Ross River Fever

by Christopher Cummings

  This time there was enough room for the rudder and propeller to bite, to overcome the lateral momentum. The hovercraft slowly changed course, coming round in a wide, curving arc which took it almost back to the other side of the river. Once it was lined up along the river Martin opened the throttle again. The hovercraft raced past the canoe on the opposite course, Martin grinning and waving as he went by. He was soaked to the skin by the spray but was clearly having a whale of a time.

  With mutterings and mumblings the crew of the rescue craft turned their canoe around and set off upstream in the wake of the rapidly receding hovercraft. Martin went right on around the bend and out of sight. That worried Andrew as he was now in the same stretch of the river where the urchin had drowned, and with no helpers nearby. All they could hear was the roar of the motors.

  These changed note and slowed, then increased again. For a moment the noise was lost altogether, causing Andrew to dread the worst. Then the noise increased and was plainly heading their way.

  “He’s turned around and is coming back,” he offered.

  He was right. The hovercraft came into view around the bend in the river, white spray feathering out on both sides and blowing astern in a hazy mist. From time to time the bow would bump a slightly larger wave and that would send up a sheet of spray which would drench Martin before being sucked into the fans and propeller to be whirled out as more mist.

  The hovercraft came bucketing towards them and for a moment Andrew feared there would be a collision but Martin managed to turn it and it snarled past, the rubber skirt of the bow audibly slapping against the small waves. Martin cheered and held his hands aloft. As he went past his mother, who was standing on the bank with Snoopy he cheered and yelled: “Look Mum! No hands!”

  Mrs Schipholl's answer was inaudible above the noise of the engine but she looked quite annoyed. Martin whooped again and turned the hovercraft’s rudder hard over. This time the hovercraft spun right round- and kept on rotating as it slid on along the river. An astonished look appeared on Martin’s face as he struggled to regain control. The rudder was put over the other way and the throttle decreased, then increased.

  Andrew didn’t know whether to laugh or feel anxious. The hovercraft slid along out of control for about a hundred metres. For a time it looked as though it would ram into the steep bank under the tree which they had been jumping from. Then the rotation slowed and the thrust of the propeller overcame the inertia. The hovercraft slowed, steadied, and came surging back along the river towards them.

  This time Martin throttled right back on the propeller so that progress was slow and controlled. He shut the motor down to a slow idle and disengaged the propeller as he approached them. Even so the hovercraft slid on for another fifty metres before coming to a bellowing standstill with a mist of spray blowing up all around. Martin shouted happily and was ecstatic about the success of his gadget.

  “I’m getting the hang of her now. I’ll give her another run along the river,” he shouted.

  He opened the throttle and the hovercraft rapidly picked up speed and roared off out of sight.

  Mark shook his head in wonder. “How fast do you reckon that thing is going?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” Andrew replied. “Twenty or thirty ‘Ks’ I’d guess.”

  “I’ll time it,” Mark said. He set his wrist watch on ‘Stopwatch’ mode and waited. The sound of the hovercraft grew fainter as it went on along the river upstream until they could barely hear it. Then the sound died and surged.

  “He’s turning now,” Carmen observed.

  There was a tense wait as the sound died away altogether. Then they heard it again. Andrew relaxed and breathed out. The canoe drifted in midstream. There was no point in trying to keep up with the hovercraft. The engine noise grew louder and the hovercraft came roaring back into view.

  This time Andrew studied it more critically. A blue haze among the mist of spray caught his eye. “He’s making a lot of smoke,” he observed.

  Even as he said this the main engine of the hovercraft gave a hiccup and the bow dipped and threw up a shower of spray. The main engine spluttered again, then surged back to life. More blue smoke billowed out.

  Carmen dug her paddle into the water. “He’s in trouble. Come on!” she cried. Once again they began paddling. Martin could be seen leaning backwards trying to do something to the motor. The motor began to splutter and die. The hovercraft began buffeting against all the small waves and water surged up over the ‘hull’.

