“Will no one visit here again?” asked Guthrum.
“I doubt it,” Tostig replied. “We’ve already proved the place to be uninhabitable, and we will report it accordingly. Having said that, however, there may come a time when other possibilities are thought up by enterprising individuals as yet unborn. Other schemes, other solutions. And then, who knows? Maybe a hundred years from now our steps will be retraced by men with ideas very different to our own.”
“‘Explorers of the new century’,” suggested Guthrum.
“Quite so,” said Tostig.
Epilogue
It was Snaebjorn who first detected the presence of the sea. The return party had been journeying for many weeks, and they were now wandering, gaunt and thin, along the dry river bed. Snaebjorn and Thegn were leading, while their three comrades lagged some distance behind.
“Look how bright the sky is,” said Snaebjorn. “A sure sign that the sea is close at hand.”
Already they had passed several marker posts, each with its ragged pennant, and they knew they were nearing the coast. Snaebjorn’s observation merely confirmed the fact. “Thorsson would tell you the same thing,” he added.
By prior agreement, they paused and waited until the others caught up; then together they walked the final mile. As the river bed gradually widened and the sand spread out before them, they began to hear the crashing of breakers. Gulls were wheeling overhead. There was salt in the air and the sun was shining. The men cheered at the sight of the sea. Now, at last, they could head for home. When they arrived at the blockhouse, however, they found that the door was locked.
“Damn Johns!” said Tostig. “He was supposed to leave the key on the hook!”
They glanced around them. Scattered on the ground were boxes and supply cases, the majority broken open, some completely empty.
“Quite a shambles,” murmured Snaebjorn.
Guthrum took a deep breath. “That’s odd,” he remarked. “It seems improbable, but I’d swear someone was burning coal.”
“I think you’re right,” said Tostig. “Look.”
He was pointing along the beach towards the Centurion.
Its tarpaulins had been removed and it was apparently occupied. Coloured bunting fluttered in the wires. The hatch was propped open, and smoke was rising from the stack.
The travellers approached.
From inside the vessel there came the sound of raucous merrymaking. A man’s voice could be heard, guffawing loudly, accompanied by the giggles and squeals of several females. The portholes were all steamed up.
Tostig rapped on the hull, and instantly the laughter faded. A moment later, Cook appeared in the hatchway. He was clearly drunk, and had a half-empty spirits bottle in his hand. His demeanour was startling. His hair had grown long and was tied in a topknot. His beard was divided into a fork. He was naked apart from a loincloth, and his entire body was covered in blue decorations. Behind him were four women, similarly adorned, and also naked. For several seconds the two groups stared at each other wordlessly.
Then Tostig reached into his pocket.
§
Further along the beach lay Perseverance, which by some fortune remained untouched. A temporary camp was established in the lee of the vessel, and preparations were made to float it on the next high tide. While this work was being carried out, Tostig disappeared into the cabin and was not seen for two or three hours. When eventually he emerged his manner was subdued. He took Guthrum to one side and spoke to him in private; then he gathered his men around him.
“We are now ready to leave these shores,” he announced. “Technically our mission has succeeded, and although it has borne no fruit we can content ourselves that we did not fail. Commander Johns, on the other hand, seems to have run into difficulties. I presume those broken boxes contained his reserve supplies; no doubt he’ll be high and dry without them. He’s probably marooned somewhere far from here, waiting for relief that will never come. Well, he’ll get no sympathy from me. He and his followers knew exactly what they were letting themselves in for when they embarked on their expedition. Plainly, their arrangements were inadequate, based most likely on outdated preconceptions and obsolete methods. As for Johns himself, he is obviously a vain and egotistical man. It is evident that he thought of nothing else but that he should be first to arrive at the Furthest Point. I expect he had grand plans for the colony to bear his name, and to be remembered in history as the man who solved the problem of the mules. Instead of which he is lost in the wilderness, caught on the brink of starvation, and a very long way from home.”
Tostig paused and looked towards the north.
“Johns’ failure is his own fault,” he said. “Nonetheless, it is our duty to try and rescue him. Cease work on the boat. We’re going back.”
EOF