Hunting the Dragon

by Peter Dixon

  He looked at her directly—one mammal in need of another. “Chatter. I’m wiped out. I need you to tow me. Now, please. Let’s get going. Tow.”

  Her head went down, and with a strong beat of her fluke, the dolphin swam off so rapidly that Billy had to grasp the surfboard to keep from sliding off. As they sped across the water he realized that the dolphin was heading in the approximate direction of Samoa. How in the hell did she know which way I wanted to go?

  The young man and the dolphin continued southwestward—Billy paddling when his strength permitted, and Chatter towing him more and more frequently. Sunburn now reddened every inch of Billy’s exposed skin. Blisters erupted on the back of his legs. No rain had fallen to replenish the empty water jug, and Billy was becoming dangerously dehydrated.

  At noon on the seventh day, he gave up attempting to paddle and collapsed on the surfboard. He was close to giving up and allowing the sea to take him. Just to drift into some long sleep where there’s lots of water and a little shade now and then.

  The dolphin looked at Billy and sensed his state of resignation. She knew that her kind often met death with a resigned stillness. That was normal, but he was not of her kind, and she swam to nudge him with her beak. She poked his side, but this time Billy did not move. She pushed against him even harder. He rolled off the surfboard into the water and came alive. She saw the surprise on his face and was glad. Chatter splashed him with her fluke and turned to push him back onto the surfboard. She thrust her beak through the leash loop and began towing him once more. He lifted his head and saw far-off clouds. They were white puffy ones that form over land. And not too far forward of the clouds, flocks of seabirds skittered over the surface diving for bait fish. Far off, the faint outline of a high gray-green island showed in the distance. “Look at that, Chatter! That’s land! There’s water there! And food, and shade, and everything! We did it! Just one more day!”

  The dolphin heard his excited sounds and they gave her a warm glow of pleasure.

  With renewed energy, Billy slipped the leash off her beak and began paddling slowly for the faraway island. At sundown he collapsed from exhaustion. Chatter swam to him and nuzzled his neck. He made sounds and rubbed her head. She liked his touch and understood he wanted to go to the island. She slipped her beak through the noose and swam on. Echolocating ahead, she detected the reef fronting the beach and the schools of fish swimming amid the coral. She was hungry, but that want would soon be satisfied.

  He awoke to the sound of waves breaking and he opened his eyes to stare at the island. A hundred yards off he saw a long curving beach with several outrigger canoes sitting on the sand. Behind the shore was a small village of thatched palapas sitting under coconut palms. Still farther back, forested mountains thrust into the sky.

  He stroked Chatter and said, “You must have towed me all night.”

  Billy began paddling slowly for the beach. Where the gentle swells turned into waves, he stopped to look at the village. People were staring in his direction. As he hesitated, unsure of what to do next, Chatter rubbed her beak against his leg. He looked down at the dolphin and knew she couldn’t be with him anymore. He touched her lightly and said sadly, “I gotta go now, Chatter…to be with my kind.”

  He slid into the water and put his arms around the dolphin. Holding back tears, he climbed back on the board and murmured to her, “God, how I love you. Have a good life, Chatter.”

  He looked back, saw a small wave building, and paddled to catch it. As weak as he was, Billy couldn’t resist a ride. He slid down the face of the little breaker and came slowly to his feet. He glanced back, looking for Chatter. All he saw was the dazzle of sea and sun that had punished him so mercilessly. The world spun. Little bright stars filled his mind, and he fell.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Coconut oil rubbed gently into his sunburns, daily bathing in fresh water, and a diet rich in greens, fresh fish, and ripe fruit helped Billy to recover quickly. Even so, it was two days before he realized he was lying in a hammock under the shade of a palm frond hut. He opened his eyes to take in a small village facing a sparkling lagoon. Next he saw several children and an old white-haired man staring at him. The memory of his long, arduous paddle came back with a rush, and Billy asked, “How long have I been here?”

  Children giggled and the old man said with a slight English accent, “Two days, young man. We’re very glad, indeed, to see you looking so chipper. Now, rest. Later, tell us where you came from and we can sort out what to do with you.”

