Mike Dixon

Tim interrupted his thoughts.
„There‟s that big bombie over there, Davo.‟
David guessed Tim was talking about a bombora. It was
an Aboriginal term and referred to a reef that was too deep
to be exposed but sufficiently close to the surface to make
its presence known by the disturbance it created.
„Tong Yee spoke about it in the journal,‟ Tim said.
David felt the change as the inflatable crossed the
bombie and felt it again when they emerged on the other
side. Tim cut the motor and let the boat drift.
„Okay. We‟ve arrived.‟
He turned on the GPS and David lent forward in amazement.
„Good on yer, Timmo! You‟ve got us to the exact spot
Charlie marked on the charts. I don‟t know how you did it
but you did. You got us here … you‟re the greatest!‟
„No, mate.‟ Tim checked their position on the screen.
„Tong Yee is the greatest. He wrote down those instructions
over 100 years ago and they‟re still good today. I followed
them and they checked out. They brought us to the main
channel. It‟s the one that leads through to the lagoon
where the Chinese anchored when they didn‟t want to go
into Cooktown. Humph reckons Tong Yee acted as liaison
between them and the authorities. He spoke English and
knew how to get on with people and things like that …‟
David wasn‟t listening. Tim watched him put on his face-
mask and lean over the side. He figured the kid wouldn‟t
have any trouble seeing the coral now. Even with his bad
eyesight he could hardly miss it. Once David got his head
in the water there would be no more troublesome reflec-
tions. He should see down to sixty or more feet.
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