Dolphin Island Read Online Free

intelligent creatures. They were playing like children among the wreckage of the
Santa Anna
, butting at the floating debris with their streamlined snouts, making the strangest
     whistling and creaking noises as they did so. A few yards away, one had reared its
     head completely out of the water and was balancing a plank on its nose, like a trained
     animal in a circus act; it seemed to be saying to its companions, “Look at me—see
     how clever I am!”
    The strange, unhuman but intelligent, head turned toward Johnny, and the dolphin dropped
     its plaything with an unmistakable gesture of surprise. It sank back into the water,
     squeaking with excitement, and a few seconds later, Johnny was surrounded by glistening,
     inquisitive faces. They were smiling faces, too, for the mouths of the dolphins seemed
     to be frozen in a kind of fixed grin—one so infectious that Johnny found himself smiling
     back at them.
    He no longer felt alone; now he had companionship, even though it was not human and
     could do nothing to help him. It was fascinating to watch the leathery, dove-gray
     bodies moving around him with such effortless ease as they hunted among the debris
     of the
Santa Anna
. They were doing this, Johnny soon realized, purely out of playfulness and fun; they
     were more like lambs gamboling in a spring meadow than anything he had ever expected
     to find in the sea.
    The dolphins continued to bob up and to look at him from time to time, as if making
     sure that he had not run away. They watched with great curiosity as he pulled off
     his sodden clothing and spread it to dry in the sun, and they seemed to be giving
     the matter careful thought when Johnny asked them solemnly: “Well, what shall I do
     now?”
    One answer to that question was obvious: he had to arrange some shelter from the tropical
     sun before it roasted him alive. Luckily, this problem was quickly solved; he was
     able to build a little wigwam from some pieces of driftwood which he lashed together
     with his handkerchief and then covered with his shirt. When he had finished, he felt
     quite proud of himself, and hoped that his audience appreciated his cleverness.
    Now he could do nothing but lie down in the shade and conserve his strength while
     the wind and the currents carried him to an unknown fate. He did not feel hungry,
     and though his lips were already dry, it would be several hours before thirst became
     a serious problem.
    The sea was much calmer now, and low, oily waves were rolling past with a gentle,
     undulating motion. Somewhere Johnny had come across the phrase, “Rocked in the cradle
     of the deep.” Now he knew exactly what it meant. It was so soothing, so peaceful here
     that he could almost forget his desperate position; he was content to stare at the
     blue sea and the blue sky, and to watch the strange yet beautiful animals that glided
     and swooped around him, sometimes hurling their bodies clear out of the water in the
     sheer joy of life….
    Something jolted the raft, and he awoke with a start. For a moment he could hardly
     believe that he had been sleeping and that the sun was now almost overhead. Then the
     raft jerked again—and he saw why.
    Four dolphins, swimming side by side, were pushing the raft through the water. Already
     it was moving faster than a man could swim, and it was still gaining speed. Johnny
     stared in amazement at the animals splashing and snorting only inches away from him;
     was this another of their games?
    Even as he asked himself that question, he knew that the answer was No. The whole
     pattern of their behavior had changed completely; this was deliberate and purposeful.
     Playtime was over. He was in the center of a great pack of the animals, all now moving
     steadily in the same direction. There were scores, if not hundreds, ahead and behind,
     to right and left, as far as he could see. He felt that he was moving across the ocean
     in the midst of a military formation—a brigade of