  “Where am I now?”

  “Totua Island, Samoa, a day’s sail east of Pago Pago.” The old man smiled and added, “And a world away from earthly cares, dear fellow.”

  “You’re English?”

  “Let us say I’ve had a British education. Now rest.”

  As Billy recovered, he watched the fishermen launch their pangas at dawn and return each noon with the catch. On the third day, Billy felt strong enough to walk to the shore and help them carry fish up to the communal trough where they were cleaned and divided among the villagers. His blistered skin was healing quickly, and he looked forward to paying his keep by going fishing with the men. As he struggled across the hot sand he stared beyond the gentle, spilling waves. The blueness stretched to eternity. After a long moment he turned from the water and realized he had been searching for Chatter. He hoped she had found a pod to join.

  At the end of his first week on the island he pulled the small sketch pad out of his frayed, salt-encrusted getaway bag and he began drawing pictures of a dolphin. The island children encouraged him with laughs and shouts of delight. He found himself making fast outlines of Chatter leaping out of the water and realized he was thinking about her all the time. One of the little kids jabbed a finger on the drawing and then pointed toward the lagoon. Then they shouted in their singsong English, “Billy! Billy! Da same kind in the water. Come quick!”

  The excited children pulled Billy to his feet and led him to the beach. He looked over their heads toward the lagoon and his heart pounded. It couldn’t be Chatter. She was gone. It must be another dolphin. They gestured out beyond the little waves and he saw a dorsal fin slicing through the calm water. He whistled and called her name, as he had done so many times. He held his breath. Suddenly the dolphin surged out of the sea, her head turning in the direction of his voice. Billy ran for the lagoon shouting, “Chatter!”

  He sprinted through the shallows, with the children racing behind. In chest-deep water she leaped again and swam for him. Then she was nuzzling against him, quivering with that wonderful life force that had helped Billy survive his long ordeal. He grabbed her fin and she began towing him toward shore. When they were among the excited children he let Chatter go and she swam among them. They shrieked in fear and ran for the beach. He called Chatter to him and began stroking her. The children stopped and watched the young man playing with the dolphin. He waved them closer and they cautiously eased up to her. Within minutes, Chatter’s affectionate response to the children eased their fears. With Billy helping them, they soon were taking turns being towed about the shallows.

  In the late afternoon, when the ocean breeze stilled and the sun’s glare softened, Billy sat beside the water drawing quick sketches of Chatter, who floated only feet away. She seemed to like posing, or she was happy being with him again. After the paper was crowded with her likeness, Billy stood and waded out to show the dolphin his drawings. Chatter cocked her head and whistled approval. Billy thought with astonishment, She recognizes her image. I wonder if…?

  He began another drawing, a fast outline of Lucky Dragon. He placed the sketch before Chatter. Watching for her reaction he asked, “How do you like this one?”

  The dolphin whistled her distress call. With a tremendous leap, she turned to race for deeper water. She dove and then surfaced to wag her head rapidly, expressing alarm. Billy called her back and she slowly approached him. She recognized Lucky Dragon’s shape. That means she comprehends symbols, and we can unders
tand each other by drawings. Could we really learn to communicate that way?

  As Chatter swam closer, he held up the drawing of the tuna clipper. Though still agitated, Chatter didn’t flee. Instead, she lunged at the paper, ripping the sketch out of Billy’s hands. With her beak, Chatter shoved the drawing of the clipper underwater, battering it back and forth until the sodden paper was shredded and drifted apart. He was dumbfounded and thought, You reminded me of a promise I’m going to keep. He bent down, put his face against Chatter’s, and whispered to her, “Want to help me find Lucky Dragon and get that guy?”

  Billy explained his vow to the white-haired elder, who said, “You have taken on a quest as difficult as the search for the Holy Grail. Where is it you want to go first?”

  “Suva, Fiji, where I signed aboard. From there, I’m not sure how to get to Costa Rica, but I will.”

  “And your friend from the sea?”

  Billy shook his head as if unable to plan that far ahead.

