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This time the crash of noise was terrific The bullets howled into the corner of the headland Fragments of splintered rock whined over the beach like hornets Ricochets twanged and buzzed off into the hinterland Behind it all there was the steady road-drill haazine, thought Bond Now it's us He could feel the girl clutching at hi his flank Bond reached out an aran again The bullets ca the tideline towards them There was a succession of quick close thuds The bush above the torn to shreds 'Zwip Zwip Zwip' It was as if the thong of a steel as cutting the bush to pieces Bits scattered around the them Bond could s in the open Were they hidden by the leaves and debris? The bulletsthe shoreline In less than a irl whihter

The loud-hailer boo soon to pick up the bits And we'll be bringing the dogs 'Bye for now"

The slow thud of the diesel quickened The engine accelerated into a hasty roar and through the fallen leaves Bond watched the stern of the launch settle lower in the water as it made off to the west Within minutes it was out of earshot

Bond cautiously raised his head The bay was serene, the beach unmarked All was as before except for the stench of cordite and the sour sirl to her feet There were tear streaks down her face She looked at hihast She said soleht have been killed"

Bond thought, this girl has always had to fend for herself, but only against nature She knows the world of aniot the better of it But it's been a small world, bounded by the sun and theworld of the smoke-filled room, of the bullion broker's parlour, of the corridors and waiting-roos on park seats-she doesn't know about the struggle for big power and bigmen She doesn't know that she's been swept out of her rock pool into the dirty waters

He said, "It's all right, Honey They're just a lot of bad e them" Bond put his arm round her shoulders, "And you onderful As brave as anything Come on noe'll look for Quarrel andto eat What do you eat on these expeditions?"

They turned and walked up the beach to the headland After a minute she said in a controlled voice, "Oh, there's stacks of food about Sea urchins s I eat and sleep for two days before I co"

Bond held her more closely He dropped his arm as Quarrel appeared on the skyline Quarrel scra down They cairl's canoe was sawn alave a cry She looked desperately at Bond, "My boat! How aet back?"

"Don't you worry, missy" Quarrel appreciated the loss of a canoe better than Bond He guessed it irl's capital "Cap'n fix you up wit' anudder An' yo coet broke Ah's bin to see him" Quarrel looked at Bond Now his face orried "But cap'n, yo sees what I h s dey speak of Dose is police-houns-Pinschers dey's called Big bastards Mah frens tell me as der's a pack of twenty or ood"

"All right, Quarrel But first weto be scared off the island before I've had a good look We'll take Honey with us" He turned to the girl "Is that all right with you, Honey? You'll be all right with us Then we'll sail hoirl looked doubtfully at hio with you if I won't be in the way I really don't want anything to eat But will you take me home as soon as you can? I don't want to see anyat these birds?"

Bond said evasively, "Not long I've got to find out what happened to them and why Then we'll be off" He looked at his watch "It's twelve now You wait here Have a bathe or so footprints Coet that boat hidden"

It was one o'clock before they were ready Bond and Quarrel filled the canoe with stones and sand until it sank in a pool aroves They smeared over their footprints The bullets had left so much litter behind the shoreline that they could do s They ate soirl reluctantly-and climbed across the rocks and into the shalloater off-shore Then they trudged along the shalloards the river mouth three hundred yards away down the beach

It was very hot A harsh, baking wind had sprung up from the north-east Quarrel said this wind blew daily the year round It was vital to the guanera It dried the guano The glare froroves was dazzling Bond was glad he had taken trouble to get his skin hardened to the sun

There was a sandy bar at the river et wet or strip Bond said to the girl, "Honey, we can't be shy on this trip We'll keep our shirts on because of the sun Wear what's sensible and walk behind us" Without waiting for her reply the two men took off their trousers Quarrel rolled them and packed theun They waded into the pool, Quarrel in front, then Bond, then the girl The water ca silver fish leaped out of the pool and fell back with a splash There were arrows on the surface where others fled out of their way "Tarpon," coed into a narrow neck over which the h a cool tunnel, and then the river broadened into a deep sluggish channel that roves The bottom was muddy and at each step their feet sank inches into sliled and fled from under their feet, and every now and then they had to stoop to brush away leeches before they got hold But otherwise it was easy going and quiet and cool a to be out of the sun

Soon, as they got away fro, sulphuretted hydrogen san to find them They liked Bond's fresh body Quarrel told him to dip himself in the river water "Dem like dere meat wid salt on him," he explained cheerfully Bond took off his shirt and did as he was told Then it was better and after a while Bond's nostrils even got used to the ed pocket in the e bubble wobbled up fro under his nose

The roves became fewer and sparser and the river slowly opened out The water grew shallower and the bottom firmer Soon they came round a bend and into the open Honey said, "Better watch out now We'll be easier to see It goes on like this for about a ets narrower until the lake Then there's the sandspit the birdmen lived on"