Part 28 (1/2)
We all got ht, even Sherry North, and she leaned against h the rain to our own cave
”You really are corrupting ht me down ”This is the first tiood cheer, , your next lesson in corruption follows immediately”
When I woke it was still dark and I rose fro lightly and evenly in the darkness It was cool so I pulled on shorts and a woollen jersey
Outside the cave the ind had broken up the cloud banks It had stopped raining and the stars were showing in the breaks of the heavens, giving ht to read the luminous dial of my wristwatch It was a little after three o'clock
As I sought my favourite pal in the storage cave I finished what I had to do and went up to the lighted entrance
The open chest stood where we had left it, as did the priceless golden head with its glittering eye - and suddenly I was struck with the consu terror that the miser must feel for his hoard It was so vulnerable
” - where thieves break in-” I thought, and it was not as though there were any shortage of theet it all stoay safely, and tomorroould be too late Despite the pain in my head and the taste of stale whisky in the back of my throat, it must be done now - but I needed help
Chubby roused to my first soft call at the entrance of his cave, and caht, resplendent in his striped pyja
I explained reee cave The plastic bags of gem stones we repacked casually into the iron chest and I secured the lid with a length of nylon line The golden head we shrouded carefully in a length of green canvas tarpaulin and we carried both down into the palas lantern
By the flat white glare of the lantern orked side by side, digging two shallow graves in the sandy soil within a few feet of where the gelignite and the FN rifle with its spare ammunition were already buried
We laid the chest and the golden head away and covered them
Afterwards I brushed the soil over them with a palm frond to wipe out all trace of our labours
”You happy now, Harry?” Chubby asked at last
”Yeah, I'et so the lantern and not looking back I kneould not be able to sleep again, for the spadework had cleared my head and roused my blood It would be senseless to return to the cave and try to lie quietly beside Sherry until dawn
I wanted to find some quiet and secret place where I could think out ame of chance in which I was involved I chose the path that led to the saddle between the lesser peaks and as I climbed it, the last of the clouds were blown aside and revealed a pale yellow h to show me the way to the nearest peak and I left the path and toiled upwards to the summit
I found a place protected from the wind and settled into it I wished that I had a cheroot with me for I think better with one of theover - but there was nothing I could do about either
After half an hour I had firained to this point The miser's fears, which had assailedthat the wolf pack was out hunting As soon as it was light ould take e had salvaged so far - the head and the chest - and run down the island to St Mary's to dispose of them in the manner which I had already so carefully planned
There would be time later to return to Gunfire Reef and recover what remained in the misty depths of the pool Once the decision had been htness of spirit, and I looked forward to the solution of the other
Very soon I would be in a position to call Sherry North's hand and have a sight of those cards which she concealed so carefully from me I wanted to knohat caused those shadows in the blue depths of her eyes, and the answers to many other mysteries that surrounded her That ti of the sky at last, dawn's first pearling light spread across from the east and softened the harsh dark plain of the ocean I rose stiffly frost the rocks, and picked my way around the peak into the wicked eye of the ind I stood there on the exposed face above the caarli stealthily into the open arms of the bay looked like some pale phantom
Even as I stared I saw the splash at her bows as she let go her anchor, and she rounded up into the wind showing her full silhouette so that I could not doubt that she was the Mandrake
Before I had recovered my wits, she had dropped a boat which sped in swiftly towards the beach
I started to run
fell once on the path, but the force ofdescent frole roll I was onwildly as I burst into Chubby's cave, and I shouted, ”Move, man, move! They are on the beach already”
The two of theelo was tousle-haired and blank-eyed from sleep, but Chubby was quick and alert
”Chubby,” I snapped, ”go get that piece out of the ground jurove in a fewon a shi+rt and belting his deniement ”I'll follow you in a ht of dawn
”Angelo, snap out of it!” I grabbed his shoulder and shook him
”I want you to look after Miss Sherry, hear?”
He was dressed now and he nodded owlishly at ed hied her out of bed and while she dressed I told her
”Angelo will go with you I want you to take a can of drinking water and the two of you get the hell down to the south of the island, cross the saddle first though and keep out of sight Climb the peak and hide out in the chimney where we found the inscription You knohere I mean”
”Yes, Harry,”she nodded
”Stay there Don't go out or show yourself under any circumstances Understand?”
She nodded as she tucked the tail of her shi+rt into her breeches
”Rea with”
”Yes, Harry, I know”
”Okay then,” I eo then” And they went out of the cave, Angelo lugging a five-gallon can of drinking water, and they trotted away into the palht haversack, a box of cheroots, matches, binoculars, water bottle and a heavy jersey, a tin of ”chocolate and of survival rations, a torch and I buckled my belt aroundthe strap of the haversack over my shoulder, I also ran frorove towards the beach
I had run fifty yards when there was the thud, thudding of s It was directly ahead of me and very close
I paused and slipped behind the hole of the palrove I sawtowards me and I loosened the baivknife in its sheath and waited until I was sure, before I called softly, ”Chubby?” The running figure swerved towardsthe IN rifle and the canvas bandolier with spare htly as he saw runted ”There are hundreds of the bastards”
At that st the trees
”Here they coive Sherry a clear run, so I did not take the path across the saddle, but turned directly southwards to lead the pursuit off her scent We headed for the swamps at the southern end of the island
They saw us as we ran obliquely across their front I heard a shout, answered immediately by others, and then there were five scattered shots and I saw the st the dark trees A bullet struck a pal fast and withinbehind us
I reached the edge of the saltentle slope of the hills I halted to listen and to regain our breath The light was strengthening swiftly now Within a short while it would be sunrise and I wanted to be under cover before then