the first time since arriving in Perth, so did Seaweed. I was so glad to see him because we were walking away from the coast now, and he wouldn’t be able to spot the sub, and would wonder where we were. Maybe he would think we had left without him. I knew that Seaweed would always survive wherever he was, because he was tough and resourceful, but I sure didn’t want to lose him.
We walked to the mouth of Fremantle Harbour once again, and then followed it inland until it became the Swan River. It was dark when we started out, but by the time we reached the point at which the harbour became a river, it was late morning. After being cooped up in a submarine for a whole month, it wasn’t hard to walk all day. And that’s what I intended to do for several more days.
It was especially nice once we were walking beside the river, because the river was beautiful, and lined with trees and parks, and we often had shade to walk in, and rest in, and later to sleep in. We also had access to shops for the first day, which weren’t too far from the river, and pizza, and another of the pleasures I missed at sea—candy. I stuffed my pockets with it, and ate it pretty much constantly on the first day. Then I had to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste, because I had forgotten to bring mine along, and my teeth had grown a thick layer of plaque on them. I didn’t give Hollie or Seaweed any candy because it wasn’t good for them, but I did share a bag of popcorn.
The river narrowed surprisingly quickly as we travelled upstream beside it. By the end of the first day, we were standing on the bank of a gently flowing current that I could easily have swum across with one breath. It was hard to believe we were just miles away from where the river turned into one of the world’s greatest harbours.
In one of the last shops along the way, I was able to buy a frozen pizza. I carried it for a few hours to let it thaw, and the three of us sat on the riverbank and ate it raw beneath the shade of a humongous tree, with hundreds of snake-like roots that spread around us like a basket. Cooked pizza was a lot better. Still, we were happy to have it.
The soil of the riverbank where we sat was dry, spongy, and soft, and I figured it was a good place to sleep. We were outside of the city now. There were a few scattered houses, very few shops, and some farms. The whole area was incredibly beautiful, although unbelievably dry. In Canada, we’d call this a drought. In fact, Australia looked like what Canada might look like if we had a drought that lasted for a hundred years.
Under the branches of the tree I rolled out my mat and pulled my jacket over myself like a blanket. Hollie made himself cosy on the ground beside me. Seaweed sat by my feet, facing the river. I felt safe having the nose and ears of a dog, and the eyes of a seagull, to watch for spiders and snakes at night. Australia had a lot of poisonous spiders and snakes. As we drifted to sleep, we could hear ripples in the river, but mostly it was silent. Looking beyond the treetops, I watched the stars blink silently, and thought what a wonderful life we had. But I couldn’t watch for long because the weight of sleep fell heavily upon me.
Waking from one of the best sleeps of my life, I stood up and stretched as the crew stretched. I rolled up the sleeping mat, packed up our things, and headed off to find a grocery store. It wasn’t easy to find one now, and we had to walk quite a ways from the river before we spotted a small store that was attached to a house. Stepping inside, I found that it took my eyes awhile to adjust to the darkness. The first thing I spied were bags of candy, which I couldn’t resist. I also bought a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, a loaf of bread, a bag of granola, four oranges, four bananas, a bottle of milk, and a jug of water. I had to carry the water jug in my hands, but it had a handle that made that easier, and I could switch hands. We couldn’t go into a dry
We walked to the mouth of Fremantle Harbour once again, and then followed it inland until it became the Swan River. It was dark when we started out, but by the time we reached the point at which the harbour became a river, it was late morning. After being cooped up in a submarine for a whole month, it wasn’t hard to walk all day. And that’s what I intended to do for several more days.
It was especially nice once we were walking beside the river, because the river was beautiful, and lined with trees and parks, and we often had shade to walk in, and rest in, and later to sleep in. We also had access to shops for the first day, which weren’t too far from the river, and pizza, and another of the pleasures I missed at sea—candy. I stuffed my pockets with it, and ate it pretty much constantly on the first day. Then I had to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste, because I had forgotten to bring mine along, and my teeth had grown a thick layer of plaque on them. I didn’t give Hollie or Seaweed any candy because it wasn’t good for them, but I did share a bag of popcorn.
The river narrowed surprisingly quickly as we travelled upstream beside it. By the end of the first day, we were standing on the bank of a gently flowing current that I could easily have swum across with one breath. It was hard to believe we were just miles away from where the river turned into one of the world’s greatest harbours.
In one of the last shops along the way, I was able to buy a frozen pizza. I carried it for a few hours to let it thaw, and the three of us sat on the riverbank and ate it raw beneath the shade of a humongous tree, with hundreds of snake-like roots that spread around us like a basket. Cooked pizza was a lot better. Still, we were happy to have it.
The soil of the riverbank where we sat was dry, spongy, and soft, and I figured it was a good place to sleep. We were outside of the city now. There were a few scattered houses, very few shops, and some farms. The whole area was incredibly beautiful, although unbelievably dry. In Canada, we’d call this a drought. In fact, Australia looked like what Canada might look like if we had a drought that lasted for a hundred years.
Under the branches of the tree I rolled out my mat and pulled my jacket over myself like a blanket. Hollie made himself cosy on the ground beside me. Seaweed sat by my feet, facing the river. I felt safe having the nose and ears of a dog, and the eyes of a seagull, to watch for spiders and snakes at night. Australia had a lot of poisonous spiders and snakes. As we drifted to sleep, we could hear ripples in the river, but mostly it was silent. Looking beyond the treetops, I watched the stars blink silently, and thought what a wonderful life we had. But I couldn’t watch for long because the weight of sleep fell heavily upon me.
Waking from one of the best sleeps of my life, I stood up and stretched as the crew stretched. I rolled up the sleeping mat, packed up our things, and headed off to find a grocery store. It wasn’t easy to find one now, and we had to walk quite a ways from the river before we spotted a small store that was attached to a house. Stepping inside, I found that it took my eyes awhile to adjust to the darkness. The first thing I spied were bags of candy, which I couldn’t resist. I also bought a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, a loaf of bread, a bag of granola, four oranges, four bananas, a bottle of milk, and a jug of water. I had to carry the water jug in my hands, but it had a handle that made that easier, and I could switch hands. We couldn’t go into a dry
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