Dolphin Island

The little dolphin reared out of the water and regarded him doubtfully. It looked at its mother, it looked at Professor Kazan and then again at Johnny. Though it appeared tempted, it would not approach him; instead, it gave a snort and promptly submerged, after which it started tearing around in the depths of the pool. It did not seem to be going anywhere in particular; like some human beings who cannot make up their minds, it was simply galloping off in all directions.

I think it’s afraid of the Professor, Johnny decided. He walked along the edge of the pool until he had put fifty feet between himself and the scientist, then called to Sputnik again.

His theory worked. The dolphin surveyed the new situation, approved of it, and swam slowly toward Johnny. It still looked a little suspicious as it raised its snout and opened its mouth, displaying an alarming number of small but needle-sharp teeth. Johnny felt distinctly relieved when it took the reward without nipping his fingers. After all, Sputnik was a carnivore, and Johnny would not care to feed a half-grown lion cub with his bare hands.

The young dolphin hovered at the edge of the pool, obviously waning for more. “No, Sputnik,” said Johnny, remembering the Professor’s words to Susie. “No, Sputnik—food-time soon.”

The dolphin remained only inches away, so Johnny reached out to stroke it. Though it shied a little, it did not withdraw, but permitted him to run his hand along its back. He was surprised to find that the animal’s skin was soft and flexible, like rubber; nothing could have been more unlike the scaly body of a fish; and no one who stroked a dplphin could ever again forget that it was a warm-blooded mammal.

Johnny would have liked to remain playing with Sputnik, but the Professor was signaling to him. As they walked away from the pool, the scientist remarked jokingly: “My feelings are quite hurt. I’ve never been able to get near Sputnik—and you did it the first time. You seem to have a way with dolphins; have you ever kept any pets before?”

“No, sir,” said Johnny. “Except polywogs, and that was a long time ago.”

“Well,” the Professor chuckled, “I don’t think we can count them.”

They had walked on for a few more yards, when Professor Kazan started speaking in a completely different tone of voice, addressing Johnny very seriously as an equal, not as a boy forty years younger.

“I’m a scientist,” he said, “but I’m also a superstitious Russian peasant. Though logic tells me it’s nonsense, I’m beginning to think that Fate sent you here. First, there was the way you arrived, like something out of a Greek myth. And now Sputnik feeds out of your hands. Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”

What on earth is he driving at? wondered Johnny. But the Professor said no more until they were about to re-enter the Tech Block. Then he suddenly remarked, with a slight chuckle, “I understand that you’re in no great hurry to get home.”

Johnny’s heart skipped a beat.

“That’s right, sir,” he said eagerly. “I want to stay here as long as I can. I’d like to learn more about your dolphins.”

“Not mine,” corrected the Professor firmly. “Every dolphin is a person in his own right, an individual with more freedom than we can ever know on land. They don’t belong to anyone, and I hope they never will. I want to help them, not only for science, but because it’s a privilege to do so. Never think of them as animals; in their language they call themselves the People of the Sea, and that’s the best name for them.”

It was the first time that Johnny had seen the Professor so animated, but he could understand his feelings. For he owed his life to the People of the Sea, and it was a debt he hoped he could repay.

Chapter 8

Around Dolphin Island lay a magic kingdom, the reef. In a lifetime, one could not exhaust its marvels. Johnny had never dreamed that such places existed, crammed with weird and beautiful creatures in such multitudes that the fields and forests of the land seemed dead by comparison.

At high tide, the reef was completely covered by the sea, and only the narrow belt of white sand surrounding the island was left exposed. But a few hours later, the transformation was incredible. Though the range between high and low tide was only three feet, the reef was so flat that the water withdrew for miles. Indeed, in some directions the tide retreated so far that the sea disappeared from sight, and the coral plateau was uncovered all the way to the horizon.

This was the time to explore the reef; all the equipment needed was a stout pair of shoes, a broad-rimmed hat to give protection from the sun, and a face mask. The shoes were far and away the most important item, for the sharp, brittle coral could inflict scars that easily became infected, and then took weeks to heal.