Abaco Gold

by Patrick Mansell

  “It has, in large measure, evolved into that. They can get all the divers they want but the problem is that our men get bored just standing guard on the barge and then coming back here to spend the evening and then back to work the next day. It’s a monotonous routine, so they are working themselves hard just to fight the boredom. They told Jenny and Skeeter not to hire more divers, that they would rather do it themselves.”

  “That’s not exactly by-the-book, but I understand. We’ll address that at our strategy meeting tonight. I’m uncomfortable when the discipline breaks down and I can see that this is happening already. This is a well funded operation with plenty of resources. We’ll figure out how to best implement them. And if there is one thing I promise it is this, Grant Web is not going to stand in the way of making this a successful project.”

  Virgil strolled over to the Pincus residence to catch up with Max and the others. Gaffer and P.J. took him to the rear of the house and showed him the layout of the work area. The artifacts safely submerged in their collection buckets, Jenny’s large work bench, two other smaller work benches. There was a lot of what appeared to be rubble laying here and there, but it all seemed to be well organized, tagged and catalogued. Virgil got a quick lesson in how all this material was being organized and preserved and was quite impressed with the degree of diligence Jenny had exhibited in recreating the historical record. He was impressed with the respect each person on the team showed for the work she had done and the reverence they showed for the materials they were working on. The artifacts were handled as if they were as delicate as eggs and, to date, there had been no serious losses through negligence or mishap.

  They spent about a half hour showing Virgil around the work area. He was very interested in the work and the artifacts. But it was not long before he glanced at his watch signaling to Gaffer that he had absorbed all of the marine archaeology he was capable of for one day. He placed a hand on Gaffer’s shoulder and headed him toward the marina. “Son, thank you for the most informative tour of our little treasure trove. Now then, it’s already after three in the afternoon and I was just wondering if there is still time for us to catch just a few minutes of fishing before the day is over. Do you think that would be possible?”

  “Anything you say Mr. Price,” Gaffer said. “I can be ready in, let’s see, OK, I’m actually ready now. Trolling, drifting or deep dropping?”

  “Why don’t we go out there and see what comes up. I’m not fussy. I’d just like to have something for dinner tonight that was swimming today. I’m certain you could arrange that, right?”

  “You bet I can. You run and get Dad and I’ll clear the decks on the boat. I’ll be ready and idling in two minutes.”

  Gaffer turned on his heel and trotted down to the turning basin followed closely by Matthew. By the time the frozen squid was dumped into a bucket of water to thaw, Max and Virgil were walking down the path toward the boat. The dock lines were already untied and Matthew was holding the boat to the dock. As soon as Virgil and Max stepped on board, Matthew pushed off and Gaffer executed one of his perfect 180’s. Twenty seconds later they were out of the turning basin and Gaffer was throttling through 3,500 RPMs. Virgil was beginning to relax.

  On the open sea just east of Man-O-War Cay, the mild summer breeze created a moderate chop on the surface. The late afternoon sun was still high above the horizon at four in the afternoon. Matthew pointed the boat toward the east and throttled up to forty knots. Gaffer and Max scanned the horizon, keeping alert for the usual signs of fish life. After a straight shot to the east for three miles, Gaffer told Matthew to bare southeast. Matthew steered the boat in a wide arc until the compass reading was at 130 degrees. It took only two minutes until Gaffer pointed to a black spot in the sky a mile ahead. He instructed Matthew to steer toward that spot. Virgil was watching what they were doing, but he did not understand.

  “What’s going on?” he inquired.

  Max pointed to the spot in the sky that was getting closer and larger. “That’s our sign,” he said. “That’s a frigate bird. We ride around until we see seagulls working, or weeds floating, or a board or something else floating. These are all signs that fish might be in the area. These things attract the small bait fish which in turn attract the fish we like to catch. Often as not, we’ll find dolphin, or as the menus in the restaurants call them, Mahi-Mahi”.

