The Secret of the Dark Waterfall

by Alexander McCall Smith

  Like others, Ben had tried to see some good in these three. Most people, he felt, were a mixture of good and bad, and he thought that if people gave Hardtack and his friends the chance to be pleasant, they might rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, any friendly word to them would be met with a scowl or, what was worse, a sarcastic remark. So if someone asked Hardtack, in a perfectly friendly way, how he was, they would be greeted with, “What’s that got to do with you?” or “How I’m feeling is none of your business.” Or sometimes they would get no more than silence.

  It was not just rudeness that this trio was famous for: they were selfish and lazy, and tried, if at all possible, to get out of doing their share of the tasks that everybody on board had to do. If he was on deck-scrubbing duty, for instance, Shark would only pretend to scrub the boards, carefully avoiding the hard work needed to get the grime off the wood. And when none of the staff were around, he would simply lean on his brush and chat with his friends, resuming work only if one of the officers came on deck and could see what was going on.

  In the mess hall, Hardtack and his friends were well known for their greed. Every time cake was served after the main course at lunch, Flubber would elbow other people out of the way to cut three very large pieces for himself, Shark and Hardtack. There was never enough left for everyone else. As you can imagine, nobody liked that.

  In spite of this, Ben thought that if there was one member of Hardtack’s gang who might be persuaded to behave a bit better, it was Flubber. There had been an incident in the past, when the Tobermory had been sailing around the Australian coast, when Flubber had shown a better side of his nature. Ben felt that if only this could be encouraged, there was some hope for him. The problem, though, was Hardtack’s influence. William Edward Hardtack, it seemed to Ben, was the sun around which Geoffrey Shark and Maximilian Flubber revolved as minor planets. Sometimes it must be hard, he thought, to overcome the gravity of a bigger star.

  And now, as he looked across the crowded deck, he saw that Badger was standing with the infamous three. And what’s more, he was talking to Shark and smiling.

  That was what had made Ben draw in his breath. Badger – his best friend – had said no more than a few words to him this term, yet here he was chatting away quite happily to Geoffrey Shark, of all people.

  Poppy noticed the direction of Ben’s gaze. She, too, drew in her breath when she saw Badger.

  “Do you see what I see?” Ben whispered to Fee.

  Fee nodded. She looked at her brother, who was now staring down at the deck, misery written all across his face. There are few things worse than being abandoned by somebody you thought of as your friend. She felt for Ben, and wished she could say something to make him feel better. But she could not think of a thing that she could say, and so Fee had to stand by and watch as Ben shot a glance over towards Badger and then immediately looked away.

  Captain Macbeth came on deck, together with other senior members of staff. There was Mr Rigger, the First Officer, whose famous moustache acted as a weather vane in windy weather so you could tell which direction the wind was blowing in; Miss Worsfold, who taught geography and had once been an excellent kite-surfer; and Matron, who in addition to supervising the wellbeing of everyone on board was also an expert high diver.

  Everyone stopped talking as the Captain stood before them and cleared his throat. “Good evening, everybody,” he said. “I have an important announcement to make about where we’ll be going this term.”

  The whole school was quiet, hanging on the Captain’s words.

  “Greece!” whispered Poppy.

  “Not Iceland!” Ben said, under his breath.

  “Scotland,” announced Captain Macbeth.

  Ben’s new cabin-mate

  “Scotland?” muttered Poppy. “But we’re already in Scotland.”

  She was not the only one to be surprised. Nor was she the only one to be disappointed – there had been some who were hoping for New Zealand or the South Seas, and they looked at one another in dismay.

  “So we’re not going far at all,” Thomas said to Ben. “We may as well stay right where we are – in Tobermory harbour.”

  But Captain Macbeth had more to say. “Now, I know that some of you may be a bit disappointed,” he said. “And I can understand why. I know that it’s nice and warm down in the South Seas …”

  “And there are coconuts,” Poppy said under her breath. “There are no coconuts in Scotland.”

