Ross River Fever

by Christopher Cummings

  They re-launched the canoes and Andrew led them slowly up the left backwater. He cautioned them to silence again and paddled very slowly. The sun came out. Ducks and magpie geese took fright and flew away with a whirring of wings. The backwater varied in width from about fifty metres to a hundred, with several small bays on the left. The water was clear but covered with floating lilies and weeds. Dead trees stuck up out of the water.

  The canoe suddenly tilted and Letitia cried out in alarm.

  Mark pointed into the water. “Log,” he said softly. “Sorry, I didn’t see it in time.”

  Andrew looked over the side and saw a waterlogged stump just below the surface. After that he paid more attention to the route.

  First they went straight along the backwater following close to the right bank. This was bounded by an ever widening belt of tall reeds. These were at least three to five metres tall and at times completely blocked their view of the bank. A line of trees beyond the reeds indicated dry land. Andrew carefully scrutinised the whole length for any opening which might lead in to a secret ‘harbour’ where canoes could be hidden.

  There were a couple of small gaps but they looked very uninviting and there was no sign they had been used by canoes. In one place the branches of a dark green tree drooped right down into the water among the reeds. After about two hundred metres the channel narrowed abruptly and wound off to the right. Within fifty metres it was only a couple of metres wide and too narrow to turn around in.

  “I don’t like this,” Letitia said. Then she cried loudly: “Ooh! Eeek!” in fright. Andrew looked, just in time to see a large black snake slide down amongst the reeds to vanish underwater.

  Letitia pressed her hands to her bosom. “Oh! Oh get us out of here!” she wailed. “What if it slithers aboard?”

  “It won’t,” Andrew replied, in an attempt to re-assure her. But he was scared himself so suspected his voice did not sound very convincing. They back paddled and then manoeuvred to turn around. In the process the stern of the canoe slid into the reeds along the other bank. Andrew looked nervously over his shoulder in case another snake might be lurking there.

  Mark slapped at his left arm. “Bloody mosquitoes!” he hissed again slapping viciously at them. Andrew realized he had at least a dozen mosquitoes just on one arm. He slapped at them and swore. It was a relief to slide out along the channel back into deeper water.

  Now they were sweating in the sun. Andrew wiped his brow and steered to follow the other bank on the way out. There were a few places where he might have got ashore but the bank curved into a bay about fifty metres across which was ringed on three sides by a thick belt of reeds. At the far end there appeared to be an opening in the reeds so he steered for that. The second canoe followed.

  Plop!

  Andrew jumped with fright, then saw it had only been a large tortoise which had suddenly dived. He saw it swimming frantically down into the gloom under the lilies. A pained memory of poor old Terry came to him, along with an idea. He paddled slowly on, then turned the canoe stern to. At the head of the bay the water was only half a metre deep and he could push his paddle into the mud. This released streams of bubbles which reeked of marsh gas.

  It was an opening. That sent his heart rate soaring. Not much of one, but the reeds looked as though they had been crushed. With some trepidation Andrew climbed over the side, sinking up to his waist, with ooze up to his knees. Using his paddle as a walking stick he pushed in amongst the reeds, his eyes questing anxiously for snakes.

  The reeds were so thick that visibility was only a couple of metres. Inside them it was stifling and his progress released so much swamp gas that the stench enveloped him. He slopped and slithered slowly along the trail of crushed reeds until he saw the dry earth of the bank a few metres ahead. Cautiously he crept to the edge of the reeds and looked out.

  The bank was steep and only a few metres high. It was sparsely clothed in tufts of grass and spindly Ti-trees. A well-worn trail bike track went down the bank among some trees further to his right. By now he was out of sight of the others but as there was no sign of fresh footprints in the mud, and no canoes hidden in the reeds he relaxed slightly. He walked along to the trail bike track and followed it. It led up onto open bush to the left and into a creek line full of trees and reeds to the right.

  There was no sign of a secret camp. A network of trail bike tracks led into and out of the creek, which was five metres wide and had a fine sandy bottom under the shade of the trees. Disappointed Andrew retraced his steps. This showed him that the way he had come in was well hidden except to someone looking for it from right beside the reeds. He pushed back through these to the canoe.

