The Black Opal (12 page)

He went on, however: “I was forgiven in time, and taken back into the bosom of the family. But I was always a bit of an outsider. I did not conform, you see. I’m not a conformer.”

We laughed together, and he made no further mention of the family, but he went on to tell me more of his experiences at sea. I was going to be exactly like him, I told myself. I was going to enjoy the good things as they came and not let others disturb me.

In two days we were to reach Suez and Gertie and I talked constantly of what we would do. I loved getting into my berth and snuggling down and talking to Gertie until one of us dropped off to sleep.

The morning before we were due to arrive at Suez, Gertie told me that her father had been quite ill during the night.

“It’s one of his bad turns. Mum thinks,” she said.

“He gets them really bad. It’s his chest.”

During the day Mr. Forman’s cold grew worse and Dr. Emmerson said he must not go out the next day. Mrs.

Forman felt that she must stay with him, for these chest colds of his could turn nasty.

Gertie was woeful.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” she said.

“We shall have to stay on board.”

Mrs. Forman was distressed. She knew how much we had looked forward to going ashore, but she could not possibly leave Mr. Forman.

Gertie was so upset that finally Mrs. Forman said that, if the boys were with us, she thought we might go.

Gertie rather gloomily told me of the boys’ reaction to the suggestion. Jimmy had said they didn’t want a lot of kids trailing round with them.

“I told them it was not a lot, only two, and we’re not kids anyway.

Then my mother got angry and told Jimmy not to be so selfish, and how upset our father would be if he knew he’d refused to keep an eye on his sister and her friend so that the poor little things had to stay on board. Then Jimmy said, all right, they’d take us. But they don’t want us. “

“Perhaps we’d better not go, then,” I suggested.

“Not go! Stay on board! Not likely! We’ll have to go with them, or they won’t let us go at all.”

So the prospect was not as bright as it might have been, and, much as we resented the boys’ ungracious resignation, we decided that it was better to force our unwanted company on them than not go at all.

It was fun getting into the launch which was to take us ashore. First we must descend the gangway to the landing-stage, which was bobbing about in the swell; then we must step from that to the launch, which was drawn up at the side of the ship. This was not an easy matter, and there were two stalwart sailors, standing like sentinels, waiting on the swaying platform to help people into the launch.

They lifted Gertie and me and placed us in the boat, which was rocking rather roughly on the sea. We clutched at each other to steady ourselves, laughing immoderately as we did so while the two boys our reluctant guardians-looked at us with contempt.

It was well into the morning before we had boarded the launch, as many people were going ashore and the boats only took a certain number at a time and we had to wait for our turn. We had been warned that we must be back on board at the latest by four o’clock as the ship was sailing at four-thirty and the last launch would leave Suez at half past three.

Then we were on dry land. I glanced over the water to the Lady of the Seas, and I thought how majestic she looked, but Jimmy and Timothy were impatient to be off and we followed in their wake. After a time we came upon a market. The cobbled streets were narrow and lined with shops, like caves, with stalls in front of them. There was a great deal of noise, for everyone seemed to be shouting excitedly. Many of the men wore long robes and turbans which looked very exotic.

Everything was different from anything I had seen before. We listened to the people chattering at the stalls. They appeared to be bargaining, but, of course, we could not understand what was said;

they seemed to be very fierce and at times looked as though they were about to strike each other. Then the bargain would be concluded, which must have been satisfactory for they smiled benignly on each other and in one case kissed.

The boys had paused by a stall on which were a variety of necklaces, rings and bracelets. This was because of the two dusky girls there who had called to them. The girls had long black hair and laughing black eyes; earrings hung from their ears and necklaces round their necks -all similar to those displayed on the stall. Then one of them threw a necklace round Jimmy’s neck. He looked embarrassed and the girls appeared to think it a great joke.

“Nice, nice,” said one of them.

“You buy?”

The boys laughed and the girls giggled.

