by Chris Ryan
'I agree,' said Paulo. 'I too have been on a trek through the rainforest, back home in South America. For one week we were walking and camping. I especially liked to learn about the campfire cooking.'
'Always the food,' giggled Li and Paulo beamed at her.
'So, you two have the experience,' said Hex, looking at Alex and Paulo. 'You tell us, what do we do now?'
Alex looked at the debris scattered across the beach. 'You can start by giving me an update on what's been salvaged.'
It turned out that most of the boat, including the piece he had been attached to, had washed up on the beach at some time during the night. The stern of the boat had come ashore with the locker doors still firmly latched shut and the boots, socks and blankets stowed away inside, as well as a coil of thin, nylon line. They had even managed to salvage the two rucksacks, both still tied securely to the safety line Alex had been caught up in.
'The boots and socks will be useful, once they have dried out,' said Paulo. Alex nodded in agreement. He had lost his deck shoes in the sea, and so had Amber. Li, Hex and Paulo were still wearing theirs, but the thin canvas would not last long in the rainforest. With good boots and socks, at least their feet would be protected.
'The blankets too,' said Li, looking around at the thin shorts and T-shirts they were all wearing. 'We'll need the blankets at night.'
And you have your survival kit,' said Paulo, pointing to Alex's belt. Alex patted the pouch there and felt the reassuring shape of the tobacco tin. He pulled it out and checked the contents. Everything was dry. He picked out the little bottle of aspirin and hesitated, wondering whether he should take some now or try to conserve them. He decided that, if he was going to function properly over the next few, crucial hours, he needed to have a clear, pain-free head.
Alex shook the tablets onto his hand and was about to chew and dry-swallow them when Li held out a lemonade can, filled with water from the big plastic bottle. 'Go on,' she said. 'We've all had some. That's your share.'
Resisting the urge to ask her how much water was left, Alex smiled gratefully and took the can. He sipped slowly, letting the water wash around his dry mouth before swallowing. It tasted fantastic.
'And this is your share of the food,' said Paulo, handing Alex a glossy, green leaf-plate, holding a small mound of mashed banana and squashed apple, and a cereal bar, still wrapped in foil. Alex frowned.
'You've all had this much for breakfast?' he asked. 'Have you saved any food at all?'
There was an uneasy silence.
'There's half a storage tin of cooked rice. That's all,' admitted Li.
'It's her fault,' said Hex, jerking his head towards Amber who folded her arms and stuck her chin in the air. 'She wouldn't take no for an answer, just kept saying how she had to eat right now, like she expected a butler to come running out of the jungle with a silver tray or something.'
'I see,' said Alex, mentally rearranging his list of priorities. The food was nearly gone and nothing he could say would bring it back. With a shrug, he reached for his share. He slipped the cereal bar into his pouch, determined not to eat that until they had found a fresh water supply. The fruit was a different matter. It was bruised and mashed from the battering in the boat and he could see that it would soon spoil in the tropical heat. He lifted the leaf to his mouth and, suddenly realizing how hungry he was, he wolfed it down and licked the leaf clean while they pointed out the rows of blankets, socks and boots they had laid out to dry on the sand. They had also collected a pile of wood from the shattered boat and stacked it above the high-tide line, ready to light at the first sign of a plane or a ship.
'Only trouble is,' said Amber, looking out at the empty sea, 'there's nothing to signal to.'
They were silent, remembering how far they were from any flight path or shipping lane. Their chances of rescue were looking very slim.
Alex shook himself. 'Come on! They'll be searching for us right now,' he said. 'But we're going to need some green wood piled up next to the signal fire. Leaves and ferns, too. If we want to send a signal during the day, we pile them on the fire once it's burning well. They'll make plenty of pale smoke which will stand out against the forest. At night, when we want good, bright flames, we only use the dry wood.'
'OK,' said Paulo. 'Let's get going.'
