NIGHT BENEATH THE SEA 



371 



slowly moved its great hulk back into the shadows. When it was 

 gone, I made my way over to a large mound of brain coral 

 where I had frequently sat during the day and wedged myself 

 against its roundness. Here at least nothing could approach 

 me from the rear. Feeling a little safer, though with nerves still 

 on edge, I settled down to watch. 



It was fitting and wholly like the happenings in this dark 

 world of underwater that the next event should be one of 

 delicate splendor. In fact it was so in contrast to the ugliness 

 and fright of the jewfish adventure, that I caught my breath 

 and held it in wonder. While I was sitting trying to distinguish 

 the characteristics of the shadowy forms darting over the bot- 

 tom, the light suddenly faded away. Thinking a cloud had 

 passed over the moon, I arched my back and glanced up. Then 

 I saw that the surface was obscured by a vast school of fish. 

 They were moving parallel to the reef. The school must have 

 numbered several hundred thousand individuals for I could not 

 see its outer edges. The lines of alternate black and silver that 

 they formed as they swam past row on row, produced a glow- 

 ing tapestry effect, a skein of living motes. The school slowly 

 split, riven by a great band of burnished light, turned and 

 reversed its direction. As it wheeled each of the thousands of 

 bodies caught the rays of the moon and focused them down- 

 wards in a broad sheet of glowing light. This briefly lit the 

 bottom and then died as rapidly as it was formed. 



There was a second flare as the school, alarmed by some- 

 thing in the far distance, wheeled again and went into a brief 

 frenzy of fright. After it had dashed about fifteen or twenty 

 feet it slowed up and once more resumed its flowing march up 

 the coral wall. Down on the sand the record of its passing was 

 exhibited as a host of reflections glided over the ocean floor 

 like miniature ghosts. These danced and swirled as the waves 

 above changed the focus; the entire undersea appeared splat- 



