Strike of the Shark by Bear Grylls

Author:Bear Grylls
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781448157631
Publisher: RHCP

CHAPTER 25

‘I can’t believe you were just telling my mum what to do.’ James looked at Beck with respect as they clambered over a fallen tree trunk. The centre of the island was a dense cluster of trees and bushes. They were out of sight of the sea, though they could still hear the sound of waves breaking.

‘If we’re all going to survive,’ Beck said with a shrug, ‘we have to do it together. Everyone has to do something. We can’t carry passengers.’

And he couldn’t deny that, deep down, he had enjoyed giving instructions to Abby Blake. He had guessed that being told what to do by anyone was a rare experience for her, and James had just confirmed it.

‘Yeah, but . . . Never mind.’ James stopped and his gaze ran up a palm tree in front of them. ‘Hey, look – coconuts!’

Beck followed where he was staring. The palm tree rose up a good ten metres or so and, sure enough, there was a cluster of them at the top, where the leaves emerged. They were the size of footballs and green, each one wrapped in a layer of leaf.

‘That’s cool.’ Beck was very pleased to see them. They couldn’t live off coconuts for ever, but the flesh inside the shell was nutritious and the coconut milk was refreshing and hydrating. ‘We’ll gather some up later. For the time being we’re just looking for water.’

‘Do you think there’s any animal life here? Apart from us?’

Beck stopped and rested his hands on his hips. His gaze travelled slowly over the tightly packed bushes. ‘To be honest, I doubt there’s anything larger than an insect around here.’

The island was uninhabited. He was certain of that. The trees and bushes were too dense. There were no natural pathways because no one, human or animal, had pushed a way through them before.

But there would be insects. They got everywhere.

‘Yeah? I had French-fried caterpillars in Mexico once. They were pretty good,’ James stated.

‘Cool! Well, maybe we can find some caterpillars to French-fry,’ Beck said with a smile. James didn’t get squirmy over eating insects: that was another good sign. Other people would, and Beck was prepared to bet that James’s mother was one of them.

It would still be nicer to eat fish, or maybe crabs. He could get them from the shoreline. They would have to cook them, because though fish is OK to eat raw, raw crab can be toxic.

But water was the main thing at the moment. He knew they would struggle to collect enough evaporated sea water to live off. If they could find a spring – even a pool that wasn’t stagnant – that would be perfect.

James kicked his heel at the ground. The earth was a dirty mixture of sand and pebbles.

‘There has to be water down here or the trees wouldn’t be growing. The roots must be reaching down to water underground.’

‘True, but it might be a long way down. If we dig a well, then water will soak into it – eventually – but we might not get enough back to make it worthwhile.

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