  Gaffer selected a twelve pound class spinning outfit. His father’s favorite Fin Nor reel on the matching G. Loomis rod. It was already fixed with a snap swivel so Gaffer had only to attach some sort of leader or hook to be ready to fish. Virgil watched as Gaffer rigged the line. When the frigate bird was directly overhead, Gaffer pulled the throttles back to 2,000 RPMs. He peered out from under the T-top to see what the bird was doing. It seemed to be circling that specific location, so Gaffer pulled the throttles all the way back to neutral. Virgil watched with interest as Gaffer attached a brightly shining double hooked spoon to the snap swivel on his line. He looked at Virgil. “You want to do the honors?” he asked.

  Virgil looked puzzled. “What honors? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m guessing there’s a nice dolphin down there. You want it?”

  Virgil looked at Max. “Is he putting me on?”

  “If Gaffer says there’s a dolphin down there, there probably is. You want it?”

  Virgil was puzzled. “Why don’t we just let Gaffer show us. I don’t think I know what is expected here.”

  Gaffer was not patronizing. He was very fond of Virgil Price and had no wish to embarrass him. “I’ll show you what I mean.”

  Matthew pushed the throttles ahead to troll at eight knots. Gaffer tossed the shiny spoon into the water and allowed 100 feet of line to pay out. He then closed the bale on the reel and allowed the spoon to wiggle through the water. The sun shone off the silver surface of the spoon and caused it to flash brightly with every flip. Gaffer heaved on the rod two or three times to make the spoon speed up. “You see that action?” he asked Virgil.

  Virgil acknowledged and Gaffer handed him the rod. “Now just do that every so often and we’ll see what happens.”

  With great concentration Virgil held the rod tightly and heaved. He allowed the line to fall back again and spin through the water. The spoon jumped out of the water several times so Virgil made a suggestion, “I think there’s too much wake where the spoon is. I’d like to set it back another fifty feet.”

  Gaffer looked back to see if he agreed. He did. “I think you’re right. Go ahead and send it back.”

  Virgil opened the bail and allowed another fifty feet of line to run out. When he felt the line was in the correct place in relation to the boat’s wake, he flipped the bale shut. The spoon, which had been sinking while in free spool, now caught hold and began to spin through the water. The thirty pound bull dolphin that had previously seen the flashing spoon was at first curious. Then it lost interest as it saw the shiny object begin to sink. It circled around and was about to swim off when the spoon began to flash through the water again. The bull moved quickly so that by the time Virgil had a chance to heave on the rod it was only ten feet from the spoon. Virgil’s sudden motion caused the fish to turn directly at the flashing object. In a frenzied reaction it cut through the water at full speed toward the spoon.

  “It’s coming, brace yourself,” said Gaffer.

  This caused Max and Matthew to also turn around to watch the show. In an instant all four fishermen saw it happen. The dolphin cut through the water and became airborne. It pounced on the spoon as Virgil tightened his grip on the rod. The fish took the double hooks into its mouth and ran without slowing. The lightly set drag on the reel allowed line to scream off the reel unabated. The tip of the rod bent double and shook fiercely. Virgil patiently stood there, braced for the fight, allowing the dolphin to take as much line as it cared to.

  Fifty yards later the dolphin slowed. Gaffer took over the helm and pointed the boat to where the dolphin was running and jumping. Virgil moved
to the front of the boat, so Gaffer could move to the dolphin in forward gear instead of backing down on it. The dolphin had plenty of fight in it and for every three feet Virgil reeled in, the dolphin took back ten. This was a feisty fish that was going to make Virgil earn his dinner.

  Gaffer moved away from the helm to look out from under the T-top. He scanned the sky and saw that the frigate bird was still in the area, perhaps a half mile behind the boat moving in the opposite direction.

  Within ten minutes Virgil was sweating profusely but the dolphin was much closer to the boat. Now when he reeled in ten feet of line the fish only took back two or three. Gaffer allowed the boat to drift in neutral while Virgil worked the fish. It still had some fight in it and several times it took off, leaving Virgil to reel in more line.