A necklace was thrown round Timothy’s neck by the other girl.

The boys clearly did not know what to do, which by no means displeased Gertie and me, who were amused to witness their discomfiture. The girl who had put the neck lace round Jimmy’s neck started to pull the necklace slowly towards her, and with it Jimmy.

“You come,” she said.

Then the other girl drew Timothy towards her in the same way.

“This is getting silly,” said Gertie to me.

“Let’s go and look at those leather things on that stall over there.”

We moved over to the one indicated by Gertie. Among the goods were wallets in different-coloured soft leather with a pattern in gold embossed on them.

“It’s my father’s birthday next week,” said Gertie.

“I might buy one of those for him.” She picked up one and the salesman was immediately beside her.

“You like? Very nice.”

“How much?” said Gertie in the grown-up voice she often assumed.

“You tell me … what you pay?”

“I have no idea,” said Gertie.

“Tell me what you are asking.”

The man picked up a writing pad and scribbled a figure on it.

“I haven’t enough,” said Gertie and, turning to me: “Let’s go.”

She put down the wallet and attempted to move away, but the salesman held her by the arm.

“How much? How much?”

His hands were on the little bag she carried.

“How much? How much?” he kept saying.

We were both wishing heartily that we had not become involved in this, and I was sure the wallet was becoming less and less attractive in Gertie’s eyes.

But the salesman had a firm grasp on her arm and would not release her. He looked lovingly at the wallet and then turned his tragic gaze on us, as though to imply that the sale was of the utmost importance to him. He must have noticed that he aroused our interest and compassion, for he went on: “Poor man. Me very poor man.”

He released Gertie momentarily and held his arms as though he were rocking a baby. Then he held up eight fingers.

“Babies,” he said.

“Starving …”

Gertie and I exchanged glances. She shrugged her shoulders and took all the money from her purse. The man smiled, took the money and wrapped up the wallet.

We had freed ourselves and I was not quite sure whether it was done out of compassion or the need to escape from this embarrassing transaction.

We saw then that, while this had been going on, the boys had disappeared. So had the girls with the necklaces.

“Never mind,” said Gertie.

“We’ll be better on our own. They didn’t want us and we didn’t want them.”

We went along the narrow street, glancing sideways at the stalls, determined not to get involved in any more bargaining.

There was a maze of streets, one very like another, and we must have wandered for half an hour before we emerged from them.

We had thought we would come out at the point where we had come in and then we would have known our way back to the launch; but the scene was quite different.

Gertie looked at the watch which she wore pinned to the bodice of her dress. It was half past two.

“Let’s get one of those little donkey carts to take us back to the ship,” she said.

“Don’t you think the boys will be looking for us?”

“No. They’ll be glad to be rid of us. Besides, we’ll show them we don’t need them. Look, there’s one.”

We hailed it. The driver a boy who could not have been more than fourteen years old came up to us.

“We want to go back to the launch which takes us to our ship, the Lady of the Seas. Do you know?”

The boy nodded vigorously.

“I know. I know. You come.”

We climbed into the carriage, which was a sort of cart. We were sorry for the two little donkeys who were going to pull us along. They looked pathetically frail, but we were soon laughing and clinging together in our glee, for it was not the smoothest of rides. It seemed long and, after a while we were soon waiting rather impatiently for a glimpse of the sea.

Gertie called to the driver.

“We should be there now. Why don’t we see the sea?”

“Sea here,” cried the boy, waving his whip vaguely, but we could not see any sign of it.

What followed was like a nightmare. I dreamed of it for a long time afterwards. The vehicle was brought to a standstill and we clambered out.

“Where are we?” cried Gertie.

“This sea,” was the reply.

“Ship here.”

“I can’t see them,” we said.

“Here. You pay.”

“But you haven’t taken us there,” wailed Gertie in exasperation.

“No,” I agreed.

“This isn’t the right place.”

