The two crewmen of a motor
cruiser have come across a raft. On board a man has collapsed, and appears
dead. The men turn out to be gun-runners, although personally I’ve always been
rather sceptical of that. They take anything they can from the raft, I don’t
know why they bothered to do that, as there couldn’t have had anything of value
aboard. But apparently these two gun-runners enjoyed eating Number 6’s Village Food.
Cold tinned corned beef, baked beans, and tin of fruit, possibly apple or pear.
Then just as they cast off, Ernst
tips the body of the unconscious, possibly dead man from the raft into the
water. Why, when it would have been simpler to just leave the body on the raft!
However the act of dumping the body in the water did have the effect of separating
it from the raft, and the cold water would have brought Number 6 to his senses,
had he not already come round. If he been left aboard the raft, Number 6
couldn’t have got aboard the vessel unseen!
So there he is floating in the water, playing dead it would seem. Then the crewman casts off, leaving the raft adrift. The pair of diesel engines are revved, which makes Number 6 swim towards the stern of the vessel. The engines are left to idle, as Gunter doesn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to get the motor cruiser underway, to apparently give Number 6 time to scramble aboard the vessel, just before it gets underway.
So there he is floating in the water, playing dead it would seem. Then the crewman casts off, leaving the raft adrift. The pair of diesel engines are revved, which makes Number 6 swim towards the stern of the vessel. The engines are left to idle, as Gunter doesn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to get the motor cruiser underway, to apparently give Number 6 time to scramble aboard the vessel, just before it gets underway.
If by any chance the cold water hadn’t brought Number 6
round, or if he was dead, one of the “gun runners” could easily have brought
the body aboard, as they would have needed the body as evidence. Either way they
wouldn’t have gone off without him. Because I think they were more than what
they appeared to be. Not gun-runners, but the crew of M.S. Polotska, belonging
to The Village, who had been shadowing Number 6 aboard his raft. After all they
had turned up at a most propitious time, soon after Number 6 had collapsed in
fact. How did the two crewmen know that he had? And how did they know Number 6
had been able to board their vessel, they didn’t check that either. They could
have sailed off leaving Number 6 floating in the water! Perhaps they were sure
of the man’s ability, if he was still alive. And Ernst didn’t even check to see
if Number 6 was alive or not before he dumped him in the water. But if he
hadn’t done that, and had left the body aboard the raft, Number 6 wouldn’t have
been able to get abroad the motor cruiser without being seen, and then he would have died in an accident at sea.
After all they had taken all of his provisions!
Be seeing you
Hello David,
ReplyDeleteI tended to think that the Gunrunners were rather a Deus Ex Machina than henchmen of the Village, because they never cared if Number Six would make it aboard, and even seemed surprised when he did it. But you found some good arguments! That they had to dump Number Six into the water to make sure he would be able to climb aboard and that they waited some time until they started the motor. I've just noticed that there is another point: If the Gunrunners didn't belong to the Village it would seem that the Village never stepped in, although they must have noticed that their man was in trouble!
Best wishes
Jana
BCNU
Hello Jana,
DeleteIts difficult to tell what the two crewmen of that motor cruiser are. They might well be gun runners, but for me they turn up at the most protitious moment, soon after Number 6 has collapsed. And I cannot think that The Village administration would allow Number 6 to put to sea on an open raft in such dangerous waters as the Atlantic ocean. Not without a support boat standing just off station in case anything happened to Number 6, otherwise he may well have died in an accident at sea. If for example Number 6 had been left to lie there unconscious, his body might have been washed overboard by a wave. Or simply having died from exposure!
But then if the two men were simply gun runners, Number 6 was very lucky that they turned up when they did!
That's a good point you made, that if the gun runners were who they appear to be, then it would seem that The Village never stepped in to save Number 6, from the possibly dying at sea, or from the gun runners. But simply left him to his own devices!
Very best wishes
David
BCNU