As he spoke MKG, Boz and the other scientists came up the slope towards us.
Adele,' Peace commanded, 'ask Andre what hope there is of his fixing the cutter?'
He says it is badly damaged,' she replied. ' Two bottom planks must be completely replaced before she will float. He has an axe, but, as you can see for yourself, there is no timber. If there were but one tatamaka tree or one bois mangue to be found, we could do something.'
What about those coconut stumps?' Peace demanded.
We use coconut for making oars,' replied Adele. The cutter is of best tatamaka, which is hard. The stumps will be useless, he says.
The general gloom on the faces of the scientists indicated that their hunt for timber had been unsuccessful. Peace handed mica the faked newscast. He read it without interest. Why not simply rip off some of the cutter's decking and patch the planks?' I asked.
When Adele had passed it on, Andre went and fetched the axe. He stood with his feet apart and went through the gestures of chopping, shaping, fitting. He shook his head.
The deck is bois mangue, not tatamaka like the hull,' she explained. He is very proud of his boat. Even Chepe, who is a master shipbuilder, admires it. He explains that he shaped every piece of decking with an adze so that they all 196 fit-each one has its own particular place and will be useless elsewhere. Becides, the decking is much too short for the hull, even if he reshaped it.'
Axe,' corrected MKG. He shaped the planks with an axe.'
No,' replied Adele. R is an adze, a shipbuilder's tool. It looks like-a garden hoe. They stand on a log and chop towards their toes. The adze is as sharp as a razor. But
Andre says that the axe will do for a patch-if we had some timber.'
Andre gestured towards the spit of sand, now looming whiter as the sky cleared and the wind dropped.
He wants to walk over to the western side of the island where there used to be a small pocket of bois mangue, but he warns you, it is most likely to have disappeared in the storm.'
The radio began with Morse and Adele decoded while the rest of us waited around. Peace looked anxious. She handed him the signal first, and he read it out:
' Interrogation Captain du Plessis of French freighter Semittante now complete x helos to search grid pattern east and west of Semittantes last estimated position in Grid E-10 x estimates place Semittante west of this position following cyclone x'
As the signal had come in, I noticed Mac move up unobtrusively with the Remington, pretending to clean it with a scrap of cloth. The move was not lost on Adele, either.
As Peace explained the earlier search messages to MKG and the others, Andre, Adele and I set off. We stumbled through the sand piled high in drifts at the base of VingtCinq Coups; farther away the gale had stripped away the topsoil down to the coral bedrock.
Of the pocket of timber, nothing remained but a few untidy sockets in the earth. Andre gestured hopelessly and then indicated the low northern slope of the island. Adele and I walked hand in hand.
Adele said, I thought Geoffrey Peace was your friend. We're virtually prisoners. And that awful engineer!' She shuddered.
I think Mac would do anything for Peace,' I said slowly. Even to shooting us?' she asked. Little Bear means-well, I don't have to say it,' I said. '
Peace has side-stepped what is the main issue as far as we and the world are concerned, namely, MKG's position as VicePresident. His single-mindedness is something frightening.'
And deadly,' she said. If MKG had the slightest suspicion, he'd call the space-shot off. All we can hope is that one 197 of Tyler's planes finds us-quickly. I feel ashamed every time I look at MKG:
' It may solve itself,' I said. ' We can't tow Little Bear without a boat. Even if we could, the searchers-'
Instinctively I looked seawards. Even now, Tyler and his hunters might be lying off Love-Apple Crossing.
Andre let out an exclamation. Adele wheeled on him. He was pointing to the lagoon.
' There!'
In the lagoon, maybe a hundred yards away, was a long, dark object. There was a rapid-fire of Creole from Andre, who started towards Vingt-Cinq Coups at a shambling run. I turned to Adele and stopped in amazement. She was stripping off her clothes! In a moment the whole loveliness of her sun-tanned body stood in sharp relief against the pure white sand.
` Come on!' she called. Quick! Help me!'
She raced into the surf, breasted it, paused and signalled me on with her upraised arm. I, too, pulled off my clothes in bewilderment and followed her. Beyond the breakers; Adele hung on to something. In a few strokes, I was at her side.
She clung to a dark log whose top branches only remained.
`Bois mangue! It's a whole tree of it! Andre's eyesight is uncanny.'
She squirmed on to the floating log like a seal and sat astride, laughing. For that moment the massive search, the great Presidential drama, the whole outside world, seemed to recede. Her joy and her laughter were-for me.
' Don't look so serious, my darling..
Her naked loveliness caught me by the throat as she sat there, her eyes dancing. I trod water and looked up at the firm curve of her breasts and the wild loveliness of her wet hair. I said, ' When we're married, we shall come back to Love-Apple Crossing.'
She leaned down and kissed me, sweet and salt together. `
Love-Apple-Crossing,' she murmured. ` Yes, back to
Vingt-Cing Coups-our happiness will make up for all the unhappiness of those old lovers.'
Adele-' I began, but she kissed me again and pushed me away. She slid off the log. ` Come, we must get the log ashore before the others arrive and see me like this!'
Together we floated the log to the beach, pulling it well clear of the surf above the highwater mark. Adele barely had time to drag on her clothes before the others, led by Peace and MKG at a run, reached us. Andre panted out a flood of Creole. Boz gave a whoop of joy when he saw the log
and seized the big Texan. Together they did an impromptu war-dance on the sand. Andre grabbed MKG'S hand and even Trevor-Davis was moved to clap his American counterpart on the shoulder. Only Mac had not bothered to come. Andre put a foot on the log like a trophy hunter and burst into Creole, while the rest of the scientists stood round grinning like kids.
Adele and I alone did not share in the general rejoicing.
She translated Andre: He says bring the axe right away and he'll have the cutter ready by midday tomorrow.'
Boz looked concerned. That leaves the afternoon only to check her over.'
Sorry, Boz,' replied Peace. "That missile is staying down until the last moment-and that means until only a few hours before the launch itself.'
Boz turned in protest to MKG. I gotta check-'
MKG said quietly, ` Commander's right, Boz. I know you'd like to go over every rivet, but the risk is too big.'
Boz drew his fellow-scientists in with him. See here, MKG, I know we checked and re-checked everything before she was stowed, but that is nearly six weeks ago now.'
She was fine then, and there's no reason to think she isn't fine now,' replied MKG. You set the stable table yourself.'
The same goes for SNAP,' added Peace. ` She also should be fine. We haven't pulled rods since she went aboard.'
Boz remained dubious. ` Sure, sure. We went over everything with a toothcomb before. Everything jim-dandy. But what if-'
' How long does it take to start the nuclear power plant?' I asked.
Boz smiled, despite his preoccupation. Pull-rods,' he corrected. That's what it's called. Till she's fully activated, two hours. You've also got to spin up her gyros and stabilize the stable table.'