They worked quickly, gathering green wood from the fringes of the forest and piling it next to the wood from the boat wreckage. Alex made a nest of kindling in the base of the dry woodpile and, finally, covered the whole thing with the plastic sack which had held the boots. Although it was officially the drier season in the archipelago, there were still evenings when hours of monsoon-heavy rain fell after the humid heat of the day. If the dry wood and kindling became soaked, they would not be able to light the fire quickly when they needed to signal, and that could prove to be disastrous.
'Good,' said Alex, stepping back and mentally ticking one task off his list.
'What now?' asked Li.
'Shelter, water, food,' said Paulo, simply. He pointed to the rainforest. 'We should find everything we need in there.'
After a short discussion about who was to do what, Alex showed Hex how to use the flint from his survival tin and they left him on Watch Duty on the beach, ready to light the signal fire if necessary. The other four changed into their walking boots and arranged to meet back at the signal fire in three hours' time.
Li and Amber struck out along the beach to climb the headland that lay beyond the eastern end of the lagoon. They had Alex's compass and were planning to map out as much of the island as they could from a higher vantage point. They also carried a can of lemonade, a rucksack for storing any food they managed to find, the coil of nylon rope and the empty plastic water bottle in case they came across a fresh water stream.
'Remember,' called Alex. 'If you find water, bring it back to camp! No matter how fresh and clear it looks, we need to boil it first!'
Li lifted her hand, acknowledging that she had heard him, but neither of them looked back.
'Perhaps I should go with them, for protection?' said Paulo, gazing after Li.
Alex watched the two girls striding away from them along the beach, each carrying a stout stick. They looked much fitter than he felt and very capable of looking after themselves.
'Listen to me, Paulo,' he sighed. 'Li is trained in martial arts, she could climb a greasy pole if she needed to and she can probably put a name to every plant and animal on this island. And Amber – she can navigate and read maps better than any of us. What could you add to that?'
'My strength,' said Paulo, sticking out his chest and flexing his muscles.
Alex laughed. 'Yeah, well I need your strength more than they do. We'll be doing the heavy work. Come on, let's go.'
NINE
Paulo and Alex walked to the other end of the lagoon and started a systematic search of the fringe of rainforest which edged the beach. For nearly two hours, they worked their way along the forest fringe, moving in a series of small squares which always started and ended on the beach.
The trees were smaller and more widely spaced at the edge of the forest and sunlight penetrated through their branches to the forest floor, where dense undergrowth grew in the rich covering of leaf mulch. Alex and Paulo had to fight a way through and progress was frustratingly slow. The undergrowth was full of thorns and they kept a constant look-out for snakes. It was hard going, but it was also very successful. Because the trees were smaller and draped with vines, it was easy to climb up to the level where fruit or leaves grew and, every time they emerged from the forest, they brought something out with them.
When they took a rest after two hours, Alex and Paulo had gathered a good selection of supplies, which were laid out on the beach beside them. There was a bunch of small, green tropical bananas, a pile of enormous, glossy banana leaves, a few yams and mangoes, some cut vines and a big stack of green bamboo canes. It was a good result, but still Alex was starting to get worried. He had been searching all morning and
still had not found the one thing he really wanted. A game trail. Once they had a game trail to follow, he was pretty sure it would lead them to fresh water.
Alex picked up a mango and split it open with his knife. He cut the flesh away from the flat stone at the centre of the fruit, then handed half of it to Paulo.
Paulo armed the sweat from his face. 'That is enough, I think?' he said, hopefully, nodding to the pile of supplies. 'We have found a lot.'
'No,' said Alex. 'We need to go back in.'
Paulo groaned. 'I knew you were going to say that.'
'Not yet, though,' grinned Alex. 'We'll rest a while first.'
