If they hadbeen told they might have taken to the
boats.
Theboy lay with his hands behind his
head.
Anthony sat in the cabin that morning immensely
self-satisfied. The four Foulahs had fired straight into the focsle
door.
And even thatwould soon exhaust the now depleted
supply.
Anthony nodded approval of these independent
sentiments.
He took his place in the shadow of the mast and
leanedagainst it.
In this case I shall HAVE to believe you. I trust
youunderstand my precarious position with Señor Gallego.
It was the falsetto voice of the captain. It was
possible that the cook and hisboy might be counted on to stay with the
ship.
Mongo Tom no like him people come say how-do
Gallego ship.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTHE CREW GO ASHOREAll night the
Ariostatica gradually drew in toward the land. His favourite was now bunking with
the rest of the crew. I talk only with him, snapped Anthonyin French. It is agreat
gift but their help is worth it. Besideshimself he had Juan, Ali Bongo and his four
other Foulahs, thepilot, and his two Kru boys. He was within a fewfeet of Anthony
before he saw him. To have had the same trickplayed on him twice!
Don Ramón sat acrossthe table too tired with rage
to be angry any longer.
In a few hours Anthonyknew she would raise the
coast. The tidal basin here was about a mile across.
He saw the captain standing on thefocsle with a
smoking pistol in his hand.
Doubtless that was why the mate had stayed below
solong that morning. But the sightof so luxurious and self-hypnotized a dreamer had
amazed andfascinated him. He discovered later that the mans legchain had been cut
through. It was just at this point that Anthony felt a final crisis with thecrew
might occur.
Whatever came he meant to hold the
cabin.
The shipmoved upstream more and more sluggishly.
The smoke from the ships galley had drifted intotheir nostrils.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTHE CREW GO ASHOREAll night the
Ariostatica gradually drew in toward the land. The yachtishness of theAriostatica
emerged from years of grime. The ship felt the reliefsensibly and no longer
threatened to lay to.
Ispread them in the hold in front of the bulkhead
and waited.
This reachin particular was literally
dragon-haunted.
The ship bolted ahead like a whipped horse. A calf
like a huge, fat grub appeared swimming at itsmothers side.