  But now most of the dolphin’s strength was spent and Virgil was able to reel at will. Max retrieved a gaff and stood along side Virgil ready to finish the job. Virgil brought the fish along side. All of its strength had been spent and it swam quietly parallel to the boat. Max took hold of the monofilament line just above the snap swivel. The fish was still four feet away so Max leaned far over the side and swung the gaff in an overhand motion. He knew better than to do that. For one thing, he should have held the leader line below the snap swivel, for another he should have simply placed the hook end of the gaff under the water and pulled up from under the fish and, in the same motion, lift it into the boat. But he did everything wrong and he paid the price. The shaft of the gaff came down on the wire leader line. The shock of the hit caused the snap swivel to break loose from the monofilament line. The weight that Max had been holding in his hand fell away and the dolphin slipped further down. Max reacted quickly and took another swipe with the gaff, but he was not even close. Now the fish was ten feet away from the boat and gaining strength. They were only able to see him for another second or two before he was too deep and too far away. This baby had gotten away.

  There were disappointed looks all around the boat. Max was terribly embarrassed and apologized profusely to Virgil. He had acted like such an amateur. But everyone on board had lost fish before through sloppy gaffing, or a bad knot, or some other slip of the hand or knife. Virgil felt worse for the way Max felt than he did for losing the fish. Gaffer stepped up and cleared the air.

  “The answer is simple, we go catch another one. The frigate is still in sight and where there’s a large bull, there’s usually a smaller cow. Let’s go see.” He placed the throttles into forward gear and sped up to 2,500 RPMs. He turned the helm over to Matthew and went back to the pit. He retrieved a rigged ballyhoo that he had leadered with a number fourteen wire. From his tackle box he selected a shiny silver skirt. He made a Haywire Twist loop at the end of the leader wire. He then tied a new snap swivel onto the end of the monofilament line. That done he snapped the swivel to the wire leader. The rig was now ready to use.

  Matthew steered the boat to within 100 yards of the airborne frigate. Gaffer then took his turn at the wheel to set the boat into what looked like the a good spot to start. He slowed down to five knots and nodded to Virgil. In turn Virgil made a gentle cast of the ballyhoo out into the wake. He allowed the boat to run 150 feet ahead of the bait and then closed the bale on the reel. The shirt on the ballyhoo looked like a silver dart speeding through the water. It was perfectly rigged and slid neatly through the water, occasionally touching the surface and creating a long stream of bubbles. Virgil heaved and jigged causing the baits to skid and jump. It flashed and sparkled in the oblique sunbeams. The frigate swooped to the east so Gaffer moved the boat to the east. This bird was the only sign of fish anywhere to be seen, so he would work it the best way he knew how.

  But the effort actually paid off. After twenty minutes of bird chasing, jigging and tugging, the cow hit the bait and swallowed both hooks. It hit the line so hard that Virgil almost lost his grip on the rod. Once he regained control, he braced himself as the dolphin took out line. It was free to run as far as it liked until it wore itself out. Then Gaffer turned the boat into the direction of the escaping fish. This would help Virgil to take back some of the line that had run off. The dolphin raced back and forth. Every time Virgil tugged on the rod, the fish would break through the surface and jump high into the air. Max retrieved his video camera and began taping, first Virgil’s movements and then the fishes. He moved the video up to the frigate bird and then panned the area photographing Gaffer at the helm, Matthew in the pit and Virgil reeling in the catch.

  Virgil had maneuvered the dolphin to within 100 feet of the boat when it took off again in an arc far to the right. They could see it at the surface darting through the water at lightning speed. Max had never seen a cow move that fast, so he kept taping. Suddenly Matthew exclaimed, “Shark! The dolphin is swimming from a shark!”

  No matter how fast the dolphin swam, tethered to the hook and line it would never out swim the eight foot mako that had it in its sights. Virgil tried to reel the dolphin faster but made no appreciable headway. The dolphin was being pulled toward the boat but was nowhere near close enough to outdistance the shark. Max kept the video rolling as the shark overtook its prey. In a single vicious attack the mako bit the dolphin in half. In a wide pool of crimson seawater the shark sank below the surface leaving Virgil to reel in the dolphin’s head. Virgil was disappointed, Matthew was thrilled and Max had the best video he could ever remember taking.

  As Virgil removed the dolphin’s remains from the hooks Max noticed that the sun was now somewhat lower on the horizon. “Well, Virgil,” he said, “it looks like it will be dark soon. Have you had enough excitement for your first day out?”

  “Thrilling,” said Virgil. “Absolutely thrilling. Let’s head back now and get an early start tomorrow.”

