Dolphin Island by Arthur C. Clarke Read Free Book Online Page A

exaggerated clarity. “Hello, Sputnik.”
     Then he pursed his lips and let fly with that complicated whistle. Something went
     wrong halfway through, and he swore softly under his breath before going back to start
     afresh.
    Susie thought this was very funny. She gave several yelps of dolphin laughter, then
     squirted a jet of water at her visitors, though she was polite enough to miss them.
     Then she swam up to the Professor, who reached into his pocket and produced a plastic
     bag full of titbits.
    He held one piece high in the air, whereupon Susie backed away a few yards, came shooting
     out of the water like a rocket, took the food neatly from the Professor’s fingers,
     and dived back into the pool with scarcely a splash. Then she emerged again and said
     distinctly, “Thank you, ’fessor.”
    She was obviously waiting for more, but Professor Kazan shook his head.
    “No, Susie,” he said, patting her on the back. “No more; food-time soon.”
    She gave a snort that seemed to express disgust, then went racing around the pool
     like a motor boat, clearly showing off.
    As Sputnik followed her, the Professor said to Johnny:
    “See if you can feed him—I’m afraid he doesn’t trust me.”
    Johnny took the titbit, which smelled to high heaven of fish, oil, and chemicals.
     It was, he found later, the dolphin equivalent of tobacco or candy. The Professor
     had concocted it only after years of research; the animals loved the stuff so much
     that they would do almost anything to earn some.
    Johnny knelt at the edge of the pool and waved the bait.
    “Sputnik!” he called. “Here, Sputnik!”
    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 waiting 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 dolphin 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