The Secret of Buccaneer Bay (Kristi Cameron Book 5) Page 6

  A few minutes later they were all gathered around Rachel, talking excitedly about the beautiful colors and creatures they had seen under the Caribbean Sea. They were all talking at once—except for Skeeter, that is. No one seemed to notice that he wasn’t saying much. Finally Robyn turned to him and said with a grin, “Hey, Skeeter, did you see The Thing down there?”

  “No,” he muttered, kicking at the sand.

  Steve looked at his son and put his arm around Skeeter’s shoulder. “No, nothing as exciting as that, but it was a great dive anyway, wasn’t it, Skeeter?” He smiled and winked at his youngest boy. Skeeter suddenly knew his secret was safe with his dad, and there would be more adventures yet to come!

  “What’s our next great adventure?” Kristi asked, almost as if she had just read his mind.

  “Our next great adventure is exploring the rain forest,” Rachel said, “but that comes tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to head back to our little paradise in the sky and recuperate! And if you think today was a good workout, wait until you see what we have planned for tomorrow!”

  They were on their way back to Marigot Bay when Skeeter spoke up from the back of the van. “Hey, Dad, I’ve been thinking about that guy Paul. You know, the kid who pulled me out of the water yesterday. I sure wish we could go back and look for him. I didn’t get to thank him. And we should give him a reward or something, don’t you think? And besides—I don’t know—I just have this feeling that guy needs a friend. And maybe he needs the Lord, too. What do you think, Dad?”

  Steve looked in the rearview mirror at Skeeter. “I think you’re right on all those points, Son. I was about to say we don’t have time to go back and look for him, but maybe we should just make time to do it. It wouldn’t hurt us to sacrifice some of our fun time for such an important thing. What do you say, tomorrow we drive back to Cas en Bas? It’s not far from where we’ll end our jungle tour.”

  “Great, Dad!” The rest of the group agreed enthusiastically. Steve and Rachel exchanged a smile between them. Their youngest child could be a real handful, but he did have big heart for others and for the Lord. They were proud of him.

  They left Emerald Paradise the next morning before the crack of dawn. The young people had grumbled a bit about getting up so early. “Five o’clock in the morning just to see a few birds!” Kristi muttered as she stifled a yawn and buckled her seat belt.

  “Not just any birds, young lady!” her mother said. “If we get there early enough we just might see the rare jacquot!”

  “The jack-what?” Skeeter asked.

  “It’s jacquot, not jack-what!” Rachel said.

  “Jacquot—isn’t that the name of our villa at Emerald Paradise?” Anna asked.

  “Yes, Anna, it’s named after the jacqout, or as it is commonly called, the St. Lucia parrot. This is the only place in the world where it’s found. It’s the national bird of St. Lucia, and it’s hard to find. Our best bet is to look for it in the early morning.”

  “Seen one parrot, you’ve seen them all,” Kristi grouched under her breath.

  Her mother gave her the ‘look’ and said, “If you’re that tired, Kristi, take a little nap on the way. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the day better if you wake up in a better mood!”

  Kristi knew better than to say anything more. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat. When she opened them again she was surprised to see her father had parked the van on a dirt road. A guide station stood a few yards away. Steve was talking to a tour guide. He came back to the van a few minutes later and said, “Okay, we’re all set! Everyone have their hiking shoes on? Got your swimsuits, and plenty of bug spray? Get some bottled water out of the cooler, and let’s go!”

  They gathered at the head of a trail that wandered into the jungle. “We’re going to hike in for a while,” Steve explained, “and have breakfast in the jungle. We’ll have a tour guide. Actually, it’s a law that you must take a guide with you in the rain forest to protect you, and especially to protect the rain forest! After that a jeep will take us—wait, I don’t think I’ll tell the rest yet. You’ll just have to wait and see!”

  They started down the trail. Rachel walked next to Kristi for a few minutes. “Feeling better?” she asked her daughter.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “I know. Well, we’ll have a great day now. Keep your eyes peeled for that jacqout! I really want to see one in the wild. There are lots of different kinds of birds, too, that we would never see at home.”

