“Really? The major?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I must’ve been dreaming about him. But I don’t remember. ”
“You’ve got a guilty conscience, don’t you, you asshole?”
“Take a dip, Clemen, instead of talking nonsense.”
“You sent him to his death and now you feel guilty.”
“I didn’t send him to his death. I already explained it to you several times.”
“So why were you dreaming about him?”
“Nobody knows why we dream what we dream. ”
“You don’t fool me.”
“I’ve got no desire to fool you or justify myself to you. The water is delicious. This is the best time of day to freshen up. But it’s time for me to get out now.”
“It’s going to get dark soon and Mono Harris hasn’t come. ”
“I know.”
“And we’re running out of drinking water. ”
“Move over, Clemen, I want to get back in the boat.”
“All we’ve got left is this one tin of sardines. Nothing for breakfast tomorrow.”
“What about the hard-boiled eggs?”
“There was one left. I ate it while you were taking a nap. My guts were churning.”
“You’re a disgrace! So I get one sardine more than you.”
“Don’t mess with me, Jimmy. We’ll go halves. ”
“One extra sardine for me to make up for the egg.”
“What we should do is get the hell out of this swamp and find a shack where we can get some food and water. ”
“We agreed to wait till tomorrow morning.”
“I won’t be able to sleep thinking about waking up without food or water.”
“Don’t be a fool. You’re better off sleeping. Your anxiety will only make you more thirsty and hungry.”
“Let’s get out of here now, Jimmy, before it gets dark! I’m really getting desperate. It’s useless to wait if Mono Harris isn’t coming. Tomorrow will only be worse: by then we’ll be dying of hunger and thirst!”
“If we leave now, it’ll get dark when we’re halfway there, we’ll have to light the lamp, and we’ll be an easy target for the soldiers. I’ve explained it all to you. We’ll leave at the first light of dawn.”
“The soldiers aren’t going to be riding around at night through these canals.”
“Oh, yeah? What about the boat that passed right by us the first night we were here?”
“Those weren’t soldiers. ”
“We’re not going to discuss this again, Clemen.”
“Let’s eat the sardines, then.”
“We’re going to wait a few hours.”
“Why? I’m hungry now. It’s already getting dark. It’s dinner time. I’m going to open the tin. ”
“No. We’ll open it in a few hours so we won’t be so hungry in the morning.”
“Give me that tin, Jimmy!”
“I said no. Don’t be an ass.”
“You’re the ass! Give me that tin! There are four sardines, two each.”
“I’m not giving you the tin and there aren’t two each. There are three for me and one for you. Stop fucking. ”
“God damn sonofabitch!”
“It won’t do you any good to insult me.”
“Okay, so I’ll take a sip of water. I’ve got this burning in the pit of my stomach. I need to drink something. ”
“You’re not going to finish the water, either. ”
“Fuck you, Jimmy! Give me that water!”
“Calm down! We have to ration the water even more, otherwise we’ll be so weak from thirst we won’t be able to do anything.”
“Give me the damn water, asshole!”
“Stop shouting like a madman! And calm down unless you want me to break your neck!”
“What, you think I’ve got my hands tied behind my back?! Give me the water and the sardines!”
“Calm down! You’re going to capsize the boat!”
“Give them to me, you motherfucker!”
“Let go! If you so much as touch me I’ll smash you one, Clemen!”
“Don’t you push me, you piece of shit!”
“Let go of me!”
“Give ’em to me!”
“Oh no, we’re capsizing!”
7:50 p.m.
“You see, there’s enough moonlight for us to navigate. We can still leave, Jimmy. ”
“I told you not to talk to me. I don’t want to know you’re here.”
“There’s no reasoning with you.”
“Shut up!”
“We still have one oar. ”
“Shut your damn trap. ”
“We can go near the hamlet and look for the guide’s house, or one of the oarsmen. I’m sure they’ll give us water and food. ”
“Do you not understand? Silence!”
“The more time passes, the more desperate we get. ”
“If you weren’t my cousin, I would have already drowned you. ”
“You would be capable of killing me, Jimmy?”
“I’m never going to forgive you. Because of you I lost my gun.”
“It wasn’t only my fault, we both. ”
“You are a total moron.”
“It wasn’t your gun, anyway, it was Mono Harris’s. And it’s right there, in the water, nobody’s going to get it. Mono Harris can come back with some fishermen and bring it up in a net.”
“Don’t start again, Clemen, this time I’m not going to be able to control myself, and you’re going to end up getting very badly hurt. ”
“There you are, worried about the gun. The worst thing is that we lost our drinking water and the sardines.”
“It’s your fault we have no way to defend ourselves and nothing to eat or drink. It’s also your fault we lost the lamp and the other oar. You’ve worn out my patience.”
“If you don’t want to row, I could start rowing with this.”
“You’re completely useless. You don’t know how to row. You don’t know how to do anything. You don’t deserve to live. Any one of my comrades shot by the firing squad is worth a hundred of you. ”
“You’re just cross. ”
“How could I not be?”
“It doesn’t do any good to be angry.”
“Shut your big fat mouth!”
“What are you doing, Jimmy?”
“I’m starting to row, can’t you see?”
“We’re going to San Nicolás then? How great, you finally decided! Bravo!”
“Don’t get your hopes up. ”
“What are you doing? Why are you going deeper into the swamp? It’s dangerous, Jimmy! It’s totally dark!”
“Here’s the mangrove I was looking for. ”
“What for? What are you doing?”
“Me, nothing. You see that thick branch on your right?”
“Uh-huh. ”
“Climb onto it!”
“You’re crazy!”
“Climb onto that branch right now, or I’ll bash your head in with this oar!”
“You’ve gone mad, Jimmy! Calm down!”
“Climb onto the fucking branch, you bastard!
“You’re hitting me, Jimmy!?”
“I’m going to smash you to pieces, you sonofabitch, climb onto it now!”
“Why do you want me to climb onto it?!”
“Now!”
“Stop hitting me, you crazy bastard!”
“That’s it! Good! Up a tree, you bastard!
“You’ve gone crazy. ”
“You are going to stay right there. ”
“What are you saying?! Have you lost your mind?!”
“There, now you won’t bother anybody.”
“Come back, Jimmy! Don’t leave me here!”
“I’ll come back tomorrow with Mono Harris to get you. ”
“Jimmy! Don’t be so mean! Come back! I beg you! Jimmy.!”
6:15 a.m.
“All these canals look alike. ”
“Jimmy, are you sure we’re going in the right direction?”
“I hope so. We’ve got to take advantage of this early morning light.”