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hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第59部分
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and he had not dreamed at all this time。
IV
HE STEERED ALL THAT NIGHT and he had Ara on the flying bridge with him until midnight and then Henry。 They were running with a heavy beam sea and steering was like riding a horse downhill； he thought。 It is all downhill and sometimes it is across the side of a hill。 The sea is many hills and in here it is a broken country like the badlands。
¨Talk to me；〃 he said to Ara。
¨What about； Tom？〃
¨Anything。〃
¨Peters couldnˇt raise Guant？namo again。 He has ruined it。 The new big one。〃
¨I know；〃 Thomas Hudson said and tried to roll her as little as he could； riding the side of the hill。 ¨Heˇs burnt out something that he canˇt repair。〃
¨Heˇs listening；〃 Ara said。 ¨Willie is keeping him awake。〃
¨Whoˇs keeping Willie awake？〃
¨Heˇs awake good；〃 Ara said。 ¨He doesnˇt sleep any better than you。〃
¨How about you？〃
¨Iˇm good for all night if you want。 Donˇt you want me to steer？〃
¨No。 I havenˇt anything else to do。〃
¨Tom； how badly do you feel？〃
¨I donˇt know。 How badly can you feel？〃
¨Itˇs useless；〃 Ara said。 ¨Would you like the wineskin？〃
¨No。 Bring me up a bottle of cold tea and check on Peters and Willie。 Check on everything。〃
Ara went down and Thomas Hudson was alone with the night and the sea and he still rode it like a horse going downhill too fast across broken country。
Henry came up with the bottle of cold tea。
¨How are we； Tom？〃 he asked。
¨Weˇre perfect。〃
¨Peters has the Miami police department on the old radio。 All the prowl cars。 Willie wants to talk to them。 But I told him he couldnˇt。〃
¨Correct。〃
¨On the UHF； Peters has something squirting in German but he says it is way up with the wolf packs。〃
¨He couldnˇt hear it then。〃
¨Itˇs a very funny night； Tom。〃
¨Itˇs not that funny。〃
¨I donˇt know。 Iˇm just telling you。 Give me the course and let me take her and you go down。〃
¨Has Peters logged it？〃
¨Of course。〃
¨Tell Juan to give me a fix and have Peters log it。 When was the son of a bitch squirting？〃
¨When I came up。〃
¨Tell Juan to get the fix and log it right away。〃
¨Yes； Tom。〃
¨How are all the comic characters？〃
¨Sleeping。 Gil； too。〃
¨Get the rag out and have Peters log the fix。〃
¨Do you want it？〃
¨I know too damn well where we are。〃
¨Yes； Tom；〃 Henry said。 ¨Take it easy if you can。〃
Henry came up but Thomas Hudson did not feel like talking and Henry stood by him on the flying bridge and braced himself against the roll。 After an hour he said； ¨Thereˇs a light； Tom。 Off our starboard bow about twenty degrees。〃
¨Thatˇs right。〃
When he was abeam of it he changed the course and the sea was astern。
¨Now she is headed home to pasture；〃 he said to Henry。 ¨Weˇre in the channel now。 Wake Juan and get him up here and really keep your eyes open。 You were late on the light。〃
¨Iˇm sorry； Tom。 Iˇll get Juan。 Wouldnˇt you like a four…man watch？〃
¨Not until just before daylight；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Iˇll give you the word。〃
They might have cut across the banks； Thomas Hudson was thinking。 But I donˇt think they would。 They wouldnˇt want to cross at night and in daytime the banks wouldnˇt look good to deep…water sailors。 Theyˇd make their turn where I did。 Then they would edge across comfortably the way we are going to do and they would probably hit for the highest part of the Cuban coast that showed。 They donˇt want to get into any port so they will run with the wind。 They will keep outside of Confites because they know there is a radio station there。 But they have to get food and they have to get water。 Actually they would do best to try to get as close to Havana as they could to land somewhere around Bacuranao and then infiltrate in from there。 Iˇll send a signal from Confites。 I wonˇt ask him what to do。 That will hold us up if heˇs away。 Iˇll tell him what it is and what Iˇm doing。 He can make his own dispositions。 Guant？namo can make theirs and Camag？ey can make theirs and La Fe theirs and the FBI theirs and maybe something will happen in a week。
Hell； he thought。 Iˇll get them this week。 Theyˇve got to stop for water and to cook what they have before the animals starve and rot。 Thereˇs a good chance they will run only at nights and lay up daytimes。 That would be logical。 Thatˇs what I would do if I were them。 Try to think like an intelligent German sailor with the problems this undersea boat commander has。
He has problems all right； Thomas Hudson thought。 And the worst problem he has is us and he doesnˇt even know about us。 We donˇt look dangerous to him。 We look good to him。
Donˇt take it in any bloodthirsty way； he thought。 Nothing of this is going to bring back anything。 Use your head and be glad to have something to do and good people to do it with。
¨Juan；〃 he said。 ¨What do you see； boy？〃
¨All bloody ocean。〃
¨You other gentlemen see anything？〃
¨Bloody nothing；〃 Gil said。
¨My bloody belly sees coffee。 But it doesnˇt come any closer；〃 Ara said。
