Flight of the Jabiru (25 page)

“That's why fishing charters are growing in popularity,” Rick said. “Visiting Americans love fishing for big barra, although there are fewer of them lately with the perceived threat of Australia being attacked by the Japanese.”

“Do you think that will happen?” Lara asked. She was worried like everyone else.

“It's a possibility. Lately I've seen a few Japanese planes in the sky when I'm relocating crocs or fishing near the mouth of the sea. I've been wondering if they are scouting the area looking for military targets. Fortunately there's nothing around the wetlands of interest, so I doubt this place will be bombed.”

“That seems to be what the townsfolk think as well, although Monty still wants to be prepared with his bomb shelter. I really hope that Darwin isn't bombed, but I'm also glad I'm not living in the city at the moment.”

“Did you say bomb shelter?” Rick was amazed.

“Yes, he and the men in town have already started digging behind the pub. Apparently it will be big enough to hold everyone in Shady Camp.” Rick was silent, and also Lara hung to her thoughts. The topic seemed too threatening and did not fit into the glorious nature around them.

Some parts of the vast billabong were thick with flowering water lilies. Lara saw Jabiru and Ibis picking their way between the plants in the shallows, while smaller birds with bright blue or red heads scooted across the broad lily pads, chasing insects.

“The billabong is fresh water, but Shady Camp meets a saltwater tidal river at a natural rock barrage,” Rick explained. “It's a great place to fish.”

“Obviously it's the dry season and I've been told it hasn't rained for months, and yet there is still so much water about.”

“It might not look like it, but the billabong levels are quite low at the moment and the plains have dried out,” he said, pointing to vast dry areas either side of the lagoon. “That changes in the wet. After a big wet, the plains and creeks flood, and merge with the billabong, forming one giant wetland.”

As they slowly cruised along, Lara noticed vast marshy areas that would be completely inaccessible by land and not easily reached by boat. She imagined it would all look so different in the ‘wet'.

“Look, over there,” Rick said, pointing to the banks of the billabong, where a saltwater crocodile was sunning himself. “He's a good ten footer,” Rick added.

He was nowhere near the size of the monster croc, but he was still awesome.

Lara shuddered. “He won't be coming up to Shady Camp town, will he?”

Rick shook his head. “This is his territory, so he'll likely stay in this area,” he said. “If he doesn't, I'll trap him and move him a long way from here.”

The tour of the billabong continued, with Lara spotting many more crocodiles on the banks of the billabong, quite a few miles from Shady Camp. Rick also pointed out crocs in the water. Some swam close to the boat so he was able to explain the difference in the jaws of the fresh water crocodile and a saltwater crocodile. He also pointed out a flock of magpie geese in the shallows near reeds. They looked peaceful as they preened in the morning sun. Then suddenly, they erupted into panic, desperate to take to the air.

“There's a croc nearby,” Rick said, stopping the boat.

Sure enough a huge crocodile's head came out of the water. Lara gasped, instinctively clasping Rick's arm because there was an unlucky goose in the croc's mouth. It had died instantly after being crushed by powerful jaws. As the crocodile began to devour the goose, Rick explained that he must keep his head out of the water to eat as he virtually swallowed his prey without chewing it. “They have a valve that closes in the back of the throat when they swim, keeping water out, but it must open to eat,” he said.

“Ugh,” Lara cried, turning away from the gruesome sight.

Rick put his arm around her and steered the boat in another direction. “That's life out here, Lara. It's a beautiful place, but it can be savage.”

Lara knew he was right. She decided it was best to think about something else. “It was nice of you to invite Jerry along today,” she said.

“The offer was genuine, but I'm kind of glad he couldn't make it,” Rick admitted with a flirtatious smirk.

Lara didn't say so, but she was, too. It was nice that it was just the two of them, getting to know each other.

They were cruising near shady trees that overhung the water. Even though the sun was not yet directly overhead, the day was heating up quickly, so it was nice to escape under shady trees. Rick turned the boat's engine off and tied a rope to one of the bigger overhanging boughs.

“How about a cup of tea before I give you a fishing lesson,” he said.

