Part 29 (2/2)
”I can cook them. I found part of an old boat, and I've plugged up all the holes in the shelter, and I only light a fire at night. Could I fish here?”
”Too big a sea close in. I've got some in the boat. I put out a line as I came across. I'll leave you some.”
”And have you a bottle--or a bailing-tin? Anything I could bring home some water from the pools in? I have to go over there every time I need a drink, and in the dark it's not possible.”
”You can have the bailer. It's a new one and sound.”
”Now tell me, Bernel, if they find out I'm here what will they do?”
”They might come across and try and take you, unless they cool down; and that won't be so long as that Julie and Peter talk as they do. She makes him do everything she tells him. He's a sheep.”
”And if they come across, what do you and Nance expect me to do?”
”You've got my gun,” said the boy simply.
”Yes, I've got your gun. But do you expect me to kill some of them?”
”They'd kill you,” said Bernel, conclusively. On second thoughts, however, he added, ”But you needn't kill them. Wing one or two, and the rest will let you be. With a gun I could keep all Sark from landing on L'Etat.”
”Suppose they come in the night? How many landing-places are there?”
”There's another at the end nighest Guernsey, but it's not easy. And it's only low tide and half-ebb that lets you ash.o.r.e here at all.”
”How about your boat?”
”She's riding to a line. Tide's running up that way, but I'd better be off.”
They stumbled through the darkness and the sleeping gulls, which woke in fright, and volubly accused one another of nightmares and riotous behaviour--and Bernel hauled in his boat, and handed Gard the tin dipper and three good-sized bream.
”If you can't eat them all at once, split them open and dry them in the sun,” he said. ”They'll keep for a week that way.”
”Tell Nance I think of her every hour of the day, and I pray G.o.d the truth may come out soon.”
”I'll tell her. It'll come out. She says so,” and he pulled out into the darkness and was gone.
And the Solitary went back to his shelter, secure in the knowledge that the tide was on the rise, and half-ebb would not be till well on into next day. And he thought of Nance, and of Bernel, and of all the whole matter again; white thoughts and black thoughts, but chiefly white because of Nance, and Nance was a fact, while the black thoughts were shadows confusing as the mist.
He could only devoutly hope and pray that a clean wind might come and put the shadows to flight and let the sun of truth s.h.i.+ne through.
CHAPTER XXIV
HOW HE SAW STRANGE SIGHTS
Living thus face to face with Nature, and drawn through lack of other occupation into unusually intimate a.s.sociation with her, Gard found his lonely rock a centre of strange and novel experience.
Situated as he was, even small things forced themselves largely upon his observation and wrought themselves into his memory. He found it good to lose himself for a time in these visible and tangible actualities, rather than in useless efforts after an understanding of the mystery of which he was the victim and centre.
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