  The elder explained, “Suva is easy. There’s the mail schooner, but after that you must use your wits. And I tell you one thing, young man: not everything is as it seems.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  Two weeks later, the interisland schooner eased against the Suva docks, and Billy looked about the harbor. The little Westsail that he had admired was still anchored off the seawall in front of the bench, where he had painted the sturdy sloop. And the For Sale notice still showed in the cabin window.

  As the schooner brushed against the dock, Billy made sure Chatter was alongside. He called to her, and she poked her head up and whistled at him. He was amazed at her loyalty and endurance. She had cruised beside the mail schooner all the long sail to Fiji and seemed as energetic and curious as always.

  He jumped off the boat and walked along the harbor wall with Chatter swimming after him. He wasn’t worried about her. She often vanished for hours, only to return and take up her position forward of the schooner’s bow, often surfing its wake. Billy called to the dolphin, “Hey, Chatter. If you get hungry, don’t wait for me. I’m heading into the town for a real restaurant.”

  Billy walked on, following the seawall and froze in his tracks. Fifty yards ahead floated a small ship he had seen before. He remembered the twin dolphin logo on her bow and the Zodiacs lashed to the stern. It was the same vessel he had stared at from Lucky Dragon’s helicopter.

  He broke into a fast walk. When he was alongside the gangplank, he looked up to the bridge. The young woman he had admired through the magnification of Arnold’s binoculars was standing by the railing cleaning the lens of a video camera. She was even more lovely at close range and filled her T-shirt and tight shorts with graceful, muscled curves. Billy had been right. She was amazing, and he felt something more than physical. He continued to watch her until she sensed his interest and turned to glance down at him. Their eyes met and held for a long moment. She smiled faintly and asked, “Do I know you?”

  Taking the initiative, Billy grinned at her and started up the gangplank. “We’ve seen each other before, and I’ll bet you dinner tonight you can’t guess where.”

  Billy won the bet. Dinner was at sunset, on Salvador’s aft deck. Billy, Sarah, Captain Seeger, and a few of the crew sat around a hatch-cover table under an early rising moon. When Benny Seeger learned that Billy had sailed aboard Lucky Dragon, he insisted the young man recount his ordeal.

  Billy was finishing the story of his misadventures and sensed Captain Seeger’s disbelief. He could see that Sarah was fascinated by his tale, and there was no doubt she accepted the truth of his words. Several of the other young crew members were nodding, but all were waiting for the captain’s verdict.

  Billy went on, “…so when I get my act together, and a boat, Chatter and I are going after him. I don’t know exactly how we’re going to pull it off, but we’re going to stop what he’s been doing!”

  Sarah frowned, showing doubt for the first time. With a tone that suggested that Billy might be brain-damaged, she said, “You and that dolphin? You’re dreaming.”

  He shrugged and grinned innocently. The captain leaned forward and spoke to her. “Don’t you understand, Sarah? He knows how Gandara operates, where he fishes, and he’s the only witness we have to his activities.”

  She faced Billy and asked, “About that cannery buyer, could you identify him again, and the company name?”

  “Sure. The guy was some yuppie wimp. And it’s Universal Brands. Their tuna’s in all the supermarkets. You know, Sea Fresh Tuna. And you gotta remember their stupid commercial with Tommy the dancing tuna….”

  He began singing the melody to the old jingle. “Sea Fresh Tuna hits the spot. A lot of food value in the can we got. In salads and sandwiches you’re going to love Sea Fresh! ”

  Sarah appeared uneasy and spoke to Benny, bringing the conversation back to business. “We might have a case a judge would listen to, if we can prove Universal Brands is in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.”

  “And it would be three years before a trial. And if we won, they’d only pay a slap-on-the-wrist fine. How many more dolphins are going to die between now and then? We’ve got to change our plan.”

  Seeger stared at the younger man as if making a decision about him and said, “I buy that you were aboard Lucky Dragon, but really, as much as I find dolphins incredible, it’s hard to believe that you and…”

  Billy stood and looked down at Seeger as if accepting his challenge. Without a word, he left the table and walked quickly to the stern. He gazed across the shimmering water as the others moved to join him at the railing. He thought, You’d better be there.

