CHAPTER 



12 



CHIRPING GIANTS 



EVERY day, every hour of our exploration in the Red Sea 

 brought us surprises, every one of which is worthy of 

 description. But as it is impossible to write about them all, 

 I will dip into my diary at random. 



Of Dur Gaam. Gigi, Tesfankièl and I stayed at Mersa 

 Nasi to work as usual in the channels while Cecco and 

 Priscilla joined our friends on the Formica. After a visit to 

 Massawa they returned to pick us up. On the way back they 

 stopped at the island of Dur Gaam to reconnoitre a possible 

 site for our new camp. The Formica was two hundred and 

 fifty yards from the shore on about 150 feet of water. Two 

 huge black humps appeared in the distance then two more 

 beside them and then another four, until there were eight in 

 all. The 'Formichieri' ran to the gunwales and scanned the 

 sea. The eight humps reappeared and the sound of a mourn- 

 ful lament was heard. There seemed to be suffering in the air. 

 Nobody knew what it was or where it came from. The eight 

 giants sank under the waves, then another eight came up 

 with a thump. These latter were roughly fifty yards behind 

 the first group. Meantime, Bruno, Cecco, Folco and Giorgio 

 had gone off, to reappear after three minutes with masks 

 and fins on and their underwater camera at the ready. 

 They flopped into the sea and Priscilla followed them. 



