THE MANTA, THE GOOD DEVIL IIQ 



rippling Streak by the force of momentum. Gigi left the tiller, 

 came up to me and looked over the side, stupefied. The 

 streak opened out in front of the boat and joined again 

 behind it. Our faces were almost in the water as we tried 

 to account for the moving streak of blue. Then, at one stroke 

 and with a cry in unison, we realized what it was. Tens, 

 hundreds and perhaps thousands of 'cefaloni', those fish with 

 the clear fins, were swimming in long patrols against the 

 current, pressed one against the other. Not one of them 

 deviated from their three-dimensional route. Sliding swiftly 

 along at a hand's depth below the surface, they produced the 

 effect of a sea serpent. The scales of the fictitious monster 

 which glittered like metal in the sun were the shoulders and 

 heads of these great travelling fish. Our boat rocked in the 

 middle of this living river. Then they passed us, to the right 

 and left, making for the coast. But why ? What was happen- 

 ing? What were they doing in so many hundreds when up 

 till now we had seen them only in small groups of one or two ? 

 Gigi and I frantically prepared to go into the water with 

 our guns. Who was going to stay in the boat? We stared at 

 each other. Neither wanted to give in. Very well then . . . 

 heads or tails ? ... I won. Gigi helped me to put the fins on 

 and load the gun. At the same time he loaded me with advice 

 on strategy and tactics and worked out a complete plan of 

 campaign, all in a few seconds. He then sat silent and 

 dejected by the tiller. We were in about thirty-five feet of 

 water and I had already got my legs in. Sharks ? It did not 

 matter. Those cefaloni must be caught. I dropped into the 

 water and looked around. There was an unexpected silence. 

 I was in another world. Gigi did not exist any more, nor 

 the boat. The water seeped into my ears. Everything was 

 silent, blue, immobile, liquid. Below was the distant sandy 

 bottom. It was clear and touched with gold. But what about 



