 You were aboard a Chinese junk run aground off the coast of Borneo and paddling toward you were the canoes of the deadly dyac headhunters. Your powder is wet and your throat is dry because for you there is no escape. Escape produced and directed by William M. Robeson and designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. Tonight we escape to the Orient of 150 years ago to the Manila of 1790 in Richard Matthews Hallett's story of a wooden ship and an iron man, Miss Fortune's Isle. The water which was lying at anchor so close up against the jetty I could have leaned over and spit on the wheels of the elegant Spanish carriages clattering along the promenade. And that's exactly what I felt like doing. I'd been away from Salem for three years now. Three years of sailing at Trader Brig through the China Seas and south into the Spice Islands. All for one. The whole thing had grown stale, certainly. I was plainly and simply bored. Young Po stood beside me there at the taff rail and tried to console me with philosophy. He'd anchored his sailing junk alongside earlier in the day and come aboard to renew a friendship that started two years before a Tianxin when I hauled him out from under an executioner's axe. He was under it because he just sold me six fine fat pigs without remembering they happened to be the sacred property of the Tianxin temple. Oh, Yang Po was a real philosopher, all right. Anyway, my friend, I reserve my sympathies for the poor. You have gained much wealth and trade. Ah, and a few measly gold pieces. But the trouble is out here a man can't go it on his own. He needs backing. What more backing could a rash man desire than those eight brass cannon at the rail? Ah, they're fair guns, all right. But it's a flag I'm speaking of. Do these unworthy eyes not see a pin on there at the masthead? The bonning of Salem swings no weight out here. In the south it's the Dutch who call the terms. On the coast the British and here in Manila it's the Spanish. Ah, man, Yang Po, there she comes now and the second carers there. That's a fourth time since high noon she's come fast. Ah, four fine horses and two footmen. She rides in style. Watch, watch. She'll look up at the ship. She has every time today. Ha, there you see. Ah, that one. The little cage bird. You'll know her? I know of her. She is wife of Don Nasciso Crispo, the Spanish nobleman who is captain general of the island south of Zamboanga. He is in residence here in Manila. She looks very sad. Why she called the little caged bird? One glimpse of Don Nasciso would answer your question better than thousand words. She's very beautiful too. I'll swear she looked back and smiled just then. Captain Arad, once in pity I set free a parakeet which I had found caught in Annette. I still bear scar from its beak. Some things may be worth taking chances for. Ha, me, I find it so much simpler to go to sleep and dream of maidens on the moon. Ah, but the moon's too far away. Arad, where are you? Huh? Oh, up here, Michael, on the quarter deck. Oh, then the honorable red-headed one is still your first mate? Aye, there he is. What's the matter, Michael? Ah, matter indeed. Haven't you heard all the excitement in town? I've been looking. Ah, young poor, haven't they hung you yet? This on what they want is touched by your concern, Mr. O'King. What do you mean by excitement? I've been on board all day. Ah, now, last night with all their soldiers on guard and the stone ramparts and all, a band of pirates slipped ashore down coast and got through into the city. Pirate? Aye, ten thousand bushels of misfortune. They may possibly think it was me. Oh, they have no clue as to who it was. Got away scot-free, they did. And they almost abducted the captain general of Zamboango and Selt. What? Aye, aye. An important grandee by the name of Don Narcisco something or other. His guard finally heard them. Ah, pity. Fortune not with you, Captain Arad. Ah, but here's the part that'll stop you. There is no one in Manila that knows who they were, except yours truly, Michael O'King. Go on. Eh? Here. Have a look at that. It's a Manchester Cutlass. Aye. And there's a mark on the handle. Aye. It's one we traded to Sarif. Aye, aye, the bandit king of North Bonio. And it was me found this morning on the beach where the pirate boat came ashore. You found it? No, no, no, not quite. A melee by the name of Jambo brought it to me. Ah, Jambo. Ten thousand sampans filled with spoiled fish. You know the villain? I have used him as interpreter. He speak dayak, but in some form or incarnation he undoubtedly was eel. Ah. You know, I think this