¨I see land；〃 Henry said。 He had seen it that instant； a low square smudge as though a manˇs thumb had daubed weak ink against the lightening sky。
¨Thatˇs behind Romano；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Thank you； Henry。 Now you characters go down for coffee and send up four other desperate men to see strange and amusing things。〃
¨Do you want coffee； Tom？〃 Ara asked。
¨No。 Iˇll take tea when itˇs made。〃
¨Weˇve only been on watch a couple of hours；〃 Gil said。 ¨We donˇt need to go off； Tom。〃
¨Go on down and get coffee and give the other desperate men a chance for glory。〃
¨Tom； didnˇt you say you thought they were at Lobos？〃
¨Yes。 But I changed my mind。〃
The others had gone down and four were coming up。
¨Gentlemen；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Split the four quadrants up amongst you。 Is there coffee below？〃
¨Plenty；〃 his mate said。 ¨And tea。 The engines are good and she didnˇt make any more water than you would expect in the cross sea。〃
¨How is Peters？〃
¨He drank his own whisky in the night。 The one with the little lamb on it。 But he stayed awake。 Willie kept him awake and drank his whisky；〃 his mate said。
¨We have to fill gas at Confites and take on anything else there is。〃
¨They can load fast and I can kill a pig and scald and scrape him；〃 his mate said。 ¨Iˇll give them a quarter at the radio station to help me and I can butcher him while you are running。 You get some sleep while we load。 Would you like me to steer？〃
¨No。 I only have to send three signals at Confites and you load and I will sleep。 Then we will pursue。〃
¨Toward home？〃
¨Of course。 They may avoid us for a time。 But they cannot escape us。 Later we will talk about it。 How are they？〃
¨You know them。 We will talk about it later。 Steer in a little more； Tom。 With the countercurrent youˇll shorten it。〃
¨Did you lose much with rolling？〃
¨Nothing that matters。 It was a bitch of a beam sea；〃 his mate said。
¨Ya lo creo；〃 said Thomas Hudson。 ¨I believe it。〃
¨There should only be the people of this one undersea boat around here。 She must surely be the one they claimed sunk。 Now they are off La Guayra and above Kingston and on all the petrol lanes。 Also they are with the wolf packs。〃
¨Also they are here sometimes。〃
¨Yes； for our sins。〃
¨And for theirs。〃
¨On this thing we will pursue well and intelligently。〃
¨Let us get it started；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨There has been no delay。〃
¨It goes slowly for me。〃
¨Yes；〃 his mate said。 ¨But get some sleep in Confites and I promise everything will go faster than you could hope。〃
V
THOMAS HUDSON SAW THE HIGH LOOKOUT POST on the sandy key and the tall signalling mast。 They were painted white and were the first things that showed。 Then he saw the stumpy radio masts and the high cocked wreck of the ship that lay on the rocks and obscured the view of the radio shack。 The key was not handsome from his side。
The sun was behind him and it was easy to find the first big pass through the reef and then； skirting the shoals and the coral heads； to come up on the leeward shelter。 There was a sandy half…moon of beach and the island was covered with dry grass on this side and was rocky and flat on its windward end。 The water was clear and green over the sand and Thomas Hudson came in close to the center of the beach and anchored with his bow almost against the shore。 The sun was up and the Cuban flag was flying over the radio shack and the outbuildings。 The signalling mast was bare in the wind。 There was no one in sight and the Cuban flag； new and brightly clean； was snapping in the wind。
¨Maybe they had a relief；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨The old flag was pretty worn when we left。〃
He looked and saw his drums of gas where he had left them and the marks of digging in the sand where his blocks of ice should be buried。 The sand was high like new…made graves and over the island sooty terns were flying in the wind。 They nested in the rocks up at the windward end and a few nested in the grass of the lee。 They were flying now； falling off with the wind； cutting sharply into it； and dipping down toward the grass and the rocks。 They were all calling； sadly and desperately。
Must be somebody out getting eggs for breakfast； Thomas Hudson thought。 Just then he smelled ham frying in the galley and he went astern and called down that he would take his breakfast on the bridge。 He studied the island carefully。 They might be here； he thought。 They could have taken this。
But when a man in shorts came down the path that ran from the radio shack to the beach； it was the Lieutenant。 He was very brown and cheerful and he had not cut his hair in three months and he called out； ¨How was your trip？〃
¨Good；〃 said Thomas Hudson。 ¨Will you come aboard for a beer？〃
¨Later；〃 the Lieutenant said。 ¨They brought your ice and supplies and some beer two days ago。 We buried the ice。 The other things are at the house。〃
¨What news do you have？〃
¨The aviation were supposed to have sunk a submarine off Guinchos ten days ago。 But that wa
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