Alexander Beliaev

by The Amphibian

  “And take the ocean’s power potential. It is a known fact that the ocean waters take up the equivalent of 79,000 million HP in solar energy. But for air heating and other leakages the ocean would have been boiling long ago. What use does man put this practically unlimited store of energy to? Almost none at all.

  “And what about the power of ocean currents? The Gulf Stream and the Florida Current alone carry between them 91,000 million tons of water per hour, about 3,000 times as much as a major river. Add to this the power of the other ocean currents. What use does man put this power to? Again almost none.

  “And what about the power of ocean waves and tides? You should know that a wave can have a striking force of three and a half tons per square foot, can reach as high as 142 feet and lift with it as much as one thousand tons, say, of rocks;

  that the highest tides touch the fifty-five-foot mark. What use does man put these forces to? Once again almost none.

  “On land man cannot go very high above the Earth’s surface or very deep below it. In the ocean life goes on everywhere-from North Pole to South, from surface to bottom.

  “What use do we put all this unlimited wealth to? We catch fish-and that only goes skin-deep, as it were, leaving the greater depths untapped; we collect sponges, coral, pearls, weeds-and that’s about everything.

  “We do some submarine work by way of erecting piers for bridges and dams and refloating sunken ships. And even that is done at the expense of hard work and risk, and often loss of life. But then what can you really expect of man if two minutes underwater is enough to kill him?

  “Now it would be quite a different proposition if man could live and work underwater. Without diving suits or canned oxygen. The fabulously rich deposits he would then discover! Ichthyander told me once—no, I don’t want to conjure up the ogre of human avarice. He used to bring me samples of rare metals and ores he picked up on the sea-bed. The samples were small but the deposits might have been immense.

  “And what about sunken treasures? It will suffice to recall the tragic fate of the Lusitania sunk by a German submarine off the Irish coast in 1916. Apart from the valuables the fifteen hundred passengers might have had on themselves the Lu-sitania carried in her strongroom gold coin to the tune of 150 million dollars and 50 million dollars’ worth of bullion. (Exclamations in the Court). Besides, there were two cases of diamonds on board the ship bound for Amsterdam. The consignment included one of the world’s largest brilliants, the Caliph, worth many millions of dollars. Of course, even a man like Ichthyander could not descend to such depths; to do this a man would have to be created fthi’s drew a snort of indignation from the prosecutor), capable of withstanding high pressure like deepwater fish. And this is not impossible. Just a matter of time.”

  “You seem to assume the role of an omnipotent god,” said the prosecutor.

  Paying no attention to his words Salvator went on:

  “If man could live underwater the ocean would be Ms for the asking. It would cease to claim its heavy toll of life and property and we would no longer have to mourn our lost at sea.”

  Salvator’s audience, compelled by his eloquence, seemed to see a vision of an underwater world conquered by man. Even the presiding judge succumbed to the spell.

  “Then why didn’t you publish the results of your experiments?” he asked.

  “I was in no particular hurry to get into the dock,” Salvator said with a smile, “and then I was afraid that, our social system being what it is, my discoveries might bring more harm than good. As it was, a tussle started round Ichthyander. Who informed against me after all? Zurita, who wanted to take his revenge on me when Ichthyander had slipped through his hands. And from Zurita Ichthyander would have been taken by their Lordships the Admirals and trained to sink warships. No, I could not make Ichthyander-and other Ichthyanders-public property in a country where greed and struggle for survival turn the greatest discoveries into something evil, only adding to the amount of human suffering. I thought of-“

  Salvator stopped short. When he started again it was in quite a different tone of voice. “I’m going to leave that unsaid, I think. Otherwise I might be again styled insane,” he said with a smile and looked at the experts. “And that’s an honour I’d like to renounce herewith, even were the word genius tagged onto it. I’m not a madman, nor am I a maniac. I’ve done what I set out to do, haven’t I? You’ve seen it all. If you find my actions criminal it’s up to you to try me and convict me. I beg for no leniency.”

  IN PRISON

  Acting on the instruction of the Court the experts examined the state of Ichthyander’s mental ability. They found he had great difficulty answering the simplest questions. Even when asked about the year, month or day Ichthyander kept answering, “I don’t know.” Yet, the experts were hesitant to declare him mentally deficient, for they realized that the state of his mind was due to his exceptional background and that the scope of his knowledge was bound to be limited. “Not responsible for his actions” was what they finally agreed on. And that made him unamenable to the law. The case against him was dropped and a guardianship suggested. Promptly two persons came forward: Zurita and Baltasar.

  Salvator had been right in saying that Zurita had informed against him to get his revenge. But that was only part of the story. Zurita wanted Ichthyander back in his hands and saw the guardianship as an easy short-cut to that end. Zurita had not stopped at the expense of bribing the officials in charge with a dozen of his finest pearls and was now awaiting results in smug confidence.

  Baltasar had claimed natural guardianship rights. But that was throwing straws against the wind. In spite of Larra’s efforts the experts refused to consider his client’s paternity on the strength of one witness, a brother of Baltasar’s at that.