may be exactly what I need. Need? For what, Arad? Hmph. To make fortunes for the three of us. I certainly remember an unexpected appointment. Aye, aye, young Po. It's a plan that won't work without you. I'm not talking a bear profit. This means a fortune. I am amazed. There is much talk of money and yet very little talk of Spanish lady. Ha, ha. I've heard rumors on shore about these Spanish lasses. For one thing, they wear no stockings. Huh? And how's a man to know it, Michael? Hmph. You can't count too much on hearsay. Well, no, it was a Spaniard that told me. All right, now listen, lads. Let me tell you the plan. And if we're all agreed, I'll go ashore and talk to this Don Narciso. Ah, after I have heard it, I think I shall go and sacrifice why Rusta to Queen of Heaven, though I doubt it will do great deal of good. The only thing I can't understand is why this jam-boo didn't take the cutlass to Don Narciso in the first place. It is quite possible he did take it there in first place, Captain Harad. It is point worth consideration. It took a bit of talking right enough, but finally the others agreed to the plan. And no more than two hours later, I was talking to the Captain General of Zamboango himself. He turned out to be a little monkey of a man, yellow as a faded sunflower and much older than I expected to find. Thank you. Quite well. It satisfied the regard and your identification of those who perpetrated the outrage, Captain Harad. But, uh, not addictions and fatalities. I have also heard the stories of this pirate, Serif. No, I think a broad side of my thirty-two pounders can furnish him enough fatalities, Excellency. All right. It's not that simple. They say his headquarters on the Borneo coast is not in less than a fortress. Ah, there's only a bamboo stockade lying at the mouth of the river, and it's in range of the guns on my break. My friend Young Poe has been there. But, hard against the mouth of the river is the blue chalaca. Hmm, Miss Fortune's Island. And on it limestone caves filled with bird's nests worth fifty dollars a pound in Canton. That may well be, Captain Harad. But there is also the Eupastry. You must have heard of it. All right. But I can't a little on hearsay, Excellency. It is not hearsay. The dyke-head hunters poison the spears and arrows with its juices. I have seen men scratched by them die like that. Some things are worth taking chances for. I must say that I quite agree with you, Dutty, so. Uh, Captain Harad, may I present my wife, Donia Del Fino de Crispo. Uh, Captain Harad. I'm honored. Marfiso, I heard it all. You must agree to this expedition. Huh? You know the king's offer? Any man who reads these islands of pirates to be made a kondae with lands and tidal. I can have both lands and tidals, my dear. What is it you expect from this, Captain Harad? A fortune, Excellency. The bird's nest himself should be worth a half million Yankee dollars. And there's golden antimony in the river. And trade with the dykes. Uh, precisely, what is the plan of yours? Well, 50 of Seraph's men are Chinese who once served Yangpoh. They'll come in with us if he can get word to them. They'll make things easier. Okay, and how do you expect to get word to them? Yangpoh and I'll sail in ahead of his junk and try to contact them. My mate will bring up the water which 24 hours later and then we'll attack. And exactly, why have you come to me? Well, were I to do it without official support, I'd be judged a pirate myself, wouldn't I? I don't know. It would be a great thing if it could be done. Marfiso. See? Why not think of it tonight and decide in the morning? I think that may be a wise suggestion. May I allow me to show you out, Captain Harad? By your leave, Excellency. I'll see you tomorrow then. Good day, Captain. This way, please. He will agree. You may depend on it. Good. I hope also that his Excellency will accompany us personally. He will. You can be certain of it. You seem quite sure of that. Who do you think it was who had the cordless hand to you? You? It is the door, Captain. I will say, Ariositona. In our language, it means goodbye for a little while. For a little while, huh? Well, in that case, Ariosito. Delfino was right. The next morning, he agreed to it. And two days later, we sailed out of Manila Harbour. Don Narciso accompanied me on Young Po's Jonkin. Michael O'Cain followed at the helm of the Water Witch. Our luck deserted us as we rounded the Corregidor and sailed square into the tail end of a typhoon. There was little wind, but a heavy sea was running, and it took us on the port bow for all that night and the next