“I'm ready for one,” Lara said. She'd noticed there was the odd dead tree in the lagoon, the white trunks, and stark branches standing out against a backdrop of green vegetation. Rick pointed out kingfishers sunning themselves on the branches.

“What killed the trees?” Lara asked.

“They might've died when too much salt water flowed into the lagoon.”

After a cup of tea and bread smeared with jam, Rick baited a fishing hook with a small fish from his bait box.

“There is likely barra hiding in the submerged tree roots and snags around this embankment, waiting for prey,” he said in a quiet voice as he added a weight to the line. “We'll drop the line and then slowly reel it to the surface, repeating this action until the barra strikes.” He demonstrated what to do and how to avoid snagging the hook, and then Lara did it.

“If a barra takes the bait, you'll feel the strike, as it's violent,” Rick said. “Then he'll make a run for it.”

Lara felt excited but nervous.

“There's a skill to reeling in a barra without breaking the line but I'll show you when you get one hooked,” Rick added.

Lara dangled the line and then slowly brought it to the surface before casting it again, trying to lure a barra, but she didn't actually expect to catch one.

Rick was setting up his own fishing rod when Lara suddenly squealed. “Something happened, Rick. I felt it. What do I do?”

“Keep calm,” Rick suggested, enjoying her excitement.

Lara's reel started spinning. “What's happening?” she cried.

“Whoa,” Rick said, putting his own rod down. “That's a good sign. You must've hooked a good-sized barra or maybe a saratoga.”

“Help me, Rick,” Lara cried. “It feels like I've got Moby Dick on the line.”

With his arms wrapped around her, Rick showed her how to reel the fish in without breaking the line. He pulled on the line, wound the reel, and then let the pressure ease, repeating the action. With his strong arms around her, Lara was distracted.

“There's something heavy on the line,” he said excitedly, his breath against her hair. “It looks like your first fish is going to be a big barra.”

Lara was terribly excited as slowly the fish was reeled to the surface. When it was alongside the boat, Rick used a net to lift it out of the water. “Will you look at that?” he said with pride as he held up the net, which was barely big enough to contain it. “It's a whopper!” He laughed with happiness as he struggled to lift the fish over the side.

“It's enormous,” Lara said, with mixed feelings.

While she held the handle of the net, he released the hook from the mouth of the fish and clasped it in two hands. It thrashed and was slippery, but he managed to hold it up proudly. “This fish is at least twenty-five pounds, maybe thirty,” Rick said, delighted for Lara. “Talk about first time luck!”

“It's ... beautiful,” Lara said with less enthusiasm as she gazed at the fish, gasping for life. It had unusual shaped fins and a tail that was golden. It appeared to be looking at her, pleading for its life.

“What's wrong?” Rick asked, perplexed as he looked at Lara's sad features.

“That poor fish has been alive for many years,” she said imagining him as a tiny spawn.

“He could be twenty years old or more, but today you caught him.”

“I don't want to be responsible for this being the last day of his life.”

Rick looked at her in silence for a moment. “Are you saying you want me to throw him back? He was going to be our lunch!”

Lara's eyes widened. “Lunch! Oh, no! Throw him back in the water, please, Rick.”

Rick's features slowly split into a broad smile and his eyes grew warm. “You're as bad as me with the ducks I feed,” he said, holding the barra over the side of the boat. “Are you sure?”

Lara nodded. “Let him go,” she said.

“Looks like it's this barra's lucky day,” Rick said as he dropped the fish back into the lagoon. They both watched as it swam to freedom.

“Thank you,” Lara whispered emotionally as she placed her hand on his arm. She was so relieved that he wasn't cross with her. “I couldn't eat that fish. You understand, don't you?”

Rick turned to face her. “You know I do,” he said tenderly. He puts his hands on her shoulders. “It was a thrill catching him though, wasn't it?”

Lara nodded. “But it felt even better letting him go,” she said. She looked into his dark eyes, so tender and warm, and her heart began to race. She noticed his gaze briefly went to her slightly parted lips. She was certain he was considering kissing her, and she wanted him to.

