DEAD AND WOUNDED I5I 



we had to go back into the sea on the following day and the 

 salt water opened them up at once. On many occasions our 

 bodies were stinging all over where the sun crystallized the 

 salt into all the cracks. We were just able to endure it until 

 we went back under. 



Each of us had his own particular brand of sore. Gigi 

 suffered from tropical sores on the leg for more than a month 

 and had to go, with Silverio, to the hospital at Massawa. 

 Enza Bucher was bitten by a twenty-pound moray. She was 

 passing it into the boat when it slipped away from the hands 

 of Bruno who was hauling it in. After falling back into the 

 water it got its teeth into Enza's heel but did not hold on. 

 It tore her flesh about half an inch deep. She was immobilized 

 for days, but fortunately there was no poisoning. 



Cecco had his encounter with Pterois volitans plus plenty of 

 sores on his legs and one elbow. Raimondo Bucher had a 

 violent burn from a fire-coral {millepora) and a bite from a 

 puffer-fish which by a miracle did not take his finger-end 

 clean off. Finally, while I enjoyed the delights of my thousand 

 scratches, I was more fortunate than the others in not having 

 any real affliction, although I cursed that damned cefalone 

 and the gash imder my armpit (with salt inside) every night 

 when I went to bed, having to adopt the strangest postures 

 in search of comfort. 



Late each night, a picturesque scene was enacted at the 

 encampment of the four Robinson Crusoes. In a deep 

 religious silence, occasionally interrupted by an oath, all four 

 twisted and turned in inspection of bruises, tore off scabs, 

 pummelled the sides of wounds, burnt needles and scissors, 

 pins and pocket-knives in match flames and scoured out 

 scratches and holes with bandages dripping with iodine. 

 From time to time, one of them would call for help in 

 tackling a wound in an uncomfortable position. There was a 



