"Oo-ee know," Inka said.
"Flip me," another dolphin said, raising itself well above the water to reach an eyelevel that startled the Fish Master.
Hipme?" Curran asked.
"Flip! Flip! "On-ra-bul naym.
"On-ra-bul?" Curran repeated amazed.
"Maybe he means honorable?" Sebell suggested and held out a hand, hoping to entice a dolphin to him. One immediately raised up and offered fins in his direction. "Your name?" he asked.
"Ajay, Ajay. Mans name?" The interrogatory lift to the word was unmistakable.
"Sebell. Sebell, Ajay!"
"Sebell." "Sebell, Nolly, Cur-ran,- chorused dolphins in their high funny voices.
"Oldive," Menolly said, putting her arms about the Master Healer. She had long since ignored the hump on the man"s back and her arm curved over it as she made the introduction.
"Healer. Medic," she added.
"Me-d.i.c.k! Medd.i.c.k!" Dolphins pa.s.sed this information back and forth among those that now thronged the waters about the boat and great pier bollards that rose above the surface and supported the T-shaped facility. "Oll-deeve, med.i.c.k!" Excited squees and clicks followed this introduction and the immediate waters seethed with dolphins changing position and many attempting to inspect the Healer simultaneously. "Ooooo heal?
Ooooo skraabbb blufisss?"
"How remarkable!" Oldive said, surprised to be the focus of such attention from so many cheerful faces. "Oooo heal?" he asked, turning to Menolly for a translation. "Skraaabbb blufiss?"
"Bloodfish. It"s a parasite and has to be cut off," Menolly said.
"Alemi did it for his pod. Something they are unable to do for themselves."
"I shouldn"t wonder with just flippers and no fingers. How would I "Who has blufiss?" Menolly asked and four dolphins squeed and pushed in toward her. She had had a chance to study Aivas" tapes on the dolphins and now gave the signal for them to lay on their sides.
"Oh I say," Oldive remarked with great sympathy. "I"ve never seen a fully bloated bloodfish before. They must be very painful.
One would have to use a sharp knife."
"Niggghhhfff, nigghhhfff," was repeated back to him from those nearest with exposed bellies. They waggled themselves from side to side. "Skraaabbb blufisss."
"Well, I suppose they"d know . . . Oldive said and, taking out his belt knife, tested its edge. "Sharp enough, I"ll hope."
He leaned over the side of the boat. Before any of the seamen could warn them, the harpers and healers leaned over to watch the operation. The boat, of course, rocked and spilled Master Oldive and Menolly into the water.
"No, no, leave me, I"m fine. I swim quite competently," Oldive said, batting at the hands stretched out to retrieve him.
"Ooooo, it"s cold," Menolly said but she also declined offers to drag her back into the boat. She did however slip off her boots and pa.s.sed them up to Sebell. Then she took out her belt knife.
"Ah, is that how you do it?" she said as Oldive first sliced the head off the fish, with a deft cutting movement, removed the clinging body, and then pried out the head"s sucker, leaving only a tiny hole. The sucker was of remarkable length since it had had to penetrate through the layers of blubber to tap a vein.
Just as Oldive dealt with his first patient, another dolphin nosed through its fellows, clicking in such an authoritative tone, the others parted for it.
"You really should wait your turn," Oldive said in a gently chiding tone.
The dolphin smiled and turned its head this way and that as the bright black eyes fixed themselves on the healer.
"Bad back!" the creature said quite plainly.
"My goodness!" The remark caused a brief silence, almost an appalled one that a sea creature would make such a statement.
Oldive held out his hand to the creature"s nose as if absolving it from mentioning what few did. "How could you know?" Oldive asked. Despite his wetting, the hump was not that apparent under his carefully contrived shirt and the creature had only observed him from the front.
"Seeee. Seee. I Bit, Oll-deeeve med.i.c.k."
"I don"t really believe what I"m hearing," Curran murmured to Menolly. "And it knew about " He closed his lips. "How could it see?"
"Perhaps what Persellan said about the creatures" . Oldive looked at Menolly for the word.
"Sonar . . . " she supplied.
"Is very true. Proof positive," and because Oldive appeared cheerful about the matter, everyone began to relax. "What is it?
This sonar?"
Menolly recollected the exact phrasing she"d had from Alemi.
"Sonar. Dolphins can emit high frequency sounds and register the vibrations coming back to their ears. That"s how they navigate in the sea and send messages long distance to other dolphins. Somehow they can use it on human bodies as well."