day. We lost sight of the Water Witch. And the leaky old junk pitched and rolled like a dory. Young Po stayed mostly below in his bunk and dreamed peacefully of the maidens on the moon. Well, I stayed on deck and skipped her through it. It was late the second night before I had a chance to go down to my cabin. One is not just captain. Delfino, what on the name of the devil are you doing aboard? Being fussed about mostly. It is a very unsteady ship you have, Captain. There should be a lot more unsteady when 100 dyac head under start trying to board her. How did you arrive here? In a sack of feathers. It's really old that saved me during the storm, you know. Oh, confounder, don't you realize your husband is on board sleeping in the deck cabin? Suppose he should come down here for something. He did once. I hid in the wardrobe. Oh, all the fool tricks. But you did say, or you see it, though, for a little while. Yes, but it wasn't an invitation. Who could tell? Anyway, I shall prove quite valuable to you. I doubt it. You will see. Nardiso will become frightened at the last moment he always does. And what will you do? Whatever is required at the time. I am not afraid of fighting my captain. I have seen it before. Confounded we had a fortune in our region. Now you come along and ruin it. Don't underestimate me. Well, I won't do that again. You are very rude. I meant to be. Why did you marry him? I had no choice. My father was ambitious, but Nardiso was influential. And did your father realize his ambition? See, he became a colonel and was killed at the end of the egg of the chili. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. And now if you'll remove yourself from my bunk, I need some sleep. If you are going to move in here, then what am I going to do? Oh, you'll think of something. You made all your own plans so far. Oh, thank you. But if my husband sees me, then he may think you brought me on board. Well, in that case, I shall be forced to kill him in a duel. Good night. You were going to sleep? I hope to. Try the shrine of the Queen of Heavens, the last cabin in the stern. No one goes there but young Po, and he'll have to be told about you anyway. Good night. Even when you are rude to me, your mouth is so very sweet. Buenas noches. Woman or no woman aboard, it was too late to turn back now. And so two days later, we dropped anchor at the mouth of Serif's River. Off the port rail a quarter mile away lay the pirate stockade. It was backed up by the dark green mass of jungle. And on the opposite side of the junk across 100 yards or so of water was the beach of Miss Fortune's Isle, sloping back to break sharply on the foot of the limestone cliffs. And the upper shoulders of those cliffs were the caves with a fortune in edible birds nests. And between the cliffs and the water stood the upus tree. 100 legends were told about the upus tree, how its shadow could kill a man, how the spirit of a white goddess was present in the thick dark foliage of its top, and how birds that lighted on its branches fell dead to the ground. But one thing at least was true enough. The Dyaks made a horrible poison from the juice of its bark, and they worshiped the tree. Yang Po took the renegade interpreter, Jambu, with him, and went assured to pay his respects to Serif. And at the same time was to pass the word to his Chinese friends. It was late afternoon when he came back, and I'd become nearly as uneasy as Don Narciso. Yang Po came aboard alone and motioned me to follow him below, saying nothing until we were alone in my cabin. It is my humble opinion, Captain Arad, that Heaven favors us with the sighted lack of fortune. Why, what happened? Serif most polite, I most polite. We enjoy most friendly conversation while we both held our knives beneath our ropes, all very polite. Well, did you get word to your men? Serif blessed with presence of 200 Dyaks and 50 melees. My own brethren are unfortunately down the coast for two days. Oh, that's a bad piece of luck. But I have news of much worse one. Jambu, that son of 10,000 devils, has deserted us. Deserted? He has joined Serif. Oh, he'll tell him exactly what we're planning. Do not believe Jambu would do such a thing. Dolphina, I told you to stay out of this cabin. Jambu worships me. He's my slave wife. It was he who helped me sleep on board. So that's why he's done it. He has no deserted. What could he hope to gain by it? You probably. This, on what they want, offer a suggestion that we stand out to see until water which come tomorrow. A fine idea, except for one thing. Your sleepy little sons of heaven left the cable