  “I didn’t know you were that much of a birdwatcher, Mom.”

  “I’m not, really, but we’re in a Caribbean rain forest, Kristi. I feel we ought to soak in as much of it as possible while we have the chance. Besides, God’s handiwork is so beautiful and so varied, it is just awesome. It never ceases to amaze me.”

  “I know what you mean, Mom. I felt the same way when we were snorkeling yesterday. How anyone could believe in evolution, that things just happened like this without the design of a Creator—well, it’s just unbelievable!”

  All around them the forest was filled with the early morning calls of birds and insects. It was warmer and stickier in the rain forest without the benefit of the trade winds cooling them off. They had slathered on bug spray, but the mosquitoes still buzzed them, and now and then they’d slap a pest off the back of the person in front of them.

  The beauty of the rain forest made it all worthwhile, though. Wild orchids, tiny lilies and other exotic flowers blossomed around the trunks of massive ancient trees. Mushrooms, giant ferns and towering bamboo grew in the undergrowth of the jungle, and vines hung down, brushing their heads as they passed through on the trail.

  And birds. Rachel wanted to see birds, and they saw them—the black finch, the white-breasted thrasher, the St. Lucia oriole, the mangrove cuckoo. They heard a warbler’s song, although they didn’t see him. And though they kept a sharp eye out for the jacquot, they didn’t see one of those, either. They were all disappointed. They wanted to see this elusive bird they had heard so much about!

  They were hiking along and wondering when and where they’d be stopping for breakfast when Skeeter suddenly cried out, “Look at that!” They looked up just in time to see something come crashing down out of the tree above them. It hit the ground just in front of Kristi with a thud and took off running into the underbrush. Kristi shrieked and almost leaped into her brother’s arms!

  It had happened so quickly they barely got a chance to get a good look at the creature, but it was huge—almost four feet long. It was a bright green with brownish-black stripes, and looked like a prehistoric monster with a long row of spikes around its neck and running down its back. Kristi was still shaking when the guide laughed and said, “Iguana! Iguana! You surprised it! Iguana lives in de trees. Some grow to six feet long!”

  Kristi shivered and said, “Ooh, please Lord, don’t ever let me meet one that big! This one freaked me out enough!”

  A few minutes later they heard the sound of running water. The path led to a clearing where to their delight they came upon a beautiful waterfall. It must have been at least seventy-five feet tall, and at its base was a pool. “We have breakfast here,” the guide said, “and if you like, you swim in de water, cool off.” He didn’t have to say it twice. The teens were in the water, splashing and shouting before Steve and Rachel could even kick their shoes off. The guide set up a light breakfast for them off to the side, but it was several minutes before anyone even thought of eating. The water felt refreshing after their trek through the humid rain forest.

  Breakfast was a nice variety of tropical fruits and juices as well as scones and muffins. How they got it all out to the middle of the rain forest for them Kristi couldn’t figure out, but it was the perfect place to have a breakfast in the great outdoors. She was just nibbling her last bite of muffin when she suddenly saw a flash of color in the trees nearby. “Mom, look!” she said softly, and pointed.

/>   At last! It was the jacquot, or St. Lucia parrot. No—there were two of them! They were easily recognizable by their bright blue heads, green bodies and red markings. They held their breath as they watched the birds preen their feathers for a minute. Then with a squawk and a flurry of feathers, they were gone.

  “You have much bon chance, good luck!” their guide said. “It not easy to find de jacquot, and to see two—bon chance!”

  “Thanks for making us get up early to come, Mom,” Kristi grinned at her mother. “It was worth it!”

  They did not have far to hike after they left the waterfall. They weren’t going back the way they had come, Steve explained. He had something else in mind. Their guide led them to another station where they found a truck with zebra stripes and an open top waiting for them. They climbed in the back and held onto the padded roll bar as the truck passed through forest, valleys and banana plantations. Fruit trees of every kind surrounded them on the plantations—banana, of course, but also mango, citrus, pineapple, coconut, papaya and breadfruit.

