“And if they aren’t we could end up very dead!” Andrew snapped, “Now shut up and paddle.”
“Oh they wouldn’t hurt us!” Sarah gasped.
Tina had been saving her breath to paddle but now she snapped in exasperation, “Oh shut up Sarah! If they just shot one man then they will shoot us too because we saw it. Now row!”
“Paddle you mean,” gasped Andrew.
“What?”
“Paddle,” Andrew replied, between gasps. “These aren’t oars so we can’t row.”
Tina thought that a silly comment to make at a time like that but just shook her head and kept paddling. By then they were more than half way round the turn. She glanced over her shoulder at the men, noting that the second one was a big, solid brute with curly black hair and a moustache. The third man was tall and thin and had a beard and longish brown hair.
The first man was now only about 75 metres away. He again shouted at them, “Stop where you are! Stop or I shoot!”
“He’s bluffing surely?” Sarah cried, pausing in her paddling to look.
“He’s not! Keep paddling!” Andrew ordered.
Tina was really scared now and she snatched another glance over her shoulder, just in time to see that the first man had stopped and had raised the gun. “He’s going to shoot!” she gasped incredulously. It all seemed too unreal to be true.
Boom!
The sound of the shot echoed across the lake. Tina felt a stinging blow to her left shoulder and was astonished to see the water beside her suddenly whipped into a flurry by dozens of small splashes.
“Argh! Shotgun,” Andrew gasped. “Keep rowing.”
“Paddling,” Tina replied, as much to try to stop herself from becoming hysterical. Her mind was now screaming with mounting terror and she felt the edge of panic.
Sarah began to scream and stopped paddling. Tina tried to ignore her and concentrated on her paddling, dimly noting that they were now heading back the way they had come. “They tried to kill us,” she croaked incredulously.
Andrew grunted a reply, then shouted, “Sarah, shut up and paddle!”
Sarah kept wailing in fright and Tina noted that her paddle was now trailing in the water. She used her own to scoop it upwards. “Sarah, are you alright? Did they hit you?” she yelled.
Sarah shook her head but kept on sobbing and calling out. Driven by the instinct for self-preservation Tina reached forward and hit her hard on the shoulder. “Be quiet and paddle!” she yelled.
To her relief Sarah stopped calling out and began to paddle. All this time Tina had been mentally cringing and tensing in anticipation of another shot and she now glanced back. To her relief she saw that the man had stopped running after them.
“They’ve given up,” she gasped.
Even as she said this she heard the second man shouting, “Danny! Back to the boat! We won’t catch them that way.”
The motor boat! Tina felt her blood freeze with fear. ‘We won’t be able to outrun that!’ she thought. “They are getting their boat,” she gasped.
“I heard,” Andrew replied.
“We won’t be able to get away from that,” Tina said.
“We have to get back to the others,” Andrew replied, “It is our only chance. Now stop talking and paddle!” As he did he raised the small radio that was looped around his neck and called. Tina turned to look, anxious that they get radio communication with the adult officers at once. But there was no answer. Andrew tried again but then shook his head.
“Not answering. I’m not sure if it is transmitting. Keep paddling while I try again.”
Tina nodded and dug her paddle in. As she did Andrew called again. Still no response. Tina glanced back and said, “Maybe it’s got water in it?”
But the radio was in a plastic bag and Andrew held it up to show her it was dry. “No, and the battery symbol shows it has plenty of power.” He tried again but with each unanswered call Tina’s dread intensified. Sarah began to blubber and was obviously on the edge of hysteria. Andrew muttered an oath and then said, “Might be all this jungle screening the transmission. We should be right once we get around the point.”
With that he let the radio go and resumed paddling with deep, powerful strokes.
