Thirty-five
'Whatever shall we do?' said Paula. She looked at Ducane. Barbara clutched the sleeve of his coat. The twins clutched each other.
'A motor boat?' said Ducane.
'There's one in the village,' said Paula, 'but by the time –'It's hired out for the afternoon,' said Edward. 'We saw it going away.'
'We'd better ring up the coastguards,' said Ducane. 'Not that that – How long is it since he went in?'
'It must be nearly fifteen minutes,' said Barbara.
'More,' said Henrietta.
'You see,' said Barbara, her voice becoming high and tearful, 'I didn't really believe him at first. I kept waiting for him to come out again. Then I suddenly felt sure he meant it. Then it was quite a long way to swim back.'
'We were there too,' said Edward. 'I was sure he meant it, I said so at once.'
'We may see the young fool swimming back any – '
'No, no, no!' wailed Barbara. 'He's inside, he's going to stay inside, I know it!'
Ducane held his head. He thought as quickly as he could, his eyes fixed on Paula, who seemed to be trying desperately to help him. 'How long is it before the entrance closes?'
'Half an hour,' said Edward.
'Twenty-five minutes,' said Henrietta.
Ducane looked at his watch. 'Look,' he said to Paula. 'We'd better assume the worst. You give the alarm. Ring the coastguards, ring the village. If you see a motor boat stop it. Find out if anyone knows the cave. Find out if there's frogman gear available and anyone who can use it. Though I don't see what the hell – I'll swim round now and investigate. He may be hanging about just inside the entrance trying to frighten us.'
'We'll come with you!' cried the children.
, No, you won't,' said Ducane. 'You're chilled, you've been in too long.' All three children were shivering. 'Anyway it's you pierce is trying to impress, especially you, Barbara. If he thinks you're there he may not come out. You go along with Paula.'
'John, you won't go into the cave, will you?' cried Paula.
'No, no. Just a little way. I'll probably meet Pierce swimming back. Go on, the rest of you, and don't panic.'
Ducane took off his jacket and his tie. He kicked off his shoes and socks and stepped out of his trousers. 'Go on!' he shouted at them.
Paula and the children set off over the pebbles at a run.
Ducane put his shoes on again and began to run in the opposite direction along the beach to the point where the red cliff descended.
He abandoned his shoes and slipped into the sea.
He swam with a quick vigorous sidestroke, keeping as close as he could to the foot of the cliff. He could feel the tug of one of those currents which made the region unpopular with bathers. It seemed to be coming against him and his progress was slow. He had never felt swimming to be so like an agonized strenuous standing still. He was panting already. The sleeves of his shirt now clinging, now ballooned with water impeded him and, still swimming, he began to try to pull the shirt off. He got it over his head and abandoned it in the water. Then the current seemed to give as he turned the point of rock which took him into the next bay and out of sight of Trescombe.
Now nothing was visible except the still sea and the sky and the inward and outward curve of the cliff which hid the land on both sides. Ducane felt suddenly very small and alone. The red cliff, which close to showed a brownish terracotta streaked with slatey blue, descended sheer into the sea, looking so dry and crumbling it seemed it must dissolve at the touch of the water. A broad stripe along its lower half marked the level of the high tide, and seaweeds, baked already in the sun since the sea had last abandoned them, hung in dark ugly bunches like superflous hair. Up above clumps of white daisies floated, ad hering somehow to the rising wall. Ducane could smell their light odour mingled with the baked sea smell of the half-dried seaweed.
He could see the entrance to the cave now, an irregular dark brown streak above the water. As he approached it he looked at his watch, which seemed to be still going. On Henrietta's estimate there was just under fifteen minutes before the mouth was closed. A few more strokes brought Ducane suddenly in out of the sunshine, and as the shadow of the cliff fell upon him he called out, 'Pierce! Pierce!' Silence.
The roof of the cave was about seven feet above the water at the entrance. Ducane swam a little farther in, noticing that the roof seemed to fall a little. Farther on it rose into invisibility in the darkness and the cave grew wider. Ducane swam into the larger space and called again.
Ducane had said that he would swim to the cave because that was the only thing he could think of to do. He had vaguely imagined that he would easily be able to find Pierce and would use his authority to make the boy come out. Now everything seemed different. The sheer solitude of the sunlit bay, followed by this plunge into the cool half-dark, had already done something to him. He felt removed from reality. He called again. He became aware that the sea was now running fairly fast in through the cave mouth and had already carried him farther away from the entrance. He swam a few strokes back to make sure he could easily get out again. Then he allowed the current to carry him a little farther on in the darkness, still shouting at intervals.
As Ducane swam in the great pool of the cavern he had a sudden mental image of the picture in Through the Looking Glass of Alice and the mouse swimming in the Pool of Tears.