Chapter 3

“I had the perfect ulu in my hand!” she cried, “I was just about to pay for it before you dragged me out! How couldyou!” She was breathless with the excitement of her almost-purchase.

“Grandmum, I’m sorry, but if we don’t catch this tender we’ll be stuck here. All our stuff’s on board that ship,” I added.

“If we don’t catch what tender?” Grandmum replied, pointing.

By now we’d progressed from the concrete upper dock, which was level with the town (and the stores), onto a steep wooden ramp which led down to the sea. There were perhaps twenty passengers ahead of us and, a few moments earlier, there had also been an orange boat bobbing up and down on the water, waiting. It was now heading toward the Taku Wind.