Uncharted Waters

by Steven Becker

  We sailed east. Close-hauled and just a few points from the wind, the ship felt different than the older brigantines we were accustomed to. With only two square-sails, the schooner was considerably more maneuverable. The masts rose higher above the deck and, taking the seas almost head-on, I was not as comfortable as on the slower, downwind ships. As I was getting my sea legs I saw a figure climbing toward me. Seeing it was Shayla, my heart leapt into my throat. Cresting a wave, we dropped into the trough and I watched her grab for an adjacent line for additional support. At least she was being careful and soon was beside me

  “She’s like an unbroken stallion,” she said with a smile that betrayed no fear.

  “Takes a bit of time to get used to.” I knew better than to ask or order her down, though she seemed steadier than I felt at such a height.

  “Thinking about your pa?” she asked, as she settled into the rhythm of the ship.

  “I never would have thought.”

  “Don’t let it cloud your judgment.”

  “Just have a look, then we’re off to the Horn.”

  “And a good day that’ll be.”

  We stood together in silence, both wondering what fate held for us. Some believed you couldn’t control your destiny, but I had a dream and was determined to see it through.

  As the crow flew it was only thirty miles between the islands, and as the sun was setting Bonaire appeared before us. The area I aimed to investigate was on the other side of the island, adding another ten miles, but the chart showed deep water, and if the wind remained favorable we would risk the detour at night. If nothing else, our experience had shown us that when treasure was involved it was best to act decisively. Leaving Shayla to keep watch, I climbed down to speak to Mason.

  “Deep water all around.”

  “I’m with you. The sooner we get this business over with the better.” He surveyed the water as if waiting for a ship to appear. Leaving him to his demons, I went forward to check on the divers. The gear was stowed and ready for tomorrow. It was up to me to find a use for it.

  With the wind coming out of the southeast, we dropped the hook in a sheltered inlet just shy of the northern point of the island. With only a handful of miles between us and our goal, I went below to try and get some rest. For once I was glad that Shayla had remained on watch and dropped to the bunk, where I immediately fell asleep.

  For the first time in weeks, I slept through the night. Hoping it was a harbinger of things to come, I rose with the sun and went on deck. The bell had yet to ring signaling the morning watch, and the ship remained quiet with only three men on duty. I relieved all but the man in the rigging and went to the binnacle, where I pulled out Mason’s chart and studied the island. There was little detail plotted, other than a small island near an adjacent bay.

  Trying to visualize the island from Henriques’s perspective, I ran my finger along the line marking the shore hoping it would somehow magically stop where the treasure was located. Before my divination worked I was interrupted by Mason.

  “If I were wanting to stash my loot, I’d think about here.” His thick finger landed on a small inlet just around the point.

  Small marks showed a rocky shore, just the kind of formation where caves were located. “It’s on the weather side, though.”

  “You’d be trying to hide something, you wouldn’t make it easy.”

  He was right about that. We’d found the treasure in Cozumel by a stroke of luck. A storm had dumped us into a cenote, one of the island’s underground cave systems, and the sudden flood had taken us right to it. I hadn’t thought about it, but Henriques placed it coming from the sea, not from land as we had found it. Dawn lit the rocky shore and I studied the island, trying to think like Henriques.

  “Right, then. Let’s have a look.” I moved my gaze out to sea, where a ship could come on us from any direction. “This whole area’s too exposed for my liking.”

  “You’re right about that. The minute we drop the skiffs, we’re sitting ducks.”

  I knew him to be a worrier and tried to waive my own fears. Moving to the mast, I yanked the cord on the bell. Heads popped up from where they had slept and the deck was soon awash in activity. Mason had the anchor hauled and we were underway. There was no need for full sail as our destination was only a few miles away, and by the time we reached the inlet we were ready to drop the skiff and see if my father was right.

  Chapter 43

  Under any other conditions the entry to the cave would have been invisible. With a light breeze the seas were near flat, and still the opening was only a dark sliver against the water. We’d passed it by twice before returning for a closer look. The coast was comprised of porous rock formed into cliffs from a long-past volcano. Though a different material from the limestone caverns in the Yucatan, the characteristics were much the same.

  The ebb tide gave us a better view into the dark cavern, but with the current streaming through it we would have to wait several hours to enter, or risk being swept out to sea. Setting a light anchor, I decided to take the opportunity to explore the area hoping to find an alternate, and safer, entry point. One of the divers and I swam the twenty feet to shore and climbed the rocky cliff. Rising less than ten feet from the water, the cliffs were easily scaled and we found ourselves on a flat plain.

  Scratching a stick into the thin layer of topsoil, I found the same material that lay exposed on the cliffs. As the sun beat down on us, we moved around the area looking for any anomalies that might help our search. We explored for a solid hour, finding nothing but dry soil, cactuses, and iguanas, none of which were any use to us. As we climbed back down the deep-blue water beckoned. The gentle mist created by the waves breaking against the rocks was refreshing, and looking down at the cave entrance I could barely see the water moving.

