by S G Read
'Not everything.' I answered.
We walked down and turned to head for the boat. Now we had a house I was thinking of more home comforts. In the first place I did not think we would ever build such a house and I still found it hard to believe but we had and I wanted to put the girls in a shower if I could.
We climbed on the boat using the end nearest the water where the ladder was and George gave the boat the once over.
'There isn’t much pipe here.' She decided.
'No, not much.' I agreed.
I looked at the shower tray and the tiles round the shower. The tiles were a sheet of some sort of board made to look like tiles and I could unscrew it. The shower had a curtain and a rod but they were already at the house. The shower mixer itself would be the hardest to connect but then it would not be hot and cold, just as hot as the sun made it. I could connect the incoming water straight to the spray. It was possible. I needed something to catch water as it went past the opening inside the monolith and then it had to flow all the way down to the house.
I thought that starting this would stop them thinking about the signal, as we had to wait for Charley to be fit enough to come with us. Next time I came here it would be mob handed with the trolley and tools.
We walked back.
The food was ready and we ate.
'What did you want at the boat?' Charley asked, she had already eaten.
'Not much, why.' I lied.
'Just asking,' she answered, 'what did he look at in the boat George?'
'The shower mostly.' She replied as she ate, then stopped eating and looked straight at me. 'You’re not, you couldn’t!' She spluttered. 'You could couldn’t you! I’ll love you forever if you do!'
Everyone stopped and looked at her.
'He’s going to get the shower going!' She explained.
I gave up, they saw through everything I did.
'Not where it is,' I answered, 'I’m going to put it up in there!' I pointed to the house.
Cheers echoed round the camp and I had to do it now!
Six of us walked back there after we had eaten and I stripped the shower out of the boat and anything else that just might help me get it working. It was dark when we made it back and I was grateful to close the rear gate after us. We left the shower parts on the trolley and I turned the lights on so that we could eat some fruit. I sat downstairs trying to work out where to put the shower.
Upstairs was not really practical, the back corner downstairs was the best place with a ditch cut under the wall to take the water away. There the land fell away enough to allow all the water to run away. I also pictured the toilet next to the shower but I had made sure I did not even look at the toilet when I was on the boat! Charley settled down on her bed and I checked the wound.
'Any hurting?'
'A couple.'
'Point them out and I’ll take them out.'
'No, I’ll live. Leave them in until you take them all out.'
'If they hurt they are no longer doing any good.' I pointed out.
'Okay. That one and that one.'
I removed both stitches.
'Better?'
'Will be, it hurts a bit at the moment.'
'It looks okay though.' I assured her. 'Good night.'
Day 57 on the island.
I marked out the route of the shower water on the ground and the girls scratched out a trench. The ground was very hard and I had a go when they were tired. When it was deep enough I started tunnelling under the house.
'It won’t make it fall down, will it?' George asked.
'What about Mr. pig digging his way into the house?' Natasha asked.
'No it won’t make the house fall down and Mr. Pig is not allowed in here anymore but I get your point. Shall we try to make some clay pipes so we can bury them and fill in the hole?' I answered.
'Why not use bamboo; we use it for most things.' Natasha asked.
'It’s not big enough.' I explained.
'There is bigger stuff further in; I had to go in to get a bird I killed.' She argued.
'How big?'
She put both hands round her thigh.
'About this big.'
'Very long?'
'I couldn’t see the top.' She replied.
'Be easier than trying to make clay pipes.' I admitted. 'I could use the waste pipe which was there before to run into the bamboo.'
'Shall I show you?' She asked, picking up her crossbow expecting the answer to be yes.
We walked to the gate and peered through to see if the boar was about but there was no sign of him. We opened the gate and closed it behind us; Andrea was the third member of our party. We walked to the bamboo and Natasha forced her way through the dense foliage and poles until we were in the middle where there was less bamboo but it grew fatter. It would do but not for the toilet, the inside would have too many rough edges but clay wrapped round it and baked could be the answer if the bamboo could be burnt out or removed some other way.
'How much do we need?' Natasha asked.
'Two for now, in case I mess one up.' I replied without letting anyone know what the other one was for.
They looked up.
'We could just take one for now.' Andrea said overawed by the size.
I looked up.
'One will do for now.' I answered, I realised we would never get two back with just the three of us.
As soon as the bamboo was free, we crossed the other campsite and checked on the shelter but nothing had changed except that the creepers were growing and starting to cover it. We walked on and cut down to the beach to go in by the back door. We saw no sign of the boar and were glad of it.