Paulo immediately settled back against the trunk of the shady tree they were resting under and closed his eyes. Soon he was snoring gently. Alex was too worried to doze. Back home in Northumberland, listening to his father, he had been sure he could survive in a tropical rainforest. Now he was actually in that situation, he felt a lot less certain of everything. What if he had already stumbled right over a game trail without noticing it? Alex looked across at Paulo and felt slightly reassured. At least the South American had some practical experience of tropical conditions, but how could he sleep so easily? Alex scowled in irritation as he finished his half of the mango. He took out his knife and whittled two new wooden handles for the flexible saw, then he took a small piece of sandstone from his knife sheath and honed the blade of his knife until it was back to full sharpness.
When he had finished, Paulo was still deeply asleep, but Alex could not delay the search for water any longer. His head was thudding with pain again and he knew it was only partly caused by his scalp wound. A headache was also a sign of dehydration. He forced himself to his feet and woke Paulo. This time, he had decided that they would plunge into the forest and keep going on as straight a line as they could manage until they found what they were looking for.
By the time they stumbled onto a game trail, they were both sweating hard and panting for breath. Their arms were streaked with thin lines of blood from thorn scratches and the mixture of blood and sweat had attracted a cloud of whining mosquitoes.
'This is a game trail?' asked Paulo.
'Yes,' grinned Alex, still slightly dizzy with relief that he had found one. 'Quite a well-used one too.'
'How can you tell?'
'See all the tracks in the mud there?' asked Alex. 'They look like deer tracks to me. And see how there are no twigs or branches growing over the trail? That's because there's a regular flow of traffic moving along here. There'll be water at the end of this trail.'
'Infierno!' cursed Paulo, standing in the middle of the game trail and swatting mosquitoes. 'They are fierce – and so annoying!' He grinned. 'They remind me of my little sisters.'
'Here,' said Alex, bending and scooping up a handful of soft mud from the side of the trail. 'Use some of this. It might help.'
They smeared the mud all over their faces, necks and arms in a thick layer. It was wonderfully cooling and it did seem to give some protection against the mosquitoes.
'Ah, yes,' said Paulo. 'The mud pack. Good for the skin. I will be even more handsome after this.'
Alex gave Paulo a sideways glance, wondering whether he was serious. Paulo looked back at him, his face caked with stinking mud and his eyes dancing with amusement. He was sending himself up. Alex grinned and shook his head as he hammered a stick into the ground to mark the spot where they had come out of the forest. He was beginning to like Paulo. He might have a lazy streak a mile wide, but he worked hard when he had to and he always seemed to stay cheerful.
'How long left before we meet up with the others again?' asked Alex.
Paulo cleared the mud from the face of his Rolex watch. 'Just under half an hour.'
Alex stared along the game trail which led into the deeper, primary forest on the lower slopes of the mountain. There was water that way, he was almost sure of it, and water was essential to their survival. Without it, they would not live for more than three days.
'Right,' he decided. 'We'll give ourselves ten minutes to explore the trail before we turn back.'
They had taken only a few steps along the trail when a single, high shriek, full of pain and fear, rang out from somewhere up ahead. Instantly, the steady singing of the crickets was switched off and the forest was plunged into silence. Alex and Paulo froze where they stood.
'Dios Mio!' whispered Paulo. 'The girls!'
'No,' said Alex, relaxing a little as the crickets resumed their song. 'It came from further up the trail. An animal. A dying animal.'
'You mean something – killed it?' Paulo shuddered. 'Do we go on?'
Alex stared along the narrow track, trying to see what lay ahead, but the forest crowded right up to the edge of the trail. Finally, he shrugged. 'I think we must,' he said, starting to walk again. 'We have to find water.'
'And the animal?'
Animals mean water,' said Alex, over his shoulder.
Paulo hesitated, then grasped his stick more tightly and followed Alex. 'I hope the others are safe,' he muttered uneasily.
TEN
Amber shrieked loudly, then shrieked again.
'Eeeuuww! Get it off me! Get it off!'
Li rolled her eyes heavenwards and turned to see what the problem was this time. Amber was balancing on one foot in the mangrove swamp and holding the other leg clear of the green, stinking water.
'What?' said Li.