  At that Martin put the rudder over and steered for the bank. Once again the hovercraft slid sideways but it had lost much of its speed and was also battering against the waves as it lost lift so that it slowed and turned much more quickly.

  “If that engine dies now he will sink in the middle of the river!” Mark cried.

  ‘And we will spend the rest of the afternoon diving to salvage it!’ Andrew thought unhappily. He did not relish swimming underwater in Ross River anymore.

  The engine spluttered and blew out more blue smoke. The propeller was put on full. For a moment it looked like touch-and-go but then the propeller bit and started pushing the hovercraft shorewards. Even so it was a close race. The lift was all but gone and the main engine spluttered and died as more water sloshed up over the hull when it was still about thirty metres from shore. Only the momentum built up saved it from sinking. On the last of the lift, and with the flat hull acting as an aquaplane, the hovercraft made it to the shallows.

  Letitia and Jill, both in their bathers, splashed in to grab it and helped haul it in to the small beach. Martin sprang over the side to help them. He took one of the tow ropes and ran up onto the shore, hauling for all he was worth. The effort was just enough. The hovercraft was beached even as the smaller motor also coughed to a standstill.

  The canoe was paddled rapidly ashore and the trio sprang out and helped to drag the hovercraft up clear of the water. Even so it had been thoroughly drenched by the time this was done.

  Martin straightened up and grinned. His eyes were alight with joy. “That was fantastic fun!” he cried.

  “I’ll bet you didn't think so when you vanished into the reeds over there,” Andrew replied.

  Martin laughed. “No fear. We hit the far bank with a real bump. I nearly got thrown out of my seat!”

  “It looks like you need to waterproof your engines a bit better,” Mark observed.

  Martin nodded and bent to study the hovercraft. He scooped some slimy weeds from the deck. “Yes, you are right. She throws up a lot more spray than I thought she would, particularly when she drives into a wave bigger than the others.”

  “A higher bow, or a breakwater might help,” Andrew suggested.

  “Yes, good idea. That wouldn’t weigh much,” Martin agreed.

  “Make it out of polystyrene and that would give it buoyancy as well,” Andrew suggested.

  Mrs Schipholl, who had been standing holding Snoopy, now snapped angrily: “I think it is a stupid, dangerous thing. I will speak to your father about banning it.”

  “Oh Mum!” Martin cried. “It is safe enough. Even if it sinks I will be OK with my lifejacket on.”

  Mrs Schipholl wasn't convinced. “Anyway, there will be no more of it today.”

  “So what do we do now?” Jill asked.

  Martin looked uncomfortable. “Carry her back up to the shed and dry her out again I suppose.”

  That caused a unanimous groan but they all still helped. It took all their efforts to lug the machine up the slope to the road and back to the shed. Five ‘lifts’ were needed just to get it up the bank. By the time it was lowered onto the concrete floor of the shed even Andrew was perspiring and puffing. Jill was clearly not amused.

  Mark straightened up and rubbed his back. “Well, what do we do now?”

  Jill answered at once: “I don’t know about you but I am going home to change. Then I am going to go shopping.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Mark said hastily.

 
; “If you like,” Jill replied. She turned and walked off towards the back patio to collect her clothes and gear.

  Martin looked a bit embarrassed. “Sorry. I’d hoped you would all get a ride. I’ll get to work and fix her up so you can.”

  Carmen looked doubtful. Andrew wasn’t sure if he wanted to at all and Letitia was adamant. “Not me! You won’t get me out on that thing! I think I’ll go back to the shops too.”

  Thus it was that two hours later they all met up again at the main shopping complex at Nathan Street. No sooner had they arrived than Jill walked quickly over to them and said: “The bullies; they are here!”

  CHAPTER 17

  JILL

  Jill ran across to where Andrew, Letitia and Carmen stood. Mark followed her. Her face was alight with excitement.

  “The bullies! They are just along there.”