  “But,” Captain Macbeth continued, “we shall still have lots of interesting sailing. We’re going, you see, to St Kilda.”

  Poppy looked quizzically at Fee. “Saint what?” she asked.

  Fee was about to explain when Captain Macbeth continued. “St Kilda is a small group of islands about forty miles west of the Outer Hebrides. You may think that’s not far – and I suppose it isn’t – not when you think of how wide the Atlantic Ocean is. But it’s not at all easy to go there as the seas can be rough, and you can only land if the wind is in the right direction.”

  Ben was pleased. He liked the Scottish islands, and was as happy going there as he would be visiting Greece. What is more, they had learned a bit about St Kilda the previous term from Miss Worsfold. She had told them all about the history of the small cluster of islands that make up the St Kilda group. People had lived there for a long time, Miss Worsfold explained. Their lives had been hard in such a remote place, and eventually things became too difficult and they had had to leave. It was a sad day for them when they said goodbye to the island that had been their home for many hundreds of years.

  Having given them the information about their destination, Captain Macbeth went on to deal with various other subjects. There was a new teacher to be introduced, Mr Stevenson, who would share the teaching of maths and navigation with Mr Rigger. Then Matron stepped forward and told people about the importance of wearing clean socks and brushing their teeth properly after each meal. Mr Rigger came after Matron – he had something to say about safety on deck, especially when climbing up the Tobermory’s high masts, which the young students often had to do in order to tend the sails. Then, when Mr Rigger had finished, the assembly was dismissed.

  Ben glanced across at Badger. His friend was still standing next to Shark, and when Hardtack moved off, followed by Shark and Flubber, to Ben’s utter dismay he saw Badger go with them.

  Nothing could have been clearer – Badger had joined up with Hardtack and his gang. The sight made Ben feel sick. How could Badger, his best friend and cabin-mate, team up with people like that? But that seemed to be what had happened. If the evidence of Ben’s own eyes was anything to go by, Badger had crossed over. He had joined the enemy.

  Ben decided to have it out with Badger. His father had always told him that if there is something bothering you, it is better to say what it is, even if that means ruffling feathers. Ben liked that expression – “ruffling feathers” – because it made him think of what it would be like to stroke a bird the wrong way. It would make the bird – and whoever was stroking it – feel rather uncomfortable.

  It might ruffle Badger’s feathers if he asked him why he was spending so much time with Hardtack, Shark and Flubber, but that would just be too bad. If a friend does something stupid or out of character, then they can’t be surprised if others are puzzled by their behaviour. That was the case here, thought Ben. And if Badger’s behaviour had to be explained, the only person who could do that was Badger himself.

  Ben could not do it over dinner. Although Badger was eating at the same table, he sat at the far end, next to a couple of boys whom neither of them knew very well. That hurt Ben. The thought that Badger was now avoiding him altogether rubbed salt into the wound. It was bad enough that Badger had little to say to him, but it was all made far worse by the fact that he now seemed happier to sit with people who weren’t even his friends.

  The moment to confront him came later, at the end of the day. This was the time when everybody was in their cabin, just before lights ou
t. Even if Badger had wanted to avoid Ben, it would be impossible to do so then.

  Ben felt his heart beating loudly as he prepared himself to challenge his friend. At last, after Badger had laid down on his hammock and was studiously reading a book, completely ignoring him, Ben plucked up the courage to speak.

  “All right, Badge,” he said, using the shortened form of Badger’s name that he often used.

  Badger looked up from his book. His expression was cold. “Please don’t call me that,” he said.

  Ben’s face fell. “But I’ve always called you Badge,” he protested. “Always …”

  Ben did not have time to finish what he was going to say.

  “My name’s Badger,” interrupted Badger coldly. “I don’t call you something different from your real name, do I? So please call me by my proper name in future.”

