DUR GHELLA AND ITS INHABITANTS I93 



should pass me now, lower down at a distance of three 

 yards. In fact three yards lower down a drunken diagram 

 was coming out of a hole. It shook and waggled at the waist 

 at half-depth. The shark would doubtless come and gobble 

 it up, I thought, so I decided to wait there to nip it in the 

 neck. Stock still, waiting, with the gun aimed at the diagram, 

 I watched the approaching shark out of the corner of my eye. 

 I could see it clearly. It was coming straight and fast. I 

 would give it another three seconds. . . . When I think back 

 at what happened a shiver goes down my spine. The shark, 

 not born yesterday, instead of passing in front and below me 

 passed exactly a yard above me and then made off. 



Second episode. We had thrown a new bomb right on the 

 edge of the reef In the fissures of the barrier wall we had 

 noticed numerous minute fish that could not possibly be 

 taken in any other way. The gelatine charge was quite small 

 and operated over a range of four to five yards. But at the 

 very moment of the explosion a squadron of small scombrids 

 passed through the danger zone and many of them stayed 

 behind. Twenty lay on the slopes of the madrepore. The 

 bigger mackerel pounced on them like silver darts. Cecco 

 snarled and charged in revenge. But in his fury he missed 

 every time. The mackerel in any case slipped through in 

 zigzags, either to reach the prey first or because they were 

 afraid of us. Luck alone allowed me to stab one full on. It 

 retired and twisted itself with spectacular energy but finally 

 the match was mine. It weighed a little more than sixteen 

 pounds. 



I was never attacked by a shark, a manta, a barracuda or 

 a moray — at least seriously. But a mackerel did attack me. 



I hit it in the flank almost at the bottom of the barrier 

 forty feet down, and although not a vital point it made no 

 reaction. I did not trouble to catch hold of it, and went back 