  “How many?” Andrew asked.

  “I only saw three of them; that Forman creep, the thuggish one with the ugly face, and the tall, thin-faced one. They have a couple of tarty looking girls with them.”

  “Show me where,” Andrew ordered. He walked quickly across the concourse through the throng of shoppers. Jill and the others followed.

  Jill stopped him as he reached a corner. “They are just along there. I was standing here while Mark went into the newsagents when that creep Forman came up and stood beside me. He ... he.. he said some horrible things and leered at me, then told me what... what he’d like to do to me,” she said, her voice faltering. Andrew saw that she looked pale and upset.

  Mark compressed his lips with anger. “I’ll teach that mongrel a lesson,” he muttered.

  Andrew held up his hand. “All of you wait here while I have a look.” He moved to the corner and peeked around. Almost at once he saw the bullies. Troy and Jay stood outside a clothes shop talking to two girls. The girls wore tight jeans and cotton tops tied or done up in such a way as to reinforce in Andrew’s mind Jill’s description of them being ‘tarty’. For a minute Andrew studied them, then withdrew.

  “I can only see two of them. Where is Forman?”

  Jill shook her head. “I don’t know. He walked around the corner with them. He might be in a shop somewhere.”

  “He’s the boss of that gang and I’d like to pin him down,” Andrew said.

  Carmen moved to look around the corner, then came back. “Have you called the police?”

  Jill nodded: “Yes I have. I did that as soon as the bullies had gone,” she replied. “The police said they would be here in a few minutes and I was to stay here to meet them.”

  “How long ago was that?” Carmen asked.

  “Only a minute or two. I had only just finished on the phone when you arrived.”

  Andrew bit his lip. “What if they run when they see the police; or if they leave before they arrive?”

  “What can we do about it?” Mark asked.

  “We should watch them to see where they go,” Andrew replied.

  Martin took a quick peek. “We would have to watch all the entrances in that case,” he said.

  “How many entrances are there?” Andrew asked.

  The locals all furrowed their brows with concentration. “Five,” Jill answered. “Two here, the one you came in through and that one leading to the car park near the bank. Then there is the one just across the aisle there which goes out into that other car park, and the one near the bus stop on Ross River Road, and one at the far end of the complex.”

  “There’s also one that goes out to this car park back here from that main area where they have all the shows,” Martin replied. “Near the bookshop.”

  “And one right at the far end,” Mark added.

  “That makes seven,” Andrew said. He looked around the group. There were enough. “We can watch all of them. Jill, you stay here and watch this exit to that multi-level carpark. Mark you stay with her to watch the two entrances behind us. You can cover both at once. We will all go around the outside to cover the others.”

  “Who goes where?” Martin asked.

  “You show us where these other entrances are and we will drop people off as we go,” Andrew replied.

  “What do we do if we see the gang leave?” Carmen asked.

  “We stay until you arrive with the police and we tell them which way they went,” Andrew replied.

  “What if they split up?” Martin asked.

  Andrew hadn’t thought of that. He tried to think of a plan but then shrugged. “Can’t be helped,” he said.

  Carmen said: “There will be one of us left over if there are only three more entrances to watch. Maybe the other person could scout around inside and try to locate Forman and the other gang members.”

  “Good idea,” Andrew agreed.

  “So who is it to be?” Martin asked.

  “I’ll do it,” Andrew replied.

  Martin shook his head. “No. It should be a local who knows the layout. This place is a bit of a maze,” he said. “It had better be me. I will put you in position, then come through to here.”

  Andrew agreed with this. The shopping complex actually was that, unlike most, which were called ‘complexes’ but were really quite simple in layout. “We’d better get moving.”

  Leaving Mark and Jill they turned and walked quickly back to where an exit led out onto a bitumen service road between the main building and a two-level car park. They hurried along the service road to the next entrance. This was in the car park near Ross River Road.

  “I’ll stay here,” Carmen said. “Where does this arcade lead to Martin?”

