his mouth and shut his eyes. I watched the
clock. His face slowly turned red and started toshake. Then
his mouth burst open. “How long was that?” he asked, gasping.
I could understand him now if I stared at his mouth when he spoke. “Not bad.
Forty-seven seconds. It’s harder under water.”
“I do it better under water.”
“Hmmm. Radji, the reason I didn’t take you in my sub is because it really is
dangerous.”
“I know. I am not afraid.”
“I know you are not afraid. That’s not the point. I have a rule about not
taking passengers because it’s so dangerous. Right now the Indian navy is
searching for us. That’s why I can’t hear properly—they found us once before and
shot explosives at us and almost killed us.”
“But you escaped them.”
“Yes, we escaped them, but we almost didn’t.”
“But you did. You will always escape them. And now I can help you.”
I stared into his determined face and he stared back at me. For a moment, all
we did was stare. Then I took a deep breath. So he took a deep breath. I took
another one and sighed. “Oh man . . . do you want some tea?”
We had a cup of tea and shared an orange. Then I climbed up on the bike and
continued pedalling while Radji sat with Hollie and patted him. I pedalled for
two hours and watched Radji fall asleep. It was the middle of the night. But now
I wanted to surface to see if we had been followed. If we hadn’t,we could continue on battery power, which would be so much faster. And
then, when we were further away, I could go to sleep too. But I couldn’t turn on
the batteries if anyone was close enough to listen with sonar. And I was nervous
about surfacing in the path of a ship. Normally I would hear the engines of a
ship before we were too close, but I couldn’t hear them now unless they were
about to run us over. So, I stood over Radji and considered waking him. I hated
to wake him, but this is what he was asking for. He should see it for what it
was. I reached down and shook him. “Radji! Radji!”
He opened his eyes, raised his head in confusion and looked around as if he had
forgotten where he was. I knew that feeling. “Radji, I need your ears. We’re
going to surface. I need you to listen for engine sounds. Can you do
that?”
He rubbed his eyes and nodded.
“Good. We have to be very quiet, okay? All you have to do is listen. If you
hear anything, nod your head. If you don’t hear anything when I raise my hand
like this, shake your head. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
I pumped air into the tanks and we started up. If there were ships up there
waiting for us I wanted Radji to be awake anyway. This was exactly the kind of
danger I never wanted to share with anyone else, but that decision had been
taken out of my hands.
I stared at the depth gauge, watched Radji’s face, and keptmy hand on the dive switch. He was listening carefully. When we reached
seventy-five feet I let some water into the tanks and we stopped rising. I
raised my hand. Radji shook his head. “Are you sure?” I whispered. He nodded. I
pumped more air into the tanks and we came closer to the surface and I raised
the periscope and looked. There was nothing there. I turned it 360 degrees,
twice, and saw nothing. What a relief. I was about to surface and turn on radar
when Radji asked if he could look.
“Sure.”
I grabbed a coil of rope for him to stand on and showed him where to hold his
hands and how to look. He stared into the periscope the same way he stared at
chess pieces, with complete concentration. Slowly he turned it around. He had to
stand on his tiptoes to hang onto it.
“There’s nothing to see now because it’s dark and there’s nothing out there,
but in the morning you’ll be able to see waves and the horizon, and maybe a
passing ship.”
Then he said something but I couldn’t hear it.
“What?”
He turned to me and said,
clock. His face slowly turned red and started toshake. Then
his mouth burst open. “How long was that?” he asked, gasping.
I could understand him now if I stared at his mouth when he spoke. “Not bad.
Forty-seven seconds. It’s harder under water.”
“I do it better under water.”
“Hmmm. Radji, the reason I didn’t take you in my sub is because it really is
dangerous.”
“I know. I am not afraid.”
“I know you are not afraid. That’s not the point. I have a rule about not
taking passengers because it’s so dangerous. Right now the Indian navy is
searching for us. That’s why I can’t hear properly—they found us once before and
shot explosives at us and almost killed us.”
“But you escaped them.”
“Yes, we escaped them, but we almost didn’t.”
“But you did. You will always escape them. And now I can help you.”
I stared into his determined face and he stared back at me. For a moment, all
we did was stare. Then I took a deep breath. So he took a deep breath. I took
another one and sighed. “Oh man . . . do you want some tea?”
We had a cup of tea and shared an orange. Then I climbed up on the bike and
continued pedalling while Radji sat with Hollie and patted him. I pedalled for
two hours and watched Radji fall asleep. It was the middle of the night. But now
I wanted to surface to see if we had been followed. If we hadn’t,we could continue on battery power, which would be so much faster. And
then, when we were further away, I could go to sleep too. But I couldn’t turn on
the batteries if anyone was close enough to listen with sonar. And I was nervous
about surfacing in the path of a ship. Normally I would hear the engines of a
ship before we were too close, but I couldn’t hear them now unless they were
about to run us over. So, I stood over Radji and considered waking him. I hated
to wake him, but this is what he was asking for. He should see it for what it
was. I reached down and shook him. “Radji! Radji!”
He opened his eyes, raised his head in confusion and looked around as if he had
forgotten where he was. I knew that feeling. “Radji, I need your ears. We’re
going to surface. I need you to listen for engine sounds. Can you do
that?”
He rubbed his eyes and nodded.
“Good. We have to be very quiet, okay? All you have to do is listen. If you
hear anything, nod your head. If you don’t hear anything when I raise my hand
like this, shake your head. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
I pumped air into the tanks and we started up. If there were ships up there
waiting for us I wanted Radji to be awake anyway. This was exactly the kind of
danger I never wanted to share with anyone else, but that decision had been
taken out of my hands.
I stared at the depth gauge, watched Radji’s face, and keptmy hand on the dive switch. He was listening carefully. When we reached
seventy-five feet I let some water into the tanks and we stopped rising. I
raised my hand. Radji shook his head. “Are you sure?” I whispered. He nodded. I
pumped more air into the tanks and we came closer to the surface and I raised
the periscope and looked. There was nothing there. I turned it 360 degrees,
twice, and saw nothing. What a relief. I was about to surface and turn on radar
when Radji asked if he could look.
“Sure.”
I grabbed a coil of rope for him to stand on and showed him where to hold his
hands and how to look. He stared into the periscope the same way he stared at
chess pieces, with complete concentration. Slowly he turned it around. He had to
stand on his tiptoes to hang onto it.
“There’s nothing to see now because it’s dark and there’s nothing out there,
but in the morning you’ll be able to see waves and the horizon, and maybe a
passing ship.”
Then he said something but I couldn’t hear it.
“What?”
He turned to me and said,
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