284 I N A G U A 



At the same time there flashed mto memory the recollection 

 of the body of a ten-foot shark which I had once found on 

 a Florida beach with its stomach neatly bitten out in one piece 

 by some monstrous creature. I crouched close to the ground 

 and the beast curved up the last rise of the valley and swept 

 on parallel to the ridge. I was quite helpless, for before I could 

 use a knife the animal could have made mincemeat of my un- 

 protected body should it choose to attack. But the creature 

 glided on, paying me not the slightest attention. As it passed 

 within twenty feet I could see the whites of its eyes rolling 

 as it peered about. Once it swerved sHghtly in my direction 

 while I stared breathlessly. But it swerved back again and I 

 limply watched it pass. From its size and the deep pit at the 

 base of its tail I guessed it to be one of the Galeocerdo or 

 tiger sharks. 



The Inaguan had not lied, the creature was at least fifteen 

 feet long. Above it was softly mottled, beneath pearly white 

 with a suggestion of delicate pink. There was not a blemish 

 on it. Through the sleek back I could see the great muscles 

 rippling as they twisted the long caudal fin. Strangely, with 

 the exception of the snappers and the parrotfish, and a few 

 other forms of equal size, none of the other reef fish seemed 

 to be alarmed at its presence. They went on feeding as usual 

 and a pair of silly-looking trunk fish even swam under its belly 

 as it passed. Perhaps these last felt secure in their triangular 

 bodices of bony armor. The shark soon disappeared in the 

 distance. Later, from a number of dives in this same spot, I 

 discovered that this individual spent much of its time patrol- 

 ing back and forth along this section of reef. From the sur- 

 face through a water glass I saw it no less than a dozen times. 

 I waited cautiously, thinking it might reappear, saw the par- 

 rotfish and the tang resume their feeding, and then climbed 

 hand over hand up the line. 



