparently he was allowed to give the letter without hindrance.  I cannot guess if the prison camp is corrupt or simply lax, but I determined to point out this security problem to someone who could improve it.

We returned to the Governor's residence, and in the effort to accomplish my plan regarding the prison's security, I was forced to apologise to Inspector MacGreggor.
When I went to him with important information directly relating to his mandate to improve the order of Law here in the Labuan Colony, he shrugged it off with a sarcastic comment.

I was utterly taken aback.  It is most uncharacteristic for the Inspector to disregard something that someone else thinks important.  I went away from him (in a bit of a huff, I’m afraid), and I contemplated this unusual phenomenon.  I could only guess that he was still angry with me for my rude remarks yesterday.  While it is most unprofessional of him to allow this personal pique to overshadow our work, I was still obliged to concede my own fault in the matter. 

I sought him out a short while later and begged his pardon for my rudeness, and explained that the arguing of the group had quite snapped my temper.  I did Not add that his obstructive argument was the most annoying of all.  He accepted my apology with decent grace and matters seemed to improve thereafter.

I am still wondering why he would take this particular rudeness to heart, when on the whole, we all are less than circumspect in our opinions.  He has disregarded far worse slights heretofore.  I can only suppose that some other matter is weighing on him—he has seemed a bit distracted.  Perhaps his late father is plaguing him particularly.  In any case, I shall endeavour to treat him with greater delicacy for a time.  The timely completion of our mission depends on all of us working together smoothly. 

My efforts to improve matters were rewarded very shortly when the Inspector included me in a request for assistance down at the gaol.  It seemed that the majority of the prisoners had come down with some kind of Amnesia, and the Inspector convinced Captain Craddock that several of us had valuable expertise.  Mrs Cuthbert and Mrs Salmalin and I all visited the gaol.  As far as any of us could determine, the affected men were suffering from genuine loss of memory, rather than some kind of pretence. 

The Inspector suspected some kind of drug in the food, and I pursued that avenue.  I could smell a very unfamiliar astringent herb.  While I am not very familiar with all the strange flavourings used in this foreign food, this scent was comepletely unlike anything I had smelled around any of the food stalls of the market, and indeed smelled somehow Not Edible.  I examined all the spices stored in the kitchen, and could find nothing that produced the same odour.  I told the Inspector and Captain Craddock that I thought some kind of drug may have been introduced through the soup fed to the prisoners that morning.  The Inspector had already asked about the source of the soup, and had been assured that the usual cook had come in at the usual time and prepared this soup in the gaol's kitchen.

Meanwhile, the Mystics had determined that there was some tampering with the mentation of the prisoners beyond the merely chemical action of a drug.  
We all went to the home of the cook, Mrs Han, an older woman of Chinese ancestry.  She was in her tiny but tidy flat, bound and drugged to unconsciousness.  The Mystics scrying showed an attack by the so-called "Dragon Lady," who subsequently disguised herself as Mrs Han and proceeded to the Gaolhouse to drug her own henchmen so they could not reveal her secrets.  Her Disguise, according to the Mystics, was quite effective, and was no doubt helped by the fact that all those Important and Busy men at the gaol would probably pay little attention to an old woman doing her domestic chores.  This typical disregard is the cornerstone of our efforts as her Majesty's agents, but I can't help but find it offensive.  We put the woman to rights and left her to recuperate from her ordeal.  We have learned that this "Dragon Lady" is accomplished in the art of disguise and in alchemical and/or mystical poisons.

After that rather trying interlude, I enjoyed the rest of the morning touring the gardens with Lady Katherine and Mrs MacGreggor.  Lady Katherine is rightly proud of the Botanical Gardens she has created here.  She has some astonishing specimens of native plants and some very well-kept rare imports.  She knows a great deal about botany, and I was very flattered that she knew my name and work, and had so looked forward to showing her work to me.  Lady Katherine is an extraordinary woman.

The Mystics had an intriguing idea regarding a method to trace the whereabouts of Captain Tiberius.  Postulating that Sgt Frazer's guardianship of Mr Frazer is a sort of a family attribute, Mrs Cuthbert summoned the spirit of the Benton's paternal Grandfather, Donald Frazer, who would be the father of both our Sergeant and Tiberius Frazer.  Mrs Cuthbert reached him, and he affirmed that he is in fact watching over Tiberius, who is in reasonably good health and safety.  This was somewhat helpful, since the predations of Wu Chang and his fleet have left some doubt as to the survival of Tiberius and the Black Rock.  He could not tell us exactly where, partly because these ghosts seem to have a sense of location centered upon their charges, and no reference to the coordinates used by the living. 

It was nearly time for dinner, and Sir Cosmo had not returned from his inspection of the rail line which brings the coal down from the mines.  Some of the League were agitaing to investigate, but fortunately we thought to check his whereabouts by scying before setting off to seek him en masse.  He was nearly to our very threshold.  He had gone all the way up to the mining camp, where the prisoners labour.  He mentioned that the conditions there were terrible, and that a number of prisoners had died of food poisoning only yesterday.  I had a very strong intuition that Brendan "Lefty" Molloy would be on the list of the dead, and so it proved.

