Page 353 - The Tigris Expedition

From Asia to Africa; from Mcluhha to Punt
mechanism would immediately unlock and the long spine fold
back. This ingenious mechanism the fish could manipulate from the
inside. The trigger-fish mingled freely with the sharks, who would
hate to get one of them in its throat.
A few zebra-striped pilot-fish swam before the bow or beneath
us, but few as compared with those we had seen in the Pacific,
probably because we rarely brought on board the bigger sharks
they usually accompanied. One five-foot shark had six pilots
swimming in front of its nose, but once we pulled it up on deck we
saw to our surprise about twenty of them struggling around its tail
trying to come along with the master. Carlo left the dead shark
hanging with its tail in the water, and we were amazed to see two
pilot-fish remaining beside the tail-fin, performing the most beauti­
ful and remarkable dance. The two performers, ofcquai size but one
greenish-yellow with light brown stripes and the other light blue
with dark brown stripes, never stayed more than an inch apart, and
swam and swayed with identical rhythm as if one was the shadow I;
of the other.
It was something different, however, to be awakened by the
sound of someone blowing his nose so loudly that it aroused even
those of us able to sleep through the most exclusive snoring. Sitting
up to look at the water beside the open doorway, we then saw the
moon shine on something colossal, glistening like a polished shoe at
our side, but with a big panting blow-hole that left no doubt that we
had a living whale at our bedside. No matter how often we might
have seen whales in some Marineland, it is quite different to wake
up in intimate contact within the whale’s own free environment.
Unlike the police boats which ran into our door and shook the ship
and rigging, the whale with all its tremendous body-strength never
touched the reeds, never bumped into us even in the dark. Yet we
often had them rolling up suddenly at arms-length or swimming
right under our bundles from one side to the other. Most of the
visiting whales were porpoises, rolling up with rounded back and
dorsal fin, but many were much larger, with straighter backs.
By day, too, whales would venture up to examine us quickly,
while we would stand on deck and look straight down into their
blow-holes as half a dozen of these huge mammals slid beneath us.
We saw some of them blowing like marine fire-brigades, and
among those that leapt vertically from the water, body and tail, we
recognised the killer-whale with its beautiful black and white decor
and tall dorsal fin. We even saw killer-whales and porpoises chasing
together in an area glittering with small silvery fish, and among

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