ALBACORA 181 



lengthy journey to make by boat. Lou and I left at the 

 same time for Miami where we were to be briefed by 

 Luis Rivas. 



Near the apartment we took in Miami Beach, the 

 chimes of a nearby church were playing Brahms' Lull- 

 aby on the day we arrived and again on the day we left. 

 From Miami we flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in a large 

 plane, and then on to Iquique in a small one. It was a 

 long time before any of us heard music by Brahms 

 again. 



The curious desolation of Iquique hit me hard the 

 day we landed. All around me lay its poverty, its tree- 

 less mountains and its dusty ground — lifeless save for 

 a few spare patches of coarse grass. But then I looked 

 into the harbor where the Explorer was anchored 

 safely, rocking in the gentle tide. There could have 

 been no more comforting sight. From my first day in 

 Iquique to my last, the Explorer was a symbol of all 

 that we had accomplished and all that we were yet to 

 accomplish. 