  “What is breadfruit, anyway, Mom?” Kristi asked when the driver pointed it out to them.

  “I’ve never had it, but I understand it is a very important part of the people’s diet in St. Lucia. They eat it like you and I would eat potatoes or bread. In fact, it is supposed to be a lot like potatoes in the way it tastes. I noticed there was a breadfruit salad on the menu at the restaurant where we ate yesterday.”

  The truck finally stopped. A large sign said Rain Forest Sky Rides. “What’s this place, Dad?” Skeeter asked eagerly.

  “We’re going to see the rain forest—and much of the rest of St. Lucia, too—from a whole different perspective now, kids,” Steve said. “I’ve arranged for us to take a ninety-minute ride through and over the rain forest in an aerial tram!”

  “Wow! Cool! Oh boy!” the teens exclaimed. A few minutes later they entered the open-sided gondola and watched as the ground and undergrowth slipped away behind them. Anna and Rachel hung on tightly. Neither of them was very comfortable with heights.

  The tram slid through the forest and eventually rose above the canopy of the trees. They were ninety feet above the ground now, and all around them the rain forest spread out below their feet.

  To the west they could see the Caribbean Sea, and to the east the Atlantic Ocean. North of them they could see where the rough waves of the ocean met the calm waters of the sea. Mt. Gimie, the highest spot on the island, rose above the jungle, and the Pitons stood guard in the distance. It was a magnificent, breathtaking view.

  They glided along just above the giant trees. Skeeter hunkered down and tried to stick his foot out to touch the treetops with the toe of his shoe. The gondola rocked. Rachel and Anna gasped and hung on tighter. Steve gave his young son a poke and said, “Sit still, Skeeter. You’re scaring your mother.”

  “Sorry, Mom. I’m just trying to stir up some spiders or bats or a snake or something.”

  “Oh, that’s nice! Just what we need!”

  They did see spiders and lizards and bats, colorful butterflies and birds in the canopy of the trees. They soared over the ruins of an old sugar mill that had been taken over by the jungle, and listened as their guide told them that the rain forest received over 160 inches of rain a year, and that sixty percent of the creatures who lived in the trees never set foot on the ground at all. He told them the names of every kind of tree and flower and creature they saw.

  Finally the tram began its descent, and they moved once more down through the majestic trees, which were covered with vines and cascading flowers. The gondola slid into the station and they got off. “That was pretty amazing, Dad!” Kristi said. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that view over the entire island and even out to sea!”

  “What’s next? How do we get back to our van?” Skeeter asked.

  “Well, this is where we’re going to get another workout. We’re taking bicycles over another trail!”

  “Bikes! How cool is that!” the guys exclaimed.

  Rachel groaned. “Why didn’t you warn me? I’m getting kind of old for all this adventure, Steve!”

  “Don’t worry, Honey. It’s mostly downhill from here.”

  “What—the trail or me?”

  Steve just laughed and led the group to the other side of the building. A row of mountain bikes lined the wall. Another tour guide came out of the station and helped them adjust their seats. When they were ready they followed him down a trail and through the forest once more.

  It was even warmer and more humid under the trees than it had been before. Their early morning hike to the waterfall had been in the coolest part of the day, and the trade winds off the ocean had cooled them on the tram ride above the trees, but now it felt sticky and stuffy in the jungle. Thankfully, Steve was right—most of the ride was downhill. Now and then, though, the trail climbed and became rougher, and the girls would get off their bikes and push them.

  “Use your gears,” Dan tried to tell them. “These are mountain bikes, so they’re made to go up hills.” They girls couldn’t get the hang of it, though, and it just seemed easier to walk their bikes over the hard spots.

  The guys and their guide had disappeared over the crest of a hill at one point when Rachel finally said, “Whew! Come on, girls—let’s take a break. They’ll wait for us when they discover we’re not behind them.”

  “Or have to ride back up another hill or two!” Robyn giggled.

