Seven for a Secret (31 page)

As soon as we could, we returned to our cabin.

The movement of the ship told us that we had set sail;

and we lay in our beds talking until Tamarisk’s voice grew more and more drowsy and at length faded away.

I lay sleepless, thinking of poor Aunt Sophie’s tear-filled eyes when she had said goodbye, and of James Perrin, who had made up his mind that I would soon be back.

But chiefly I thought of Crispin with that look of hopeless longing and pleading which I knew I should carry with me for ever.

Looking back on those first days, they seem a little hazy to me. There was the adventure of getting to know the ship on which we were continually losing our way. There were so many rooms to explore, so many people to meet, so much that was new to us.

I remember well the roughness of the sea after that first night.

Tamarisk and I lay in our beds and felt at times that we should be thrown from them, and then we wondered whether we had been wise to come.

But that passed and we were on our feet again, ready to take an interest in our surroundings. 1 was greatly

comforted to have Tamarisk with me, and 1 am sure she felt the same about me.

We were assured by Jane, our very attentive stewardess, that we should feel differently when the weather changed. The Bay of Biscay was noted for its habit of playing tricks, fcif&iftft fl ut she hA known it smooth as a lake.

“It just depends on the way the wind blows. Well, ladies, we’ll soon be out of it and when we are, you can start enjoying yourselves.”

She was right, of course. The turbulence passed and the adventure began. It did not take me long to realize that, although I could not stop myself yearning for Crispin, to plunge into an entirely new and unusual experience was the best way to distance myself from it so that I might see it more clearly. It was also gratifying to see how Tamarisk was benefiting from the adventure.

We dined each day at the long table with several others and were soon all chatting together in a friendly fashion. Most seemed eager to talk of their experiences on other ships and to tell us where they were going. Very many of them would be leaving the ship in Bombay; they were in the service of the Government or Army and were going back to India after a spell of leave. Most of them were experienced travellers.

There were some who were visiting relatives in Australia or Australians who were returning home after staying with family or friends in England. We had yet to find anyone who was going to Casker’s Island apart from Luke Armour, and he was just a name on a luggage label to us at that stage.

The Captain was genial and made a habit of talking to the passengers whenever he had an opportunity of doing so.

He liked to hear where everyone was going and when he heard we were bound for Casker’s Island he raised his eyebrows.

1 told him we were visiting my father there.

“Is that so?” he said.

“Not many of our passengers go there. I suppose you have it all fixed. You’ll be leaving us at Sydney, of course.

There’s a ship leaves the same day for Cato Cato and from there you’ll get the ferry boat to Casker’s. Quite a journey! “

“Yes, we had heard that.”

“No, don’t get so many people going there. I think the ferry might not leave very frequently from Cato Cato. It takes goods over, and passengers if there are any. But you are going to your father, you say. I suppose he’d be in some business there. Copra, I’ll guess.

There’s a lot of business from the coconuts. People don’t realize what a useful product they are. I believe they produce the main industry for Casker’s. “

“I don’t know. I only know he’s there.”

“Well, we’ll take care of you till Sydney. Then we shall be there for a few days before we start the homeward run. How are you liking my ship?”

“Very much.”

“Everyone looking after you, I hope?”

“Yes, very well thank you.”

“That’s good.”

After he had left us. Tamarisk said: “It seems our Captain thinks we are going to one of the most remote places on earth.”

We had arrived at our first port of call, which was Gibraltar. And by this time we had made the acquaintance of Major and Mrs. Dunstan, who were going out to Bombay where the Major would join his regiment. They were seasoned travellers, having made the journey to and from India several times. I think Mrs. Dunstan was a little shocked to find two inexperienced young women travelling alone, and was determined to keep an eye on us.

2. She told us that when we reached Gibraltar, if we wanted to go ashore, which she was sure we would, it might be a good idea if we accompanied her and her husband. A small party would be going from the ship; they would hire a guide and see a little of the town. We were delighted to accept.

