138 DAHLAK i 



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sand. My friends arrived on the scene and we conferred. | 



Cecco and Priscilla were in the water in a twinkling and Gigi j 



took the oars. I showed Cecco the hole and set out with one \ 



of the most powerful spring guns in the world in my hand. 

 As I was going down, the advice of Cecco and Gigi went ] 



round and round in my mind: 'Don't shoot it in the head. ] 



The harpoon will bounce off. Fire at the body, or the tail — j 



wherever you like — but not at the head.' i 



A vertical journey, down, down to the sand at forty feet. 

 I had dropped far off from the hole so as to be able to study ■ 



the internal situation of the beast as I approached. I advanced 

 flat on the ground, holding up my gun, my stomach lightly 

 scraping the cold sand. Cecco watched me from above and ! 



Gigi, from the boat, watched him. At four yards range I got i 



a view inside. The gloomy cavern was filled with the mon- 

 strous head of the grouper. Its projecting bovine eyes stared 

 at me questioningly, wickedly — or was it only gormlessly? j 



I moved nearer an inch at a time, thinking frantically: Tf 

 it only shows its head, how can I avoid shooting it there ? Its i 



head fills the space completely. How can I hit it broadside 

 on? On the other hand, it might turn, and expose its gills j 



and the lateral nerve centre. Then I could get it cleanly . . .' ; 



I closed in inch by inch. A minute had probably passed since 

 I had last taken breath, but I did not notice it. I continued 

 to think frantically : 'This grouper cannot withdraw its head, 

 as ours do back home, because there is no space behind, at • 



least I don't think there is. I wonder if there are any sharks 

 splashing above? Cecco would shout and warn me. Yet I 1 



might not hear him. Think about the grouper, idiot. But why \ 



doesn't it turn? Quiet, it's moving its fins. . . .' I remained i 



immobile in front of it at a range of four feet, a perfect, an i 



ideal range . . . the beast should turn in a minute . . . perhaps i 



I'll get it clean . . . don't shoot at the skull . . .but shoot right \ 