  With some difficulty he climbed back aboard, adding a layer of muck and slime to the bottom of the canoe and making Letitia cry out in disgust and annoyance.

  Andrew was in a bad mood by this. “Can’t be helped!” he snapped back. “If we are going to find this gang’s camp we have to get dirty.”

  Carmen called from her canoe. “Where to now?” Then she slapped a mosquito.

  “Along that other backwater,” Andrew replied.

  On the way back they stuck close to the right bank. Several small open headlands led down to the water’s edge, allowing easy access, and a second bay back near the tip of the peninsula had a similar belt of reeds around its head, though thinner and easier to get through. ‘Nowhere to hide a canoe there,’ Andrew noted.

  The second arm of the backwater was even more disappointing. It had no bays and no narrow inlets. After a hundred metres it ended in reeds and lilies. Apart from three floating bottles and another tortoise there was nothing of note. Feeling sharply disappointed Andrew led the way back through the dead trees sticking out of the water to the entrance.

  Martin looked around. “Well, no secret camp in there,” he said, voicing his thoughts.

  “No,” Andrew agreed sadly. He still had a feeling about the area but had to admit they had drawn a blank. Feeling quite depressed and worn out he led the way back out onto the river.

  From then on the expedition developed into a slog which tested their tempers and endurance. Reaching the Black Weir was easy as the current carried them down and Andrew made sure they hugged the right bank as the line which marked the lip of the fall came closer. Andrew noted that the tree which had been up against the middle of the weir was no longer there. It had been washed over and was stuck in the tumbling foam at the bottom.

  The canoes were lugged down around the weir and launched into a swirling, muddy, back eddy. The surface of this was a mass of floating sticks, grass and logs. Some of these swarmed with ants and Andrew saw a large centipede scuttling along one log. Very cautiously they embarked and pushed out through the layer of brown scum and debris. Andrew led them down through the trees until they were well clear of the broken water below the weir. Then he steered them across to the other side.

  Rain started again as they approached Gleesons Weir. By the time they had carried the canoes down past it they were all blue with cold and shivering. Letitia grumbled even more. Andrew worried about offending her, then remembered the hot shower at her house and began to fantasize. Thinking about her helped him to warm up. He began to anticipate their arrival at the Schipholl’s and the opportunities that might present.

  The last three kilometres down past the Charles Barton Bridges were the worst. The current helped but a strong, cold wind blew directly along the river into their faces. The rain increased to a real deluge and they had to begin bailing the canoes. Andrew’s teeth started to chatter and he strove to keep paddling, even though his muscles were beginning to cramp and ache.

  It was after 4 pm when they reached the Schipholl’s. Their relief at arriving was tempered by the need to lug the canoes and gear up the bank to the shed. As they did Andrew noted that Letitia had undone her lifejacket and that her wet shirt was quite revealing. Looking at her caused him to become pleasantly aroused.

  Mrs Schipholl met them, full of concern over their
drenched state. “All of you children get into a hot shower at once,” she ordered.

  “What, all of us in the same shower?” Mark asked with grin.

  Mrs Schipholl laughed. “Don’t be naughty,” she chided. Letitia giggled and met Andrew’s eye. Into his mind surged glorious fantasies of sharing a shower with her. He sighed and she winked and giggled again, causing him to become hopeful, and, at the same time, to blush.

  The boys were directed to the outside shower and the girls to the inside one. Old clothes were provided and the wet ones collected and taken to be dried. Twenty minutes later the group were once again warm and dry and were seated in the lounge with drinks of hot chocolate. Letitia, wearing a silk dressing gown, slid into the chair beside Andrew and sat so that her arm touched his, sending surges of fire through his veins.

  Martin looked unhappy. “Well, that was a waste of time,” he commented.

  Carmen shook her head. “No it wasn’t,” she replied. “I enjoyed it just as a canoe trip.”

  “But we didn’t find the ‘Turtles’ hideout,” Mark said.

