problems earlier than daylight. I think I fell asleep thinking; Yes, Margrethe was right; a hot fudge sundae was a better choice than a chocolate marshmallow sundae. I know I dreamt about such a sundae—a quasi-nightmare in which I would dip into it, a big bite…lift the spoon to my mouth, and find it empty. I think that woke me.
She turned her head toward me, smiled and looked about sixteen and utterly heavenly. (“ — like two young roes that are twins. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”) “Good morning, beautiful.”
She giggled. “Good morning, Prince Charming. Did you sleep well?”
“Matter of fact, Margrethe, I haven’t slept so well in a month. Odd. All I want now is breakfast in bed.”
“Right away, sir. I’ll hurry!”
“Go along with you. I should not have mentioned food. I’ll settle for a kiss. Think we can manage a kiss without falling into the water?”
“Yes. But let’s be careful. Just turn your face this way; don’t roll over.”
It was a kiss mostly symbolic rather than one of Margrethe’s all-out specials. We were both quite careful not to disturb the precarious stability of our make-do life raft. We were worried about something more important than being dumped into the ocean—at least I was.
I decided to broach it, take it out where we could worry about it together. “Margrethe, by the map just outside the dining room we should have the coast of Mexico near Mazatlán just east of us. What time did the ship sink? If it sank. I mean, what time was the collision?”
“I don’t know.”
“Nor do I. After midnight, I’m sure of that. The Konge Knut was scheduled to arrive at eight a.m. So that coast line could be over a hundred miles east of us. Or it could be almost on top of us. Mountains over there, we may be able to see them when this overcast clears away. As it did yesterday, so it probably will today. Sweetheart, how are you on long-distance swimming? If we can see mountains, do you want to try for it?”
She was slow in answering. “Alec, if you wish, we will try it.”
“That wasn’t quite what I asked.”
“That is true. In warm sea water I think I can swim as long as necessary. I did once swim the Great Belt, in water colder than this. But, Alec, in the Belt are no sharks. Here there are sharks. I have seen.”
I let out a sigh. “I’m glad you said it; I didn’t want to have to say it. Hon, I think we must stay right here and hold still. Not call attention to ourselves. I can skip breakfast—especially a shark’s breakfast.”
“One does not starve quickly.”
“We won’t starve. If you had your druthers, which would you pick? Starvation? Or death by sunburn? Sharks? Or dying of thirst? In all the lifeboat and Robinson Crusoe stories I’ve ever read our hero had something to work with. I don’t have even a toothpick. Correction: I have you; that changes the odds. Margrethe, what do you think we ought to do?”
“I think we will be picked up.”
I thought so, too, but for a reason I did not want to discuss with Margrethe. “I’m glad to hear you say that. But why do you think so?”
“Alec, have you been to Mazatlán before?”
“No.”
“It is an important fishing port, both commercial fishing and sport fishing. Since dawn hundreds of boats have put out to sea. The largest and fastest go many kilometers out. If we wait, they will find us.”
“May find us, you mean. There is a lot of ocean out here. But you’re right; swimming for it is suicide; our best bet is to stay here and hold tight.”
“They will be looking for us, Alec.”
“They will? Why?”
“If Konge Knut did not sink, then the Captain knows when and where we were lost overboard; when he reaches port—about now—he will ask for a daylight search. But if she did sink, then they will be scouring the whole area for survivors.”
“Sounds logical.” (I had another idea, not at all logical.)
“Our problem is to stay alive till they find us,
She turned her head toward me, smiled and looked about sixteen and utterly heavenly. (“ — like two young roes that are twins. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”) “Good morning, beautiful.”
She giggled. “Good morning, Prince Charming. Did you sleep well?”
“Matter of fact, Margrethe, I haven’t slept so well in a month. Odd. All I want now is breakfast in bed.”
“Right away, sir. I’ll hurry!”
“Go along with you. I should not have mentioned food. I’ll settle for a kiss. Think we can manage a kiss without falling into the water?”
“Yes. But let’s be careful. Just turn your face this way; don’t roll over.”
It was a kiss mostly symbolic rather than one of Margrethe’s all-out specials. We were both quite careful not to disturb the precarious stability of our make-do life raft. We were worried about something more important than being dumped into the ocean—at least I was.
I decided to broach it, take it out where we could worry about it together. “Margrethe, by the map just outside the dining room we should have the coast of Mexico near Mazatlán just east of us. What time did the ship sink? If it sank. I mean, what time was the collision?”
“I don’t know.”
“Nor do I. After midnight, I’m sure of that. The Konge Knut was scheduled to arrive at eight a.m. So that coast line could be over a hundred miles east of us. Or it could be almost on top of us. Mountains over there, we may be able to see them when this overcast clears away. As it did yesterday, so it probably will today. Sweetheart, how are you on long-distance swimming? If we can see mountains, do you want to try for it?”
She was slow in answering. “Alec, if you wish, we will try it.”
“That wasn’t quite what I asked.”
“That is true. In warm sea water I think I can swim as long as necessary. I did once swim the Great Belt, in water colder than this. But, Alec, in the Belt are no sharks. Here there are sharks. I have seen.”
I let out a sigh. “I’m glad you said it; I didn’t want to have to say it. Hon, I think we must stay right here and hold still. Not call attention to ourselves. I can skip breakfast—especially a shark’s breakfast.”
“One does not starve quickly.”
“We won’t starve. If you had your druthers, which would you pick? Starvation? Or death by sunburn? Sharks? Or dying of thirst? In all the lifeboat and Robinson Crusoe stories I’ve ever read our hero had something to work with. I don’t have even a toothpick. Correction: I have you; that changes the odds. Margrethe, what do you think we ought to do?”
“I think we will be picked up.”
I thought so, too, but for a reason I did not want to discuss with Margrethe. “I’m glad to hear you say that. But why do you think so?”
“Alec, have you been to Mazatlán before?”
“No.”
“It is an important fishing port, both commercial fishing and sport fishing. Since dawn hundreds of boats have put out to sea. The largest and fastest go many kilometers out. If we wait, they will find us.”
“May find us, you mean. There is a lot of ocean out here. But you’re right; swimming for it is suicide; our best bet is to stay here and hold tight.”
“They will be looking for us, Alec.”
“They will? Why?”
“If Konge Knut did not sink, then the Captain knows when and where we were lost overboard; when he reaches port—about now—he will ask for a daylight search. But if she did sink, then they will be scouring the whole area for survivors.”
“Sounds logical.” (I had another idea, not at all logical.)
“Our problem is to stay alive till they find us,
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