THE SEA BUTTERFLY
The Clipper Captain and the Bastard Chieftain
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The
worn, bronze clock struck the
The
captain had sized up their predicament and the urgency of the situation. “The
police would come storming in here within the next few hours and turn
everything upside down, inside out. Make this floating queen suspicion-proof.
Discovery at any point will be disastrous for us all,” he told them, his voice
firm and guttural.
Quickly
acting on the captain’s orders, Officers Borelli and
Clinton piled weathered pinewood smelling boxes filled with packaged salts,
chemicals, cement, and mold-smelling gunny sacks of grain and potatoes around
the fugitive sailor, Captain’s mate Jack Dobane,
huddled like a grotesque mannequin inside a tar smelling wooden crate. Snugly
hidden, sniffing the mushy and moldy dampness of the cargo hold air, the
morose, wiry Dobane pondered his sad predicament.
*******************
“I
can’t forget your telling me about a Binoklan chief’s
daughter...Bailani? What a beautiful name. Somehow, I
still get jealous of her. I am. Although you did not tell me that you had
certain feelings for her, in your rare moments, when your mind wanders far, I
wonder if you are thinking of her, if perhaps I am slipping away.” Her eyes
searched his poker face for unspoken answers. His diamond eyes did not show her
any window into his emotional response upon hearing the Bailani
name.
*******************
“I
do not understand her. She had been avoiding you since you came. Then she comes
to talk to you about her views on noble things!” he said. “But we must
continue. Her views are not my views, and I am the chief and my word is the
law.”
“Yes,
let us proceed.” The captain walked toward the base of the tree. He paid little
attention to the worried faces of Dobane and Dirks
who had kept quiet and showed utter helplessness.
“This
is it, Captain,” Dobane said.
“Good
luck, Captain,” Dirks said.
Slowly
the captain pushed on his legs, then grabbed the trunk tight with his arms and,
frog-like, pulled on his legs and lower body into a looping position, pushed
again, grabbed, until the coconuts were within his reach. Grasping the stems of
the fronds, he heaved himself up with effort and rested on them before he
prepared for the jump. The people below applauded. A brief chill gripped him as
he stared down. He had not completely overcome his fear of heights. His arms
hurt from the rough trunk.
The
crowd waved and applauded and he waved back at them. The wind gusts swayed the
tree erratically and the crowd quieted with anticipation. He felt lost and
helpless but determined.
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Book Details
About the Book
The
book is a semi-historical adventure and romance that catches the breathtaking
beauty, panorama, and lush scenery of the tropics and the ways of the people,
their hardships, and fight for independence. In vivid color and rawness, the
book captures the time of fading clipper ships in the era of steamships and
comes alive amid the upheavals of the Spanish-American war, a country's
revolutionary movement, and the exploits of the crews of the runaway clipper
ship. Set in the equally fading era of chieftains and warriors, and adventurous
sailors, the book captures vividly the countryside drama and daring exploits in
the high seas of pirates, storms, and sea fights as American power delicately
intrudes during the final stages of Spanish downfall and the chieftain’s
daughter triumphs over atrocities and abuses of Spanish clergy and power.
The
book highlights the revolutionary movement in the
About the Author
An
editor-in-chief of high school, college, and college community papers, the
author, who is a recent government retiree, holds the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees
from the
A
former plant biology scientist, he has published scientific articles, written
for trade and science magazines, and by-lined columns for local papers. He has
lived briefly in the