Page 75 of Storm over the Caribbean
“Woof! Woof!”
“Backagain?”
“Woof!”
“I’m trying to bloody sleep! I need my strength for tomorrow if I want to survive! I don’t have time for you!”
“Woof?”
His big ears drooped, He looked up at me with bit, innocent, literal puppy-dog eyes.
Dang it!
Taking a deep breath, as well as the stick, I hurled the thing out of the cave again. Happily, Fence raced after it, running at much higher speeds than fences had any right to. I ended up playing with the stupid mutt with the bloody irresistible puppy-dog eyes for hours upon hours. Or at least that’s what it felt like. The darn dog seemed to have unending energy!
Then again, playing with the stick was probably better than the alternative. Especially when, after his latest run, the cute murder monster of a doggie looked over at Mr Rikkard Ambrose, tongue lolling and salivating. With hope shining in his big, innocent eyes, he looked up at me.
“No, you can’t nibble on him,” I told him. “Contrary to appearances, he isn’t a chew toy.”
Fence’s ears drooped.
“Oh, um…don’t be sad, all right?”
The ears drooped a little more.
Heck! Why am I worrying about this? I’m bloody starving and dying of thirst here, and might even freeze to death tonight! A stupid oversized puppy should be the least of my worries!
Emphasis on “should”. Stupid puppy-dog eyes.
We ended up playing with that dratted stick for half the night. Again and again, he came back with that bloody thing! He just wouldn’t stop! He…just…wouldn’t…wouldn’t…
***
In the sunshine, out on the open water, two strapping young men were indulging in some vigorous exercise. It was obvious at first glance how much they were enjoying themselves from how they were pumping their arms, rowing across the water faster than a team at an Oxbridge rowing competition.15 After all, it couldn’t possibly be that such big, strong men were rowing so hard because someone had forced them, right?
“Um…Captain?”
The captain, who was seated opposite the two young sailors, looked up at the only member of his substantially reduced crew on his new flagship.
“Yes, McBride?”
“How long are we supposed to keep rowing this darn lifeboat?”
“That’s not the question, McBride.”
“It ain’t?”
“No. The question is: do you want to turn around and tell Mr Karim that we haven’t found anything?”
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“Should we…?”
“Row faster? Definitely.”
“Aye aye, Captain! Right away, Captain!”