I awoke in the morning to look through the porthole and see the Rock of Gibraltar looming up ahead of us. It was an impressive sight. We hurried on deck for a better view and there it lay before us in all its glory, like a defiant fortress at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.

Major Dunstan came and stood beside us.

“Magnificent, isn’t it? Never ceases to make me proud that it is ours.

The ship will move round to the west, 1 expect. You’ll see. Oh yes, we’re moving now. “

We stood there watching. We were now on the west side of the peninsula on which Gibraltar stood. The slope here was more gradual and tiers of houses stood above the defensive wall. As we came into the bay we could see the dockyard and the fortifications.

“Have to defend the place,” said the Major.

“Busy down there, isn’t it?”

I gazed in wonder at the small boats which were coming in to greet the ships. From one several small boys were looking up appealingly at us.

“They want you to throw coins into the water so that they can swim around and catch them. Shouldn’t be allowed. It’s a dangerous practice.”

I felt sorry for the boys. They looked so eager. A few passengers did throw down coins and they darted about like fishes triumphantly holding up the coin when they had retrieved it. We could see the town now. It looked colourful and interesting. Neither Tamarisk nor I had seen any place like it before.

The Major was saying: “We have to go ashore in one of those little

boats. The ship is too big to get closer. You’ll be safe with us. You have to watch these people. They are inclined to overcharge the tourists.”

We crossed in one of the little boats under the care of our friends the Dunstans, and the rest of the party. It was an exhilarating experience and I could forget everything just for the moment, and I knew it was the same with Tamarisk. It was good for us both to have such respite, however brief.

Ashore we were caught up in the crowds. Several people from the ship were there, mingling with the natives. There were Moors in their loose robes and fez hats or turbans which gave an exotic atmosphere to the place. Other nationalities were there Spanish, Greek as well as English. They all seemed to make a great deal of noise, shouting to each other as they passed along.

In the narrow streets stalls had been set up. There were all sorts of goods on display trinkets, rings, bracelets, necklaces, leather goods capacious bags of the softest kind with patterns tooled on them very delicately; there was bread being baked in cavern-like shops. Some loaves were on display decorated with little black seeds;

there were fez hats, turbans and straw hats; shoes, sandals such as were worn by the Moors, some with pointed toes curled upwards, and soft leather slippers.

Tamarisk paused by one of the stalls. A hat had caught her eyes. It was made of straw, rather like a boater, and trimmed with blue ribbons and a bunch of forget-menots.

She picked it up. The salesman was alert while Mrs. Dunstan looked on in mild amusement.

“You can’t wear that, my dear,” she said.

To tell Tamarisk she could not do something, I knew from the past, always made her determined to do it.

She put on the hat. The man at the stall watched her, his black eyes wide with admiration. He put his hands together and raised his eyes to

the sky. It was obvious he meant to convey the impression that he was overwhelmed by the beauty of Tamarisk in the straw hat.

It did make her look young and she reminded me of Tamarisk the schoolgirl. The nightmare of the last months had left her untouched . for the moment.

“It’s fun,” she said.

“I must have it. How much?”

Mrs. Dunstan was at her side and a little bargaining ensued until Mrs. Dunstan, with an air of authority, clinched the deal, sorted out the money which Tamarisk had been able to change, and Tamarisk set the straw hat on her head, putting the small toque which she had been wearing into a bag, and we went on.

It was the Major who said we must see the Barbary apes. That was essential. We should have to climb a bit as they inhabited the higher slopes.

“You’ll find them amusing. They’ve been here for hundreds of years.

We like to see them flourishing. There is a legend that while the apes are here the British will be too. The two will go together. A lot of nonsense, of course, but these things have an effect on people, so we like to check that the apes are doing well. “

They were certainly amusing, lively creatures, with alert inquisitive eyes, accustomed to visitors, for as the Major had said, when you come to Gibraltar you must see the apes.

