Billy said, “Son, go see to your mother and the others, quick! We’re hitting the water in about two shakes of a lamb’s tail!”
Dakota unbuckled the safety harness, stepped to the hole that led down into the Engine Room, bent his knees and plunged downward. He took most of the shock with his knees and tucked his head down to his chest and rolled. When he g
ot up he saw that his mother, Edgar Burroughs and Avi were out cold. He ran to his mother and patted her face. Ekka awoke. “Mom. You have to get get wake up.”
“What is it?”
“We’re hitting the salt!”
At that moment the Argent pancaked on its belly and skipped several times before it listed and the ragged hole in the ship’s side caught the water, dragging the ship to a halt like an anchor.
The water poured quickly into the Argent. As it did, those remaining below were awakened with the deluge of ocean water.
The Argent tilted and began to roll until hole into the Engine Room came clear of the ocean surface.
Billy jumped down among Dakota, Ekka, Edgar Burroughs.
Above them, Pat Garrett stuck his head down into the room to see his friends swimming about. “What gives?” he asked.
“Abandon ship!” Billy said.
“Oh. Just a second.”
After a moment, Pat Garrett helped Koothrappally down into the Engine Room, the hopped down into the head-high water himself.
“Alright,” Billy said. “Everybody out. Swim away from the ship because when it goes under, it could suck us down with it.”
Everyone was silent with their own thoughts as they scrambled out and away from the ship that had been their home for several weeks. They swam toward the shore where a small crowd was gathering.
[ 110 ]
The next day, Billy argued with Dakota about going with them. Dakota said, “Dad, I need to say goodbye, too.”
Billy turned to Ekka for help and she said, “He has the right, Billy. He is no faint-hearted child. He is like you.”
“And like you,” Billy said. They left an hour later to climb Kilauea. The local village leader led them, along with two of his men. The volcano rumbled under their feet as they trekked its shoulder on a narrow trail. The Argent crew found Bixie almost immediately when they reached the summit. She lay on an area of black dust and fist-sized rocks. Her ankles were crossed and she looked as if she was only asleep. But they knew differently. Bixie was not under some voodoo spell of imagined death. He death was heartbreakingly real. Each of them said their goodbyes, with Dakota last.
“I will always think of you, Bixie.” He touched her hand, and then moved away so the adults could build the resting place for her. When they finished, the village leader said an Island prayer over the grave and placed three leis of red and white flowers on it.
He led them down the volcano to the village and said, “We will take you to Hilo tomorrow, but tonight you will stay with us. We would hear your explaination of what we saw in the sky, and especially tell us of the little woman resting on our mountain.”
The crew all agreed, despite their mental and physical exhaustion. The Hawaiians and the Argent’s survivors ate their fill at a feast the tribal leader called luau, and everyone talked long into the night. The next morning, the leader took them to Hilo in wagons, where they met Avi as he exited the small hospital. He looked fine, except for a white bandage around his head.
Billy and Ekka talked in private that afternoon as they gazed out at the Pacific. Billy said, “I’m not sure what we can do now. Everybody knows who I am, so somebody will always be after me. If we go back to the mainland, I’ll have to change my identity and live someplace we have never been.”
Ekka said, “Billy Robber.”
“What?”
“Billy Robber. That will be your new name.”
“You think it’s that easy?”
“Yes.”
Billy chuckled, “You sure cut through to the meat of it. But, Robber, I don’t know about that for a last name.”
“What would you suggest?”