CHAPTER 



16 



NOT ALL EXPERIENCES 

 ARE USEFUL 



I HAVE chosen the following episodes as the most interest- 

 ing that occurred at Dur Ghella. Some are concerned with 

 underwater activities and some with politics. The final one 

 is in a class of its own. 



The characters of the first episode are three : a black-fin, 

 a remora and me. The remora was adhering with its sucker 

 to the belly of the shark which was slowly approaching the 

 reef. The shark measured about five feet. I was watching not 

 far off on the reef, although paying little attention to the 

 remora because these parasites are quite commonly attached 

 to sharks (I would say to one in five). The black-fin saw me, 

 stopped and avoided me, passing slowly in front, almost 

 touching the reef. The remora suddenly detached itself 

 from the black-fin and dropped to half-depth to eat some- 

 thing which I was unable to identify before it was swallowed. 

 I had hardly had time to absorb this display of the remora's 

 parasitic and predatory habits than I began wondering what 

 it would do now that it was aground. The malignant animal 

 — not more than eighteen inches long — could barely have 

 had time to guzzle its snack when it rushed back to its laid-on 

 transport. Like a fool, the shark realized too late that it was 

 relieved of its passenger and shot ahead in an efifort to get 



