Seas of South Africa (22 page)

But the motorboats never seemed to actually meet the larger boat, only to come close. That seemed strange. Why would they keep a distance? Unless, maybe they weren't friendly?

Anyone watching on radar would know we were coming. That didn't bother me too much because we could disappear easily enough. But from two miles away, I switched to battery power, slipped beneath the surface, and approached at periscope depth. Now, we would have suddenly disappeared from their radar. Anyone paying attention would have found that strange. The last thing I saw before I sealed the hatch and
went inside was the two motorboats spinning circles around the bigger boat.

From a mile and a half away, I thought I saw a flash of light through the periscope. It might have been the glare of the sun reflecting through the lens. We were approaching at eighteen knots, our fastest speed under water. They wouldn't know we were coming now unless they were staring at a sonar screen, which was extremely unlikely. None of the boats turned to meet us. But the two motorboats had stopped circling the other boat and were sitting in the water on opposite sides of it, about a hundred feet away. And then I saw the flash again. This time, I knew what it was. It was a rifle firing, from the boat in the centre. I turned the periscope to look at one of the smaller boats. It was the pirates! I was sure of it. There were six of them in the boat. It was them! They were heavily armed, and were shooting back. They were trying to seize the boat in the centre, but the crew was fighting back.

I looked at the boat on the other side. There were just two pirates on board. They were shooting, too, but not as much as they could have. They obviously wanted the boat, so they were trying not to fill it with holes. I scanned the boat in the centre more closely. I saw only one man in it. He was taking cover, and firing back whenever he could. He wasn't making it easy for them. I was glad. I wanted to help him.

We were close now. It was time to dive deeper, or steer away, or cut the power. I had to choose. But I hesitated. The pirates in the first boat moved closer, and fired into the cabin
of the bigger boat. This time, the captain didn't fire back, and I wondered if he had been hit. I swung the periscope quickly to look at the other motorboat. They were firing, too. We were so close now. I had to make a decision.

I should have turned. It's what I would normally have done. But I didn't. I wanted to let them know we were here, that the captain in the centre was not alone. Then, maybe they would back off. Or maybe they would chase me instead, and the captain could head for shore, if he was able.

Two hundred feet away, and closing fast, I raised our nose and broke the surface with the portal. As soon as we had air, I hit the engine switch and cranked it up all the way. I wanted the extra power so that we could come in as fast as possible, and churn up the water in between the pirates and the centre boat. That would make it much more difficult for them to shoot straight. I aimed by looking through the periscope, then pulled it down at the last minute. I didn't want it to get damaged if they shot at us, which they were surely going to do.

But that is not what happened. Just at the time I figured we were passing between the two boats, I heard a terribly loud bang, and something struck the bow really hard. It shook the whole sub. It must have been a grenade. They must have seen us coming, after all, and threw the grenade just as we were passing. It was well-timed. I sure hoped it didn't cause us any serious damage.

No, it wasn't that. A couple of hundred feet beyond the boats, I climbed the portal, opened the hatch, and looked
back. I couldn't believe what I saw. There, in the water, were pieces of the motorboat. It had been cut in two. All of the six pirates were in the water. They must have moved closer to the centre boat just as we came through. Had they not seen us coming at all?

My heart was racing. What if they couldn't swim? What if they were going to drown?

I swung around in an arc until we were approaching them again, then cut the engine, shut the batteries off, and scanned the water with the binoculars. As we drifted closer, I saw four men swimming or holding on to pieces of the boat. Where were the other two? I grabbed the lifebuoy, but was too far away to throw it. But I didn't want to move any closer, or the pirates would climb onto the hull and kill me. What should I do? What should I do?

Desperately, I grabbed the kayak, carried it up, and started inflating it. I thought I saw another man in the water now, but his head was down. Good Lord, what had I done?

The kayak was inflated in just a couple of minutes. I dropped it into the water and gave it a hard push towards the pirates. Then, I flung the lifebuoy with all my might, and it landed not too far away. They could grab it if they wanted to, to help their mates. But they never did. Two of the pirates took hold of the kayak and climbed in. The others still clung to pieces of the boat. I glanced at the centre boat and saw the captain wave. Then the other motorboat came speeding around from the other side. I ducked inside and pulled the
hatch down. A bullet ricocheted off the portal. I sealed the hatch, climbed down, and submerged again. I went under the centre boat and up the other side. I surfaced, opened the hatch, and called to the captain of the larger boat. “Hey! Are you okay?”

He came out from hiding. He was holding his arm. “I'm okay,” he yelled. “Just my arm. Thank you, my friend!”

“Can you sail?”

“No! The engine's buggered. Any chance you can tow me?”

I nodded. “Throw me a line.”

He waved with his good arm, crept low along the cabin to the bow, and tied a towing rope. He did his best to toss the rope across the water. I motored closer. “Can you watch them while I tie the line?” I yelled.

“You bet!”

I climbed out with the gaff, grabbed the rope, and tied it quickly to a handle on the portal. I kept my head down and one eye on the other motorboat. It was a smaller boat than the one I had destroyed. They had picked up three other pirates, and now all five were staring into the water. I didn't know if they were searching for pieces of the boat, or for their guns, or for their mates. I counted seven men all together, with two in the kayak. There was one missing. At least they had stopped shooting, and were waving to the captain not to shoot them while they rescued their mates. He could easily have shot them now if he wanted to. I was glad he didn't. They would have.

“Should I ride with you?” he yelled.