They approached us almost mischievously, coming close, clearly without fear. They apparently liked attention and seemed to glean as much amusement from the visitors as the visitors did from them.

“Be careful of anything you’re carrying,” warned Mrs. Dunstan.

“They have a way of snatching things and running off.”

Just as she spoke one came very close. We did not see him at first, then Tamarisk gave a sudden cry, for he had whipped her hat from her head and was running off with it.

Well! ” stammered Tamarisk, and we could not help laughing at her dismay.

“It was very colourful,” said Mrs. Dunstan.

“It must have caught his eye. Never mind. It’s gone now.”

We walked on and had not gone far when a man ran up with Tamarisk’s new hat in his hand.

He was laughing.

“I saw what happened. You lost your hat. The ape was so quick. They are very human, these creatures. He stopped near me. He was looking back at you. That gave me the opportunity. I snatched it from him.”

“How clever of you!” cried Tamarisk.

Everyone was laughing. Others came up and joined us.

“It was the funniest thing,” said one of the ladies.

“The ape looked so bewildered. Then he seemed to shrug his shoulders and run off.”

“It’s a becoming hat,” said its rescuer, smiling at Tamarisk.

He was tall, fair-haired and pleasant-looking, with a manner which was immediately likeable.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” said Tamarisk.

“It was so easy. The wily ape only had possession of his prize for a few seconds.”

“I’m glad to have it back.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Dunstan, ‘all’s well that ends well. I shouldn’t put it on again. Tamarisk, if I were you. This time there might not be a gallant rescuer at hand. “

We moved on and the man seemed to attach himself to us. I had no doubt that he was among the party of sightseers from the ship.

Mrs. Dunstan confirmed this by saying: “You are on the Queen of the South, of course.”

“Yes,” he said.

“It seems that most of the people in Gibraltar today are from the Queen of the South.”

“It’s always so when the ship calls,” added the Major.

“I think it is time we descended a little,” said Mrs.

2. Dunstan.

“Perhaps a little refreshment would be a good idea. What about that place we went to last time, Gerald?” she addressed the Major.

“Do you remember? You liked those special pastries they had?”

“I remember them well,” replied the Major.

“And I am sure everyone would like to sample them. We can watch the world go by while we refresh ourselves.”

We descended and the hat rescuer was still with us. We found the cafe and about six of us went in and sat where we could look out on the street. The fair man was with us. He sat between Tamarisk and me.

Coffee and the special pastries were ordered and the Major, looking at the newcomer, said: “It’s amazing that one can be on a ship in a fairly confined space and not know a number of one’s fellow travellers.”

It was clearly an invitation to the young man to introduce himself.

“I’m Luke Armour,” he said.

“I am going to Sydney.”

Tamarisk and I looked at each other in delight.

“That’s interesting’ she burst out.

Mrs. Dunstan was looking at her as though to say, in what way?

Tamarisk explained: “We saw your luggage label on the first day we got on the ship. Your bags were piled up with the others. We saw you were going to Casker’s Island.”

“That’s right,” he said expectantly.

“The point is,” said Tamarisk, ‘so are we. “

“Really! How interesting! You must be the only ones apart from myself.

Why are you going there? “

“My father lives there,” I said.

“We are going to see him.”

“Oh,” he replied.

“Do you know it well?” I asked.

“I’ve never been there.”

“People always look amazed when they know we’re going there,” said Tamarisk.

“Well, nobody seems to know very much about it. I’ve tried to find out but there doesn’t seem much to know. All 1 learned is that it is an island which was discovered by a man named Casker about three hundred years ago. He lived there until he died. Hence, Casker’s Island. Your father lives there, you say?”

“Yes, and we are going to see him.”

He looked at me questioningly, as though wondering why I knew so little about the place since my father lived there. But he must have guessed that my relationship with my father was not a usual one and he was too polite to probe.

“How are you going to get there?” I asked.

“There is only one way, it seems. Leave at Sydney and take a ship to a place called Cato Cato and from there get the ferry to Casker’s.”