slack. We're grounded on a mud bar with no chance of moving before the tide tomorrow morning. Well, we'll have to stand and fight. Yes, they are so careless. I forgot to tell you, they even neglected to cover powder during storm. The water ruined it. Then we'll not even have the four cannon. A really matter of slight importance. They only ornaments. They would blow up if we fired them. You could hardly have picked a more suitable time to tell me. Well, we'll fight without them. The impetuousity of youth. I think I sleep for a while and dream of maidens on the moon. Young Po, you'll stay on your feet and start your men boiling kettles of oil and piling rocks by the rail. It would be so much pleasant out to die in one sleep. If I know Siriff, he'll not attack until nearly midnight. Telfina, can you swim? I can do anything. Primarily, I want to know if you can swim. I can. Good. Young Po, I'll be back and help you in an hour. But I have a job to do first. Come along, Condesa. It was dark when we slipped into the water and struck out for the island. If I had tried to lower a boat, they might have seen us from the shore. I could see no other way to keep her out of it. The rest of us had no chance. I knew how the dyacs fought. We could expect no help. And on board, she would have been the only one of us left alive. Aye, Jambu would see to that. We made the beach safely, crossed it, and worked our way up the steep path on the face of the cliff. Finally, we reached the ledge in front of the caves. Boy, it is so dark here. It frightens me. Well, there's nothing to harm you. Bats in the caves, perhaps, but nothing else. I am to stay here alone, then? Aye, until the water which comes into anchor tomorrow. Light this torch, then, and signal them. They'll come ashore and take you off. Where will you be tomorrow, Arret? You are going back there to die with him, aren't you? We'll have a fighting chance. You have no chance at all. And you know it, don't go. Stay with me, Arret. You know that's impossible. No, no, this man, young Po is no better than a pirate himself. And you cannot help him by losing your own life or stay with me. And what of your husband? Do not go back. I beg you, please, Arret. Delfina, you have a deadlier poison than the Eupus tree itself. Will you force me then to stay here in safety and watch you die on those decks there below us? Well, it makes so very much difference to you. So much that I would not care to be alive tomorrow. In Manila, I hated my life. I prayed for an earthquake's pirate's death, anything. I pray only that you may live through this night. Delfina, Delfina, I think there's nothing can be said. If then, if you must, you do. Kiss me. Buenas noches, predioso. Adiosito. Adiosito for a little while. Had I stayed there one moment longer, I should never have left her. Back aboard the junk, I found young Po rushing preparations for the hopeless fight that stood ahead of us. Don Narciso was shivering on the quarter deck and I saw no reason to tell him his wife had made the trip with us. The Chinese crew had piled stones and smoke parts at the rail, ready to throw down on the heads of the diacs who had tried aboard us. And kettles of oil were being heated over a brick hearth by the mast. Paper lanterns had been lighted and hung about the rigging. But outside the narrow limits of the deck we could see nothing. Nothing but the black wall of the Borneo night. The same dark wall shut off any side of the upus tree and of the cliff face where Delfina lay hidden. But I knew from the ledge she could see us moving about on the lighted deck. I loaded my pistols with the only dry powder aboard and we waited. There was no light unsure and no sound. And three hours went past. Seniors, have all possible measures been taken? My venerable Captain General, I have offered incense and rice to Queen of Heaven. If our enemies prevail after that, then we have mistreated them in some former life. I go below to sleep. Sleep? And who is to give orders to your men? They give them to one another, excellency, they are all commanders in their own right. We may perhaps meet later in third or fourth heaven. With power to our trader aboard and the ground to the ship. I might warn you before the attack starts, your excellency. Stay away from the rail, at least until after the smoke parts are thrown. The Dyaks use bamboo poles with iron hooks on the end. Now they can reach up and drag a man over the rail easier than picking coconuts. Captain Arat, perhaps we could... ...surrender and make peace somehow. Well, take no surrender, they want our heads. Look! They're