Sobbing with exertion and tensed by mounting desperation Tina paddled as hard as she could. As she did she glanced back, noting the three men run back past the body on the beach and on towards their launch. Even before the canoe had reached the tip of the peninsula she saw with dismay that the men had reached the motor boat. Two scrambled aboard, including the man Danny. The tall, thin bearded one stayed on the beach and shoved the motor boat out into deeper water. A second later Tina saw foam boil at the stern of the motor boat and it began to move.
“Oh no! Here they come!” she gasped.
CHAPTER 2
ESCAPE
By then Tina noted they were skimming through the stand of dead trees off the point.
“Andrew! Be careful we don’t hit a snag,” she gasped. She was becoming increasingly desperate as awareness of approaching physical exhaustion made itself obvious. Already she was panting, sweat was trickling down her face, and her arm muscles felt heavy and strained. ‘I don’t think I can keep this up much longer,’ she thought.
Then another worrying thought came to her as she glanced back at the motor boat, which was now accelerating at dismaying speed. “Andrew, watch out for those nets.”
“I will,” Andrew replied, his voice tense with anxiety.
Tina noted that they were almost scraping the beach and she glimpsed the mist net with the drowned cockatoo in it go slipping past close on her left. Then she saw that Andrew was aiming them at where she thought the first net was.
“Andrew, watch out for that net!” she cried.
“Just make sure your paddle doesn’t snag in it,” he replied. “If it does just let it go and dig out the spare.”
Tina was now looking anxiously ahead, hoping at any moment to see the other canoes. She thought she knew what Andrew had in mind but was doubtful if it would help. She also noted that he was still turning them to starboard, hugging the beach.
“If they look like catching up,” Andrew said between laboured gasps, “I am going to beach us and you are to run into the jungle.”
Tina glanced at the wall of greenery slipping by only ten metres away and was simultaneously cheered and depressed by its proximity. The jungle certainly offered some sort of safety but was also, in her limited experience, an unpleasant environment. Concern about becoming lost in the jungle flitted across her mind but she then smiled grimly, realizing that it was the least of their worries.
‘That will mean we are still alive!’ she reasoned.
Sarah glanced back and sobbed. “Oh where are the others!” she wailed. She was panting hard and now stopped paddling.
Tina gritted her teeth and forced herself to dig her paddle in and haul back. She found temporary relief in the fact that they had slid out of sight of the motor boat as they rounded the point but she could hear the sound of its motor growing rapidly louder.
Andrew called on them to paddle port side and began turning them to starboard, towards the beach. “Get ready to run for it!” he gasped.
As Tina glanced back the motor boat roared into view. She saw Danny kneeling in the bows and even as she watched she saw him point in their direction. The bow of the boat turned towards them.
By then the canoe was only metres from the beach. ‘We’ve left it too late!’ Tina thought, her heart pounding frantically. She saw the motor boat suddenly swerve and knew it was avoiding the mist net. Then it aimed straight for them and its motor roared. The bow rose and the spray flew higher and she knew it would be on them in seconds. Through eyes that seemed to be blurred around the edges she saw Danny lifting his gun up to his shoulder.
At that moment the canoe ran up onto the beach. “Out!” shouted Andrew. At the same time he dug his paddle in to keep the canoe steady.
Sarah rose unste
adily and dropped her paddle. Tina used hers to keep her balance as she untangled her legs and stood up. Then she leapt into the shallows. The water shelved faster than she had expected and she went in thigh deep. This caused her to stumble but fear kept her moving and she floundered up onto the beach in a flurry of splashes. By then Sarah had also climbed out. Tina paused and looked back, anxious that Andrew also escape.
She saw that he was scrambling to get out of the canoe but it was slipping back off the beach. Without thinking she pounced and held it steady.
“Run!” Andrew shouted. “Never mind me, run!”
Tina ignored him and he sprang into the shallows next to her. She grabbed at his sleeve as he stumbled and then looked up with resignation as the motor boat came racing towards them. By then it was only 50 metres away and she could clearly see Danny aiming his gun. Sobbing with fear she turned and began running up the narrow beach.
