Page 51 - Exile-ebook

50 AN EXILE OF THE MIND THE FLYING PRIEST OF CAMIGUIN 51

Ternate in the Spice Islands, Indonesia. Terraced rice fields in Indonesia.

the high waves. We pushed on into And I, as guest of the local Chinese of Indonesian. The hall buzzed with
quieter waters to the Spice Islands, optometrist, stayed in Ternate for a the anticipation of a thrilling lecture
650 nautical miles to the south. well-earned break and to explore the I was about to give. To enlighten the
Ternate Island and neighbouring island on his motor scooter. community about the scourge of
Tidmore were once the world’s only Several VOC (Dutch East India pirates threatening innocent yachties
major producers of cloves. Alfred Company) coins, dating from the like myself on the high seas.
Russell Wallace wrote a pioneering 1730s, were found near a My trousers, colourfully
account of evolution in 1858 ─ the ruin where I attempted to striped, with beard and hair
‘Ternate Essay’, famously sent to snorkel in a half a metre of shoulder length, I naively
Charles Darwin who graciously water. This ‘treasure’ was resembled one of the buc-
published it alongside his own. used during Dutch control caneers I was talking about.
A sirenic call from the ‘Island of and, unfortunately, made of Only the eye-patch was miss-
Women’ in north Sulawesi was too copper and not of gold. ing. Mercifully coming to the end
much of a temptation for Steve to I stood shyly, shifting from one of this fascinating topic, there was
ignore. Taking Patrick as crew, he foot to the other, before a large a burst of applause from those who
took Le Voyageur in search of the audience. Their command of English understood not a word, and a puz-
Only the eye-patch was missing. island over 150 nautical miles away. matched only by my limited grasp zled look from those who could.