I shook my head. I didn't know if I could trust him. I didn't trust anyone here. With his boat in tow, I headed towards shore. I kept an eye on the pirates as we pulled away from them. Now there were seven of them in the one boat, and they were heading off in the other direction. Their little boat was dangerously overloaded now. It was low in the water, in danger of capsizing. And they had my kayak in tow.

Chapter Twenty-seven

I FELT AWFUL
. I had killed somebody. I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't seem to make it better any way I looked at it. Yes, I had rescued Mickey. That was his name. He was a wreck diver. They would surely have killed him, and taken his boat, and all of his diving equipment, and sold it, and received money for it, and bought drugs and guns. But I had prevented them. And one of the pirates had drowned.

I wished I had done something differently. I wished I could have rescued Mickey without killing anyone. But there had been so little time. And I really didn't know what else I could have done. How could I have known they were going to move closer just when we came through?

Mickey didn't have any problem with it at all. He seemed glad the young pirate had died. We talked about it after I towed him to Port Edward. There was no pier there, so we both dropped anchor close to the beach. I pulled his towline taut and tied it to the portal. Then I jumped onto his boat. He shook my hand and gave me a hug, which was more like a pounding on my back. “Where in the Lord's name did you come from?” he said. “One minute, I'm a goner; the next, I see this creature come out of the deep and cut that boat in half. For a moment, I thought it was Divine Intervention. Hah! I am forever in your debt, my young friend. What's your name?”

“Alfred.”

“Alfred. My name is Mickey. I'm from Cape Town. I'm a wreck diver. I've spent my life on these waters, and below them, but I've never seen a vessel like yours. Where do you hail from, Alfred?”

“Newfoundland.”

“And where would
that
be?”

“It's in Canada. How is your arm?”

“Ahh, I've had worse. They just grazed the skin. A few stitches and a pint of rum and I'll be one hundred percent. The recipe: one part to the wound; ten parts to the belly. Hah, hah! You'll come into town with me?”

“I don't know. I don't think so. Those pirates have been chasing me ever since northern Mozambique. I thought I had lost them, but they'll follow me to the ends of the earth. I don't want to leave my sub alone.”

“True enough. They chased you that long? There's only one reason for that. You took something of theirs, or you killed one of them.”

“I killed one of them today.”

“Nah! You never killed him at all. He done himself in the moment he joined that band of thieves and murderers. Good thing, too. Don't you carry that young fella's death on your conscience, Alfred, because it don't belong there. He died trying to rob and kill somebody, and don't you ever forget that!”

In my head, I knew that he was right. In my heart, I didn't. “They've been chasing me because I sank a boat of theirs. It was full of guns and drugs.”

“Yah, I'd say that would do it. Are you sure you won't come in to town with me now? You look like you could use a drink, my son.”

“I'm sorry. I guess I'd rather not. I think I need to spend some time alone. Thank you, though.”

“I understand, my friend. I understand. But listen to me. You must go to the dock at Port Elizabeth. Go to one of the navy ships you see there. The harbour patrol boats, not the big one.”

“The navy?”

“Yes, yes, the navy. They're terrific guys. My best friend is called François. You will find him on one of the patrol boats. Ask for him. Go and tell him everything you have seen of the pirates.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes, of course. They are trying to catch them, you see.
They'll find your information helpful. The pirates never used to be so bold. Never used to come so far south. Now, they're in our backyard all the time. They're an awful menace, as you have seen firsthand. Go see François. Tell him that Mickey sent you.”

“I don't know . . . I usually avoid police and navy vessels because I am not here legally. I never made a legal point of entry or had my passport stamped.”

“Bahhhhhh! That means nothing to them. Just tell them that Mickey sent you. I will call ahead. They'll be waiting for you. I promise you. Will you trust me on this?”

I stared into his sunburnt and weathered face. He was wrinkled like an old potato. He looked wild, but honest enough. “I guess so.”

“Good!” He touched his sore arm and winced. “I'd better go for my medicine.” He gripped my shoulder with his good hand. “I will never forget you, young Alfred. I am in your debt for life. And I always pay my debts. You need something—anything—you call me, and I will do everything in my power to help you. You hear me?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“No, thank
you
. Safe travels, my friend.”

“Safe travels.”

Mickey climbed into a small dinghy and rowed to shore with his good arm. I waved. Then, I untied his tow line, tossed it onto his boat, climbed into the sub, and sailed away.

Sailing into Port Elizabeth was the very first time we ever sailed into a port on the surface, in the light of day, and didn't try to hide. It was such a strange feeling it made my toes curl. I flew the Canadian flag. I didn't have a South African one. From four miles out, I reached the port authority on short wave and told them who I was, and that I was supposed to meet a naval vessel on military business. That sounded so official, but I didn't know what else to say. I was told by a very severe lady to stay on the surface, and that I would be met by harbour officials. She sounded like the strictest teacher you'd ever likely meet, and it made me glad I wasn't in school anymore. I knew that, by the Law of the Sea, I only had to be on the surface when I was within the three-mile limit. But I obeyed anyway. The whole thing made me very nervous, and I stayed ready to flee if I saw anything I didn't like. I was trusting Mickey. I hoped that was right.

Port Elizabeth was a big city, with a wide harbour. I sailed in at a steady fifteen knots, giving them time to come out and meet me. But no one showed up until I was only a mile and a half from the dock. Then, two boats came racing out from different directions. I cut the engine, drifted to a stop, raised the binoculars, and watched them approach.