Coasts of Cape York Read Free Page B

it appeared to be tearing at the man’s left leg. Willy distinctly saw what looked like murky pink streamers trailing from the body.
    The sight made him want to retch but it also made him cry out again. “Sir, quick! We must land and save that other man before those sharks attack him.”
    Mr Southall appeared not to hear him. He kept the plane turning so that he could see both men out the port window but he made no attempt to land. Flying Officer Turnbull came and stood between him and the co-pilot and looked out.
    â€œSir!” pleaded Willy. “We must land. We have to save him!”
    Mr Southall turned his head and Willy saw his jaw was set hard. He gave a slight shake of the head and said, “It’s not just his life young Willy. There are twenty lives in this plane and if I muck things up then they could be lost too.”
    Willy had dimly known that but now he recognized the terrible weight of responsibility thrust onto the pilot. Whatever he did risked peoples’ lives. “Can’t we land sir?” he asked, swallowing to keep his stomach under control. He could still see the smaller shark gnawing and ripping at the floating corpse.
    Mr Southall gestured with his left hand. “The sea is pretty rough. If we hit it hard or wrong the plane could plough under or, worse still, tip a wingtip and cartwheel. Even if we get down safely we may not be able to get off again.”
    â€œBut we could save that man if we did get down?” Willy pressed. He felt very personally involved in saving the man’s life and a sense of frustrated desperation was growing.
    â€œYes. But it’s a real risk,” Mr Southall answered. Willy knew that he had once been a squadron leader in the air force and also a civil airline pilot who had flown the big ‘Sandringham’ flying boats from Sydney to Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island back in the days when such planes were in service. ‘He has a lot of experience of flying seaplanes, and I don’t,’ he thought ruefully. He could see that Mr Southall was torn and felt sorry for him.
    Mr Southall kept the ‘Catalina’ circling.  Flying that low meant a fair amount of turbulence but Willy barely noticed. He was just aware that Mr Southall was flying the aircraft with unconscious skill. Willy saw that the big shark was also interested in the body of the dead man but it wasn’t far from the man in the water. ‘Poor bugger!’ he thought. ‘He can see us and thinks he is saved, and he must be able to see those sharks. He must be terrified!’
    Flying Officer Turnbull spoke next. “We must think of the cadets and their safety first,” he said.
    That annoyed and sickened Willy. ‘Is he saying that because he is scared, or is he really concerned about us?’ he thought unkindly.
    Flying Officer Turnbull then said, “We can radio a ship and it can come and pick him up.”
    â€œSir! That could take hours. That man hasn’t got a life jacket, and anyway that big shark could attack him at any moment,” Willy cried.
    â€œDrop him a raft then,” Flying Officer Turnbull suggested. “Do you have an inflatable raft Mr Southall?”
    â€œWe have several and we will use one,” Mr Southall replied.
    That, to Willy, was a poor second, but better than nothing. He was now feeling almost nauseous with anxiety and apprehension. To be able to see the poor man and the huge shark and be aware that at any moment he might have to watch him being torn to bits!
    Mr Southall then said to the navigator, “What is the wind?”
    â€œFrom the South East Ivan, varying from fifteen knots to twenty knots,” the navigator replied.
    â€œSo, that gives a wave height of about a metre and half to two metres,” Mr Southall answered.
    The co-pilot answered. “Yes, but in the lee of the reef it should be a good deal less.”
    â€œThat’s what I thought,” Mr Southall