Urson howled. He flung his sword forward. The blade sank inches through Jordde’s abdomen. The Mate bent forward with a totally amazed expression, grabbed the line with both hands, and tugged backward, screaming.
Jordde took two steps onto the plank, mouth open, eyes closed, and fell over the side.
Urson, without stopping his own howl or letting go of the line, heaved backward, and toppled from the other side. For a moment they hung with the whip between them, over the board. The ship heaved back and then rolled to. The plank swiveled, came loose; and, with the board on top of them, they crashed into the water.
Geo and Snake scrambled to the rocks’ edge. Iimmi and Argo were coming up behind them.
Below them, the tangle of limbs and board bobbed in the foam once. The line had somehow looped around Urson’s neck, and the plank had turned up almost on end. They went under again.
With nothing between it and the rocky shore, the boat began to roll in. With each swell, it came in six feet and then leaned out three. Then it came back another six. It took four swells, the time of four very deep breaths, until the side of the boat was grating up against the rocks. Geo could hear the plank splintering in the water.
But the river’s rush blanketed anything else that was breaking.
Geo took two steps backward, clutched at his stubbed arm, and threw up from pain and terror.
Somebody, the Captain, was calling. “Get her away from the rocks! Away from the rocks, before she goes to pieces!”
Iimmi took Geo’s arm. “Come on, Geo!” He managed to haul him onto the ship. Argo and Snake leaped on behind them. The boat floundered away from the shore.
Geo leaned against the rail. Below him the water turned on itself in the rocks, thrashed along the river’s side, and then, as he raised his eyes, stretched out along the bright blade of the beach. The long sand that rimmed the Island dropped away from them, a stately and austere arc gathering in its curve all the sun’s glare, and throwing it back in wave and on wave.
His back hurt, his stomach was shriveled and shaken like an old man’s palsied fist, his arm was gone, and Urson…“Captain,” Geo said. He turned from the rail, his good hand going to his nub. Then he bawled, “Captain!”
The little redhead caught his shoulder. “It…it won’t do any good!”
“Captain!” he called again.
The elderly, gray-eyed man approached him. “What is it?”
He looks tired, Geo thought. I’m tired.
Iimmi was by his shoulder now. Geo was quiet until Iimmi said, “Never mind, sir. I don’t think you can do anything now.”
“Are you sure?” the Captain asked, looking at the shocked black hair, the bruised face, the deep eyes. “Are you…”
“Never mind,” Geo said. He turned back to the rail. Below them, splinters of the plank were still washing up to the boat’s hull and falling back into the white froth. Only splinters. Only…
Then Argo said, “Look at the beach!”
Geo flung his eyes up and tried in one moment to envelop whatever he saw, whatever it would be. Beneath the water’s roar was a still tide, a tide of quiet. Sand along the naked crescent was dull at some depressions, mirror bright at certain rises. At the jungle, multitextured ripplings sped over the leaves and fronds covering the foliage-thick limbs. Each fragment in that green tapestry hung there in the sun was one leaf, he reflected, with two sides, a system of skeleton and veins, as his arm had been. And one day would drop off too.
Now he looked from rock to rock. Each one was different, differently shaped, distinctly lined, losing detail as the ship floated farther, like the memory of his entire adventure was losing detail. That boulder there was like a bull’s head half submerged. Those two flat ones together on the sand looked like an eagle’s opened wings. And the waves, measured and magnificent, followed one another onto the sand, like the varying, never duplicating rhythm of a fine poem: peaceful, ordered, and calm. He tried to pour the chaos of Urson’s drowning from his mind onto the water. It flowed into each glass-green trough that rode up to the still beach. He tried to spread the pain in his own body over the foam and shimmering green. And was surprised because it fit so easily, hung there so well in the sea’s web. Somewhere, understanding was beginning to effloresce with the water, under the heightening sun.
Geo turned away from the rail. The wet deck slipped under his bare feet. He walked back toward the forecastle. He had released his broken limb, and his hand hung at his side while he walked.
Later in the evening, he came on deck again. The veiled Priestess stood by the railing. When he approached, she turned to him and said quietly, “I did not want to disturb you for a report until you had rested some.”
“I’ve rested,” he said. “We’ve returned your daughter to you. You can get the jewels from Snake. He’ll give them to you now. You can get your daughter to explain everything about Hama.”
“She has already,” answered the Priestess, smiling. “You’ve done very well, Poet, and bravely.”
“Thank you,” Geo said. Then he turned back to the forecastle.
When Snake came down that evening, Geo was lying on his back in the bunk, following the grain of the wood on the bottom of the bed above his. His good arm was behind his neck now. Snake touched Geo’s shoulder.
“What is it?” Geo asked, turning on his side and looking from under the bunk.
Snake held out the leather purse to Geo.
“Huh?” Geo asked. “Didn’t you give them to Argo yet?”
Snake nodded.
“Well, why didn’t she take them? Look, I don’t want to see them again.”
Snake pushed the purse toward him again and added: look…
Geo took the purse, opened the drawstring, and turned the contents out in his hand: there were three chains. On each, a gold coin was fastened by a hole near the edge. Geo frowned. “How come these are in here?” he asked. “I thought…where are the jewels?”
In…ocean…Snake said. Urson…switched…them…
“What are you talking about?” demanded Geo. “What is it?”
Don’t…want…tell…you…
“I don’t care what you want, you little bastard!” Geo grabbed him by the shoulder. “Tell me!”
Know…from…back…with…blind…priestesses…Snake explained rapidly. he…ask…me…how…to…use…jewels…when…you…and…Iimmi…exploring…and…after…that…no…listen…to…thoughts…bad…thoughts…bad…
“But he…” Geo started. “He saved your life!”
But…what…is…reason…Snake said. at…end…
“You saw his thoughts at the end?” asked Geo. “What did he think?”
You…sleep…please…Snake said. Lot…of…hate…lot of…bad…hate…There was a pause in the voice in his head. And…love…