  Andrew grunted. “Huh! We didn’t look very hard,” he put in. “It must be somewhere along that other bank.”

  “Even if it is, it must be well hidden. How can we find it?” Mark asked.

  Andrew answered this. He had been giving it a lot of thought. “I reckon we need to try finding it from the land side, by doing a foot reconnaissance.”

  “It will be hidden from that side too,” argued Carmen.

  Andrew nodded. “Yes it will,” he agreed.

  Martin sat up. “So how will we find it?” he asked.

  “We can lie in hiding and watch for the gang, then follow them,” Andrew replied.

  Martin snorted. “Oh that’s silly. We could lie there for a week, getting eaten by mozzies and see nothing. What if the gang really has left town and is up in Cairns or wherever?”

  Andrew shrugged. He was feeling quite uncomfortable as Letitia was leaning against him and she had moved her legs so that her dressing gown had slid open to reveal an uncomfortable length of thigh. Andrew began to get aroused and tried unsuccessfully to control it. He said, “We need to get those urchins to help us so we have more eyes watching. Anyway, that is what I want to do. I would like to scout around that backwater area on foot.”

  “When?” Mark asked.

  “Tomorrow,” Andrew replied. By now he could feel the lust surging strongly in him and knew he badly wanted to be alone with Letitia.

  Carmen made a face and disagreed. “I think we should try to find out if the gang is still around before we start sneaking around in the bush.”

  “I agree,” Letitia added.

  “But what else can we do?” Mark asked.

  “We can ride around on this bank on our bikes and look for the gang. They must cross over to go to the shops. They have to eat,” Carmen replied.

  “No more canoeing tomorrow anyway,” Letitia said. “I’m so stiff and sore.”

  That was greeted by cries of agreement. Andrew felt annoyed and frustrated but could not think of any convincing argument. Nor could he find any excuse to be alone with Letitia. Indeed it looked as though Carmen was deliberately thwarting his desires by remaining with them.

  Half an hour later she insisted they go home. Dry clothes were donned and farewells said, with no clear plans for the next day. Andrew wanted to take Letitia out for a date but was not brave enough to ask her. Besides he now found that he felt very tired and drained. Reluctantly he said goodbye and followed Carmen out.

  Between rain showers they made their way home to Aunty Bev’s. By the time they arrived Andrew was in a foul mood. He felt very frustrated and annoyed. To make matters worse he felt exhausted and had sore muscles, although he would not admit that. He also found that he was alternately shivering and sweating for short periods of time.

  As the evening wore on he found that he was hot and flushed and that his arms and legs felt very heavy. Sharp little pains irritated his knees and elbow joints and he felt hot behind the eyes. It was a relief to go to bed early.

  The rain had continued intermittently until then but from about midnight on it thundered on the roof in a continual downpour. Andrew was uncomfortably aware of this because he tossed restlessly and woke frequently as a fever gripped him. Alternate bouts of shivering and sweating shook him and he had a piercing headache which made his eyes throb. When he drifted into restless slumber he was tormented by nightmares of drowning and death.

  Monday morning dawned drearily with continual heavy rain showers. Andrew woke feeling very weak and cold. His sheets were soaked from the last bout of fever and he felt exhausted. For a while he just lay and looked out at the rain lashing his window. Aunty Bev came and felt his brow and fussed over him but he insisted it was nothing, that he was just a bit tired.

  Even so he made a slow start. A hot shower made him feel better and he managed a decent breakfast. As he sat eating he stared morosely out of the window at another rain shower as it drifted towards them.

  “What will we do today?” Carmen asked.

  “Go over to Martin’s,” Andrew suggested.

  “I think you should spend the day in bed,” Aunty Bev put in. “You look very pale and drawn. If you aren’t careful you will get really sick. I think you should go to the doctor as it is.”

  Andrew shook his head. “I’m alright. I’ll just take it easy and lie down for a bit.”

