Part 6 (1/2)
We hadhad been a little southerly and we had rile of tiny atolls thaton to the wheel for support I craned forward The canvas-wrapped bundle still lay on the foredeck - and suddenly I knew that I et rid of it My reasons were not clear then Diame into which I had been drawn I knew I dare not ferry it back into Grand Harbour in broad daylight Three men had been killed for it already - and Id had halfmedicine wrapped up in that sheet of canvas
It took me fifteen minutes to reach the foredeck, and I blacked out twice on the way When I crawled to the bundle of canvas I was sobbing aloud with each movement
For another half-hour I tried feebly to unwrap the stiff canvas and untie the thick nylon knots With only one hand and ers so numb and weak that they could not close properly it was a hopeless task, and the blackness kept filling o out with the bundle still aboard
Lying onsun to take a bearing off the point of the island, lining up a clu the spot with care
Then I opened the swinging section of the foredeck railing through which we usually pulled big fish aboard, and I wriggled around the canvas bundle - got both feet on to it and shoved it over the side It fell with a heavy splash and droplets splattered in my face
My exertions had re-opened the wounds and fresh blood was soakingI started back across the deck but I did not make it I went out for the last ti sun and a raucous barnyard squawking woke me, but when I opened h in eclipse My vision was fading, and when I tried to th for it I lay crushed beneath the weight of weakness and pain Dancer was canted at an absurd angle, probably stranded high and dry on the beach
I stared up into the rigging aboveas turkeys sitting in a row on the cross stay They twisted their heads sideways to look down at me, and their beaks were clear yellow and powerful The upper part of the beak ended in a curved point that was a bright cherry red They watchedblack eyes, and fluffed out their feathers impatiently
I tried to shout at them, to drive them away but my lips would not move I was coin on ulls above s, planed down to the deck near s and waddled a few steps closer, and we stared at each other Again I tried to screaain, then stretched out his neck, opened that wicked beak and let out a hoarse screech ofaway froulls altered, and the air was filled with their wing beats The bird that I atching screeched again, but this tiht, the draught frosilence then, as I lay on the heavily listing deck, fighting off the waves of darkness that tried to overwhel-side
I rolled ain to face it, and at that moment a dark chocolate face rose above deck level and stared at e of two feet
”Lardy!” said a familiar voice ”Is that you, Mister Harry?”
I learned later that Henry Wallace, one of St Mary's turtle hunters, had been camped out on the atolls and had risen from his bed of straw to find Wave Dancer stranded by the ebb on the sand bar of the lagoon with a cloud of gulls squabbling over her He had waded out across the bar, and clihterhouse that was Dancer's cockpit
I wanted to tell him how thankful I was to see him, I wanted to promise him free beer for the rest of his life - but instead I started to weep, just a sloelling up of tears froth to sob
”A little scratch like that,”about?” and he probed deter else to ot up off the hospital bed and pushed that probe up theof his body Instead I moaned weakly
”Come on,- Doc Didn't they teach you about morphine and that stuff back in the tiree?”
Macnab came around to look inin hair and moustache His breath should have anaesthetized me
”Harry, my boy, that stuff costs money - what are you, anyway, National Health or a private patient?”
”I just changed reed ”Man of your standing in the community,” and he nodded to the sister ”Very well then, rain of morphine before we proceed,” and while he waited for her to prepare the shot he went on to cheer ht, you were just about dry Soaked it up like a sponge”
Well, you wouldn't expect one of the giants of theon St Mary's I could almost believe the island rumour that he was in partnershi+p with Fred coker'sto keep me in here anyway, Doc?”
”Not led to sit up and two nurses pounced on reat effort I could still hardly raise ht in thenext week!”
The sister hurried across with the syringe
”- You trying to break le party-” The sister hit et about this season You won't be fishi+ng again,” and he began picking bits of bone and flakes of lead out of me while he hummed cheerily to himself The morphine dulled the pain - but not my despair
If Dancer and I
Once again they had me stretched out on the financial rack God, how I hated es, and spread a littleto lose some furiction in your left arm there, Harry boy Probably always be a little stiff and weak, and you going to have so the bandage and turned to the sister ”Change the dressings every six hours, swab out with Eusol and give hiadon tonight and I'll see hirin at reyoutside this very room I'll have to let them in now” He started towards the door, then paused to chuckle again ”You did a hell of a job on those two guys, spread the, Harry boy”
Inspector Daly was dressed in impeccable khaki drill, starched and pristine, and his leather belts and straps gloith a high polish
”Good afternoon, Mr Fletcher I have coh”
”I feel wonderful, Inspector Nothing like a bullet through the chest to set you up”
Daly turned to the constable who followed him and motioned him to take the chair beside the bed, and as he sat and prepared his shorthand pad the constable told ot hurt, Mister Harry”
”Thanks, Wally, but you should have seen the other guys Wally was one of Chubby's nephews, and his ood-looking Youngster
”I saw therinned ”Wow!”
”If you are ready, Mr Fletcher,” Daly cut in priet on” ”Shoot,” I said, and I had ood stories, it was the exact and literal truth, with omissions I made no mention of the prize that Ja Gull Island - nor did I tell Daly in which area we had conducted our search He wanted to know, of course He kept co for? ”I have no idea They were very careful not to let me know ”Where did all this happenr he persisted
”in the area beyond Herring Bone Reef, south of Rastafa Point” This was fifty nize the exact point where they dived?” I don't think so, not within a fewinstructions”
Daly chewed his silky ht, you say they attacked you without warning,” and I nodded Why did they do that? - ould they try to kill you? ”We never really discussed it I didn't have a chance to ask theain, I didn't want to go on talking in case Iat me with that cannon of his I didn't think he wanted to chat” ”This isn't a joke, Fletcher,” he toldthe bell besidejust outside the door
”Sister, I'o now, Inspector” She turned on the two policemen like a mother hen, and drove thee e dark eyes, and her tiny waist was belted in fir nicely shaped bosoes and medals lustrous chestnut curls peeped from under the saucy little uniform cap
”What is your name, then? I whispered hoarsely ”May”
”Sister May, how come I haven't seen you around before?” I asked, as she leaned across , Mister Harry”
”Well, I' now” The front of her crisp white uniform blouse was only a few inches from my nose She stood up quickly
They say here you're a devil man,” she said ”I kno they didn't tell ot to get strong again”