on us! Young Paul, Dyakirikam! What's the real, sir, excellency? Use your cutlass if a head comes over the side and look out for the hooks. I'm dead! Siriffs, Dyaks' warriors had run their boats in against the sides of the junk, and now we're pushing their murderous hooks over the rail. The Chinese crew is fighting like madmen, torsing over smoke parts, smashing those heavy rocks down on the heads of the pirate marvel. Pouring out smoking kettles of boiling oil, and the whole curtain of night was torn by the screams of vaginas. We find ourselves suddenly without smoke parts or soothing oil, and rocks are nilly corn. Either be swarming aboard us in another two minutes. Where's the Captain General? He has retired to cabin. It would be enjoyable to say he hides there. Well, a lot of good it'll do him. What happened? Young Paul, they're on the island. It would appear top of sacred Yupa's tree has burst into flame. The great flaming torch of the tree spread into full bloom and leaped up to the heavens, lighting the whole sea around us. And everywhere about us screaming in hoarse terror, the Dyaks drew off in their boats and stared at the blazing death of the sacred tree. And then in full view on the glaring face of the cliff, the beautiful and weird figure of a woman, hair streaming behind it swung slowly out from behind the flame. And up and up and then disappeared over the ledge in front of the caves. And at the sight of their white goddess escaping from her prison in the tree, the Dyaks broke and panicked and turned their boats and raced for the shore. And while I thought of the signal torch I'd left with Delfina, suddenly the battle was over. 10,000 bushels of unexpected good fortune. The little parakeet house saved our worthless lives. All right, then you recognize them. These vulnerable eyes have never looked upon sight more fair. I shall address her here after as princess of heaven. You have done all right. And I think perhaps another recognized her also. Ramba, did you not see it? That was Delfina. It was my wife. I know. She was aboard with us. Abored with us? By your permission, senor? No, she stowed away and asked at the knowledge of her presence we kept from you. I have no doubt she found you quite agreeable to such a plan. Take care, excellency. Take care? I will see you hung, senor. And thus for her, I shall weep her through the streets of Vanilla. We will discuss that later. I do not discuss my decisions. In fact, it may be that I bring her board at once and perhaps beat her to death on this very deck. You pardon me. It is my humble opinion that elderly men should learn to control their emotions. Wait, there's a Dyak warrior hiding there by the rail. The boats have gone and left him. Excellency! Excellency, away from that rail! I take notice from you, senor. Get back! Look out! Silence! Don't get us! Wait, young po! They come in about shooting, Captain Aran. Hi, but a little use to the Captain General, I'm afraid. See what you can do from young po. I'm going ashore to look after her. See what I can do for him. Now, how can I be expected to replace man's head on his body, especially when head seems to have rolled overboard? There's not the least bit of use in giving me a poet's blindy or reprobate. It was nothing but pure luck that kept me from sailing in here this morning and finding nothing but your head, all as smokin' in a row. So dreams of Queen of Heaven, Mr. O'King. Not to mention, of course, those of princess. Oh, that Spanish lad, eh? And quite a one, she's turned out to be. I plan to devote a remainder of my unworthy life to rescue of small birds from nets. Oh, that pent is time. Oh, oh, come in, Eh, Rat. I've been wondering where to find you. I was charting the course. Ah, well, we can sail in the morning. Both ships are nearly loaded. Good, we'll head for Kent. Young po, this friend of yours there, this. Hon quat, some good quality of silk to trade. I eat these possible. Ah, silk is it now? And what will you be wanting silk for, Eh, Rat? Well, uh... Well, it's not silk. I mean, not exactly. Oh, come on, come on. It's what? What? Uh... If it's not silk, Eh, Rat, then what is it, hm? Oh, all right, Michael, if you have to know everything. I want to trade with them for... for a dozen pair of silk stockings. Escape is produced and directed by William M. Robeson. And tonight brought you Miss Fortune's Isle by Richard Matthews Hallett. Adapted for radio by Les Crutchfield. With Paul Freese as Captain Eh, Rat. Virginia Gregg as Donia Delfina. Bill Conrad as Jean Paul. Barry Kroger as Don Narciso. And Tony Barrett as Mike O'Kane.