beside her.
‘It is a church tower. So what?’
‘So if we flashed a light or something someone might see it,’
‘Brilliant. A highly populated place like the top of a church tower there’s bound to be people just wanting for us to flash a light.’
‘Couldn’t we burn something?’ said Sally. ‘Somebody would see the smoke and…’
‘You crazy? You start burning anything with all that fuel oil floating around they’ll see something all right. Like as exploding cruiser with bodies.’
‘We could fill a can with oil and put it over the side and float it away before lighting it.’
‘And set the seedbeds on fire? What the hell do you want? A fucking holocaust?’
‘G baby, you’re just being unhelpful.’
‘I’m using my brains is all,’ said Gaskell. ‘You keep coming up with ‘bright ideas like that you’re going to land us in a worse mess than we’re in already.’
I don’t see why,’ said Sally.
‘I’ll tell you why,’ said Gaskell, ‘because you went and stole this fucking Hesperus. That’s why.’
‘I didn’t steal it. I…’
‘You tell the fuzz that. Just tell them. You start setting fire to reedbeds and they’ll be all over us asking questions. Like whose boat this is and how come you’re sailing someone else’s cruiser…So we got to get out of here without publicity.’
It started to rain.
‘That’s all we need. Rain,’ said Gaskell. Sally went down into the cabin where Eva was tidying up after lunch. ‘God, G’s hopeless. First he lands us on a mudbank in the middle of nowhere, then he gefucks the motor but good and now he says be doesn’t know what to do.’
‘Why doesn’t he go, and get help?’ asked Eva.
‘How? Swimming? G couldn’t swim that far to save his life.’
‘He could take the airbed and paddle down to the open water,’ said Eva. ‘He wouldn’t have to swim.’
‘Airbed? Did I hear you say airbed? What airbed?’
‘The one in the locker with the lifejackets. All you’ve got to do is blow it up and…’
‘Honey you’re the practicallest,’ said Sally, and rushed outside. ‘G, Eva’s found a way for you to go and get help. There’s an airbed in the locker with the lifejackets.’ She rummaged in the locker and took out the airbed.
‘You think I’m going anywhere on that damned thing you’ve got another think coming,’ said Gaskell.
‘What’s wrong with it?’
In this weather? You ever tried to steer one of those things? It’s bad enough on a sunny day with no wind. Right now I’d end up in the reeds and anyhow the rain’s getting on my glasses.’
‘All right, so we wait till the storm blows over. At least we know how to get off here.’
She went back into the cabin and shut the door. Outside Gaskell squatted by the engine and toyed with the wrench. If only he could get the thing to go again.
‘Men,’ said Sally contemptuously, ‘Claim to be the stronger sex but when the chips are down it’s us women who have to bail them out.’
‘Henry’s impractical too,’ said Eva. ‘It’s all he can do to mend a fuse.’ I do hope he isn’t worried about me’
‘He’s having himself a ball,’ said Sally.
