Page 13 - Three Adventures

Voyage of the Pomeranian

repeated the sequence. And again. There could be no mistake: Tristan
was trying to communicate with me! Two taps at the base of my
fingers followed by one on the heel of my hand followed by one
more in the first location. And it was pointing at itself in tandem with
that activity. I reached for my slate and hastily scribbled,

A A B A = me, self, octopus, mantle, my name (other)?

Fortunately the slate and grease pencil were tied to my body. My
fingers were trembling and the slate slipped from my partially
immobilized left hand. I retrieved it and stared dumbfounded at what
I had written. Then I glanced around me, at the comings and goings
of the crew in their normal rounds. No one was paying me the
slightest attention. Then Tristan tapped another sequence on my
palm and again pointed at himself.

B A B B = also self (?), contradiction of first one?

I noted it and waited. Then he signaled the first pattern again but this
time ran one of his free arms up and down the side of my body. Did
he intend to include me in the cephalopoda? The moving arm came to
rest and nothing happened. Evidently it was my turn. I released the
writing implements and gingerly grasped the tip of the arm poised
above my left palm. The safest thing to do was repeat the message.

A A B A B A B B

The creature writhed for a moment and again tapped the first
sequence and gestured (for so it seemed) at me. I finally understood.
A A B A stood for a discrete entity; B A B B represented him, either
as a name or a generic species member. But what was I to reply? I
produced the first half again and waited, hoping that would indicate
my ignorance—or, at least, uncertainty. If an octopus can shrug
without shoulders it might have been doing so at that point, for
within a few seconds he had supplied me with an identity:

A A B A A A A B

Suddenly I was interrupted by a human voice. “Professor Clarish, are
you in trouble? Has that slimy beast got you trapped in there?” It was
Oleg Lamb, and I had no idea how long he had been standing at the
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