As she did she heard Danny shouting at them to stop. A peculiar change in his tone of voice made her glance over her shoulder as she reached the edge of the rainforest. To her astonishment she saw Danny bending forward over the foredeck of the motor boat. He was scrabbling to hold on and his gun was hanging over the side. With some astonishment she saw the barrel of the gun go into the water and be dragged out of sight.
The boat came to a shuddering stop and its motor began making loud rattling and spluttering sounds. Danny went on sliding and went slowly over the side. He managed to hang on but still went in over his head. The gun went out of sight.
“Stop! Stop!” Andrew called, snatching at Tina’s vest. “They’ve hit the other net. Quick! Back to the canoe.”
Sarah was already struggling to get through a tangle of vines beside Tina. The expression on her face was one of sheer terror and she only goggled and gibbered as Tina called to her. She had to grab Sarah and shout in her ear.
“Back into the canoe, quick!”
Shaking her head in fear and gasping great gulps of air Sarah turned and followed. Tina ran down the beach behind Andrew. The canoe had slid back out into deeper water but Andrew just dived in and swam out to it with a few strong strokes. By the time Sarah reached the edge of the water he had pushed it back into the shallows.
Paddles were then the problem. Tina and Andrew had both dropped theirs on the beach but Sarah’s was floating ten metres away. “Get in!” Tina cried, shoving Sarah towards the canoe. She snatched up her own paddle and tossed it in, then grabbed Andrew’s and handed it to him as he came splashing up out of the water.
“Thanks!” he gasped, adding, “Bloody hell, that’s cold!”
Sarah had got tangled up with their camping gear but Tina simply pushed her and said “Lie still!” She then scrambled in while Andrew held the canoe steady. Next she used her paddle to hold the canoe while Andrew shoved off and sprang aboard. It was now that the training and experience of the cadets paid off. The canoe rocked alarmingly as Andrew scrambled into position but it did not roll over. Paddles were brought into use and they began turning the canoe around.
All the while Tina had been flicking glances towards the motor boat, fearing that the other man might also have a gun. He did not seem to have and was busy swearing and looking over the back. Danny was still struggling in the water and to Tina’s dismay he reached up and slid the dripping gun into the boat, then moved to heave himself back aboard. As he did he yelled, “Help me Marco, you dumb shit!”
‘Maybe we should have run into the jungle?’ Tina wondered as, heart in mouth, she began paddling.
The motor suddenly cut out and in the silence she clearly heard a flow of obscenities issuing from the second man- Marco. Andrew back paddled and turned the canoe and got them moving again. Tina was now almost completely winded. She sobbed with the effort but grimly dug her paddle in and dragged it back. She had to wipe perspiration away from her eyes and was painfully aware of how unfit she was.
As the canoe began moving away from the motor boat she glanced back, still fearing to be shot. She saw Danny drag himself aboard and that got her anxiety up again. Then he began angrily gesticulating. Next he reached down and Tina’s blood ran cold as she saw him pick up the gun.
“He’s going to shoot again!” she sobbed.
“He’s a fool if he doesn’t check the gun first,” Andrew croaked, but he redoubled his efforts to paddle, glancing back every second.
Tina did likewise and saw Danny hold the gun downwards. The sight of muddy water dribbling out of the barrel gave her a great surge of hope. Then Danny broke the gun open and looked in before snapping it shut.
“Get ready to lie flat,” Andrew cautioned.
“Won’t the bullet just go straight through the canoe?” Tina asked, uncomfortably aware that the hull of the canoe was only a few millimetres thickness of fibreglass.
“It’s a shotgun,” Andrew replied, “And I think he’s only got bird shot. If we can keep paddling we will be out of range in a minute or so.”
Tina knew very little about shotguns but enough to understand that a rifle was much more deadly at long range. Having fired rifles at the range she was aware of their capabilities. She glanced back again and saw that Danny was now raising the gun to point it in their direction.
