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r Abendana； the merchant feller； to have the parrot and tortoise collected and held for me； and I get talking about the cowries。 Well； it so happens that this Mr Abendana has been collecting the dam' things since he was a child。 He shows them to me。 Beautifully kept … each one in its bit of cotton wool。 Fine condition and several of those Isabella and Mappa ones I was asked particularly to watch out for。 Sorry； he couldn't think of selling。 They meant so much to him and so on。 Crap！ I just look at Mr Abendana and I say； how much？ No no。 He couldn't think of it。 Crap again！ I take out my chequebook and write a cheque for five thousand dollars and push it under his nose。 He looks at it。 Five thousand dollars！ He can't stand it。 He folds the cheque and puts it in his pocket and then the dam' sissy breaks down and weeps！ Would you believe it？〃 Mr Krest opened his palms in disbelief。 〃Over a few goddam sea…shells。 So I just tell him to take it easy； and I pick up the trays of sea…shells and get the hell out of there before the crazy so…and…so shoots himself from remorse。〃
Mr Krest sat back； well pleased with himself。 〃Well； what'd you say to that； fellers？ Twenty…four hours in the island and I've already knocked off three…quarters of my list。 Pretty smart； eh； Jim？〃
Bond said： 〃You'll probably get a medal when you get home。 What about this fish？〃
Mr Krest got up from the table and rummaged in a drawer of his desk。 He brought back a typewritten sheet。 〃Here you are。〃 He read out： 〃'Hildebrand Rarity。 Caught by Professor Hildebrand of the University of the Witwatersrand in a net off Chagrin Island in the Seychelles group； April 1925'。〃 Mr Krest looked up。 〃And then there's a lot of scientific crap。 I got them to put it into plain English； and here's the translation。〃 He turned back to the paper。 〃'This appears to be a unique member of the squirrel…fish family。 The only specimen known； named the 〃Hildebrand Rarity〃 after its discoverer； is six inches long。 The colour is a bright pink with black transverse stripes。 The anal； ventral and dorsal fins are pink。 The tail fin is black。 Eyes； large and dark blue。 If found； care should be taken in handling this fish because all fins are even more sharply spiked than is usual with the rest of this family。 Professor Hildebrand records that he found the specimen in three feet of water on the edge of the south…western reef'。〃 Mr Krest threw the paper down on the table。 〃Well； there you are； fellers。 We're travelling about a thousand miles at a cost of several thousand dollars to try and find a goddam six…inch fish。 And two years ago the Revenue people had the gall to suggest that my Foundation was a phoney！〃
Liz Krest broke in eagerly： 〃But that's just it； Milt； isn't it？ It's really rather important to bring back plenty of specimens and things this time。 Weren't those horrible tax people talking about disallowing the yacht and the expenses and so on for the last five years if we didn't show an outstanding scientific achievement？ Wasn't that the way they put it？〃
〃Treasure；〃 Mr Krest's voice was soft as velvet。 〃Just supposin' you keep that flippin' trap shut about my personal affairs。 Yes？〃 The voice was amiable； nonchalant。 〃You know what you just done； treas？ You just earned yourself a little meeting with the Corrector this evening。 That's what you've gone and done。〃
The girl's hand flew to her mouth。 Her eyes were wide。 She said in a whisper： 〃Oh no； Milt。 Oh no； please。〃
On the second day out； at dawn； they came up with Chagrin Island。 It was first picked up by the radar … a small bump in the dead level line on the scanner and then a minute blur on the great curved horizon grew with infinite slowness into half a mile of green fringed with white。 It was extraordinary to e upon land after two days in which the yacht had seemed to be the only moving； the only living thing in an empty world。 Bond had never seen or even clearly imagined the doldrums before。 Now he realized what a terrible hazard they must have been in the days of sail … the sea of glass under a brazen sun； the foul； heavy air； the trail of small clouds along the rim of the world that never came closer； never brought wind or blessed rain。 How must centuries of mariners have blessed this tiny dot in the Indian Ocean as they bent to the oars that moved the heavy ship perhaps a mile a day！ Bond stood in the bows and watched the flying…fish squirt from beneath the hull as the blue…black of the sea slowly mottled into the brown and white and green of deep shoal。 How wonderful that he would soon be walking and swimming again instead of just sitting and lying down。 How wonderful to have a few hours' solitude … a few hours away from Mr Milton Krest！
They anchored outside the reef in ten fathoms and Fidele Barbey took them through the opening in the speedboat。 In every detail Chagrin was the prototype coral island。 It was about twenty acres of sand and dead coral and low scrub surrounded； after fifty yards of shallow lagoon； by a necklace of reef on which the quiet； long swell broke with a soft hiss。 Clouds of birds rose when they landed … terns； boobies； men…of…war； frigates … but quickly settled again。 There was a strong ammoniac smell of guano； and the scrub was white with it。 The only other living things were the land crabs that scuttled and scraped among the liane sans fin and the fiddler…crabs that lived in the sand。
The glare from the white sand was dazzling and there was no shade。 Mr Krest ordered a tent to be erected and sat in it smoking a cigar while gear of various kinds was ferried ashore。 Mrs Krest swam and picked up sea shells while Bond and Fidele Barbey put on masks and； swimming in opposite directions； began systematically to b the reef all the way round the island。
When you are looking for one particular species underwater … shell or fish or seaweed or coral formation … you have to keep your brain and your eyes focused for that one individual pattern。 The riot of colour and movement and the endless variety of light and shadow fight your concentration all the time。 Bond trudged slowly along through the wonderland with only one picture in his mind … a six…inch pink fish with black stripes and big eyes … the second such fish man had ever seen。 〃If you see it；〃 Mr Krest had enjoined； 〃just you let out a yell and stay with it。 I'll do the rest。 I got a little something in the tent that's just the dandiest thing for catching fish you ever saw。〃
Bond paused to rest his eyes。 The water was so buoyant that he could lie face downwards on the surface without moving。 Idly he broke up a sea…egg with the tip of his spear and watched the horde of glittering reef…fish darting for the shreds of yellow flesh among the needle…sharp black spine。 How infernal that if he did find the Rarity it would benefit only Mr Krest！ Should he say nothing if be found it？ Rather childish； and anyway he was under contract； so to speak。 Bond moved slowly on； his eyes automatically taking up the search again while his mind turned to considering the girl。 She had spent the previous day in bed。 Mr Krest had said it was a headache。 Would she one day turn on him？ Would she get herself a knife or a gun and one night； when he reach