"If this Bit could see my hump through all my clothes, I"m willing to believe. Bit, do you wish me to skraabbb your blufisss?"
"Now, see here, Master Oldive," began one of the medics who had been upset to see his master in the water, "there are more and more coming. You had better come out of the water. There are too many for you to do them."
"I"ve counted forty so far," Sebell said, relieved and gratified.
"Pleeesss, Ol-deeve. Many many blufiss."
"Skraabbb blufisss," the cry went up from the many crowding in.
"I can really only do one more today," Oldive said. "The water is very cold." His teeth were beginning to chatter and the others kept begging him to come back into the boat and be dried off.
Menolly"s teeth began to chatter too. "Look, we are humans, not dolphins. But there are enough in this boat to remove any more parasites those dolphins have. Those we don"t do today, we can do tomorrow. All right?"
"Rigggh. Rigggh," was the enthusiastic delphinic response.
The humans were not quite as pleased by her offer. When she insisted that Oldive re-enter the boat with her, and blankets were brought for them, she found willing enough hands to a.s.sist.
Over the next few hours of this auspicious meeting, most of the humans in the boat ignored their wet clothing although they were unable to attend to all the dolphins who applied for that service. When Sebell remarked that Bit and Inka who had a dark splotch like a cap on her head, seemed to have some authority over the pods, he, Menolly and Sebell managed to explain to the newcomers that they should return the next day.
"When the sun comes up, Menolly said, using the hand signals for "next day". "More blufiss cull. Understand?"
Squeeings and clickings, as well as some happy acrobatics answered her, and the press of dolphin bodies about the boat eased. They were later to learn that Bit was one of the oldest dolphins in the nearby seas. Certainly she seemed to understand more and certainly appeared to be the most respected member of the pod. Bit taught the young calves and sent the smartest ones to the Great Whirlpool to The Tillek. At first the use of that name confused the two harpers. Gradually they realized that The Tillek meant the oldest and wisest dolphin who was evidently the repository of all marine knowledge the way harpers were for humans.
When Sebell and Menolly asked if they would ever meet The Tillek, Bit said she would ask. The Tillek was known to be very pleased with the mans.
"The Tillek is wo-mans, Bit said, giving them a long stare with her very bright and intelligent eyes. "Best, biggest, wisest.
"I"m sure she is," Menolly said and proceeded to ask Bit detailed questions of what dolphins learned from The Tillek.
"T"e Tillek sing too," Bit remarked, her lower jaw dropped in what was the most expansive dolphin grin they had yet seen.
"I guess that settles me," Menolly told Sebell, grinning. About then she noticed that most of the people on the boat were holding what looked like two-way conversations with separate dolphins.
The cold of twilight, augmented by a sharp southern wind, forced the humans out of the boat but with many promises to continue the contact the next day, and every day.
"Oooo ring bell. Oo-ee come. Oo-ee promise. "Member! Oooo member! Next sun more blufisss skraaabss." Though, by the fall of night, the dolphin numbers had shrunk from the nearly hundred that had swum into the pier in response to the Report peal, to twenty, they were as loath to leave as the humans.
Curran urged all back into the warmth of his hold which was then crowded with wet, oily and damp fleece smells, but the hot mulled wine that was pa.s.sed around was very welcome indeed. The first mate, Texur, and three of the other skippers then took folks back to their cotholds where they could dry their clothing. Robina clucked about, handing out fur rugs, and fussing over Master Oldive.
"You"ll be treating yourself if you don"t have more of a care for your own health, Master," she said, scowling fiercely. "And then where will the rest of us be?" "Ringing the Dolphin Bell," Oldive murmured in a whisper that only Menolly and Sebell heard. "There is so much, so much more than we could have ever antic.i.p.ated," he went on in a slightly louder but reflective tone of voice, "and we must learn all we can. All we can." His voice fell again and his hand nearly let go the cup of mulled wine. Menolly rescued it with a smile which he returned. "Goodness, I don"t think I"ve had this much outdoor activity in decades."
"We should have had you conveyed a-dragonback, Menolly said anxiously.
"No, no, my dear, Oldive said, sitting up straighter. "I"m always after my patients to exercise and get fresh air and I never listen to my own advice. This has been a truly remarkable day."
"As soon as you"re dried out enough, I"ll send Beauty to Fort Weyr and we"ll get you home safe, sound and unwet," Menolly said firmly and gave him a stern look.
