hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第75节
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tide and he had seen many wood ibis； the cocos that gave the key its name； and a pair of roseate spoon…bills working in the marl of the edge of the lagoon。 They were beautiful with the sharp rose of their color against the gray marl and their delicate； quick； forward…running movements； and they had the dreadful； hunger…ridden impersonality of certain wading birds。 He could not watch them long because he wanted to check in case the people they were looking for had left the boat in the mangroves and camped in the high ground to be clear of the mosquitoes。
He found nothing but the site of an old charcoal…burning and he came out onto the beach after the first squall hit and Ara had picked him up in the dinghy。
Ara loved running the outboard in the rain and a bad squall and he had told Thomas Hudson none of the searchers had found anything。 Everybody was on board but Willie who had taken the furthest stretch of beach beyond the mangroves。
¨And you？〃 Ara asked。
¨Me； nothing。〃
¨This rain will cool off Willie。 Iˇm going to get him when I put you on board。 Where do you think they are； Tom？〃
¨At Guillermo。 Thatˇs where Iˇd be。〃
¨Me too。 Thatˇs what Willie thinks； too。〃
¨How was he？〃
¨Heˇs trying hard； Tom。 You know Willie。〃
¨Yes；〃 said Thomas Hudson。 They came alongside and he climbed aboard。
Thomas Hudson watched Ara pivot the dinghy on her stern and go off into the white squall。 Then he called down for a towel and dried himself off on the stern。
Henry said； ¨Donˇt you want a drink； Tom？ You were really wet。〃
¨Iˇd like one。〃
¨Do you want straight rum？〃
¨Thatˇs nice；〃 Thomas Hudson answered。 He went below to get a sweatshirt and shorts and he saw that they were all cheerful。
¨We all had a straight rum；〃 Henry said and brought him a glass half…full。 ¨I donˇt think that way if you dry off quickly anyone can catch cold。 Do you？〃
¨Hi； Tom；〃 said Peters。 ¨Have you joined our little group of health drinkers？〃
¨When did you wake up？〃 Thomas Hudson asked him。
¨When I heard a gurgling noise。〃
¨Iˇll make a gurgling noise some night and see if that wakes you up。〃
¨Donˇt worry； Tom。 Willie does that for me every night。〃
Thomas Hudson decided not to drink the rum。 Then； seeing them all having had a drink and being cheerful and happy on an uncheerful errand； he thought it would be pompous and priggish not to take it。 He wanted it； too。
¨Split this with me；〃 he said to Peters。 ¨You are the only son of a bitch I ever knew that could sleep better with earphones on than without them。〃
¨That splitˇs nothing；〃 Peters said； entrenching himself in the retreat from formal discipline。 ¨That split doesnˇt give either of us anything。〃
¨Get one of your own； then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨I like the goddam stuff as well as you do。〃
The others were watching and Thomas Hudson could see Henryˇs jaw muscles twitching。
¨Drink it up；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨And run all your mysterious machines tonight as well as you can。 For yourself and for the rest of us。〃
¨For all of us；〃 Peters said。 ¨Who is the hardest…working man on this ship？〃
¨Ara；〃 Thomas Hudson said and sipped the rum for the first time as he looked around。 ¨And every fucking body else on board。〃
¨Hereˇs to you； Tom；〃 Peters said。
¨Hereˇs to you；〃 Thomas Hudson said and felt the words die cold and stale in his mouth。 ¨To the earphone king；〃 he said； in order to recover something he had lost。 ¨To all gurgling noises；〃 he added； being now a long way ahead as he should have been at the start。
¨To my commander；〃 Peters said； running his string out too far。
¨Any way you want to take it；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨There are no articles that cover that with us。 But Iˇll settle for that。 Say it again。〃
¨To you； Tom。〃
¨Thanks；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨But I will be a sad son of a bitch before I drink to you until all your radios and you are functioning。〃
Peters looked at him and into his face there came the discipline and into his body； which was in bad shape； the carriage of a man who had served three hitches in something that he had believed in and left for something else； as Willie had； and he said； automatically and without reservations； ¨Yes sir。〃
¨Drink to you；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨And crank up all your fucking miracles。〃
¨Yes； Tom；〃 Peters said； without any cheating and without reservations。
