ALBACORA 53 



that the expedition was going to continue searching the 

 Humboldt for huge albacora without me. 



"If you can move your leg around, then nothing's 

 broken," Uncle Lou was saying, long after Dr. Sirvasi 

 had left. "Don't worry about it. It'll come along." 



"What about tomorrow?" I asked. 



"We're getting one of the chambermaids to come in 

 and take care of you," Lou said. "Then this Dr. Lom- 

 bardy will be around. The rest of us will be leaving at 

 four A.M., same as we did today." 



"You'll have to get someone else to cook steaks for 

 you," I said, a little desperately. 



"We'll manage," Lou said. 



"I know," I said. "That's what I'm afraid of." 



Jo Manning came in then, looking at me sadly and 

 holding a small package in her hands. "A trophy for 

 you. Genie," she announced. "A prize for catching the 



marlin. 



99 



I opened the package quickly. Inside was a bar of 

 facial soap — a rare commodity in Iquique. I looked up 

 in surprise. Jo was laughing and I started laughing, too. 

 Silver cups are unavailable in Iquique. "That's the best 

 soap," Jo said, "that Elizabeth Arden makes." 



Jo is tall and dark and slender. I'm short, light-haired 

 and compact. "Together," Lou had told us once, "you 

 look like the long and the short of it." Jo has a way of 

 making happy-talk, and within minutes she was able to 

 get my mind off the pain in my hip, the pickle-green 