“I hope you don't mind jam sandwiches again,” Rick said, smiling.

Lara shook her head because she didn't trust herself to speak and she didn't want the moment to pass. But Rick dropped his hands from her shoulders.

“So does this mean you aren't coming fishing with me again?” Rick asked with laughter in his voice.

Lara looked into his smiling features. “I might, but I'll watch you fish,” she said.

“Will I have to throw them all back?”

“We'll see,” Lara said with a mischievous grin.

That evening Lara was too restless to read, so she visited the hotel. They'd arrived back in Shady Camp at around four o'clock because Rick wanted to visit his croc trap before it got dark. He'd taken her to every corner of the billabong and even into Sampan Creek. Lara had thoroughly enjoyed the day, and especially his company.

“So how did the day go?” Betty asked her eagerly.

“It was wonderful,” Lara gushed. “I had no idea that the billabong was so vast and beautiful until we were out on it.”

“Did you try fishing?” Colin called from along the bar, where he was talking to Monty.

“I did, and I caught an enormous barra.”

Monty laughed. “What do you call enormous? Anything weighing less than twenty pounds caught in the Top End is considered small fry,” he said.

“Rick said my barra was close to thirty pounds,” Lara said proudly.

“Wow,” Betty said. “Not bad for your first fish.”

“Wait till Rex hears about that,” Colin said, impressed.

“Did you have it for lunch?” Betty asked.

“No.” Lara glanced at each of the three excited faces. “I got Rick to throw it back.”

“What? That's a mortal sin,” Monty stated, his eyes wide in horror.

“The poor thing was gasping and he must've been quite old to get to that size. I was much happier having a jam sandwich for lunch.”

“A jam sandwich!” Colin looked bewildered.

“Strewth! There's no hope for you,” Monty said, shaking his head. The two men turned their backs in disgust.

Lara wasn't surprised that they thought she was crazy, but she didn't regret her decision. “They couldn't possibly understand,” she said to Betty. “But Rick was good about it.”

“Don't take any notice of those two,” Betty said. “Fishing is practically a religion to the men around here.”

“I suppose I've given them another reason to laugh at me,” Lara said thinking of the monster croc and their jokes about her smelling like fly spray. There was nothing she could do about it.

Betty leant closer. “I'm more interested in hearing about whether there was any romance between you and the handsome croc hunter,” she whispered.

“I think he wanted to kiss me,” Lara returned in a whisper.

“But he didn't?” Betty was disappointed.

“No. Unfortunately! I really wanted him to.”

Betty's eyes lit up, but Lara blushed admitting something so personal, even though it was the truth.

“Many times I've been out with a potential suitor and dreaded that he might want to kiss me. But today I felt differently. Rick is so unlike any man I've met before. He doesn't constantly pay me compliments, which is a nice change, and he makes me laugh all the time. I wish he'd kissed me.”

“Maybe next time,” Betty said encouragingly.

“You must think me brazen for saying something like that,” Lara said.

“If I was out with such a handsome man, I'd be thinking the same,” Betty admitted with a twinkle in her eye. “So we've established you weren't smooching, so what did you do all afternoon?”

“We had a good look around the billabong and then Rick moored the boat at a lovely spot in Sampan Creek and we just talked for hours about every topic, including our families and where we grew up. He's a wonderful listener, and he sees everything in a positive light, even his injury in the war. I admire the fact that he's not bitter, although he claims to be affected emotionally.”

“You sound quite taken by Mr. Marshall,” Betty said with a raised eyebrow.

“He's so much fun, Betty. Even though I'll be glad when the crocodiles around here have gone, I'll be sorry to see Rick move on.”

“What about Jerry? Do you like him, too?”

“I admire Jerry, and he's also attractive in a different way, but he's so ill at ease most of the time and that makes me feel tense. Even when I make jokes to lighten the mood, he fails to respond.”

“He's not normally like that. In all the years I've known him, he's been confident and charming, sometimes quite witty. But whenever he gets around you, he's not himself. I wish you could see the real Jerry.”