Well； I guess that is enough of that； Thomas Hudson thought。 I better leave it as it lays and go back to the stern and watch my other problem child come aboard。 I can never feel about Peters the way the rest of them all feel。 I hope I know as well as they do what his defects are。 But he has something。 He is like the false carried so far that it is made true。 It is certain that he is not up to handling what we have。 But maybe he is up to much better things。
Willieˇs the same； he thought。 One is as bad one way as the other。 They ought to be in now。
He saw the dinghy coming through the rain and the white drifted water that curled and blew under the lash of the wind。 They were both thoroughly wet when they came aboard。 They had not used their raincoats but had kept them wrapped around their ni？os。
¨Hi； Tom；〃 Willie said。 ¨Nothing but a wet ass and a hungry gut。〃
¨Take these children；〃 Ara said and handed the wrapped submachine guns aboard。
¨Nothing？〃
¨Nothing multiplied by ten；〃 Willie said。 He was standing on the stern dripping and Thomas Hudson called to Gil to bring two towels。
Ara pulled the dinghy in by her painter and climbed aboard。
¨Nothing of nothing of nothing；〃 he said。 ¨Tom； do we get overtime for rain？〃
¨We ought to clean those weapons right away；〃 Willie said。
¨Weˇll get dry first；〃 Ara said。 ¨Iˇm wet enough。 First I could never get wet and now I have gooseflesh even on my ass。〃
¨Tom；〃 Willie said。 ¨You know those sons of bitches can sail in these squalls if they reef down and have the balls to。〃
¨I thought of that too。〃
¨I think they lay up in the daytime with the calm and then run with these afternoon squalls。〃
¨Where do you put them？〃
¨I donˇt put them past Guillermo。 But they could be。〃
¨Weˇll start at daylight and catch them at Guillermo tomorrow。〃
¨Maybe weˇll find them and maybe theyˇll be gone。〃
¨Sure。〃
¨Why the hell havenˇt we got radar？〃
¨What good would it do us right now？ What do you see in the screen； Willie？〃
¨Iˇll pipe the hell down；〃 Willie said。 ¨Excuse me； Tom。 But chasing something with UHF that hasnˇt got a radio 。。。 ？〃
¨I know；〃 said Thomas Hudson。 ¨But do you want to chase any better than weˇve been chasing？〃
¨Yes。 Is that OK？〃
¨OK。〃
¨I want to catch the sons of bitches and kill every one of them。〃
¨What good would that do？〃
¨You donˇt remember the massacre？〃
¨Donˇt give me any of that massacre shit； Willie。 Youˇve been around too long for that。〃
¨OK。 I just want to kill them。 Is that all right？〃
¨Itˇs better than the massacre thing。 But I want prisoners from a U…boat operating in these waters who can talk。〃
¨That last one you had didnˇt talk much。〃
¨No。 Neither would you if you were up the creek like he was。〃
¨OK；〃 Willie said。 ¨Can I draw a slug of the legal？〃
¨Sure。 Get on dry shorts and a shirt and donˇt make trouble。〃
¨With nobody？〃
¨Grow up；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Drop dead；〃 Willie said and grinned。
¨Thatˇs the way I like you；〃 Thomas Hudson told him。 ¨Keep it that way。〃
XIV
THAT NIGHT THERE WAS HEAVY LIGHTNING and thunder and it rained until about three oˇclock in the morning。 Peters could get nothing on the radio and they all slept hot and muggy until the sand flies came out after the rain stopped and wakened them； one after the other。 Thomas Hudson pumped Flit down below and there was coughing and then less restless moving and slapping。
He waked Peters by Flitting him thoroughly and Peters shook his head with the earphones on and said softly； ¨Iˇve been trying hard； Tom； all the time。 But thereˇs nothing。〃
Thomas Hudson looked at the glass with a torch and it was rising。 That will give them a breeze； he thought。 Well； they canˇt say they havenˇt had luck again。 Now I must figure that。
He went back to the stern and sprayed all the Flit he could into the cabin without waking the people。
He sat in the stern and watched the night clear and flitted himself occasionally。 They were short of repellent but had plenty of Flit。 It burned where a man had been sweating but it was better than sand flies。 Their effect differed from mosquitoes in that you could not hear them before they hit and there was an instant itching from the bite。 The bites made a swelling about the size of a very small pea。 In some places on the coast and on the keys； they were more virulent than in others。 At least their bites seemed to be much more annoying。 But； he thought； that could be the condition that our hides are in and how much they are burned and toughened。 I do not know how the natives stand them。 They have to be hardy people to live on this coast and in the Bahamas when the trad
