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stepped out of its dramatic fall to earth. We called out to Paula but heard nothing. Alarmed,
we walked back towards the bay where we had left the dinghy and saw her lying on the
beach chatting to some friends. She saw us approaching and sprang up and ran towards us
smiling happily at our safe return. She threw her arms around me and kissed me heartily on
the mouth, “Thank God you are both safe! I was so worried! Well, how was it?” We told
her all about our escapade in detail, and the girl listened in awe. She explained, “I didn't
want to wait around the base as it may have drawn attention.”
We decided not to tell our friends about the climb, rather we told them that we had been on
a hike up the side of the mountain. Our friends looked at us skeptically; I believe they put
two and two together but diplomatically kept quiet and just smiled.
A few days later, Paula announced that she wanted to sleep ashore somewhere. “Anywhere!
Let's just get off the boat one night and see where we can sleep. It's so lovely and warm
on the island. We've all got sleeping bags; if all else fails, we can crash on the beach. Well,
what about it?” she cried eagerly. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and we readily agreed.
The next evening we packed a large army sack with sleeping bags, a dry set of clothes,
some food, some money, and personal items, and we set off for the beach in the dinghy. We
decided to hide the big, cumbersome army bag in the bushes on the beach until we found
out where we would sleep, which would most likely be on the beach anyway.
It was the perfect night for it: a warm trade wind wafted through the valley, filling the sultry
evening air with a tropical fragrance. The purplish blue sky was alight with winking stars,
and there was a fair sized moon to light our way. Looking about, we found some obscure
bushes, stuffed the army bag deep within, and took off gaily up the dirt road. We were all in
great spirits, and I pinched Paula's bejeaned and shapely bottom when Herman had trailed
off ahead. “Yes, I know what that means! Could be interesting, what with Herman sleeping
right next to us.” She gave me a cynical smile.
It was a long walk to the hotel, but recently we had discovered a shortcut while out on a
cross country hike and found that we cut the distance to almost half on this new path. We
came to a particularly wooded area. “We could also sleep here tonight,” said Paula, looking
around. “I bet that is very sheltered and cozy.”
The countryside around us had a soft, green, almost manicured look to it, gingerbready in
a way. Copses of large green trees had formed inviting little hiding places, and the ground
felt lush and soft with the green grass and leaves beneath us. I nodded in agreement, “Let's
see how the evening turns out.”
We reached the hotel and went in to the little bar, ordering some drinks. We waved to some
of our sailing friends and recognized a few of the villagers. I noticed the locally made rum
