Chapter One 

 THE STAGE IS SET 



THESE are wonderful times, and it is thrilling to be living now, 

 though it would thrill me even more to know that I could still 

 be here a hundred or a thousand years hence, for this immediate 

 future promises to be of intense interest, even excitement, cer- 

 tainly to the scientist. 



With a mind constantly reaching towards the potential marvels 

 of the future, it has been my quite fantastic privilege to reveal to 

 the world a living part of the utterly remote past, covering a span 

 of time so great as to be almost beyond the grasp of the ordinary 

 mind. In this process an obscure scientific name, Coelacanth 

 (pronounced 'seelakanth'), jumped into prominence and into a 

 permanent place in the common speech of mankind. 



Such things do not happen easily. The appearance of the 

 Coelacanth was like a gigantic tidal wave which washed me 

 violently from my path, held me in its grip, carried me along, and 

 set my feet on a quest that dominated some of the best years of 

 my life. It caused me to lead an unusual life, of which many people 

 came to acquire an attractive but distorted picture, seeing in me a 

 scientist who dashed off on eventful expeditions to romantic 

 tropical islands where wonderful fishes new to science were just 

 waiting to jump into my net. They read of me as having almost 

 casually telephoned a Prime Minister to ask for an aeroplane in 

 which to make a sensational flight to fetch an incredible fish that 

 attracted world-wide attention. 



Whenever I return to civilisation, people want to know some- 

 thing about this apparently fascinating life, so I have been virtually 

 compelled to give many lectures, over the radio and in person. 

 I do not conceal the discomfort, hardship, danger, and unending 

 hard labour that our work involves, but these do not obscure the 

 glamour, and a constant stream of eager young folk, men and 

 women, come to me with the same query. *My present work is 



