David giggled. Mold and mildew were everywhere. The old iron windlasses and hardware streaked the decks and ships houses with rust. Toadstools grew out of cracks, black tar oozed from deck seams. The boys feet made crackling sounds as they walked through it. They walked slowly, eyes darting into every corner. Screeching, squeaking and scratching’s were all around. Pirates! Ghosts! David said weakly. Rats fighting and chasing each other emerged from under a pile of old sail canvas. Surprised by the boys, they ran a zigzag course around the boys and were gone. The box David jumped on top of, rotting and weak, collapsed. Haw, haw Arni laughed, one hand cupped over his mouth and the other holding his stomach. Shut up, Arni. I thought I heard something on the barge over there. I was going to look over the rail. David said, pretending to gaze out across the barges. Arni nodded, his lips tight, only the corners of his mouth slightly turned up giving away his delight. At the stern, they came to the ships wheel--taller than the tallest of men. Sticking out all around the wheel were hand spokes worn by years of use and blackened by theoil from hands as big as bear paws. A rope, bigger than a mans arm, wrapped around its winding drum, bleached by the sun and rotting, led down through the deck to the rudder that once steered the ship. Arni standing with legs spread wide pulling with all he had was unable to turn the huge wheel. Golly, it took a big man to steer this one, turning to David who was not to be seen. Dave, Dave, DAVE!” he yelled. A far away, hollow, sounding voice came back, Down here, Arni. Down the hatch. Arni went down and found David hands behind his head, grinning ear to ear stretched out on a bunk. Mate! Ya ole crab eater, he said, hesitating a moment while Arni looked on. Would you bring my pipe, a little grog and my hot water bottle? There seems a chill in the air, Sir, he said with a look so superior it angered Arni in spite of the obvious silliness of the thing. Arni shook his head and walked to the middle of the cabin. A table and two chairs set straight up although the ship healed over. The whole thing was hanging from the overhead. Arni hopped in a seat and swung back and forth looking around at the once finely appointed cabin. Jumpingup, he began opening all the locker doors hoping to find the gold stored in some sort of chest. In one, he found a metal box of apples, bananas and nuts. Hey, Dave!” he yelled excitedly. Look! Somebodys keeping food here. They must be living here, Arni said. That aint good, Arni, David said jumping from the bunk. Might be one of them old bums. David looked around with concern. They sat down at the table staring at the box. David wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and reaching in took a hand full of nuts stuffing them in his mouth. Arni did the same. The two of them ate nervously, looking over their shoulders often. Arni said, Darn, Dave. Theyre gonna know. There aint hardly none left. David looked around. Seeing no one, said, Yep, we might as well eat the rest, too. Maybe theyll think a possum or a muskrat or something else got it. They ate their fill and went topside to peer across the barges. The gentle breeze had now dropped from aloft and was carrying the fog away. Eerie wisps threaded their way through the barges and engulfing two crabbers who were catching crabs from a skiff.Arni? What, Arni said. Look over there. No, over there where Im pointing, David said. See that little boat over there where the cattails is all mashed down. You reckon thats where our flood dumped into the creek? Yah, that is what it is. There is the old schooner dock. Down by that stream Pop and I walked; it starts at a little spring in the poplar grove at home. That water came right down there by the old schooner dock, I think, Arni said shaking his head. About then, one of the boats came over to the barge where the crabbers were working. There were two police officers in it. David and Arni ducked down even lower peering over the railing. Hey you guys the cop yelled to the men. Yeah, washa wan?” the crabber said, staggering to his feet and teetering there. Two boys got caught up in a flood over there yesterday. Drowned you know. We figure they washed out here some were. Seen anything?” the cop yelled. David and Arni, looked at each other, surprised. Is that not something, Arni said? They think we are drowned. Makes ya feel kind a bad, dont it? David said. No. We aint seen nothing, the drunken crabber yelled back. The other police boat came along side and one of the police officers shouted, Theres no use looking over here. They didnt come this far. Both boats left, dragging a line in the water. David said, What you reckon theyre dragging them ropes for? At the beach for bathing, one time a guy drowned, Arni replied. They drag hooks through the water and hooked him and pull him up. Pop told me. Dead? David asked. What do you think? Arni replied. Im not sure, David said, looking confused. Cramany sake, Dave. Yah, of course, he is dead, Arni retorted. Well, I dont know nothing about stuff like that, Arni, David said in a defensive voice. That is neat. Look at that sailboat sailing up the creek. She is pretty is she not? Arni said. The boys stood there and watched her getting closer and closer. They could see an old man sailing her. She didnt breeze, she cut cleanly through the water. Thats one of them sailing log canoes, Arni. Dad says they carved them out of a couple of logs and putem together. He says they are the fastest boats on the bay. He knows a guy over to Colegate Creek who has one. Doc, they both said at the same time, looking astonished. Lets go! David said, running forward. Wait! Dave, Arni shouted. What is the word? Suppose, yah, Suppose is not him. Spose its one of the Geeks circus buddies. David, stopping in his tracks, walked back. The boys leaned over the bulwarks watching. The little boat sailed right up to the barge beside the ship. The old man tossed a line over a cleat on the barge and stepped aboard. He was dressed in a worn suit and vest. Although not tall, a set of wide shoulders spread on either side of his enormous neck and he looked huge. His face, hidden in a deep shadow beneath a wide brimmed fedora gave no clue to the nature of the man. Only his rolling gate testified to a lifetime at sea, as he ambled over to the ladder and started up.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 01:29:26 +0000
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