The thought of getting back to mechanics seemed to animate the silent Englishman. Can do,' he replied. I'll want light, though, from the acetylene.'
We'll have to risk it,' said Peace.
It's not such a big risk,' said Adele. ' All the fishing boats in Limuria will be out now that the storm's over-I expect everyone is as hungry as we are. Tyler's men will see hundreds of fishermen's acetylene lights at sea tonight and tomorrow.'
Good!' breathed Peace.
Adele jerked up and pointed south. Look at that light!
What a meteor!'
A distant stain of red, followed by brilliant white, blotted out the Southern Cross for a moment.
It isn't a meteor,' said Peace grimly. That's a flare dropped from a plane.'
Adele gave a shiver and a silence fell upon us. Would Tyler discover Little Bear-with a flare like that tomorrow as the missile lay immobile on the surface of the lagoon?
Peace broke the silence. Tyler's driving his men into the ground. Anything that floats, they'll find.' His voice became hard. Tomorrow we-that is, Mac, Andre, John and Adele and I-will play at island fishermen in the lagoon. Boz, you and your boys will need all the sleep you can get if you're going to work right through the night. We'll bury the DATICO gear, the VLF radio and the space-suit here in the sand of the hut in case we have some nosey helo overhead. The dunking helos will come first, then the vP-5's.'
It sure looks as if we're on the hook,' remarked the big
Texan.
On the hook, but not landed,' Peace replied. Everyone will play absolutely dumb if a helo comes over-in the boat we don't speak, except Adele, if she wishes, in Creole. If a helo comes over the hut, act like sleeping fishermen. Andre's safe anyway. None of us look too zazzy in our present rig.
We'll pass for islanders.'
MKG laughed and assumed a Southern drawl. For them kind words, Commander, I thank you from the bottom of mah cotton-pick'n' heart.' His easy confidence broke the tension. Peace went on, ' While we're playing round in the lagoon tomorrow, I'll put a marker over Little Bear so that we know exactly where to look after dark.'
What if the fliers spot Semittante?' I asked.
The water will be as clear as glass,' added Adele.
They will,' said Peace. ' They will. But until a vP-5 can get here with MAD gear, they won't know whether the wreck is new or old. The Sea of Limuria hasn't only got one wreck,' he went on. Look at 'em all on the St Brandon reef. I think it's unlikely that they'll divert a vp-5 specially to investigate yet one more wreck. Most likely it will be logged for routine investigation when a vP-5 comes to case Grid E-13. We can only watch and pray.'
Boz, carried away with enthusiasm, asked, How long do you reckon it'll take to get Little Bear into her firing position, Commander?'
Two-three hours, maybe,' he replied. I'll have Mac check over the engine again tomorrow. It hasn't been used in ages, but it looks okay. I'd like to start out of the lagoon before daybreak.'
I asked, Once Little Bear is submerged at the firing point, there's one hour to go?'
T minus sixty-yeah,' Boz corrected me. ' Sure, you got it. The countdown routine's pretty simple-mKG gets my messages via the radio buoy on the surface. He gives us a count every few minutes-T minus fifty-nine, T minus fifty, and so on down to zero. At T minus one I start the DATICO checkout. But forget it, fellah-that's what me and Pete and Trev are all here for. You got yourself a ringside seat-no work'
Peace added quietly, And as you count, every helo, every plane, every surfaced sub in Grid E-13 will hear you?' Sure.'
– ' When Little Bear is on the surface, a helo, a sub, a plane anything with search radar or sonar-could pick her up?' •
Yeah.'
And when her generators get going, any nuclear sub within sonar range will hear them?'
' Sure-twenty thousand yards. Nearly twelve miles.'
' So from tomorrow evening until MKG is launched, Little Bear is wide open?'
` Wide open as the prairie, Commander. If Tyler and his merry men pal around Grid n-13, then-' Boz shrugged.
The mounting tension and the burden of our secret overlaid any satisfaction there might have been when we dragged the repaired cutter to the water's edge next afternoon. MKG and the American team slept. Peace, on the grounds that the radio batteries were failing, had kept it assiduously out of the way during the morning. Mac hovered like an evil presence. I had a restless night; I fancied I heard a helicopter's rotors and I started upright. It was noise, but not of rotors. At dawn I saw: the shoreline was thick with grey noddies, blackand-white terns and little love-terns which had returned to their home after the cyclone. A squadron, not of Tyler's men but of steel-eyed frigate-birds, hung over the lagoon, divebombing shoals of fish. Adele hitched the painter over her shoulder and paddled into the wavelets.
But Andre stood back, muttering.
Peace said sharply. Slap it about, Andre-the sooner we see whether she's seaworthy, the better. Mac also wants to try the engine.'
Andre says every ship must have a life. She cannot go into the water like this.'
An echelon of frigate-birds circled low, eyeing us.'
' Say, the cutter has served us wonderfully and so has he,' answered Peace.
Adele translated, but Andre gestured defiantly. In' the islands we have strange gods. Perhaps you will not approve. But without it, the cutter cannot go into the water.'
For God's sake! What does he want?' began Peace, but
Adele cocked her head to the radio and turned it up. A voice said : Red Force reporting to CIC x Grid E-10, E-12 negative x am commencing search Grid E-13 and E-11 x' The reply came back:
CIC to Red Force x report likely contact and vector in VP-5's for MAD investigation x'
Peace stiffened. You hear that? They'll be here any moment now. What the hell is wrong with Andre, Adele? Tell him the birds will be here soon-'
The old man looked sullen. ' He says the birds are here. That's what he's talking about.
The radio said:
Red Force helo FX-6 reporting now entering Grid posi- tion E-13 x helos FX-5, FX-7 and FX-8 at intervals 20 205 miles north x will co-ordinate reports from FX-6
Marilyn's Dream x'
The carrier was brief:
' Keep that dream going, fellah x'
Andre gestured at the circling birds, spoke to Adele, and then pointed at the new planks in the hull. Peace's mouth tightened and he went to the sternsheets, where the Remington was kept.
No! Geoffrey, no! Not Andre!' I burst out.
Adele said helplessly, ' The boat must have a life. The new planking must have a life. One must die in order that the ship may live. Without it, there is no life for his boat.'
There was a volley of Creole from Andre. In my father's day, he says, the islanders used to make a human chain of rollers to the sea, and a new or a repaired boat was launched over them. It took life, for only the strong survived. Now there are not enough strong young men any more. But there must be a life.'
For a long moment Peace paused. Then he grabbed the
Remington. He slid back the bolt.
Geoffrey! For God's sake!' I rushed forward.
Before I could reach him, Peace fired. One of the circling mass of frigate-birds fell, flopping into the water at our feet. Delight and astonishment spread over old Andre's face. He crashed his rough fist between Peace's shoulders, grabbed the axe, and splashed after the wounded bird. In a moment he was back, holding the bucking thing clear as it struck at him. He gestured to us. The boat-get it on its side-the bird must not die before-'
Peace, MKG and I heaved the cutter over. Andre yanked the kicking bird to his new planks and shoved its neck against them. With a deft stroke he severed the bird's neck and, as the blood gushed, he made the sign of the Cross against the boards. He went to Peace and took his forearm in a curious grip.