Billy laughed.

"A regular little towhead, aren't you?"

"And this is Debbie." Sue curtsied, something that would have looked better done in a crinoline instead of a minimal bathing suit.

"How old are you, Sue?" asked Debbie.

"Eleven years, two months, three weeks and six days," said Sue promptly.

"You swim very well," said Debbie.

"I bet you swim better than I can."

Julie looked pleased Debbie had said exactly the right thing.

"Yes, she swims well. She came second in the Marathon in her class."

I said, "It's a two-mile course in the open sea."

Debbie was visibly startled and looked at my daughter with new respect.

"That's really something; I doubt if I can swim a quarter-mile."

"Oh, it's nothing," said Sue airily.

"All right, fish," I said.

"Back into your natural element." I turned to Julie.

"Where's Karen?"

"She's running a temperature. I put her to bed."

"Nothing serious?"

"Oh, no. " Julie looked at Debbie.

"She's been having school problems and might even be faking it Come and see her; it might buck her up."

The women went into the house, and I said to Billy, "I think drinks are indicated."

"Yeah, something long and cold."

"A rum punch, but easy on the rum." As I mixed the drinks I said, "Air-conditioning in hotels is important if we're to have a year-round season. We don't want the tourists frying even if it is good for the bar trade."

Billy took off his jacket and sat in a recliner.

"You forget I'm a Texan. Ever been in Houston during the summer? You know what Sherman said about Texas?" I shook my head.

"He said, " If I owned Hell and Texas, I'd rent out Texas and live in Hell. "

I laughed.

"Then you'll see the problems, although we're not as bad as Texas. There's always a sea breeze to cut the heat."

We chatted while Luke Bailey, my general factotum, laid the table for lunch. Presently the women came back and accepted cold drinks.

"You have two very nice girls," said Debbie.

"Julie must take the praise for that," I said.

"I get any of the blame that's going."

Talk became general over lunch and I was pleased to see that Julie and Debbie got on well together. If the womenfolk of business associates are bitchy it can upset things all round, and I have known several sweet deals fall down because of that.

At one point Julie said, "You know Mom and Pop are coming for Christmas."

"Yes." It was an arrangement that had been made earlier in the year "I thought I'd do my Christmas shopping in Miami and meet them there."

I said, "Why don't you give them a sea trip? Take Lucayan Girl and bring them back by way of Bimini I'm sure they'd enjoy it."

She said, "It's a good idea. Would you come?"

"Afraid not, I'll be too busy. But I'll have a word with Pete; he'll need an extra hand for that trip. "

"Still a good idea," said Julie meditatively.

"I think I'll take Sue – and Karen, if she's better."

"Take me where?" Sue had joined us draped in a towel. She helped herself to ice-cream.

"How would you like to go to Miami to meet Grandma and Grandpop? We'd be going in the Girl' Ice-cream went flying ai^^ squeal of delight was an adequate answer.

After lunch Julie took Sue ^ ^ ^ool ^ Tibbie went along because Julie said sheA^ ^ow her the International Bazaar where you can wal^^ pA^ ^ china in one stride When they had gone^n ^ ^^ big is your boat?

"

Tiny-two feet Come and iA at her. "

His eyebrows lifted.

"You^e her here^' " Sure. This way. " I led hi^^ ^ ^e house to the lagoon on the other side where f ^ ^ ^ored at the quay side Pete Albury was o, board and when he heard us talking he appeared on de^, Acme and meet Pete," I said. He s skipper, but sometime ^ ^inks he's the owner. "

Tom I heard that, callA y ^is face cracking into a seamed black grin.

But I'll ^ ^ board anyway. "

We went aboard.

"Pete. ^ ^ Billy Cunningham, an old tn end from the States.

Pete stuck out his hA. ^^ ^ ^now you, Mr. Gunningham.

I was watching Billy caref^ ^ Aid not know it, but this was a minor test; if he had h^ed, even fractionally, in spite of what he had said I would^ ^ been worried because no one who is a nigger-hater, ey^ ^ a minor way, can get along successfully in the Bahamas. ^ ^ Pete's hand firmly. Glad to know you, Mr… e – ' "Albury," said Pete.

"But \^' p, " I'm Billy. " w]u I said.

"Julie wants to go ^ ^iami next week to do the Christmas shopping and toer parents. She'll be _akmg Sue and maybe Ka^ Ad ^\ be touching in at Bimmi on the way home. Is ^^rything okay for that?"

Sure, said Pete. "Are you ^^^ Sorry. I can t make it.

"Then I'll need a han^ ^'1 worry; there's always youngsters around the mariA ^ ^ ^ ^ one who'll be glad of the ride for a few doA, r That's it, then," I said.

Billy was looking at the lagoon.

"This is artificial," he said abruptly.

"I hoped you'd notice." I pointed.

"The channel out to sea is there by the Lucayan Beachfr Hotel. That's where the BASRA Marathon begins."

"BASRA?" he said interrogatively.

"The Bahamas Air-Sea Rescue Association. The Marathon is run by and for BASRA to raise funds. It's a voluntary organization a good crowd. If you're coming in here it wouldn't do you any harm to donate a few dollars or offer facilities."

"Do you do that?"

"Yes. We have the company planes…" I broke off and laughed.

"Not big jets like yours, but we have four Piper Navajos seven-seaters we use to take tourists to the Out Islands, part of our tours division. And they're used on other company business, of course. But if a boat is lost and BASRA wants an air search the planes are available."

He nodded.

"Good public relations." He switched his attention back to the lagoon.

"So this has been dredged out?"

"That's it. This lagoon, and others like it, stretches for about three miles up the coast."

Billy looked at the lagoon and then back at the house.

"Not bad," he said, 'having a house with a water frontage. And it's protected, too; no big waves. "

"You've got it. Now I'll show you something weird. Let's take a drive." We said farewell to Pete, left the house, and I drove about four miles east into Lucaya.

"Notice anything?"

Billy looked around.

"Just trees -and the traffic is light."

That was an understatement; there was no traffic. I had not seen a car for the last two miles. But there were many trees. I pointed.

"That's a street. See the name plate? Now keep your eyes open."

I drove on and presently the trees thinned out and we came on to a plain dotted with mounds of limestone. I said, "We're coming to the Casuarina Bridge. It crosses the Great Lucayan Waterway."

"So we're going to cross it."

"I don't get it," said Billy.

I said, "We've been passing streets, all named and paved. Those poles carry power lines. Now, I don't know how it is in the States where any wide place in the road can call itself a city, but to me a road is something that goes from one place to another, but a street is a place, and it usually has houses on it."

Billy was momentarily startled.

"Houses!" he said blankly.

"No goddamn houses! Nary a one."

"That's it. But I've more to show you or, rather, not sh ow you. We'll get a better view from Dover Sound." I carried on driving, following the signposts to Dover Sound and Observation Hill. It is not really a hill just a manmade mound with the road leading up and a turning circle at the top I stopped the car and we got out.

"What do you think of that?"

Billy looked at the view with a lack of comprehension. I knew why because I had been baffled by the sight when first I saw it. There was land and there was water and it was not easy to see where one stopped and the other began. It was a maze of water channels. Billy shrugged helplessly.