  He took him self back to his bedroom and lay down. A bout of shivering drove him in under the bedclothes. To his surprise he drifted into a deep sleep. He was roused from this by the phone ringing. Through a fog of sleep he heard Aunty Bev answer it, then hand it to Carmen. For a few minutes Carmen spoke quietly. Then she came into his room.

  “You awake Andrew? That was Rat on the phone. He says that he and Toad have just seen the gang.”

  CHAPTER 27

  FIELDCRAFT

  Andrew sat up quickly. “When? Where?”

  “Above Black Weir. He says they are out on the river in canoes. We are to come quick and he will show us where,” Carmen replied.

  “Will we tell the police?” Andrew asked.

  “No, not yet. We want to be sure first,” Carmen replied.

  “What about Aunty Bev?” Andrew asked.

  “We will just say we are going for a bike ride,” Carmen replied. “Come on, get up and get dressed.”

  Andrew threw off his bedclothes and sat up. As he did he let out a groan as a sharp pain lanced through his head.

  Carmen instantly looked concerned. “Are you alright Andrew?”

  “Yeah, just a bit of a fever. I’m OK. Come on, let’s get ready.”

  “What about the others?” Carmen asked.

  “We’d better ring them. We might need numbers to watch all the escape routes,” Andrew replied.

  “I’ll do that. You get dressed,” Carmen replied. She was already dressed in jeans, shirt and joggers.

  Andrew did as he was told. While Carmen telephoned the others he pulled on shorts, shirt and joggers.. By the time Andrew completed his dressing and joined her in the lounge room she had finished calling the Schipholl’s, Mark and Jill.

  “Jill isn’t allowed, but Mark will meet us along the way and Martin and Letitia will join us at the bridge,” she reported.

  “What about Jacob?” Andrew asked. He felt the need to have the older boy along.

  Carmen shook her head. “He has to work. Come on!”

  As they ran down stairs Aunty Bev called to them from the laundry: “Where are you children off to?”

  “Going for a bike ride over to Mark’s,” Carmen replied.

  “Don’t be late for lunch; and don’t get wet. It is going to rain again,” Aunty Bev added.

  “Yes Aunty Bev,” they both chorused. They ran to their bikes and wheeled them out before she could question them more. Within a minute they were pedalling as fast as they could go along Leopold Street.

  Martin and Letitia were not at the Cha
rles Barton Bridge so the pair dismounted and waited under the trees beside Cranbrook Park. Andrew studied the dark grey clouds boiling up over Mt Stuart. “If they don’t hurry up we will get a wet bum,” he said.

  Minutes seemed to drag by and both began to fret at the delay. The dark clouds piled higher and the humidity shot up so that they were sweating just sitting in the shade.

  “Oh where are they!” Carmen cried impatiently. “If they don’t hurry the gang will get away!”

  Andrew was surprised at her vehemence. “I didn’t know you were so keen to catch them,” he said.

  Carmen turned and snapped at him, her eyes flashing. “I wasn’t, not till they attacked Jill. Now I think they are a menace and should be locked up.”

  Andrew nodded, then stood up. “Here they come.”

  Martin, Letitia and Anne Maudsley came pedalling off the end of the bridge and over to them.

  “Sorry we took so long,” Martin called. “We had to wait till Mum would agree to let us go.”

  “You didn’t tell her you were after the gang did you?” Carmen asked in a horrified voice.

  “No, ‘course not!” Martin replied.

  Andrew smiled at Letitia. “How are you?”

  Letitia smiled back and said: “Fine, how are you?”

  Martin snorted: “Never mind all the lovey-dovey stuff you two. Let’s get moving.”

  Andrew opened his mouth to reply but Carmen laughed and said: “Hello Anne. How did you get dragged into this?”

  “I was over at Martin’s when you phoned, so I came along for the ride,” Anne replied. She cast a glance at Martin which gave Andrew a clue to why she had been visiting.

  Martin smiled back at her but then urged them to move and started pedalling off across the park. The others followed. Andrew felt slightly giddy as he increased speed. Black spots seemed to dance before his eyes so he shook his head to clear it. To his dismay he felt weak in the muscles and breathless and fell to last place by the time they reached Bergin Road.