  They laughed and Rachel said, “Well, we won’t get lost as long as we’re on the trail. I’m ready for a rest and a drink of water! Anyone else want some water?”

  They all agreed and dug through their packs for their water bottles. They set their bikes down in the middle of the trail and sat down next to them. They were chatting quietly and sipping their water when Kristi leaned back on her arms and looked up into the tree above them.

  It was a gommier tree, or gum tree. Tiny purple orchids cascaded from the trunk and white patches of sweet-smelling stuff oozed from the bark. Vines wound their way around the trunk and through the branches. Kristi was getting sleepy as they rested and her eyelids were beginning to droop when out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the vines drop a bit from the branch it was draped over. The vine looked strange. She peered closer and then jerked back. The vine had stripes—and eyes!

  Kristi let out a bloodcurdling scream and jumped up. Rachel and her friends screamed, too—not sure why, but because Kristi had scared them. She was still screaming and pointing, and suddenly they saw why!

  Snake! The other girls leaped to their feet, all shrieking and trying to untangle their bikes from one another. The six foot reptile that was dangling overhead withdrew back to its branch, but that didn’t matter. They wanted out of there!

  Steve and the other guys flew over the top of the hill just then. They’d heard the girls’ screams and raced back. Kristi dropped her bike and ran to her father when she saw them. “S-snake! There’s a snake up there!” she stuttered, clutching Steve’s arm and pointing up into the tree.

  The tour guide cautiously approached just in time to see the snake slithering away further up the tree. He started to laugh. “Dat’s jus’ de ol’ tete-chien! You call him boa constrictor. We say tete-chien cuz dat how you say head of dog in Kwéyòl. He look like dog, non? He no have poison, and you too big for him—he not hurt you! He eat little rats and birds and lizards—dose what he can squeeze to death!”

  “Wow! Do you think he’ll come back?” Skeeter asked.

  “Non—not wit’ dese girls screamin’! He scared more dan dey!”

  “Aww, you see what you did, Kristi! You scared him! You girls get all the luck!”

  “Luck! I wouldn’t call it luck! Why, I—” Before she could say any more, though, they were back on their bikes and on their way again.

  An hour later they were back at their van, hot, exhausted and hungry. The air conditioning in the van felt wonderful, but when Rachel suggested they drive to a beach for a picnic lunch and
a swim, they all agreed enthusiastically.

  “Cas en Bas is not far from here. Should we go there and see if we can find Paul?”

  “Yes!” Skeeter said eagerly.

  Steve found the same beach they had visited with the ponies earlier in the week. Another group was enjoying a barbecue down the shore, but they claimed a secluded area for themselves and settled down to enjoy the lunch they had picked up from vendors along the way.

  They had barely started to eat when a familiar figure came wandering down the coast toward them. Skeeter cried out, “Paul!” and they all waved, encouraging him to join them.

  Paul’s eyes lit up when he saw them. He hurried over to the group, grinning widely. “Skeeter! Bon jou! Bon jou! You come back!”

  “We were looking for you, Paul,” Skeeter said, shaking the boy’s hand. “I wanted to say thank you for pulling me out of the water the other day. I never got a chance to say thanks, so—thank you, Paul! You saved my life!”

  “I am happy to help you, Skeeter,” Paul said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Why don’t you sit down and have some lunch with us now, Paul?” Rachel invited.

  “Non, non, I must work, but mesi, thank you.” He waved his hand at his box of souvenirs.

  “That’s easy. We’ll just buy everything in the box. Here you go, Paul.” Steve handed the boy several large bills. Paul’s eyes grew big as he looked at the amount of money in his hand. He shook his head and tried to hand the money back to Steve.

  “No,” Steve said, “that’s for you, Paul. We could never repay you for what you did for Skeeter the other day. Keep it, please. And now that you don’t have to work, please sit down and have some lunch with us!”

  Paul joined the group and Skeeter introduced the rest of the teens to him. They were a happy bunch as they enjoyed the food and the talk with Paul. He did well keeping up with them in his broken English, and they managed to understand most of his Kwéyòl.