120 DAHLAK 



the cefaloni? Where had they got to? Disappeared. Dis- 

 appeared ? Looking up I saw Gigi shouting and gesticulating. 

 *Yes! Over there! Move yourself!' Gigi almost stopped me 

 while he rowed there himself. I caught up with him, com- 

 plaining. I did not want to be left alone in the middle of 

 this sea. Protesting I reached out for the bows. 



*A manta!' Gigi yelled. 



'Where?' 



'It's too late. It was coming towards us; it did a turn and 

 now it's making for the island. Get aboard. Quick.' 



I climbed in unwillingly, grumbling 'To hell with the 

 manta' as I took off my mask and fins. Gigi was at the tiller 

 and turned a deaf ear to my complaints. Then he spied a 

 speck on the horizon, and, quicker than I can say, sprang up, 

 threw on fins, mask and gloves, loaded the gun and flung 

 himself into the water. At the same moment I saw the back 

 of the manta emerging like a hippopotamus ten yards from 

 the bows. The water was draining down its flanks. We were 

 still a good way off. Gigi went under and I prayed the gods 

 that everything would go well. Automatically I put my mask 

 and fins on and waited with bated breath . . . The manta, 

 majestic and solemn, tipped over to one side and slowly 

 raised all of its enormous black wing out of the water, flapped 

 it menacingly, rolled over like a plane and whirled down to 

 the bottom. Gigi reappeared for air shaking an angry fist 

 and got back on board. But now I had caught manta fever 

 too. I held on to the tiller, telling Gigi to stay in the bows 

 and keep his eyes skinned. . . . 



By 10.30 a.m. I had brought Gigi up to the manta three 

 times, and three times he had missed it, firing from the boat. 

 It was useless to try to catch it in the water. The manta 

 always managed to swerve in time. Now it had disappeared. 



At 10.40 the manta unexpectedly showed up and appeared 



