I'll be right up.'
I heard the quick clump of his boots inside the sail as he raced up the steel ladder. In a moment, he and MKG were beside us.
Where away?'
North-west,' I replied. A shade north.'
We peered into the blackness. There was nothing but the steady drumming of the sea and a speckle of spray.
There!' exclaimed Adele. Peace was at her side, following her pointing finger. The light zig-zagged, shone, disappeared, shone again and stood out steadily.
He's at the nose of the seahorse!' said Peace. Where it faces deepest into the reef. See-he's steady-he's out of the millrace of the reef.'
I'm trying to jell my ideas on this,' MKO said slowly. `
S u r e l y i t c a n ' t b e T y l e r; h e w o u l d n ' t s h o w a l i g h t! ' `He' s coming this way!' Adele said.
Peace snapped, Get me the Remington, John!'
I dived below and decided that rather than take a naked weapon through the Control Centre, I would carry it in its case. I hurried through. all eyes upon me. Peace flipped open the top of the box. He slid back the Remington's bolt. It didn't have a deep clunk like a rifle but a light click-like a terrier's bark alongside a bloodhound's. Peace loaded. The light was coming closer.
Quiet!' Peace ordered.
The light, startlingly bright by contrast with the general wateriness, drifted slowly towards the dark shape of the submarine merged against the coral. There was a sudden crack. P e a c e c r o u c h e d f o r w a r d w i t h t h e g u n. A d e l e p u t o u t h e r h a n d t o h i m. I t ' s t h e f l a p o f a s a i l, ' s h e w h i s p e r e d. S h e looked hard into the night and murmured something in the soft Creole to herself. She turned, and her eyes were alight. It's a St Brandon man. Look, that's a cutter's sails-you can tell old Andre's style of sailmaking anywhere-that odd snip in the luff..
Andre!' exclaimed Peace. ' By God, John, MKG, this is our big break! Andre!'
Andre was the fisherman who brought us through the reef when we charted it,' I explained to MKG.
Quiet!' warned Peace. 'He's coming on'
`He still doesn't see us!' exclaimed Adele.
Peace reminded her that we were part of the coral. There was another slap of the sail and we saw the boat's stern under 135 the white light. It was the same sort of contrivance fishermen use throughout the Mediterranean-bright acetylene, mounted aft, to attract the fish. The cutter drifted closer, unaware of Devastation. Andre slipped a pair of oars into the rowlocks. Across the water, half-obliterated by the noise of wind and spray, came the sound of singing.
Adele's eyes were as bright as the acetylene. ' It's a sort of song-prayer-he sings to the devil-fish of the inlet to leave him in peace, because he's only catching small fish, fish too small for the devil-fish to enjoy.' She cocked an ear. It's snappers and varra-varra and rouget he's after tonight? Andre unshipped his oars and started to cast his net.
Hail him, Adele!' said Peace.
Adele cupped her hands and called in Creole. The old man faced away from us. His back jerked at her words and he swung round, his squat, powerful frame silhouetted against the white light. He called to us in reply.
Adele gave a ripple of laughter.
What does he say?' I demanded.
' He says good-evening, nixie, I know I am a wicked old man, but it is dominoes and not women which are my downfall. He thinks I am a sea-spirit-dominoes are the great gambling game at Raphael.' Adele was like a girl. She called again, bubbling with laughter.
He says, nixie, you see I am an old man-I cannot make love to you like the young ones at St Brandon. Let me go. Besides, as you know, the jouissance forbids women at St Brandon, and a man gets out of practice. Let me go back to Raphael and to-morrow night I will bring you a young man.'
He doesn't sound scared,' observed MKG.
' Oh, no, he isn't,' Adele replied. They believe in nixies and devil-fish at St Brandon. It's a question of talking smart so that the nixie will let him go. He'll never come near Seahorse Sound again, though.'
Andre peered, trying to locate Adele's voice.
Peace called. Andre! Andre! You old sonofabitch 1'
In slow motion the old man sank down on the thwart, his hands clasped as if in prayer. Adele shouted something, but his reply was half-lost.
' He says shame on you, nixie, for changing yourself into my man of the sea who was my friend and a very brave man. I know now that I am dead, for he and I and the other were the only men ever to come into Seahorse Sound.'
Andre. It's me-John Garland.'
The bowed head did not rise. Adele called again and again. At length he rose. She translated.
H e k n o w s h e is d e a d, ' s h e s m i l e d. ' H e h a s h e a r d t h e voices of the two men he guided to Seahorse Sound.'
M K G b r o k e i n, A n d r e y o u s a y, k n o w s a l l t h e p a s s a g e s through the reef-we won't need the sub's dinghy now.'
Peace banged his fist excitedly on the bridge shield. This is our moment! We go-now-just as we are-with Andre. The gear in the sub's dinghy can be shifted into Andre's boat. Don't forget the transistor radio and the Navy code.'
MKG and I stumbled down the steep ladder into the sub's interior. It was a moment's work to explain the situation to Peters. The dinghy's gear-sextant, charts, compass, oilskins, f o o d, w a t e r – h a d b e e n n e a t l y l a i d o u t i n t h e m e s s. T w o ratings helped us carry it to the bridge. As we went up, we felt the thump of Andres boat alongside. Peters dismissed the two helpers from the bridge. Andre stood in his boat gazing in wonderment at the black sail rising out of the coral. Toss a line,' ordered Peace. Here, Andre.'
Like a man in a dream, but not lacking in seamanship, Andre spun a rope and cast it high. Peace knotted it securely to the base of the radar antenna and swung a leg over.
She's all yours, Bob,' he told Peters.
Peters gripped him firmly by the hand. ' Are you sure I -? W i s h i t w a s m e, s i r. '
Peace said quietly, ' I'm afraid for you it's a case of they also serve, Bob. Hang on as long as you can to give us the best chance. John, help Adele.'
Help!' She smiled. I've climbed ropes since I was five.'
MKG gave a brief glance round the minute bridge-a strange look of farewell.
Good luck, sir,' said Peters. His hand went instinctively t o h i s f o r e h e a d t o s a l u t e, b u t h e d r e w i t b a c k w h e n h e realized he stood capless in the blowing spray.
MKG simply leaned out and touched him on the shoulder. I think Peters would have gone to the ends of the earth for h i m, t h e n. M K G w e n t d o w n h a n d – o v e r – h a n d i n t o A n d r e ' s boat. I dropped down next to the old fisherman and Peace. Tears streamed unashamedly down the old man's face and he hugged us.
Adele translated, 'He says he does not know what strange ghost of a ship it is which stands part of the coral-he has n e v e r s e e n o n e l i k e i t b e f o r e. Y e t h e i s g l a d f o r t o h o w many is it given to meet a nixie and live?'
Peace clapped him on the shoulder. Ask, will he take us to Raphael-tonight?'
Adele translated. Not to Raphael-he is willing only to take you near Raphael.
Peace hardened. What's all this about?'
The gay, rippling note was back in Adele's voice. If he returns to Raphael by morning and says, I have a nixie and men who appeared out of the high spray as if from nowhere aboard my boat, the other fishermen will say, there is a new wreck on the reef and Andre has found her. For look, he is drunk with' bacca stronger than the red wine of Mauritius. It is-is- 'she laughed= he calls it, the wine that looks like stirred-up sand in a coral pass and is as dangerous-whisky!
No! From Poulailler to Puits-a Eau the fishermen will watch him and follow. His life will not be worth living. They will find Seahorse Sound. He will then lose his " pension " of fish which is unknown to anyone else. No, he will not take you to Raphael.