  The slack tide would allow us several hours to explore the cave. The skiff arrived to pick us up, and the diver and I remained in the water. Hanging onto the side of the small boat, the men above placed the helmets over our heads and adjusted the hoses. Not thinking that we would need to descend I wasn’t sure if the gear was even necessary, but I didn’t want to be caught unprepared. Once air flowed through the hoses, we gave the signal to each other and the crew above, then dropped under the surface.

  Immediately the shadows from the entrance turned the water around us near-black. Hoping there would be some light, perhaps from a lava tube, once we entered the cave, I felt around the perimeter of the entrance and, finding plenty of depth below us, descended and swam into the opening. Darkness enveloped us as the dim light from the entrance faded to black. Using my hands I tried to navigate the cavern, but without light the search was in vain. We had failed to anticipate the conditions and were not equipped to explore any further. The delay would cost us a day, but we now knew when the tide would be slack again.

  Reaching out to find the diver, who just a second ago had been next to me, my hand grasped nothing but water and I flung my arms around hoping to locate him. Disoriented, it took a long second to acclimate myself and, finding the dim light emanating from the entrance, I focused on that and breathed the stale air supplied by the pumps. A tug on my helmet brought me back to reality and I realized that as long as we retained our gear, there was no chance of becoming lost. The hoses were our life-line for both air and the outside world.

  The realization settled me down and I started back into the cave, this time swinging my arms in an attempt to find the other diver’s hoses. Once I found them they would lead me to him. Swimming with the cumbersome gear was near impossible and I settled into a dog paddle. My knee struck something hard and I found myself able to stand. Fortunately, the helmet protected my head when I slammed it on the ceiling of the cave, but still I saw stars from the impact into the hard rock.

  The cave appeared to be at an end, but I could still feel water flowing past me. Carefully I continued using my hands to feel in front of me. While we might be able to light the first section by floating lanterns inside,
as I eased myself sideways and down through a narrow opening that was fully submerged I realized that whatever lay ahead we would not be able to illuminate.

  All thoughts of the other diver were gone as I proceeded. If he had ventured this deep into the system I surely would have found his hoses by now. Assuming that he had fled the claustrophobic cave, I continued. After passing through the narrow channel, I could see light ahead and was able to stand. This time I rose slowly out of the water and soon felt the weight of the headgear.

  As I stepped out of the pool I could feel the temperature difference between the water and the air, the cause of the condensation. It was risky for me to remove the helmet. Once it was off I might not be able to replace it myself, but thinking back on the path I had taken to reach this point, there was only the one narrow section that was fully filled with water where I would have to hold my breath to swim through on the return. Kneeling down in the shallow water, I lay on my back and eased the helmet from my head.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I took my first breath, but the air was clean if hot and stuffy. I blinked, realizing it was sweat in my eyes and not just water. Thinking I might have stumbled on a portal to the underworld instead of a treasure cache, I blinked again and tried to find the source of the light. Slowly my eyes acclimated and I saw there wasn’t a single source, but many small flickers from the ceiling. I was soon able to see the sunlight penetrating the porous rock above me that evenly lit the entire cave.

  Leaving the headgear at the edge of the water I proceeded onto a beach that was more rock than sand, it looked like one of several of the black-sand beaches we had seen in our travels. Leaning over to inspect the material I saw what appeared to be a boot print. Unarmed and unprepared, my first thought was that I wasn’t alone. Standing in the middle of the cavern I was exposed and defenseless. There was nothing I could do about it except retreat back into the water. Taking several steps, I studied the small sections of sand interspersed between the rocks and saw several more prints.

  Standing frozen and exposed, calf-deep in the water, I waited. After a few minutes the only sounds I heard were the wind whistling through the same openings that filtered the light and the gentle lapping of the water on the beach. But my field of vision ended short of the cave walls, where there could still be danger lurking in their darkness. Though I can’t explain it, I’ve felt the presence of unseen men before. The thing was, I didn’t feel anything like that now.

  Moving out of the water I turned to the right and, being careful not to disturb any of the prints in the sand, proceeded with my inspection. Finding the sidewall of the cave, I used its rough surface to guide me as I moved to the left. After completing almost a full circle I found myself back where I had started—with no sign of treasure or man other than the footprints in the sand.

  Discouraged, I sat on one of the larger rocks. Thinking about what I was missing, I saw the headgear I had set on the beach jerk back. I jumped up and ran toward it, but it pulled back again, this time submerging. Entering the water, I reached for it—finding not the helmet, but Blue. I must have been gone longer than expected, or the other diver had returned thinking I was missing.

  Blue climbed out of the water and looked around. “Someone has been here.” He leaned over one of the prints in the sand.

  “It appears so, but I can’t make any sense out of it.”

  He continued to study the footprint, then moved on to the next. Watching him work, I couldn’t help but admire his skill in seeing what I could not. Instead of heading for the back of the cave as I had done, he continued following what appeared to be a man’s tracks.