"Oh, no, not today. I must wait over and speak with Bit again.
But let us send back Worlain and Fabry. I have a particular patient in the Hall at the moment. Bit might just be able to see what ails her for without some help, I fear she will die. There is so much we don"t know," he added, shaking his head.
"Now, Master," Fabry said for he evidently had an ear c.o.c.ked in his Master"s direction, "Mizlue"s the last person to expose to a dolphin. In the first places she"ll be terrified "She"s also terrified of dying," Oldive said crisply.
"But how will you transport her here? The jolting of a gather wagon would be too painful "A dragon will oblige."
Fabry snorted. "She"d be even more afraid of riding a dragon - if we could get her astride one, than even the doll fin."
"Dolphin," Sebell said in absent correction.
"Whatever," Fabry said, glancing at the Master Harper with all the arrogance some of the healers often displayed for other Crafts.
"If that Holder woman intends to live to see the grandchild she hopes her daughter-in-law carries, then she"ll obey my orders," Oldive said with a tinge of impatience in his usually serene voice. He laid a sensitive, thin-fingered hand on Fabry"s arm and the stocky Journeyman a.s.sumed an attentive stance. "You will make the arrangements on your return to the Hall, Fabry. I know I can count on you but you are not to forewarn her "She"ll want details. She always wants details," Fabry said with a much put upon sigh.
"The sea, Fabry. It is possible that a sea cure will help her, Oldive said, one of his irresistible smiles lighting his gentle face and kind eyes.
"A sea cure?" Fabry barked a laugh.
"A sea cure," Oldive repeated, smiling back.
So Menolly despatched Beauty to Fort Weyr with a request for N"ton to provide dragons for those returning that evening.
Though Menolly received a warm invitation from Robina to remain overnight, too, she declined, anxious to return to her children. Sebell elected to remain with Oldive for a further meeting the next day with the dolphins. That left the question of the runner beasts they had ridden down to the Hold but Curran said he"d have one of his holders lead them back, laden with fish, in a few days.
Sebell gave Menolly a quick embrace when the dragons arrived.
"Now, don"t spend all night composing, will you?"
"Much as I"d like to," she said, hugging him fiercely, "the fresh air"s got me yawning, too. I"m so glad that it all worked."
"Were you worried?" Sebell asked, looking down into her face with searching eyes.
"Well, not exactly worried, but I certainly didn"t expect the turn out! I"ll have to tell Alemi. He"ll be thrilled. lt is too bad, though," Menolly added, uxoriously smoothing the wrinkles of a jacket only just dried from the afternoon"s soaking.
"What?"
"That so much else is happening to detract from the dolphins.
"Hmmm. Yes, but we"ll have the dolphins with us for the rest of our lives on Pern Right now it is imperative that we follow Aivas" timetable and rid us of Thread."
"You"re right of course, Sebell. The dolphins will be with us as they have been with us all along. I do hope Lessa doesn"t mind."
"Why should she mind?" Sebell asked, holding his mate from him to peer into her face. She could come out with the most astonishing observations.
"Well, you know how she was about fire-lizards!"
"Not yours, my love. Just the undisciplined mob. I"ll brief Master Robinton and he"ll break it to her."
Chapter Eight.
oll fins?" Lessa demanded, her eyebrows raising in black arcs of astonishment. She stared at Alemi, glared fiercely until Master Harper Robinton laughed at her.
"Dolphins, Lessa." Adroitly he corrected her p.r.o.nunciation.
"They have been mentioned. They came with the original settlers and have been happily plying the seas, saving lives when they could, and waiting until humans remembered them. Aivas is very interested in reestablishing the a.s.sociation."
She blinked at the Harper. "Well, I suppose I do remember some mention of the sea creatures, but there"s been so much else going on "And her tone chided him for bringing up a subject which she plainly considered irrelevant and immaterial.
"They"ve been around longer than dragons," he said teasingly.
"And they"re proving far more useful than, say, the fire-lizards." He shot her a wicked glance for her well-known disgruntlement with fire-lizards pestering her gold dragon, Ramoth.
Lessa awarded him a very sour look until she caught sight of Ramoth, splashing in the waters of Cove Hold, her bathing a.s.sisted by wild and tame fire-lizards.
"The dragons that have met them seem to like them, Lessa," Alemi said, taking his cue from the Harper nd not letting himself be intimidated by the diminutive but forceful Weyrwoman of Benden.