Back in class again, after more than a week off – and indeed, a dozen of us are still out of action. Our cooks and cleaners are back at work, so we are no longer having hotel-scale housekeeping chores taking up most of our time – Maria claims she would rather have the flu than have to do laundry, something she has a violent aversion to. About the only thing she will clean happily is her boots: they are exceedingly large, black and glossy, and she throws a temper fit if engine oil or axle grease ever get on them. (About five times a day, when we are in workshop and flying lessons.)

            At last, we can start looking forwards to the holidays, now some two weeks away. Maria is going home, she claims she has to show her face to remind her Family to keep paying her fees. Molly is staying this time, and we have put our names down to stay at the Spontari Guest House again for the month. It should be quite jolly, showing Molly around some of the sights! Not ALL of the sights indeed – Helen and I decided that some of the Native constructions like the “Waterworks Project” we will plead ignorance about if she stumbles across anything incriminating.

            Helen is looking a little more relaxed, since I told her of my interview with old Mr. Hoele’toemi. She cautions that we might not be out of the woods yet: from the Spontoonie point of view I could still be a skilled Agent, who happened to use her talents to foil a quite unrelated crime. I pointed out that an Agent would hardly attract attention that way – to which Helen replies that we are both under scrutiny still, so that would hardly make any difference.  At least, I seem to have emerged with a good character reference and a rather handy big-game rifle, which I have promised Molly she can borrow on Sundays.

            Still, it is a little odd – that the one policeman on Eastern Island waited till I had finished my business with the yacht before collaring me. On balance, I am still inclined to think it was one of those coincidences one reads about.

            Helen agrees – except that she adds emphasis, as in “One of THOSE coincidences.” 

April 2nd, 1935

At last, all of us are on our feet again. To make up lost time, our tutors hustled us down to the docks, where we spent a whole day getting underfoot and pestering Shawnee Pacific airlines. Quite an operation, and run off its feet right now with a huge backlog of orders following the flu: all the hotels are finalising their preparations and realising they urgently need paint, decorations and supplies that will not wait for the cargo steamers to carry them.

            We crowded into the air traffic control tower – just one dorm at a time, under strict orders to keep quiet and not touch anything. Molly was back in her usual high spirits, and was rather put out that she was not allowed to take turns as an air traffic controller.  One quite applauds the official controller’s common sense.

            It appears that the third-years at Songmark are quite busy, in addition to their own classes they are expected to make contacts for the rest of us to use. At least, we met our pal Noota, who mentioned she had been trying for ages to get her friend who works here to let us look around for a day. Still – it was hardly a free ride, as we discovered we had been “volunteered” for three hours after lunch to work in the baggage sorting room!  Quite a fascinating time, actually – Spontoon being the main traffic hub and distribution centre for most of the Nimitz Sea, we got to see the wheels of local trade in motion. There were crates of the usual domestic supplies heading in all direction, large consignments of “Guaranteed native effect artefacts” from the manufactories of Birmingham and the Ruhr to sell in Spontoonie gift shops, and almost everything one could imagine, to look at the shipping manifests! All the urgently needed goods arrive by seaplane these days, right down to the latest records destined for Radio LONO – and indeed some classical ones, which were duly marked “Handel, with care.”

            Molly claimed that some heavy crates labelled “tractor spares” and destined for Vostok positively reek of gun oil – possibly it is cheaper than regular machine oil. It is odd, certainly, in that from all accounts Vostok is mostly mountains and forests, with very little farmland that would need tractors.

            Maria is also back in her usual spirits, and suggested doing some creative re-routing – there was a consignment for the Soviet Embassy here that she suggested would be better delivered to the base of NeuSchwannland in German Antarctica (the furthest delivery address on the lists.) But I had to put my foot down firmly, pointing out that we are here as guests, and owe it to our hosts to do a good job.

            It was fascinating enough as it was, handling mining machinery for Orpington Island and the smaller islands around. I recall last holiday, our hosts at the Spontari Guest House being in the prospecting trade and having worked over there.  It is a shame that the looked-for Radium happened to be only Uranium, but one must keep on trying.

            Just before we were due to finish, we heard the control tower talking down a new arrival – and it turned out to be the very recognisable Lockheed Lamprey, part-owned by Miss Wildford’s friend. Certainly, a flying boat of that size can carry more than any dozen of the little floatplanes that make daily island deliveries, though it will of course take a long time to unload. I commented that Miss Wildford might indeed be glad to see him, having only got out of bed two days ago – at which Helen suggested she might be returning there. One hopes our dear tutor will not have a relapse!

April 4th, 1935

Some dispiriting news – we hear from our tutors that the Spontari Guest house where we planned to spend the Easter holidays, will not be open till May this year. It seems that Mr. and Mrs. Tanoaho who run it, had an exciting “find” on Cranium Island, and are putting together a prospecting expedition. They have asked our tutors if any of us would like to accompany them – to which Miss Devinski has agreed. Alas, this only applies to second and third-year students, so it looks as if our pals Noota, Erica and Conchita will get the chance of a free working holiday.

            Exactly where we will be spending the holidays, is something we are looking forward to discovering. I suggested the Marylebone Hotel, which I could easily afford at its current off-season rates – but no doubt the deciding factor will involve finding someone to keep an eye on us. As if we needed it!

