Nine : THE MIRACLE
MCCOBB watched through the glasses. He knew what was going to happen--it had happened before.
Henry, stark naked, poised on the gunwale of the boat and dove.
His body flashed in the sun and McCobb could see the long knife in his hand.
Jack came out on the porch. He followed the direction of McCobb's glasses.
"What's he doing?"
"Watch."
The ripples which Henry's dive had started ran toward the shore. There was a very brief interval of calm. Then the whole surface of the bay in the neighborhood of the boat was broken by a mighty threshing.
In the foamy melée Henry came to the surface and swam quickly to the boat. He caught the gunwale and climbed aboard. He stuck the knife in the wood of a seat.
"Gor!" Jack murmured. "What is it?"
"Shark." McCobb bit off the word.
The splashing was already lessening. Red flowed in the froth. The motion of a long tail was visible, and the fish twisted round and round.
Henry saw McCobb on the porch and waved to him.
"He dive in and kill a big shark like that?" Jack asked.
"He did?"
"Wiff a knife?"
"With a knife. One just like that weapon you carry around."
"Damn!"
McCobb said nothing.
The shark's motions were feeble now, and Henry was paddling toward it.
"That's dangerous," Jack said tentatively.
"You bet it is."
"What's he do it for?"
"Fun."
"For fun?"
"Yes, Jack."
"That ain't fun."
"For him it is. He's sick of things--just like you and me, Jack. Only he's young.
We can swallow our feelings and say nothing. He can't. He has to go out and do things.
The more dangerous the better."
"Sure enough?"
"That's the way boys like that are made."
Suddenly McCobb turned and smiled at Jack in a manner almost brotherly. He could smile--now that the shark was lying with its ripped belly toward the sky.
"You ought to know. I remember once Mr. Stone mentioned that you used to raise cane when you were a young buck."
Jack grinned and scratched his woolly head.
"That's a fact." Doubt came in his face. "But I wouldn't of done nuthing like that.
Not me."
McCobb laughed.
Henry made fast his shark and rowed laboriously toward the beach. Even through the glasses McCobb could see the flexing of his muscles.
Half an hour later the shark-killer appeared, bringing a portion of the hide.
"You saw my day's catch?"
McCobb nodded.
"I took this for shoosies and threw the rest back."
"It never occurred to you that you might get hurt doing that, did it, Henry?"
"Oh--no. Never."
"Never thought that three or four of those things might come at you simultaneously?"
Henry stopped and considered with mock seriousness.
"Now that you mention it, Mr. McCobb--"
"Wouldn't mean anything to you if I asked you to take it easy--for Jack's and my sake?"
Henry shook his head up and down rapidly.
"Sure. I'll stop."
"And you might abandon the idea that you can get one of the crocodiles barehanded, too."
"It's abandoned."
McCobb was embarrassed. ''I'm not trying to supplant the place of your father.
But--you see--if anything happened to you I'd feel responsible for cheating you out of your life--up there."
He pointed toward the north.
"It's all right. I was just looking for a little excitement. There isn't much here any more."
"I know."
Both men stared over the porch rail.
Two traveler's-trees spread fans like peacocks' tails in the yard. Beyond them, ebonies and eucalyptus and a member of the banyan family whose numerous gray trunks ran to earth like the probosces of elephants. Over all a redundancy of foliage with caves in it where the sun shot down, and birds whose plumage made them: look like small fragments of a rainbow.
After that came the sea, so blue that the eyes ached in contemplation of it, and the shoals where the water turned to jade green and tan and even, along the coral edges, a pure alabaster white.
A scene indescribably beautiful and to them unutterably tedious. They had grown careless of the
MCCOBB watched through the glasses. He knew what was going to happen--it had happened before.
Henry, stark naked, poised on the gunwale of the boat and dove.
His body flashed in the sun and McCobb could see the long knife in his hand.
Jack came out on the porch. He followed the direction of McCobb's glasses.
"What's he doing?"
"Watch."
The ripples which Henry's dive had started ran toward the shore. There was a very brief interval of calm. Then the whole surface of the bay in the neighborhood of the boat was broken by a mighty threshing.
In the foamy melée Henry came to the surface and swam quickly to the boat. He caught the gunwale and climbed aboard. He stuck the knife in the wood of a seat.
"Gor!" Jack murmured. "What is it?"
"Shark." McCobb bit off the word.
The splashing was already lessening. Red flowed in the froth. The motion of a long tail was visible, and the fish twisted round and round.
Henry saw McCobb on the porch and waved to him.
"He dive in and kill a big shark like that?" Jack asked.
"He did?"
"Wiff a knife?"
"With a knife. One just like that weapon you carry around."
"Damn!"
McCobb said nothing.
The shark's motions were feeble now, and Henry was paddling toward it.
"That's dangerous," Jack said tentatively.
"You bet it is."
"What's he do it for?"
"Fun."
"For fun?"
"Yes, Jack."
"That ain't fun."
"For him it is. He's sick of things--just like you and me, Jack. Only he's young.
We can swallow our feelings and say nothing. He can't. He has to go out and do things.
The more dangerous the better."
"Sure enough?"
"That's the way boys like that are made."
Suddenly McCobb turned and smiled at Jack in a manner almost brotherly. He could smile--now that the shark was lying with its ripped belly toward the sky.
"You ought to know. I remember once Mr. Stone mentioned that you used to raise cane when you were a young buck."
Jack grinned and scratched his woolly head.
"That's a fact." Doubt came in his face. "But I wouldn't of done nuthing like that.
Not me."
McCobb laughed.
Henry made fast his shark and rowed laboriously toward the beach. Even through the glasses McCobb could see the flexing of his muscles.
Half an hour later the shark-killer appeared, bringing a portion of the hide.
"You saw my day's catch?"
McCobb nodded.
"I took this for shoosies and threw the rest back."
"It never occurred to you that you might get hurt doing that, did it, Henry?"
"Oh--no. Never."
"Never thought that three or four of those things might come at you simultaneously?"
Henry stopped and considered with mock seriousness.
"Now that you mention it, Mr. McCobb--"
"Wouldn't mean anything to you if I asked you to take it easy--for Jack's and my sake?"
Henry shook his head up and down rapidly.
"Sure. I'll stop."
"And you might abandon the idea that you can get one of the crocodiles barehanded, too."
"It's abandoned."
McCobb was embarrassed. ''I'm not trying to supplant the place of your father.
But--you see--if anything happened to you I'd feel responsible for cheating you out of your life--up there."
He pointed toward the north.
"It's all right. I was just looking for a little excitement. There isn't much here any more."
"I know."
Both men stared over the porch rail.
Two traveler's-trees spread fans like peacocks' tails in the yard. Beyond them, ebonies and eucalyptus and a member of the banyan family whose numerous gray trunks ran to earth like the probosces of elephants. Over all a redundancy of foliage with caves in it where the sun shot down, and birds whose plumage made them: look like small fragments of a rainbow.
After that came the sea, so blue that the eyes ached in contemplation of it, and the shoals where the water turned to jade green and tan and even, along the coral edges, a pure alabaster white.
A scene indescribably beautiful and to them unutterably tedious. They had grown careless of the
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