  “It goes through to that sort of a hall where they have all the displays.”

  “Oh I know the one. You mean where that shoe shop is we went to the other day?” Carmen asked.

  “Yes that’s right,” Martin replied.

  Letitia spoke up at that: “We could go to the shoe shop and watch both entrances from there. They both lead off at that point.”

  “It would be safer,” Carmen agreed. “We would be together, and they would be less likely to notice us if we were sitting in a shop.”

  “That’s a good idea. Do that,” Andrew replied. “Come on Martin, show me this other entrance.”

  “Be quicker if we cut through inside past the place the girls are going to,” Martin replied. “We could check out the arcade that goes to the far end on the way.”

  “Let’s move.”

  So all four walked in and along the arcade to the main hall. Here Carmen and Letitia left them to sit in the shoe shop, from where they could watch the main hall and four arcades leading off it. Andrew and Martin hurried on along a side arcade. This came to a right angle junction. An escalator went up to the roof.

  “Where does that go?” Andrew asked.

  Martin shook his head with annoyance. “I forgot about that. It goes to the roof car park.”

  This brought them to a standstill. Andrew tried to solve the puzzle but the numbers didn’t match. “No good. We will have to leave it unwatched. Show me this other entrance.”

  Martin pointed at the entrance to an up-market department store and muttered gloomily. “I just realized there is another entrance to this shop too.”

  “Does it lead to the street?”

  “No.”

  “Forget it then. Come on.”

  They strode along the right angle arcade past up-market shops for women’s clothes and accessories. At the end was another T-junction.

  “We go left,” Martin said, indicating the direction. At that moment Andrew glanced into the music shop on the corner.

  “Forman!” he hissed, grabbing Martin’s arm and pulling him back out of sight.

  Forman was in the music shop. He had his back to them and was looking at a rack of CDs. He appeared to be alone.

  “What’ll we do now?” Martin asked.

  “Wait and watch. Can we cover this other entrance from here?”

  “Yes, but only if they don’t go through that department store,” Martin replied.

&n
bsp; Andrew glanced through the doorway and saw a classy looking layout and well-dressed staff, then gave a short laugh. “I don’t think the gang are the sort of customers that shop aims at!”

  Martin blinked and shook his head. “I suppose not.”

  Andrew was about to make another disparaging comment about the gang members but cut it off short. “I doubt if.. Hello! He’s moving. Let’s follow him.”

  “What about this entrance?” Martin asked, pointing the other way.

  Andrew shook his head. “He’s heading back towards his cronies. We can scout as we go.” He did not wait for agreement but moved to the corner and peered around. The music shop had an entrance into both arcades and Forman had gone out of the other one and turned right. The two friends followed.

  For fifty paces it was easy as there was a crowd of people in the arcade and Forman did not look back, but the arcade then split. A second arcade went off at a diagonal to the right. Forman went on ahead.

  “This joins up again around a block of shops doesn’t it?” Andrew asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You go right and I’ll go left. I’ll meet you at the other side,” Andrew said. He did not wait to see if Martin agreed because Forman had already rounded a turn to the left and was out of sight. Andrew hurried after him, dodging shoppers and small children. At the bend he paused. A quick look showed him Forman’s black T-shirt just rounding another turn to the right.

  Andrew hurried along to the next turn and looked. Forman was already half way along the arcade, which ended in another T-junction. Andrew moved around the bend to follow.

  No sooner had he done this than he saw Forman stop and dodge sideways behind a rack of leather coats outside a clothes shop. Andrew stepped across to a post outside a line of checkouts at the front of a supermarket. He peeked around the post past a fat woman with two howling kids in a shopping trolley.

  Forman was not looking back. He was also looking in the direction he had been travelling. Andrew followed his gaze and sucked in his breath. At the T-junction stood Jill and two policemen. Jill was pointing along the cross-arcade to the right at Troy and Jay and their girlfriends.