Mrs Cuthbert led a seance after dinner, but could not reach him.  I was not in the least surprised.

After dinner, the Governor received a visitor:  Lord Beckett, High Commissioner of the Straits Colony.  I had heard that his vessel, HMS Foremost, had come in to Port Victoria today.  He had not come to dinner, and I saw why--his dislike of Admiral Naismith, and indeed of Sir Cosmo, was very plain.  He was just barely civil, and had quite obviously come only in the necessity of his mission.  Lord Beckett insisted on conducting their discussions in privacy, so the Admiral invited Sir Cosmo and Lord Beckett to his study.  Before they retired there, however, the Admiral very pointedly told me that the rare Chaucer volume that I thought Wilhelmina would be interested in was in the library.  We had certainly not expressed any interest in Chaucer, so this was very plainly a signal of some kind.   He directed his manservant to show us to the correct area.  We were ceremoniously escorted to the Library, which is adjacent to Sir Miles' study, and enjoined with a gesture to silence as the servant revealed a secret hatch which allowed us to observe the entire proceedings.

Lord Beckett was bringing some convoluted, yet interesting, intelligence to the Admiral's attention.  Naturally all representatives of the Crown are concerned about the waves or rebellious uprisings in various corners of the Empire.  Lord Beckett has taken a particular interest in these events, looking into as many of the incidents as he can, even those well away from his own sphere. 

Lord Beckett compared some of the writings and slogans used by seemingly unconnected insurgent groups in several areas and found some surprising commonalities.  Several of the groups seem to be basing their claims to sovereignity on fragments of folklore and poetry.  Many refer to a piece of regalia called the "Moon Blade."  Several include prophecies describing a person with the power to bestow sovereignity.  Some refer to an "Island of Souls," and some include place descriptions which match some of the maps left by Lt Pellew. 

We have reason to believe that armaments are being supplied to insurgents by pirates, and at present that would be primarily Wu Chang.  Whether this is also the source of the common thread of religious/mystical inspiration is unclear.  It is also unclear what motive Wu Chang in particular might have for promoting unrest.  Obviously, any disarray or weakness in the British Navy makes life easier for a pirate, and the sale of armaments is no doubt profitable.  Is this Wu Chang merely an opportunist using someone else's conflict for profit?  Is he likely to actively promote this conflict for his own profit?  Or could he have an ideological basis for promoting conflict?  Might he actually believe the prophecies?  It remains to be seen.

The presentation of these prophecies does help answer the question of why Sir Phillip Bond abducted Mrs Voach.  One of the prophecies, in describing the "Celestial Maiden" who will bestow kingship, describes Mrs Voach in appearance and in history.  Anyone who knows the details of her life, and particularly of Wilhelmina, would think of her instantly upon reading the prophecy.  What exactly Sir Philip intends to do with Mrs Voach is difficult to guess.  The woman has already been a candidate for sacrifice once.  Some people seem to bring so much trouble on themselves.


Tuesday, 20 April 1875

Mr Frazer tells me that his inquiries regarding Lefty Molloy were inconclusive.  The bodies of all the victims of the food poisoning outbreak were cremated yesterday for reasons of hygiene.  We have little way to determine with any surety that Lefty Molloy was or was not actually among the dead, until and unless we find him alive.

As the hour for Tea approached, I went to the Nursery to spend some time with the children.  As I sat reading a story aloud to them, Galen suddenly jumped up and exclaimed that his Mother was in Trouble.  I asked him to explain, and he said that he had heard her shouting.  I had certainly not heard it, but knowing Lady Cowperthwaite's penchant for trouble, I would certainly not disregard an earnest warning.  After looking out the windows to search for smoke or riot or other signs of Lady Cowperthwaite's influence, I endeavoured to reassure Galen, but he was adamant.  I informed Sir Cosmo of Galen's concerns.  Unfortunately, we had no Mystics on hand to confirm Lady Cowperthwaite's situation, but I was fairly confident that she was not in danger.

I thought it most expedient to simply take the children to visit the Market and then Galen could see for himself that his mother was unharmed.  I myself had not yet had an opportunity to see the Market, and it seemed an interesting outing for the children, and relatively safe in daylight and escorted by Mr Salmalin.

We found Lady Cowperthwaite, accompanied by Mrs Salmalin and Mr O'Flaherty, attempting to have tea in a shop.  It proved that Lady Cowperthwaite had in fact used the Voice, but in jest, upon meeting Mr O'Flaherty in the street.  The result was not only Galen's alarm, but every shop along the street had been intantly closed and shuttered.  All of the shopkeepers had thought they were seeing a standoff between the Dragon Lady and Atlas (that is to say Quaid) O'Flaherty.  Such is the reputation of these two in these parts that all ordinary folk fear their (exaggerated) supernatural powers. 
We joined our colleages or some refreshment, though we had to get it ourselves, the shop having been abandoned at Lady Cowperthwaite's arrival.  The entire shop was filled with newpapers of varying ages, so we read a bit of the local stories in a variety of languages.  Some of the advertisements proved quite amusing.