Amber pointed a shaking finger at the back of her knee. A very large leech was hanging there. It was olive green in colour, with lines of small, black dots along its length. The body below the mouth was distended into the shape of a pear, the rounded end full of blood. The leech was pulsing slightly and its glistening skin was streaked with Amber's blood, which was also dripping steadily into the swamp water.
'That's going to attract more of them,' observed Li, pointing to the pink tinged water.
Amber flinched, then turned and scrambled up the gnarled root of a mangrove tree until she could perch clear of the water. Li swung herself up beside Amber with one, easy motion, then bent to look at the leech.
'It's nearly full,' she said, calmly. 'It'll drop off soon.'
'Take if off now!' demanded Amber.
'I can't do that,' said Li. 'We need some heat or alcohol or something to make it let go. If I try to pull it, the head will come off and the jaws will be stuck in your leg. Then it'll get infected and—'
'I want it off now,' moaned Amber.
'Hey! It's your fault we're up to our knees in a mangrove swamp!' snapped Li. 'You're the one who insisted we came back this way!'
She turned away from Amber and pushed her long, black hair away from her sweaty face, trying to figure out when things had started to turn sour. The first part of the morning had gone well. They had worked their way around the coastline until they came to the mangrove swamp. Then they had headed inland, following a game trail and stopping to gather ripe, orange pawpaws and wild figs on the way. The game trail had taken them neatly around the swamp to the base of the headland. From there, it had been mainly hard, uphill walking, with one final, short section of real climbing, which Li had managed easily. Once she reached the top, Li had anchored the nylon line to a rock outcrop and lowered the other end for Amber to tie around her waist with a bowline. To Li's surprise, Amber had climbed slowly but well, following her route almost exactly. Li made sure she kept taking in the rope as Amber climbed, keeping it taut just in case, but it was never really needed.
At the top of the headland, they had discovered a tiny, fresh-water run-off, where they filled the plastic bottle to take back with them. Then they had found a rock to lean against as they rested together, sharing the can of lemonade and looking out to sea. They had scanned the sea again and again but saw only featureless water, stretching to the far horizon. There were no planes, no ships and no other islands.
Discouraged, they had turned their backs on the sea to study the geography of this side of the island. Below and to the east was their lag
oon, with the reef beyond. It was the only stretch of sand in sight. The rest of the coastline was a hostile mixture of mangrove swamps and rocky headlands. Behind them the rainforest stretched like a huge green, moving sea and above them the mountain climbed skyward. Li studied the shape and contours of the island for a long time. Finally, she sat back, satisfied that she had worked out and memorized the best route round to the other side of the mountain.
'Looks like we're on our own,' she said, looking out to sea again. 'The Phoenix could be anywhere out there.'
'But they must be missing us by now!' protested Amber.
'They may be missing us, but that doesn't mean they know where to find us,' Li had replied. 'They don't know about the current. They don't know we lost an oar. They have to search the most obvious places first. Today, they'll double back and search yesterday's route.'
That was when things had started to go wrong. Amber had turned sullen and difficult on the way back and had insisted that she did not have the energy to walk much further, so against Li's better judgement they had cut through the swamp instead of going round it.
Now Li snorted as she squatted next to Amber on the roots of the mangrove tree. 'Some short cut this turned out to be,' she said, swatting a persistent mosquito.
Amber was talking to herself in a trembling monotone. 'I can't believe it. Ten days ago I was sitting in the Savoy, having afternoon tea with my uncle. I was wearing a Prada dress and a pair of simple, diamond earrings. We shared a pot of Earl Grey and talked about buying a house in London. Now, I'm in the middle of a swamp, covered in mosquito bites with a leech hanging off my leg!'
Li hid a smile and turned back to the problem of the leech. 'You're wrong about one thing,' she said, looking at the back of Amber's knee. 'You don't have a leech hanging off your leg. It finished its lunch and left quietly, just like I said it would. See?'
Amber twisted to look at the back of her knee, then gave Li a weak smile. 'Sorry about the swamp,' she said. 'I was so tired and I thought it would be quicker. I was wrong.'