  Ben struggled to regain his composure. “All right, Badger,” he said at last. “I want to ask you something.”

  Again Badger cut him short. “I’m busy,” he snapped. “Can’t you see? I’m reading.”

  Ben drew in his breath. “Yes, I can see that,” he said. “But that doesn’t stop me from speaking to you. I can’t help it if you’re going to be so rude and read when I’m trying to speak to you.”

  Badger’s response to this was to carry on reading. It was as if Ben were simply not there.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ben demanded. “Ever since we came back, you’ve ignored me. I tried to ask you what you’d done in the holidays, and you wouldn’t tell me. I tried to be friendly, and you just cut me dead. And then …”

  Badger lowered his book. “I wish you’d shut up,” he spat out.

  For a moment Ben did not know what to say. He and Badger might have had their odd differences of opinion in the past – as all friends do – but they had never spoken to one another like that. Badger had never told him to shut up before, and Ben would never have said such a thing to Badger.

  At last Ben recovered. “You can’t tell people to shut up if you don’t like what they’re saying,” he blurted out. “You can’t ignore things by just telling people to shut up.”

  Badger sighed. “You know what, Ben?” he said. “You really bore me.”

  He had only uttered a few words, but each one cut like a knife. And Ben, hurt more than he could say by Badger’s words, did shut up.

  They prepared for bed in silence, and when it was time to switch out the lights, Badger did so without even asking Ben if he was ready. Ben, in fact, was not ready, and had to make the last few preparations for bed in near darkness. He looked across the cabin to where Badger lay on his hammock. There was a little moonlight coming in through the porthole and he could just make out the shape of the other boy – the dark shape of one who had suddenly stopped being a friend and who, for reasons Ben thought he might never understand, had now become more than a stranger.

  Every day, immediately after breakfast, Captain Macbeth set aside time for any student of the Tobermory to come to his cabin and speak about anything that was troubling him or her. It did not matter how junior they were – everyone had that right from their very first day on board. On a school ship, this is particularly important, as it means that if somebody is bullying somebody else or behaving badly towards them, the victim can always go right to the top to report it.

  So, with a heavy heart, Ben decided to make his way to the Captain’s cabin the next morning. He did so reluctantly, as he knew how busy Captain Macbeth would be just before the ship was due to leave port. And when he got to there, his fears about disturbing him were confirmed. Just as he was about to knock on the door, he heard Mr Rigger’s voice inside, and realised that the two most senior officers were discussing some important mechanical problem that had arisen in the engine room.

  But Ben knocked anyway and was immediately answered.

  “Come in,” shouted Captain Macbeth.

  Ben entered the Captain’s cabin. The Captain and Mr Rigger were not alone. In the middle of the floor sat the Captain’s dog, Henry, a well-known and popular member of the Tobermory’s crew. Ben liked Henry, and Henry liked him, and the dog showed his pleasure at seeing Ben by wagging his tail vigorously and then jumping up to greet him. On the other side of the cabin, the Captain was poring over some papers that Mr Rigger was showing him. Mr Rigger turned round and frowned, obviously irritated by the disturbance.

  Captain Macbeth glanced at Ben. “Hello,” he said. “Just wait a moment, MacTavish.” Then he turned to Mr Rigger and said something about talking about the engine-room problem a little later on. Mr Rigger nodded and made his way out of the cabin.

  Ben stood in front of the Captain’s desk, feeling very uncomfortable.

  “All right,” said Captain Macbeth. “What is it, MacTavish?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” Ben began.

  The Captain smiled. “Don’t you worry about that,” he said. “That’s what I’m here for.” He paused, and then went on, “So how can I help?”

  Ben had rehearsed what he wanted to say, and continued. “I was wondering, sir, if I could change cabins. I don’t like to be difficult, sir, but I’d be much happier in another cabin. Same deck, of course, but a different cabin – sharing with somebody else.”