At last we left a generous sum at the shop and made our way out to the street.  Most of the shops were still shuttered--I could hear frightened whispers within, but mostly in Chinese.  The appearance of the children aroused incredulous sussuration and the appearance of curious eyes at the cracks of shutters and curtains.  By the time we had gone a little distance, some of the shops were open and happy to sell us any manner of cheap trinkets.  I bought some ink, brushes, and some rolls of paper that the Chinese use for writing and for paintings.  The children were delighted with a shop sellling all sorts of heathenish figurines, and we also found some very clever and colorful decorative paper cuttings.  Each of the children also got a hat said to bring good luck and protection from evil spirits.  I also purchased a surplus of these hats for, shall we say, future eventualities.

At last we  were all quite tired (Mrs Salmalin was the first to fall asleep in the carriage on the way back ot the Governor's Residence) and replete with strange food.  I had prevented the purchase of anything that still had ears, but the steamed buns were actually tasty.  Once the children were settled back in the nursery suite, we had time for a little rest before dressing for dinner.

Dinner was fairly palatable and the company was interesting.  I find Admiral Naismith very entertaining and lively, and his Lady, as I have already mentioned, is quite intelligent and we have many interests in common.  All of us were there save the Woosters, who had accepted an invitation to dine at the Bickersteth establishment. 

Our time in the withdrawing room was also spent profitably.  Admiral Naismith, like Sir Cosmo, is little inclined to smoking and port and all-masculine conversation, so they joined us very shortly after dinner.
I observed Mrs Salmalin as she buttonholed Lady Katherine and proceeded to explain that our mystical resources warned us that the boy Lobsang might be in danger, and might be near the center of the current concerns.  Lady Katherine did not bat an eye at this rather outré statement, but I could not say if she believed Mrs Salmalin or if she was simply exercising her capacity of taking oddity in stride.  Perhaps she was doing both.

Lord Beckett was here again, though he had not attended dinner with all of us.  Admiral Naismith asked Sir Cosmo and Sir Spencer to step to his study, so they could make some plans for the continuance of the mission.  I found occasion to wander into the hall to examine an interesting painting outside the study, where I could just happen to overhear the conversation.  The Admiral made no effort to speak quietly, so the discussion was plainly not intended to be secret. 

The plan they formulated was that the Selene and Foxglove would depart on Thursday in the very early morning.  We would spend Wednesday in resupply and preparations.  The Admiral would allocate some additional (as yet unspecified) resources to the mission.   He was also re-arranging some of the assignments of vessels under his command in support of this project and in strengthened defence of the Port.  Notably, the Foremost, which has heretofore been assigned to carry Lord Beckett wherever he might need to go, will be placed under the command of a freshly-promoted Commodore Pyne (who is Sir Miles' own cousin), in the intensifying efforts to thwart piracy and rebellion.  Beckett, you can imagine, was not at all happy about this. 
Before leaving, Sir Cosmo will oversee the installation of a rocket battery aboard the Fidget, which will continue to defend Port Victoria. 

I was then obliged to move quickly down the hall as the meeting disbanded. 

I returned to the drawing room just in time to hear that Mr O'Flaherty had wandered off again.  He has become a bit moody lately, and we were all concerned as to what sort of trouble he might find in the Town.  He is not what I would call circumpsect at the best of times, and recently he has become quite a public spectacle. 

Our other public spectacle, Lady Cowperthwaite, determined that we should all go out looking for Mr O'Flaherty.  The Mystics determined that he was safe and under his own power, but he was at the Broken Drum pub, where so much has already happened.  I was not exactly enamoured of this mission to find him, as I expected we would likely create more of a scene than we averted, but I certainly wouldn't let the others go out and make trouble without even my feeble influence to restrain them.  Well, we did in fact create an uproar, as we eventually located Mr O'Flaherty at a very disreputable "sporting" club--I think Mr O'Flaherty had been hoping to find a boxing match to participate in, but the club was unfortunately one that catered to animal baiting and cockfights.  Neither Mrs Cuthbert nor I could countenance such a thing, so we slipped around to the back to liberate the chickens while the rest retrieved Mr O'Flaherty.  The resultant riot left the already rickety building barely standing, with Mr Frazer (who had assisted Mrs Cuthbert and myself in the liberation efforts) explaining to the local police exactly which civic ordinances the proprietors of the club should be prosecuted for. 

Lady Cowpertwaite was very pleased with herself.  Mrs Salmalin expressed some annoyance that she had not been able to strike even one blow for justice, as no assailants came close to her.  I suspect that Mr Salmalin had something to do with that.

At last we made it back to the Residence and to our beds.  Tomorrow will be another busy day.

Proceed to What to do with captured pirates

Return to Miss Sinclair's Diary Index

Return to Main Menu

Contents this page copyright 2004 by Ieva Ohaks. All Rights Reserved.