We cut the bamboo to the length of the trench plus an overhang and started removing anything inside which would stop water flowing. Not an easy job as each section is sealed from the next but a red-hot piece of metal burnt through the dividers. The problem was that it only made a hole as big as the red hot metal, which meant that we kept working on it long after we could see light right through it. I wanted no problems with it and if it was smooth enough, it might just be able to take the outflow from the toilet! The more I worked on it, the more I convinced myself it would do the trick. So much so I sent three girls off to collect clay but told them to make sure it was only clay. I needed a bend to run down and connect to the bamboo, with a connection for the shower waste. I made it by laying the flat clay down and filling the inside with sand, then rolled it and bent it. Repairing and strengthening any tears as I did so. I left it where it sat and built a fire next to it. When it was well alight I dragged the ashes over it to bake it. I designed it to push into the larger end of the bamboo; the small end would have the same sort of thing on it to send it towards the sea. Another bamboo would carry it on until it finally poured into a gap in the rocks.
I sat eating and looked at the distance between the house and the water I was hoping to collect. I had a bucket with a hole in and I planned to connect a piece of bamboo to the hole. The water would fill the bucket, flow through the hole and down the bamboo to the house. If I got it right the water would stop at the house and the sun would warm it while it sat in the bamboo, to give a nice shower. If it meant the loo had to flush with warm water, so be it.
As there was still time we walked back to the bamboo for more poles. One big one and several smaller ones. We carried them back in three journeys and just made it through the back gate as a pig appeared on the beach. Natasha waited and watched as the whole family of pigs appeared. There was no sign of the boar but we were sure he was there. She waited patiently as they searched for food, then when they started to leave she fired her crossbow. The boar appeared when the pig she hit squealed but after three steps the pig fell and did not move again. It was gratifying to see my handiwork so well used.
'Nice shot.' I whispered.
The boar ran about for a while to announce his authority but the smaller pig was beyond help and he eventually followed the family, but we waited, there was no hurry to
collect our kill.
I set about clearing the smaller pipes again, that was not an easy task. As one was clear I started on the next one. The girls took the clear pipe to the stream and washed the inside clear of debris then stood it up to dry. Each bamboo would be rammed into the next with a rag wrapped round it, then I would use precious screws to keep it in position. We would have to make bamboo supports, like pylons to stop the pipe from sagging; the last part could be tied to the house to keep it up. The theory seemed quite sound but it was going to be interesting when we tried it. When I had enough pipes I made the hole in the side of the bucket bigger. The seal there was less important as any leaks would just go back into the stream and I expected the bucket to overflow when the water was not being used.
'Competition time.' I announced and they all ran over to where I stood next to Charley.
'What are we doing now?' George asked.
'Making bamboo supports for the pipe as it runs across to the house.' I pointed to where I thought the little cave was, then back to the middle of the house.
'So what are you going to be doing?' She asked suspiciously.
'Fitting the shower.' I replied indignantly. 'The best design gets the first shower.'
They were soon designing. I walked inside with a bucket of clay to fit the shower tray. I levelled the ground with clay, connected the flexible plastic waste pipe to the shower waste and sat it in place with the pipe lying across the trench ready. The pipe was too long but then I needed some of it for the cold inlet connection to the bamboo. We left the last bamboo a lot longer and hence the end was thinner, the right size to force a piece of this pipe on to and I could clip it in place.
Then I had to reduce the waste pipe to fit a fifteen-millimetre pipe, which would have a stopcock on it, which in turn would lead to the shower hose on its riser. I had to nail the tile boarding in place as I did not have a masonry drill bit and rawl plugs, it is not something you need aboard a boat.
I packed the bottom out with more clay to shoot the water into the tray which meant the next sheet had to be trimmed. The curtain would do one side but I still had one side to fill in. I had still to work that one out! A mat like the ones we sleep on would do for just outside the shower and we also needed to shut the shower area off for privacy. Another competition or two to get some ideas.
I realised the light was failing and turned on the lights inside the house. Outside the girls had poked the fire into life to give more light but we soon had to go inside. We closed the door and we sat talking. Some were upstairs talking together and a few downstairs talking to Charley. I inspected her wound, it was healing nicely. I took out two more stitches, leaving just two in the middle, and left it open to let some air get to it.
'Does that mean I can do something now?' Charley asked.
'Light duties round the house, no carrying anything and no running.' I answered.
'Yes!' She said happily, not as happy as going hunting but she was getting bored just lying around.
She looked at the ladder. I looked at the ladder.
'Up to you.' I said carefully. 'But if you open the wound up again, you have to start again.' I added.
She looked at the ladder again.
'Tomorrow, I’ll go up there tomorrow!' She decided.
Day 58 on the island.
I spent the morning carrying the first bamboo section up to the little cave where I hoped to get the water. The opening to the cave was in the wrong direction and we spent a long time making a hole where I wanted it, to slide the pipe through. When it was in the cave and laying down the bank where I also wanted it I let George attach the bucket to it. I made a cradle for the bucket and when she was happy it would not fall or be dislodged by the water, I stood outside and slid the whole lot forwards to see if water came out the other end. George steered it and made sure the bucket stayed the right way round. It did come out and with such a force that it hit the fire where the girls were working. There were loud shrieks and shouts of turn it off. I pulled it back and saw George's leg shake. I pulled her out.
'What’s up?' She asked.
