Dolphin Island - Arthur C. Clarke [30]
"Exactly," said the Professor. "And the dolphins who make friends with bathers at seaside resorts are probably females who've lost their young. A human child may be a kind of substitute."
"Here comes our Dolphin-boy," said Dr. Keith, "looking very pleased with himself."
"Which is more than one can say for Mick. I'm afraid I've hurt his feelings. But Sputnik's definitely scared of him. I let him go swimming in the pool once, and even Susie wasn't happy. You can keep him busy, helping you with the movie camera."
A moment later the boys had caught up with the scientists, and Professor Kazan gave them his instructions. "I want complete silence when we're at the pool," he said. "Any talking may ruin the experiment. Dr. Keith and Mick will set up the camera on the east side, with the sun behind them. I'll go to the other side while you get into the water and swim to the middle. I expect Susie and Sputnik will follow you, but whatever happens, stay there until I wave you to go somewhere else. Understand?"
"Yes sir," answered Johnny, very proud of himself.
The Professor was carrying a stack of large, white cards, bearing the same words as the studs on the communicator.
"I'll hold up each of these in turn," he said. "When I do so, you press the right button—
and make sure it is the right button. If I hold up two cards at once, press the button for the top card first, then the button for the lower one immediately afterward. Is that clear?"
Johnny nodded.
"At the very end, I want to try something drastic. We'll give the DANGER! signal first, then the HELP! one a few seconds later. When you press that, I want you to splash around as if you're drowning, and sink slowly to the bottom. Now, repeat all that to me."
When Johnny had finished doing this, they had reached the wire-net fence around the pool, and all conversation ceased. But there was still plenty of noise, for Susie and Sputnik welcomed them with loud squeaks and splashings.
Professor Kazan gave Susie her usual titbit, but Sputnik kept his distance and refused to be tempted. Then Johnny slipped into the water and swam slowly to the center of the pool.
The two dolphins followed, keeping about twenty feet away. When Johnny looked back, with his head below the surface, he was able to appreciate for the first time the graceful way in which their rubbery bodies flexed up and down as their flukes propelled them through the water.
He floated in mid-pool, one eye on the Professor, the other on the dolphins, waiting for the cards to go up. The first was FRIEND.
There was no doubt that the dolphins heard that, for they became quite excited. Even to Johnny's ears, the buzzing of the communicator was clear enough, though he knew that he could hear only the low-frequency sounds that it was making, not the ultrasonic noise that conveyed most of the meaning to the dolphins.
FRIEND went up again, and again Johnny pressed the button. This time, to his delight, both dolphins started to move toward him. They swam to within only five feet and remained there, looking at him with their dark, intelligent eyes. He had the distinct impression that they had already guessed the purpose of this experiment, and were waiting for the next signal.
That was the word LEFT, which produced a wholly unexpected result. Susie immediately swung around to her left, Sputnik turned to his right, and Professor Kazan started calling himself "idiot" in each of the fourteen languages he spoke fluently. He had just realized that if you give an order, you should make sure that it has only one interpretation. Sputnik had assumed that Johnny meant his own left; the more self-centered Susie had assumed that he meant her left.
There was no ambiguity about the next order—DOWN. With a flurry of flukes, the dolphins dived to the bottom of the pool. They remained there patiently until Johnny gave the signal UP. He wondered how long they would have stayed there if he hadn't given it.
It was obvious that they were enjoying