A Bridge of Magpies

Jutta said nothing, but wouldn't meet my look.

'Ask the admiral-too-whether he saw 'Captain Denny's boat the day after be rescued your mother.'

'What did you say?'

'He was in the corvette Vggie off Possession.. I ex plained briefly his war-time association with Convoy WV. 5BX

She was all ears.

I added, 'By speaking direct to him you can give your search for your father's identity a big boost. If anyone is in a position to help you it could be the C-in-C. By doing this for me you have a unique opportunity of getting his ear.'

That ended her objections; and her eyes were very bright, as if the sun's reflectlon off the sea were being mirrored in 133 them. Then she knelt down impulsively and found one of the smooth, white-marble-sized pebbles penguins roll to each other when courtlng. She squeezed it into my palm and touched my knuckles with her lips.

'I'm a stupid clot…I'll go…

I won't mistrust you again.'

But she did.

She and Denny sailed a couple of hours later, after he had come to me and announced, to my surprise, that the weather signs were right. He was as reserved as before. I didn't know whether to believe him or not; nevertheless I gave him a written message for the authorities in Luderitz. After Gaok had sailed I began to feel Possession's special quality of loneliness. Not even Sang A was in sight. The island seemed as ancient and companionable as a sabretoothed tiger. I hung around while it was light and at sunset Sang A returned. She kept well away from the lost city area and made straight for her mooring.

When darkness came I lit Breekbout's ghost lights. I rationalized my action as being a kind of tribute to the dead.

The fog came, the wind ceased, the sea boomed.

Every time condensation splashed off the roof I thought it was a footfall. I loaded the rifle after I'd heard the noise half-a-dozen times. Listen, I told myself, you'd better get a grip on yourself or you'll be heading the same crazy way as Van Rensburg. It didn't help my hypter-acute state of aJertness, though, and I went to bed with the gun by my hand. I slept dressed, on a hair trigger.

It was a real footfall outside the bunkhouse which woke me around midnight.

I groped for the gun, set my finger to the trigger, and went in a low crouch to the door. I eased it open and edged out. The ghost lights were a yellow reflected patch against the fog. There was also a blurred human outline.

My bare feet made no sound. I went closer. The figure started to move away-back to me. My pulse rate doubled. It was a woman. Automatically I looked for the ghost hounds. She didn't hear me before I was right up to her and threw my arm in a stranglehold round her throat,

– I dragged her into the light.

It was Jutta,

C H A P T E R T E N

I didn't know whether to hug her or hit her.

Since in fact I'd already half-scared her to death-I supported her indoors. She slumped on to a stool and rubbed her throat. I pity the real ghost.'

Seeing her nearly on the point of passing out did something to my heart, and I found my hands were shaking. 'Lucky I didn't take a knife to you?

'Thanks for the lights, Struan. I was lost in the fog.'

My anger thinned. 'You little idiot! You could have fallen over a cliff, broken a leg-anything. Been savaged by a bull seal, even.'

She tried to smile. 'My throat feels just like that' '

Where'd you come from?'

'Auckland Cove.'

'Has Gaok run ashore? What's happened? Where's Kaptein Denny? Is he safe?'

'He's okay. He's on his way.'

'On his way?

'I talked him into putting me ashore. We waited till dark. He dropped me off on the other side of the island. I walked. Then I spotted the ghost light'

She'd started-with reaction, to shake like a wet dog. `

You're cold.'

'Scared too.'

'I'll fix some coffee.'

`Struan..

'It can keep.'

I blew up the embers and we sat on stools in front of the fire.

`You must have done a lot of taJking. Kaptein Denny's not an easy subject to persuade. And what about the chance you've thrown overboard: the chance to learn about your father?'

She spoke into the coffee mug she'd cupped between her hands. 'Can't you see why I came back?'

The whole point of sending you to Luderitz was for you to explain the situation personally to the admiral. Your short-circuit blows the fuses on my plan.'

She went on as if she hadn't heard me, 'It probably sounds wet. You.'

We didn't look at each other for individual reactions: we simply sat and stared into the fire for a long time. Finally, I said, 'If it's going to be a rough party with Sang A I'd rather not have a woman around.'

She got up and stood behind me. She pressed against me so that I could feel her breasts and belly against my back. She rested her throat on my head so that when she spoke softly, as if to herself, I still got the words because it had the effect of a throat microphone. It was as intimate, too. She locked a wrist round my neck, a sort of caressing affectionate imitation of my stranglehold on her earlier.

'If you'd broken my neck out there I'd have died happy, thinking you'd be glad I'd come,'

'I'm glad but I'm mad.'

'All glad is what I want'

I pulled her round to kiss her but she fought me off. '

Heart firing blanks again, Jutta?'

She slipped out of my grasp and went round behind me again. This time she ran her fingers over my lips and nose and eyes.

'I'm not at the firing stage, Struan. I'm loading up. I don't know with what. Shot or blanks. Could be either.' 'But you came back.'

'I came back.'

'If you don't know, who does?'

'Ask the Bridge of Magpies.'

That was the answer, of course.

She stroked my head, and I could feel her breasts against my back. I wanted to lose myself for ever in the valley be. tween them-down, down, down.

After that, there wasn't much more to say. But there was a lot to think. I lay awake through the small hours, wondering whether I wasn't the biggest sucker ever: sleeping almost next to a woman I was more than half in love with, and doing absolutely nothing about it. Mystics, they say, keep virgins in their beds. I'm low on mysticism, myself. I wished I could hear her breathing but I couldn't because of the grumbles of the gannets and penguins close to the bunkhouse. The ghost lights still burned because Jutta thought them beautiful. I tried to sort out my feelings towards her and also to unravel the Kaptein Denny-Sang A-U-MO tangle, as well as that of the sound of guns we'd heard that other night, but I got nowhere.

In the end I gave it up and fell asleep,

The next day was a Saturday. Because the pressure was off-it would be at least twenty-four hours before the frigate arrived, provided Kaptein Denny made average time-there was a purposeless air about the day. It was warm, windless, with a few cats-paws on the surface of the channel. Nothing could be seen of Sang A before mid-morning, because of early fog. We rose late and I fixed the trouble with Ichabo's engine – a faulty injector.

Then we went down to the landing and rubbernecked at the birds and at a group of cute seal pups that came sporting round the jetty. Neither of us knew how to handle our situation of emotional hiccoughs. Jutta was very serious and sweet to begin with and then gay and sweet when the seaJ pups cavorted about. We idled, but it wasn't the same as during the storm in Alabama Cove, when we had tried to sink ourselves in chores about the cutter. We were on the way to being in love-and we both knew it.

There was nothing idle or purposeless about Sang A when the fog lifted. Three or four boats were darting in and out from her side like jackals snooping at a kill. There was also a lot of activity on deck. Through my binoculars I could make out the crew working winches and arranging heavy chains and cables. Those tarpaulins were still firmly in place, however.