2l8 DAHLAK 



noticed it behind my back. We turned just in time to see it 

 float up and turn over backwards, a white belly against the 

 violet of the sea. It disappeared in the darkness with a slow, 

 solemn turn. This was the first time we had seen a manta 

 behaving like that. 



A hundred yards further on another manta crossed the 

 bows. It floated up in 'the same way from the bottom and 

 then, just below the surface, it turned over on its back and 

 disappeared noiselessly. Cecco looked at me. 



*What the devil are they doing?* 



*Let's go on,' I replied. 



I looked to the west. The sky was lined with long, thin 

 clouds and each one was ablaze with the light of the setting 

 sun. 



It was six o'clock and we were travelling very slowly with 

 the throttle almost closed. We were approaching the northern 

 point of the island although well offshore over a depth of 

 150 feet. Then two mantas appeared, one in front and one 

 behind us. They carried out the usual acrobatics. Then they 

 began erupting everywhere, mantas of six or seven hundred- 

 weight measuring twelve feet across. They opened out their 

 wings in an incomprehensible invocation and turned slowly 

 over, around the boat. To the west we saw with excitement 

 the centre of the great dance. The sea was in turmoil. 



*Go straight on,' Cecco said and I steered, hypnotized, to 

 the centre of the vortex. And while the sun slowly sank and 

 lit up the sea with a violent orange light, we reached the 

 centre. 



Forty and more mantas came up vertically from the depths 

 with their wings and their horns stretched, opened the sea 

 and twisted over backwards diving down again into the 

 depths. The dives of death went on without interruption, 

 white bellies against an orange sea, black spectres in the 