  Gaffer steered Bimini Twist southeast toward Man-O-War Cay and through the passage into the Abaco Sea. Within twenty minutes he was heading north toward Great Guana. The sun would soon be setting and long shadows fell all around as they entered the turning basin in front of the Pincus residence. Virgil had hooked and fought two dolphin already and the vacation was just starting. All thoughts about his work and his office, and the headaches back in Nassau, disappeared as his mind sank into out-island mode.

  Sixteen

  Don’t Mess With Virgil Price

  Hammerhead Riley and the Whale spent a day cooling down from the insulting way in which they had been mistreated. The tow to Marsh Harbour and the replacement of the three props cost them over $1,000. They contemplated revenge against the blond kid on Bimini Twist. The blond kid was P.J. Carson, not known for getting along well with the criminal element. But Hammerhead and Whale, in spite of a severe admonition from Grant Web to forget about the insult and concentrate on the treasure, were still mad as hornets. From their base in Marsh Harbour they plotted their revenge against Bimini Twist. They knew it had been spending its nights at Skeeter Pincus’ house up until a few days ago. They also knew it had moved its base to Orchid Bay.

  On the Monday following Virgil Price’s arrival, Max and P.J. were gassed up by 7:30 and idling out of the marina before 8:00. Max had promised Virgil that he would pick him up early and transport him up to the salvage barge. When Bimini Twist arrived at the turning basin, Virgil was waiting on the dock with Gaffer and Matthew. He was carrying two equipment bags. He handed the heavy bags down to P.J. and climbed aboard. Gaffer followed. Matthew untied the dock lines and was the last to enter the boat.

  As soon as they departed the turning basin, Max changed the heading to north to make way toward Whale Cay Passage. He advanced the throttles to twenty-five knots and settled back for the ride. Virgil sat with Max on the leaning post at the helm while P.J., Gaffer and Matthew rode in the bow. Ten minutes into the ride Virgil heard the roar of a loud engine and looked behind to see the grey Magnum riding in Bimini Twist’s wake only ten feet behind. He moved to the pit and waved his arms signaling for the other boat to move away. In response Hammerhead threw the Magnum’s throttles into full speed, jumped
across Bimini Twist’s wake and turned sharply to port. The abrupt action threw up a huge spray of salt water soaking everybody on board Bimini Twist. Max immediately throttled down to a fifteen knot cruising speed so that they could regain their composure. The Magnum darted away and headed back at Bimini Twist. It was on a direct collision course when Hammerhead quickly turned away and soaked them again. The huge wake from the Magnum tossed Bimini Twist around like a cork in a storm, causing everyone to hold on and be thrown violently around. Max could see that Matthew was very frightened and near tears. Gaffer spoke soothing words to calm him down while P.J. swore and Virgil struggled to regain his composure.

  From a distance of 100 yards, it appeared that the Magnum was turning to make another pass at Bimini Twist. Seeing this, Virgil retrieved one of his equipment bags and quickly rummaged through it. Within a few seconds he had locked and loaded a forty-five caliber ouzzi machine gun. P.J.’s eyes widened. What was Virgil going to do, kill them? The Defense Force Superintendent held the gun below the gunwale so it could not be seen by the approaching boat. The Magnum sped up to what appeared to be seventy miles per hour or more and came at Bimini Twist at a more oblique angle. It was obvious that its intent was to give the boat another tossing as it began its turn to create the wake and spray. Before Hammerhead had time to react, Virgil held the automatic weapon waist high and let go with a burst of forty-five caliber gunfire. His intent was not to hit Hammerhead or Whale, just to scare them away. It was a short burst, releasing just two dozen rounds. The first dozen landed in the water causing a line of spray in front of the Magnum. The second plowed into the bow two feet above the water line. The shocked occupants of the Magnum veered away and sped off as fast as they could to get out of range of the gunfire.

  Virgil sat back on the leaning post with a satisfied look on his face. He looked around to see that Max, P.J., Gaffer and Matthew were all staring at him with shocked looks. They were stunned and could not speak. Virgil looked back and forth at everybody and then down at his weapon. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. P.J. stood quickly and hurried back to where Virgil sat with the weapon in his hands. He was the first to speak. “That was so cool, that was just so cool!”