Andrew saw the movement as well and snapped, “Get down! Lie as flat as you can.”
He ignored his own order and dug his paddle in again. Tina cried at him to duck, her eye’s flicking to Danny. Thus she saw Danny shake his head angrily, then lower the gun and point off to their port beam.
A single look told the story. Sweeping into view around the next point were the other seven canoes!
“Saved!” she gasped.
“What if they try to shoot them as well?” Sarah wailed anxiously.
Tina thought this very unlikely and Andrew just snorted and said, “They are bird poachers, not mass murderers!”
Tina sat up and resumed paddling. At every stroke they slid another five metres away from the stationary motor boat. Each glance showed the distance widening and Andrew slowed down and said, “OK, take it easy. We are safe now.”
“What will we do?” Sarah asked.
“Warn the others then try to contact the police I suppose,” Andrew replied. He looked back repeatedly and then began calling out to the approaching canoes to stop. They ignored this until they were only about 50 metres off. Then they came to a bobbing standstill.
“Lieutenant Ryan sir! Stop there! Danger!” Andrew hailed.
Tina saw the black-bearded figure of Lt Ryan nod and then order the others to stop.
“What’s going on? What were those shots?” the officer called back.
“Those men shot someone on the beach and then chased us and tried to shoot us sir,” Andrew replied. By then they were only fifty metres away and he could lower his voice.
“You’re joking!” Lt Ryan called back, but Tina could tell from the look on his face that he believed them.
“Call the police sir, quick!” Tina called.
Lt Ryan nodded but first he turned to those around him. “All you people turn back and paddle. We will put some more distance between those fellows and us,” he ordered. Then he reached into his shirt pocket and extracted, not without difficulty because of the buoyancy vest, a mobile phone in a plastic bag. He turned this on and looked at it, then shook his head.
“No service,” he said.
“What about that emergency number you are supposed to be able to get sir?” called Ken George, the stocky lad sitting in front of the officer.
Lt Ryan shook his head. “No use. If there is no signal we can’t get it. We don’t have the transmission power. Get on the radio and ask Sub Lieutenant Mullion to get that safety boat here ASAP.”
Ken, who was Tina and Andrew’s divisional Cadet Petty Officer, picked up a radio handset and began calling. By the time he made contact all the other canoes had turned around and Tina’s canoe had caught up with them. That put them at least 300 metres away from the motor boat and she now felt much safer.
By then Andrew had added more detail to the story and Lt Ryan looked worried and grim. He tugged at his thick, black beard and nodded, his eyes continually watching the distant motor boat. Taking the radio handset he said, “We need the safety boat now. This is urgent! Never mind tuning the motor. Get it going and catch up with us, fast!”
“As quickly as we can. Ten minutes, over,” came the reply in a female voice.
‘Sub Lt Mullion,’ Tina thought, identifying the voice of their female officer.
“And get on that satellite phone and call the police,” Lt Ryan added.
“Roger that,” Sub Lt Mullion replied.
“What do we do now sir?” Andrew asked.
“We get a bit further away. We will cross over to the far side of the lake and slip past,” Lt Ryan replied.
Andrew pointed across the lake. “We should hug the shore sir, so we can run into the jungle to hide if they come after us,” he added.
Lt Ryan nodded. “That’s good tactics,” he agreed. He loudly instructed the others to do this, then set them slowly paddling.
With an effort Tina dug in her paddle and set to work. She was amazed at how tired she felt and at how her shoulder ached. ‘I must have pulled a muscle,’ she decided. She was also a bit peeved that Sarah just sat crying and shivering in the front. She was shaking herself but was determined not to give up, particularly in front of Andrew.
She glanced back at him and saw him looking across towards the motor boat, his handsome face a mask of seriousness. ‘Oh he is wonderful!’ she thought. ‘My hero!’
That cheered her and she was boosted even more when his bright blue eyes met hers and he gave her an encouraging smile. “Good work, well done!” he said.
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