  “Big man. Expensive boots,” was all he said as he followed the tracks of what he assumed was the leader of the party that had preceded us.

  I knew better than to interrupt him and followed behind, giving him plenty of room to work. Several times he clucked his tongue and backtracked. Thinking he was going to fare no better than I, he suddenly stopped near the back corner of the cave and stood on one of the larger rocks.

  I saw it then, a cluster of footprints surrounding the rock. But it wasn’t a single rock at all.

  Chapter 44

  Were it not for the footprints, I would have passed right by that section of wall. Blue had found it and I let him remove the first stone. Placed as skillfully as a master mason might have done, what appeared to be a solid rock-wall came apart one stone at a time. At first I was worried about destroying the footprints, but the excitement of the find overrode any desire to preserve history.

  The wall was soon at waist level and we peered inside to see an extension of the cave. It was a small area, but looked to be empty. I wasn’t discouraged, though, after seeing how well whoever constructed the stone wall had done their job. I suspected more of the same inside. Together, Blue and I removed the last of the stones and stepped inside the alcove. The same phenomenon that allowed light to filter into the rest of the cave permeated here as well.

  Blue had his nose to the ground like a bloodhound while I ran my hands over the rough rock of the walls. Inspecting every crack like it might have held the secret, I worked my way around, but found nothing. Leaning against the wall I watched Blue, who appeared to have narrowed his search down to one area.

  “There are no prints here,” he said, rubbing his hands over the sand and rock of the cave’s floor.

  “What do you make of it?”

  “These marks. They were made with a tool.” He lay flat on the ground, placing his eye level with the surface.

  I squatted to get a better look, but failed to see whatever he saw. “Do you think they buried something here?”

  “There’s no other explanation. Why go through all the work of building the wall and then bury it?”

  His question didn’t need an answer. If someone went to all this trouble, we had found what my father was looking for and it was likely substantial. “We’ll need more men and shovels.”

  “There could be traps.” Blue continued to study the ground.

  “Right, then. Only one way to find out. We won’t find it with just the two of us digging with our hands.” He nodded and rose. We could barely contain our excitement as we retraced our steps back to the pool of water. The headgear lay just outside of the water and I decided to leave it as a lifeline. Taking the bucket that was the helmet, I dragged the lines clear of the water and looped them several times around a boulder-sized rock. A tug on the hoses wedged the bucket into a gap in the rocks.

  With one hand each looped on the hoses we made our way back to the narrow passage. After taking several deep breaths I dove down, careful not to release my grip, and started pulling myself through. Reaching the other side, I breathed deeply and waited for Blue. His head appeared seconds later and we continued to follow the hoses. Either the tide had come in faster than I anticipated or we had been gone longer than I had figured. Either way the entrance was now below water. Treading water above the spot where the hoses exited the cave, we heard the waves crashing against the rock just outside the opening.

  Swimming through the mouth of the cave was not a problem; it was when we surfaced outside that the waves could grab us and slam us back toward the sharp rocks. There was no other way, except to wait for the tide to change, and by that time it would be dark.

  “Swim hard until you’re well clear,” I cautioned Blue as I inhaled. My chest was full and I dropped under. Keeping one hand on the hoses and the other ready to pull myself past the wall, I started to exit the cave. Light guided my progress and the white froth on the water above told me I had cleared the opening. But I knew better than to relax as a surge took me and, without my hold on the hoses, would have flung me against the cliff. With both hands now pulling me forward I was able to make some progress. Knowing the surge would end with a lull that released the water back to the sea, I waited and when I felt the surface tension change reached hand over hand, grabbing hose as I pulled myself clear of the wash. Blue was right behind me and we surfaced together.
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  The look on our faces must have said it all, but it was premature relief when I saw how close the skiff was to the cliff.

  “Row us out past the soup,” I called to the men manning the oar.

  We were soon pulled past the dangerous breakers and into the swell. The men pulled us aboard and we told them about the cave. When they heard that we hadn’t found anything I felt their spirits drop, but I assured them that what we had found was important, though it would have to wait for the morning.

  After returning to the ship I could feel the excitement in the air after Blue and I told Shayla, Lucy, and the rest of the crew. Mason was still opposed to putting the ship at risk by bringing it around the point, and we were forced to draw straws to see who would man the skiffs. Everyone was in a jubilant mood except for Rhames, who sat brooding off to the side. With our plan set, we settled in for what, at least for me, would be a sleepless night.

  The morning broke clear and calm, I hoped a sign of what was to come. Blue and I had been able to locate the opening from inside by the hoses running through it. As we sat waiting, it was impossible to see the cavern until the tide dropped enough to reveal the top of the opening.

  Blue and I were to go back, along with several divers with shovels and picks. I had embellished on the difficulty of the narrow passage to discourage the less-experienced from wanting to join us. As he hauled a rope in with him, we followed Blue into the darkness. After securing the line to a boulder, we moved immediately to the alcove.

  “Where do you think?” I asked Blue.