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To my brother Tom, brave and loyal as the admiral himself. — Ann Martin Bowler

For Father, with whom all things are possible. And for the child in all of us. — L.K. Tay-Audouard

Author’s note: Adventures of the Treasure Fleet is historical fiction. The story is based on seven Chinese naval voyages that took place between 1405 and 1433. Each event mentioned in the story actually occurred during one of the voyages, though fictional details have been added for the reader’s enjoyment. At the bottom of each episode is a summary of historically agreed facts. Diaries of crew members and plaque inscriptions were the primary sources used in writing this book. Well-researched summaries of the voyages were also used. For the continuity of the story, all the voyages have been treated as one. Most, but not all, of the events mentioned in Adventures of the Treasure Fleet occurred during the first voyage. The storm, Saint Elmo’s fire, pirate encounter, as well as the events in Champa, Java, and Calicut occurred during the first voyage, while the events in Malacca and Siam stretched over several voyages. The fleet first visited the Arabian Peninsula during the fourth voyage, and Africa was visited on the fifth voyage.