  He put his thumb and index finger between his lips and whistled loudly, then called into the night, “Chatter!”

  He held his breath. Nothing. Where was she? From across the harbor came her answering click-ticking. Moments later, Chatter surfaced beside the ship and leaped out of the water. She surged upward as high as the railing. Before she fell back the dolphin seemed to hover and stare at them.

  Billy felt his love go out to her. Sarah gave Billy a surprised look and said, “I’ve read about dolphins becoming attached to people, but in all the scientific literature—”

  “Forget science. She saved my life.”

  Benny put an arm around Billy’s shoulder and led him back to the table. Billy had a feeling he was being courted, but he let the captain do the talking. “You’re going to need a place to bunk and eat. So how about moving aboard? And think about joining the crew.”

  He noticed that Sarah gave the captain a frown as if she didn’t approve of the invitation. Seeger ignored her and prompted, “How about it, Billy? We have the same goals. Sail with us.”

  Billy took a bite of grilled steak. “You eat well on Salvador.”

  “This is dining. At sea, we eat and chase pirate tuna clippers. What do you say?”

  He turned his attention to Sarah. He felt a romantic hunger rising and saw that she sensed his interest. She turned her eyes away, and Billy shifted his attention back to Seeger. “It’s a tempting offer, but there’s Chatter. At Salvador’s speed, she couldn’t keep up all the way to Central America.”

  Getting back to business, Sarah asked, “How often does Gandara put into port to unload?”

  “I couldn’t say. He sold his catch once while I was aboard, to that American cannery in Samoa.”

  “So how would you get close to him?” asked the captain.

  “In a small sailboat that Chatter could follow. Like that Westsail sloop anchored behind us. He wouldn’t suspect that. With any luck I could get photos or video of him killing dolphins.”

  “You may be right. Every time we get close, he sends up his chopper and hauls ass.”

  Benny rushed on as if he were an admiral planning a sea battle. “So you find him with his net out, shoot videotape, and we’d be right over the horizon waiting for you to radio us.”

  “Then what?”

  “When he’s stopped dead in the wat
er, we charge in and ram him!”

  “Hey, I’m not in this to kill anyone. And besides, he’d recognize me.”

  “We’ll disguise you. Grow a beard. Hell, he thinks you’re dead.”

  Sarah leaned forward and said, “He could be fishing anywhere from Peru to Mexico. How would you find him?”

  “Chatter could,” Billy said with confidence.

  Seeger lifted a hand to signal that he had heard enough and was about to make a decision. Offering a carrot of temptation, the captain asked, “Do you think that little sloop would do the job?”

  Billy turned to look longingly at the moon-silvered outline of the Westsail.

  They stood on the seawall inspecting the boat. The beamy, canoe-ended sloop showed the ravages of weathering, but to Billy’s eyes she was a beautiful, seaworthy little vessel, and the floating embodiment of his dream. He turned to Benny and Sarah and said happily, “The Westsail’s a class boat. I’ll bet there are a couple hundred of them sailing around the world right now. They’re proven blue-water cruisers, and that one’s set up to sail single-handed.”

  Sarah regarded this intense young man who had so unexpectedly entered her life. He was bringing forth emotions in her she didn’t want to feel. Still, she liked his boyish, enthusiastic grin. “Billy, it’s so small—”

  “Oh, hell, Sarah. Don’t be a worrywart,” Benny muttered. “That’s the size boat we want. The elephant and the mouse. David and Goliath, remember? What do you think, Billy?”

  “She’ll do if the rigging and hull are sound,” he said, trying to project a confidence he didn’t really feel. He had sailed a lot off Southern California, but always within sight of land. The thought of an open ocean, of deep-water passages from Fiji to Central America, seemed beyond him. He glanced at the water where Chatter cruised back and forth and asked himself if he would be leading her on some fool’s crusade.

  Benny turned to Sarah and ordered, “Have her hauled out. If she passes a survey, we’ll make an offer.”