April 6th, 1935

Back again to Casino Island for the dance classes, the first since the flu. I must say, it made a nice change wandering around freely rather than being escorted by a Constable as on my last trip here – a sentiment Molly heartily agrees with.

            Molly seems to have suffered no ill effects, although Helen keeps trying to impress on her the narrowness of her escape. The only lasting effect is obvious in the showers – our Matron says the fur will grow back there in a month or so, and somewhat restore her modesty. Molly, on the other hand, seems to quite like her new look, pointing out that anyone who she decides to show it to, she has no intention of being modest with.

            Still – we had an excellent dance lesson,  learning the “Banoba Whirlpool” move that the S.I.T.H.S. used against us in the contest. A decidedly strenuous manoeuvre, and one requiring split-second timing; no wonder our opponents could not quite carry it off at the end of our rather gruelling dance challenge. This time, we will be able to make use of it ourselves, and indeed we hope to get plenty of time to practice in the holidays. Of course, there are a dozen or more other dance teams that use the school on Saturdays – and our wins against the S.I.T.H.S. has brought us a measure of fame, and offers to compete with rather more senior leagues.

            The dance school being scarcely a hundred yards from the beach, some of the braver souls have been finishing off their lessons with a dash down to swim, and to cool off. Although most days one would cool off rather faster than desired, I decided to join the crowd and risk it. After all, it is at least rather warmer than my previous swim in these waters at three in the morning, not to mention having far pleasanter company.

            A splendid day, with streaming sunshine to dry one’s fur afterwards – alas, we still had to shower afterwards to remove the salt from our fur. That appears to be one of the other advantages of oiled fur, making one quite impervious to salt matting. Moeli looks to have hers at least lightly oiled the whole time, as if she spends most of her leisure time in the water.

            Just one more week to go – next weekend we will be on holiday! Exactly where we will be, is still a burning issue. One suspects that our Tutors are finding it difficult to find somewhere willing to take us on – despite only four of us needing accommodation, as all the senior years have opted to follow the Tanoahos to Cranium Island. Ethyl and Methyl agree with each other (a rare event) that it should be a fine adventure.

            Molly is trying to be helpful, pointing out to Miss Blande that we should be in no danger of kidnapping, having already had it once (at least, that works for measles.) She promises to carry arms at all times, and to use them at the slightest hint of danger.

            Miss Blande looked somewhat sour at this notion, and opined that we were really not helping matters. She mentioned a research project in the Daily ‘Elele, of setting a party of volunteers out on Metzger’s Pyramid (the very sheer and isolated rock just on the edge of the charts) to count seabirds, but doubts that even there we could stay out of mischief.

April 8th, 1935

Hurrah! Old Mr. Hoele’toemi wrote to our tutors and offered us accommodation on the islands. I had radioed Jirry last week that we were in need of a place that could put up with having Soppy Forsythe for a month. Not the company I might have wished to stand in for Maria, but one must bear one’s crosses bravely.

            Miss Blande seemed rather more cheerful, and called me in to ask if we would mind a little hard work for a change. Of course, I volunteered us – and discovered that the offer was for us to join the fishing fleet, mostly in local waters for the month. She added that keeping us away from the dangers of Casino Island would be a distinct advantage – it seems she feels Molly has far less potential for harm on a small boat surrounded by sharks, than being let off the leash outside the Coconut Shell.

            One great advantage – we should make great strides in learning the local language, being surrounded by native-speakers all day, with hardly a newspaper or gramophone to remind us of home. I ran down to tell my dorm the happy news – to have Helen flatten me with a bolster.

            As she pointed out gently while sitting on me and demonstrating the rather effective double hammerlock we have learned from the Fairburn-Sykes – she gets seasick on anything more than the water taxi to Moon Island. Learning that I had volunteered us for a month on the rolling wave, came as something of a shock to the poor girl.

            At least, as I explained after breaking out with a fore-flip and pinning her in turn – she should have plenty of time to get used to it. After all – one cannot surely be seasick non-stop for a month ? 

April 9th, 1935

At last, the end of term is here ! Maria is packing her bags, ready to depart on the China Clipper calling at Hawaii, from which she travels in a Caproni Ca 60 across Alaska, over the Pole and back to Europe via Greenland and Iceland. This time of year it should be a fine sight, better than her last trip at New Year (a thirty-hour crossing in darkness, lit only by the Northern Lights, with two refuelling stops on the ice cap.)

            This morning we had one final flight together, with Miss Pelton leading us over Main Island at about two thousand feet. I doubt we shall be seeing many aircraft this holiday, as our travelling will be strictly at sea level.

            We have always observed the various fishing boats on our flights, of course, but thought little of them as we zoomed overhead.  By the start of next term, we should know quite a bit more about them. Molly is looking a little crestfallen, until Helen pointed out that a life of hard exercise and plenty of fish in the diet is said to be excellent for building up a healthy physique, in various ways. Certainly, I expect we shall return to Songmark in fine training, what with swimming and net-hauling and whatever else we find to do.

            One final toast tonight with a smuggled-in bottle of Nootnops Blue, and that will be the end of an eventful term. Hurrah for the Hols!

next in "Easter Honeys"