I pointed to the wet girls trying to revive the fire. She covered her mouth to stop from laughing.
'It worked then?'
I nodded.
Tammy collapsed against the side of the cave, helpless with laughter.
'What now?' George asked.
'Now I have to slide the next piece on and that will show us where the first support will be.' I answered.
We walked back down, I had to steer Tammy as she was still in hysterics. I looked where the pipe stopped and laid the pipe on the ground underneath to mark the position. Now I was ready for the ideas.
I looked them over and questioned the designer on any aspect I could not work out by looking. If they had no answer it meant a failure. Alex surprised me with hers and I listened with interest as she outlined what else we were to do to keep the pipe safe, including another pipe tied to it along its length to help support the joins. I liked it and so did the other girls. We adopted Alex’s idea and started on the first support.
Girls collected bamboo and others collected roots to tie it with, while I pulled my clay pipe out of the ashes. I carefully teased the sand out and I was left with what I wanted. It fitted the end of the bamboo like a glove and there was room for the shower waste to go past the connection of the toilet pan.
Charley limped in while I was fitting it.
'What’s the hole for?' She asked.
'Rodding, just in case it blocks.' I answered; I had rehearsed my answers to this question a few times.
Charley stood looking at it for a few seconds, and then smiled.
'That’s rubbish and you know it but it’s okay I won’t let on.' She said and limped out.
'Your limp is getting better.' I said as she walked away.
'I had a good doctor.' She called back, then added. 'Or my life on this island could have gone down the toilet.'
I smiled. At least she was keeping it to herself!
I cut the shower waste and put the rest to one side before I forced it into the opening in the clay. Soon Charley would be fit and we would be climbing up to see what was higher up with the idea of some sort of message.
I filled the hole in and set the clay pipe where I wanted it. I would set the toilet pan in clay to stop it from moving which would mean a delay in using it but I saw no way to screw it down. The cistern would sit on a bamboo cradle behind the pan, as again I could not fix it to the wall. I heard chanting outside and walked out to watch them haul the first pipe support upright. They tied it in place and tied the guy ropes, well roots, to stakes already fitted into the ground.
I set the ladder against it so that I was near the pipe and climbed up. The girls passed another pipe up and I rammed it into the end the first pipe. I screwed a screw into both to hold them together and climbed back down. They still had to be slid a little way, so that the bucket was back in the water but that could wait, I knew it would work.
The girls worked on the next support while I started on the clay bend to connect one bamboo to the next one at ninety degrees. I followed the same routine and lit another fire where it was to bake it. The clay would go over the thinner end of the bamboo coming from the house and inside the thicker end of the next one as it ran down towards the rocks. There was gap in the rocks I was aiming for to let the waste pour out but it would take at least on more length of bamboo, after we had turned the corner. With the clay baking I set to work on the second piece of large bamboo, the one which would keep the outflow going after the bend. To connect one piece of bamboo to the next I would merely thrust it inside the other, the smaller one being the one on the flow side so that there were fewer tendencies to leak. Darkness overtook us before we could stand the second support up.
Day 59 on the island.
We stood the second support up after breakfast and I started to connect the shower. I had some stainless steel pipe and I had to carefully knock off an elbow from one end to
keep the olive useable. Then I carefully made a hole through the wall where there was only the dried mud to push the pipe through. Once it was sticking out the other side, I cut it to length and replaced the olive. It sounds easy but it took some time to persuade the olive to go back on to the pipe. I put the other elbow on the inside and took it down to a tee which had a stop cock on both outlets of the tee. I made out I could only use it like this but the second stop cock was for the toilet feed. One stop cock had no pipe coming out of it now and I screwed the shower hose directly on to it. All I had to do now was to connect it to the bamboo outside.
I climbed the ladder and the girls passed up the next piece of pipe. Once that was in place, they passed up the last piece. Now we were ready to go. I connected the plastic waste pipe to the bamboo with a screwed clip, remembering to leave enough pipe for when we slid it into position. The connection to the steel pipe was a real mixture. I had to reduce it from the waste pipe size to fifteen millimetres, the size of the steel. I used various things before I finally managed it.
Now came the test. I rested the ladder against the first pillar and two girls climbed up to help the pipe slide; I moved the ladder and climbed up the last pillar to shove the pipe along. The rest were at the top to pull and to make sure George did not get stuck. She was belly down in the small tunnel to supervise the move, they arranged to signal when it was where it should be.
We shoved but it only moved an inch. George signalled more and we shoved again. We kept going, even though there was a slight drip from one joint to show there was water in the pipe, until George signalled it was in place. They pulled her out and they all hurried down to see if the shower worked. I moved the ladder to let the two girls down and looked up at the pipe. There were two leaks but not bad leaks; just a drip and I could stand a drip or two! I let George turn the shower on and ice cold water sprayed out.
'Give it an hour and it should be at least warm.' I assured her. 'Alex goes first as we used her idea on the supports remember.'
She nodded and turned the shower off.