  Captain Macbeth frowned. Reaching for a list he kept on his desk, he consulted it briefly and then looked back up at Ben. “Ah yes, of course, you share with Badger Tomkins.”

  Ben nodded.

  The Captain raised an eyebrow. “It’s odd that you should come in here asking for a move.”

  Ben swallowed. “I don’t want to make a fuss, Captain.”

  But making a fuss was not what Captain Macbeth was referring to. Now came the bombshell. “It’s odd, because your cabin-mate has already been in. Badger came to see me last night, after dinner, to ask if he could change cabins. He wants to share with …” The Captain paused as he looked at his list once more, but Ben had a strong feeling he knew what he was going to say.

  “He wants to share with Geoffrey Shark,” said the Captain. “He wants to move to Upper Deck.”

  Although Ben had anticipated what was coming, actually hearing it still came as a shock. Shark!

  The Captain fixed Ben with an enquiring look. “Have you two boys fallen out over something?” he asked.

  Ben was not sure how to answer. “I don’t know, sir,” he began. “I didn’t start it, if you know what I mean. I didn’t pick a fight with him.”

  The Captain sighed. “We all have to get on with each other, you know,” he said. “That’s one of the most important rules on a ship. We have to get on with each other, because when we’re at sea we have to live and work together twenty-four hours a day. You can’t have disagreements with people.”

  Ben said that he understood that well. “I promise you, Captain, it’s nothing I’ve done. Badger stopped talking to me – just like that. And when I tried to speak to him he was unfriendly and angry. I’m not making this up.”

  The Captain’s stare was long and penetrating. “You know what, MacTavish?” he said at last. “I think I know what you mean. There’s something odd about him wanting to share with Shark. Those two boys don’t seem to have much in common, do they?”

  “No, they don’t, sir.”

  “Nonetheless, I gave him permission,” said the Captain. “There’s no point in keeping two people together if they’re going to end up at each other’s throats. But that means I’ll have to put somebody else in with you.”

  He looked at his list. “There’s a new boy, from Ireland, who’ll need a bit of help to settle in. Are you prepared to look after him? Show him the ropes?”

  Ben nodded. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  “In that case, I’ll put Rory Quinn in with you,” said the Captain, making a note on his list. “And listen, if I may give you a bit of advice, MacTavish – sometimes things go wrong with a friendship. Friends can do strange things on occasion. But my advice is: never give up on a friend. Give them the chance to
come back to you, and never, ever, close the door. Keep the door open for a friend to come back.”

  He looked at Ben and waited for him to show that he understood what had been said. Ben nodded. He had understood.

  “That will be all,” said the Captain. “I’ll get Mr Rigger to send Quinn down to you.”

  Ben left the Captain’s cabin. He knew that what the Captain had said about never giving up on a friend was true, but he was not at all sure that the old Badger would ever come back. He thought: I’ve lost the best friend I’ve ever had, and the thought stayed with him all the way back to his cabin. And when he opened the door, he saw that Badger had already moved his things out.

  Rory to the rescue

  They set sail that afternoon. The morning had passed quickly, with all hands helping to load provisions, making sure that everything was stowed away safely in lockers, and tackling all the last-minute tasks that must be done before a ship leaves port. Everybody had something to do. Ben was in the team that was responsible for unpacking food, stacking away countless tins and bags of flour, making sure that boxes of eggs were tucked away safely in lockers so that the movement of the ship would not break them, and packing butter and other perishable things in the ship’s great walk-in fridges.

  Cook supervised all that. He rushed around, barking orders and making sure it all went according to plan. No one argued with Cook, and no one tried to sneak a taste of anything without his permission – unless they were very foolish, or greedy. A boy called Wallace Springleg, well known for his sweet tooth, was once spotted by Cook just as he dipped a finger into a large jar of jam – meaning only to taste it, of course, but it was a bad mistake on Wallace’s part.

  “Springleg!” roared Cook. “Was that your finger I saw in the jam?”