142 DAHLAK 



'What's this story?' 



*When I went down the first time I followed the line with 

 my eyes and saw it disappear behind a great mass. In a hole 

 behind this, I thought, there's the grouper. But at that very 

 moment, I noticed on the right, on the other side of the rock, 

 this gawp, with his snout on the floor, watching me quite 

 still, and smoking. Yes — I tell you — he was smoking. 

 Regular puffs of blue smoke. ... It took me some time to 

 realize what was happening. This fool had the hook in his 

 mouth and while trying to get free had gone behind the rock. 

 Then he couldn't move any more and was spitting blood out 

 at every breath. I broke the rock where the line had got 

 stuck with the knife and the shark leapt out like a madman. 

 That's why I shouted to you to hurry up a;nd get it away from 

 under me. . . .' 



