Coastwatcher by David Hill

Author:David Hill [Hill, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780143775973
Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand
Published: 2013-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

All four of them went. ‘I tell the elders you are not white,’ A’ata said to Wally. ‘They wish to see you.’ He gave Les a cool stare. ‘You can come or stay.’

‘I’m lookin’ after these two,’ the Aussie said ‘So I’m comin’.’

They rested till the afternoon. ‘One of us on watch all the time,’ Les muttered to Frank and Wally. ‘And keep an eye on that character.’

That character seemed happy to sit and gaze across the sea below. While Frank dozed, he heard Wally and the Solomon Islander laughing together. ‘Keep the noise down, eh?’ snapped Les, where he lay with rifle beside him.

When it was his turn to keep watch, Frank also talked to A’ata. (After all, it was the easiest way to keep an eye on him.) The young man’s father had died from a stingray spine when A’ata was a boy, he told Frank. He had dreamed of visiting Australia and New Zealand some day, to learn new ways of farming. But after the Japanese came, he could not travel, so he caught turtles and fish and wild pigs; read any books he could find, to help his English.

Frank told A’ata about New Zealand, tried to describe snow (A’ata nodded) and geysers (A’ata stared), didn’t say anything about his TB. The young Islander had his own troubles; there were the scars on his hands — and on his arms and legs, Frank saw now. He looked like he needed a good feed.

The four of them ate lunch. Once again, A’ata ran his fingers around the inside of the tinned meat; took every morsel. Les was searching through one of the food boxes, pulling out biscuits, chocolate, tinned meat. ‘Take some of this for your village.’

The two New Zealanders stared in surprise. The young Islander also looked startled — and pleased. ‘Thank you. That is kind.’ Les shrugged. ‘Yeah, well, we’re the good blokes, eh?’

We are, thought Frank. And it’s a clever idea to show it.

They reached the beach just after 4 pm. The wireless lay hidden near their camp, up behind them. The High World: Frank liked that name. Les and he had carried the set into the jungle; then the Aussie jerked his head and they set off in another direction. ‘So we’re the only ones who know where it is, right?’

They climbed down the cliff — A’ata seemed almost to float down — and waded along ths stream bed. A’ata was in front; Les next, with rifle unslung; Wally and Frank in the rear.

They sloshed through ankle-deep water, the young Islander’s bare feet treading on rough stones with no sign of discomfort. White shafts of light slanted through the green canopy above. Butterflies drifted and dazzled by the water. Frank realised he was smiling. He was on his way to an unknown meeting. There might be danger; there might be the enemy. But just think of the things he’d be able to tell Betty and his mum about when he finally left this place.

As glittering white sand and blue water began to show through the trees ahead, Les stopped them.

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