Read Online Gold of the Gods by Bear Grylls - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Bear Grylls
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had become so
desperate and hungry, they began to eat
each other.
He looked over to where Christina lay
curled up, her leg stretched invitingly
towards him. Beck raised his eyes to the
heavens and laughed out loud. 'I must not
eat Christina's leg,' he chanted. And then
repeated it three times, as if he were back at
school, writing out lines in detention for
Mrs Armington. 'But parrots are just fine,'
he added, suddenly jumping to his feet and
making a mock charge at Ringo, who
hopped around the deck, screeching loudly
and flapping his wings in alarm.
The commotion shook the twins out of
their stupor. Marco groaned and crawled
towards the side of the raft, saying he was
about to throw up. Grabbing his arm so his
palm was facing upwards, Beck pressed his
thumb hard into the veins in the centre of
Marco's wrist. Marco's shoulders slumped
and he felt the muscles in the pit of his
stomach relax. The desire to vomit slowly
lifted.
'How did you do that, Beck?' asked
Marco, amazed.
'It's an old acupuncture technique my
mum taught me,' said Beck. 'It's best not to
be sick if you can possibly help it. You'll lose
so much body fluid, and you know what
that means.'
'More eyeballs,' said Christina. 'Yum,
yum!' She yawned and shook her head, her
earrings flashing in the bright sunlight. She
looked up to see Beck staring intently at her.
'I think I've got it,' he said.
'Aye, aye, skip,' said Marco, who was now
feeling better and was looking at Beck
curiously. 'But we haven't!'
'Your earrings, Christina. Give me your
earrings.'
Christina spun her head out of the way as
Beck made a grab for her ears. 'What are
you doing?' shouted Marco. 'You've been
drinking the sea water, haven't you?' A short
scuffle broke out as Marco leaped to protect
his sister, the strength in the boy's skinny
frame taking Beck by surprise.
'Fish hooks, loco,' hissed Beck. 'Your
sister is wearing a pair of fish hooks in her
ears. We need food. But she doesn't need to
look pretty. And if you do that again, you'll
capsize the raft.'
Marco loosened his grip and Beck
wondered whether the boy realized how
easily he could have tossed him aside. But
Marco was showing signs of stress and now
was not the time for Beck to show off his
skills as a junior judo champion.
As Christina reached for the lobes of her
ears, Beck could see tears welling up in
her eyes. 'I'm sorry,' he said quietly. 'But we
need food. Unless we eat some fish, the fish
will soon be eating us.'
Dropping her head to first one side and
then the other, she removed the earrings
with deft flicks of her wrist. 'I'm beginning
to hate you, Inglés ,' she said. 'Mum gave me
these as a present after she came back from
a trip to Brazil.' She dropped them into
Beck's outstretched palm. 'And I expect
them back with a fish supper attached.'
Beck sat down with his back to the mast
as Marco took over the tiller. The wind was
beginning to get up again and the sun
was dropping lower in the sky as evening
drew on. Working away at the soft metal
with the blade of the machete, he had soon
fashioned a pair of fish hooks. He held them
up for the twins to inspect.
'All very clever, skip,' said Marco. 'But we
don't have any fishing tackle.'
'That's where you're wrong,' said Beck,
untying the laces of his trainers.
But Christina wasn't listening. She was
jumping up and down, pointing at the
water in front of the raft. 'Look! Look! Over
there!'
Beck peered down into the depths. Dark
shapes were zigzagging at high speed around
the raft. Like fleeting shadows, they moved
so fast that they were gone as quickly as he
could focus on them. Christina let out a cry
of delight as one broke through the surface,
arching into the air ahead of them. It was
followed by another and then another, until
they were surrounded by leaping creatures
like acrobats at a circus.
'Dolphins,' laughed Marco as arcs of
water droplets from their smooth white
underbellies sparkled in the evening sun.
The twins had seen dolphins in
desperate and hungry, they began to eat
each other.
He looked over to where Christina lay
curled up, her leg stretched invitingly
towards him. Beck raised his eyes to the
heavens and laughed out loud. 'I must not
eat Christina's leg,' he chanted. And then
repeated it three times, as if he were back at
school, writing out lines in detention for
Mrs Armington. 'But parrots are just fine,'
he added, suddenly jumping to his feet and
making a mock charge at Ringo, who
hopped around the deck, screeching loudly
and flapping his wings in alarm.
The commotion shook the twins out of
their stupor. Marco groaned and crawled
towards the side of the raft, saying he was
about to throw up. Grabbing his arm so his
palm was facing upwards, Beck pressed his
thumb hard into the veins in the centre of
Marco's wrist. Marco's shoulders slumped
and he felt the muscles in the pit of his
stomach relax. The desire to vomit slowly
lifted.
'How did you do that, Beck?' asked
Marco, amazed.
'It's an old acupuncture technique my
mum taught me,' said Beck. 'It's best not to
be sick if you can possibly help it. You'll lose
so much body fluid, and you know what
that means.'
'More eyeballs,' said Christina. 'Yum,
yum!' She yawned and shook her head, her
earrings flashing in the bright sunlight. She
looked up to see Beck staring intently at her.
'I think I've got it,' he said.
'Aye, aye, skip,' said Marco, who was now
feeling better and was looking at Beck
curiously. 'But we haven't!'
'Your earrings, Christina. Give me your
earrings.'
Christina spun her head out of the way as
Beck made a grab for her ears. 'What are
you doing?' shouted Marco. 'You've been
drinking the sea water, haven't you?' A short
scuffle broke out as Marco leaped to protect
his sister, the strength in the boy's skinny
frame taking Beck by surprise.
'Fish hooks, loco,' hissed Beck. 'Your
sister is wearing a pair of fish hooks in her
ears. We need food. But she doesn't need to
look pretty. And if you do that again, you'll
capsize the raft.'
Marco loosened his grip and Beck
wondered whether the boy realized how
easily he could have tossed him aside. But
Marco was showing signs of stress and now
was not the time for Beck to show off his
skills as a junior judo champion.
As Christina reached for the lobes of her
ears, Beck could see tears welling up in
her eyes. 'I'm sorry,' he said quietly. 'But we
need food. Unless we eat some fish, the fish
will soon be eating us.'
Dropping her head to first one side and
then the other, she removed the earrings
with deft flicks of her wrist. 'I'm beginning
to hate you, Inglés ,' she said. 'Mum gave me
these as a present after she came back from
a trip to Brazil.' She dropped them into
Beck's outstretched palm. 'And I expect
them back with a fish supper attached.'
Beck sat down with his back to the mast
as Marco took over the tiller. The wind was
beginning to get up again and the sun
was dropping lower in the sky as evening
drew on. Working away at the soft metal
with the blade of the machete, he had soon
fashioned a pair of fish hooks. He held them
up for the twins to inspect.
'All very clever, skip,' said Marco. 'But we
don't have any fishing tackle.'
'That's where you're wrong,' said Beck,
untying the laces of his trainers.
But Christina wasn't listening. She was
jumping up and down, pointing at the
water in front of the raft. 'Look! Look! Over
there!'
Beck peered down into the depths. Dark
shapes were zigzagging at high speed around
the raft. Like fleeting shadows, they moved
so fast that they were gone as quickly as he
could focus on them. Christina let out a cry
of delight as one broke through the surface,
arching into the air ahead of them. It was
followed by another and then another, until
they were surrounded by leaping creatures
like acrobats at a circus.
'Dolphins,' laughed Marco as arcs of
water droplets from their smooth white
underbellies sparkled in the evening sun.
The twins had seen dolphins in
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