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Thomas took great care in shaping the mound of soil and cinders, pat-
ting it all over with his earshell.
He sat back and was wiping his eyes when he became aware of
the captain standing beside him. Turning his head and looking up, he
saw Tobit holding two sticks tied together to form a cross. The cap-
tain extended them toward the grave, without a word, proffering them
to be used as a marker. It was an unsure move, made twice as if he
were begging for them to be accepted. Thomas rose to his feet and
stared into Tobit s eyes, still empty of any wit or capability. He grabbed
the sticks from the captain, wrenched them until the cord holding
them together broke, and then pitched them away, one in one direc-
tion and the other in the opposite direction. Then he growled,  I will
return here some day and see to it that there is a proper marker set
upon this grave.
He spun around and stalked to the hut. Inside, he found his old
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fur blanket, and then searched about for anything else he could use:
skins, rope, twine, potatoes, and smoked fish. These items he placed
on the fur and gathered up its edges to form a bundle. The officers
watched but spoke not a word as the lad shouldered the load and
walked past them.
After marching a few minutes through the grass, he pulled the bun-
dle from his shoulder and carried it in his hands. It had settled against
his back and irritated the welts. Thomas was heading for the shallows
at the far end of the island, leaving the officers with another vague
guess as to where his hideout lay. He had not gone a half-mile when
he discovered a sheet of red-brown water creeping through the grass.
It flowed an inch or two deep and spilled into each depression it
reached. He knew he would have to keep going to the northeast or
even make a wide detour to the north, for he guessed the small streams
that drained to the east must now be full to their banks, making them
at least waist-deep. They would not be safely fordable with a torrent
in them rushing toward the coast. He padded through the spreading
water and veered to this left when it became deeper than his ankles.
He might as well take that course, he thought, for if the mate was
watching perhaps it would confuse him. A third of the way across the
plateau he had reached the upper end of the second stream, stopped,
and dropped his load to take a rest. Behind him he discovered that a
deep vee opening had been washed in the side of the volcano. At its
lower end, the water of the lake was still rushing out. All the green-
ery and earth in its path had been carried away. Entire trees were
half-buried in the delta of mud and rocks that had formed where the
flood met the flatland and spread out into slower-flowing streams. He
wondered how much longer it would take to empty the lake. If the
side of the mountain continued to wear away, then the water would
not cease flowing until it reached the level of the plateau or the cav-
ity was entirely voided.
This was not how he had wanted their situation to end. Christo-
pher could not have known the officers were suspicious, and he had
to take some risk. No! he suddenly thought, Chris did not have to
MOTOO EETEE 317
take that risk. He could have lived without the extra food Chris had
brought. That was only to allow him more time to work. He could
have left off making the sail. It would have been much wiser to take
all the skins the night they planned to leave. They could have sewn
them together and fixed them to the mast once they were beyond the
surf. But it was too late for such caution.  Impatience! Impatience! he
accused himself. Poor Christopher was now buried back there because
he had not been clever enough to think all through to the end.
He turned and resumed his slow crossing of the plateau. Since
Christopher was dead, he had to rethink his plans. He would not leave
immediately, but when the weather promised a several good days. With
only one in it, the canoe would be lighter and perhaps safer. The Indi-
ans of the Brazils wandered miles out on the ocean with their flimsy
creations. His was sturdier and so he should not be less brave. Even
if the winds were blowing fresh and the swells were high, he would
launch if the officers came to his side of the island. For some unde-
fined reason, he didn t think they would, yet it would be wiser to trust
the ocean rather than the captain s whims. For the present he would
remain concealed and finish his work. He meant to continue all the
precautions he had taken before.
Thomas continued beyond the second stream. For at least half
the way to the shallows he could be seen if he were walking upright.
Tobit might regain his senses and return to his old tricks and mad-
ness. When he looked back to the hut and reckoned he could not
see a man if one stood there, Thomas turned toward the east coast.
He didn t plan to descend to the shore and make that laborious trip
again, hopping from stone to stone, to his retreat. He would wait till
sunset when he couldn t be observed from any distance and then return
along the plateau s edge and reach it with far less effort. Most of the
flood would be drained by then, he imagined, and the streams he must
cross would be fordable. Upon nearing the rim of the flatland, he
determined to take a rest. He dropped his bundle to the ground and
looked across the grass behind him the instant he arrived. Then he
sat on the ledge and watched the waves break below.
318 MOTOO EETEE
Twelve hours ago he had been nearing the cache, expecting to find [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]