I was beginning to feel nervous. We had been caught once over the wallet. It was just about three o’clock and the last launch left at three-thirty.

Gertie clearly was thinking the same.

“You must take us there at once,” she said.

The young boy nodded.

“You pay,” he said.

“But you haven’t taken us there. We will pay when you do.”

“You pay. You pay.”

“What for?” cried Gertie indignantly.

“We didn’t ask to come here,” I added.

“You must take us to the launch.”

We had very little money. Gertie had lost all hers to the wallet salesman, and there was only what I had, which I knew was not a great deal. But we had to get back to the launch which would take us to the ship.

I tried to explain. I opened my purse.

I said: “All this is yours if you take us back to the launch.”

He looked contemptuously at the money.

Then he nodded.

“You pay. I take.”

He took all the money and, still nodding, he turned and leaped into the driver’s seat and drove off.

We looked at each other in dismay. We were far from the ship, without money, bewildered and more and more alarmed with every passing moment.

The awful realization came to us. We were alone in an alien country.

The people were unfamiliar: recent experiences had taught us that we must be wary; it was difficult to communicate with them, for we did not speak their language. We were helpless, numb with fear, too scared to think clearly, and we were old enough to guess a little of the horrors which might befall us, but not old enough to have a notion of how we could cope with the situation.

The thought flashed into my mind that only a miracle could save us.

“Only God could help us.” I had spoken my thoughts aloud.

Gertie was staring at me.

“What can we do?” she said in a whisper.

“We can pray to God,” I said.

1 suppose faith grows strong when we are in desperate situations from which there appears to be no escape except through Divine help. I knew mine was the faith of desperation. 1 believed because I had to the alternative was too

awful to contemplate. And I think Gertie felt the same.

We stood very still, closed our eyes and put the palms of our hands together.

“Please, God,” we whispered, ‘help us to get back to the ship. “

We opened our eyes. What had we expected? To see the dock and the launching place materialize before our eyes?

Everything was exactly the same. Nothing had changed . except ourselves. We had faith. The panic had left us. We would find our way back somehow. God would show us the way.

Gertie had taken my hand.

“Let’s go along there. I am sure we came past that place.”

I noticed the big white building which stood a little apart from the others.

I said: “We’ll ask in there. That’s it. Someone will be able to speak English. They’ll help us.”

Gertie nodded and we hurried towards the building.

And then . the miracle happened. A man came out of the building and there was something familiar about him. I saw that it was Dr. Emmerson.

I was exultant. God had answered our prayer.

“Dr. Emmerson,” I called.

He stopped. He stared and then he hurried towards us.

“Carmel! What are you doing here? The ship sails at four.”

“Dr. Emmerson!” I panted.

“We’re lost. A man brought us here and left us. He said it was the dock.”

Dr. Emmerson looked puzzled for a second or so. Then he hesitated no longer. He hustled us away from the building One of the donkey-driven carriages was approaching. He hailed it and said something to the driver. He could speak the language and there was a moment of excited talk. Then we got into the carriage and drove off at great speed.

We somewhat incoherently told Dr. Emmerson what had happened.

“I can’t think why you two young girls were allowed out on your own!”

“We weren’t,” said Gertie.

“We lost the boys,” I explained.

Dr. Emmerson looked shocked.

“I only hope we can make it,” he said.

“Time’s running short.”

“The last launch goes at…” I said.

“Yes, I know.” He looked at his watch and was clearly worried.

I was silently giving prayers of thanks all the time while Dr. Emmerson was urging the driver to go faster. I could see by his gestures that the man was getting the utmost speed out of the poor donkeys.

The joy of seeing the dock was great, but dismay followed. The last launch had left a few minutes before we had arrived and was on its way out to the Lady of the Seas.

We got out of the carriage. Dr. Emmerson gave the driver money and we stood for a few seconds, staring at the departing launch which seemed to be rapidly reducing the distance between itself and the ship.