“We’re going,” said Tom, with such conviction that everyone moved to pick up the raft and started along the narrow strip of beach. He turned back to Sandeep. “Throw the other end of this rope to them. Don’t go in the water yourself. As soon as they’ve got the rope, you can help pull them over here. Then follow us. Once we get Nick, we’ll get to the bank and wait. If you haven’t followed us within an hour, we’ll come back, even if we have to walk. Got it?”

Sandeep nodded, looking afraid and uncertain, but equally afraid of disobeying instructions that had been issued with such determination, and he said only, “Nick’s gone.”

“No. He isn’t.”

And Tom didn’t wait for an answer but set off after the others. He didn’t know why it mattered so much, maybe because of that stupid promise he’d made, or maybe only because Nick had doubted him, but he wouldn’t accept that they’d lost him, not while there was any hope left at all.

CHAPTER 48

The others had already reached the small point by the time Tom caught up with them, and were carrying the raft over to the bank of the larger river. Nobody spoke, not now, and in silence they got the raft into the water and climbed aboard. Once again, George was the last on, pushing the raft from the shallows and jumping in at the same time.

The current immediately pulled them out into the river, but Alice and Kate started rowing, like competitors in a race for which there was no apparent finish line. The others scanned the expanse of water ahead of them, even though Tom knew most of them probably thought there was no chance of finding Nick now.

Maybe they were right, but Nick had still been conscious on the other side of the rapids—he’d waved, and if there was any chance of reaching him, they had to at least try. It didn’t matter who it was—he was hurt, and alone, and he needed their help.

After a minute or two, Barney pointed ahead and there was a moment of hope before they realized it wasn’t Nick. There was another moment then, of fear that it might be another caiman, before they got close enough to see it was part of a tree that had fallen and been swept downriver.

They rowed on. Kate began to tire and George took over, renewing his partnership with Alice, and between them they seemed to increase the raft’s speed. Tom would have offered to take Alice’s place, but she seemed in no danger of tiring, a determination that was visible from behind in the movement of her back, her shoulders, the way her arms dug the oar into the water.