  Larra was not aware of the backstage influences in the case. Baltasar as plaintiff, as father robbed of his son, had been useful at Salvator’s trial; Baltasar as Ichthyander’s guardian ran counter to the interests of the Law and the Church.

  Cristo who was now living at his brother’s was greatly worried about Baltasar. The old Indian would sit motionless for hours at a stretch, forgetting about food and sleep, then suddenly start rushing about the shop in a frenzy of excitement, shouting, “My son! My son! ” and hurling abuse at everything Spanish.

  One day after another of such fits Baltasar said to Cristo:

  “I’m going to the prison, brother. I’ll give my best pearls to the jailors so they let me see my son. Ill speak to him. Hell know I’m his father. A son will know his father. My blood’s sure to speak up in him.”

  Try as he would Cristo could not dissuade his brother. Baltasar was adamant.

  In prison he entreated some guards, wept at the feet of others, giving pearls to all till he finally got inside Ichthyander’s cell.

  The small cell scantily illumined through the slit of a barred window was stuffy and smelly; the jailors didn’t bother to change the water in the tank often enough, nor did they carry away the fish offal the strange prisoner left after his meals.

  Baltasar approached the tank and looked at the dark mirror of the water’s surface.

  “Ichthyander! ” he called softly, and again, “Ichthyanderi ” but apart from a slight ripple on the surface nothing happened.

  Baltasar waited a little, then stretched out a shaky hand and dipped it into the tepid water. It struck a shoulder. Instantly Ichthyander’s head popped out of the tank, followed by his shoulders.

  “Who are you? What do you want?”

  Baltasar sank onto his knees and stretching out his arms began rapidly:

  “Ichthyander, your father’s come to you. Your real father. Salvator isn’t. Salvator’s an evil man. He disfigured you, Ichthyander! Look at me closely. You know I’m your father, don’t you?”

  Water trickled in slow drops out of Ichthyander’s thick hair onto his pale face and down off his chin. His gaze was fixed on the old Indian, wistful and quizzical.

  “I don’t know you
,” he said.

  “Ichthyander,” cried Baltasar, “look again! ” and, suddenly, clutching Ichthyander’s head, he pressed it to himself and started kissing it frenziedly, sobbing aloud.

  Trying to escape the unexpected caresses Ichthyander splashed about in the tank, sending little eddies spilling over the rim onto the floor. All of a sudden a strong hand took Baltasar by the scruff of his neck, lifted him up bodily and threw him aside. He struck his head against the wall and slumped down.

  When he opened his eyes it was to see Zurita towering over him, his right hand balled into a fist, his left flourishing a sheet of paper in triumph.

  “See this? It’s the guardianship order. You’ll have to hunt elsewhere for a rich son for yourself. As to the young man here I take him home with me tomorrow. Got that?”

  From where he lay huddled up against the wall Baltasar growled menacingly. The next moment, with a savage yell, he was up and at his enemy. Snatching the order out of Zurita’s hand and stuffing it into the mouth, he went on hitting out at the Spaniard. Zurita hit back.

  The jailor, who witnessed the fight from the doorway, felt that the moment demanded the strictest neutrality; they both had been liberal in greasing his palm and he wanted to be loyal to both. So it wasn’t until Zurita started throttling Baltasar in dead earnest that the jailor stirred to action.

  “There, there, don’t strangle him.”

  However, deaf with rage, Zurita was pressing on his advantage and there’s no saying how it would have ended had a familiar voice not called out at that point.

  “Senor guardian priming himself for his new duties-splendid! Well, what are you standing here for? Don’t you know your duties?” Salvator rapped at the two jailors for all the world as if he were the governor of the place.

  Salvator’s words had immediate effect: the jailors rushed to drag the men apart. The noise attracted more jailors and soon order was restored.

  Even in prison, even in face of a sure conviction, Salvator had retained his strength of spirit and his ability to command.

  “Take them away,” he ordered. “I want to be left alone with Ichthyander.”

  And the jailors complied. In spite of their noisy protests Zurita and Baltasar were taken away and the door shut.

  When the clatter of boots had died away Salvator went across to the tank.

  “Come out of there, Ichthyander,” he told the amphibian who had just looked out of the water. “I want to examine you.”

  Ichthyander did as he was told.

  “Nearer to the light,” Salvator went on, “that’s it. Breathe in and out. Deeper. Once more. Stop breathing. That’s it,” he said as he tapped Ichthyander’s chest and listened to his irregular breathing.

  “Short of breath, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, Father,” said Ichthyander.

  “You’ve got only yourself to blame, you know,” said Salvator. “You shouldn’t have stayed on land for so long at a time.”

  Ichthyander dropped his head and was lost in thought for a moment. Then he suddenly looked up straight into Salvator’s eyes.

  “But why, Father?” he asked. “Why does everybody else live on land and I can’t?”

  Salvator had more difficulty meeting that gaze, full of hidden reproach, than answering questions in Court. But he didn’t turn Ms eyes away.

  “Because you possess what nobody else possesses: the ability to live under the water,” he said. “Supposing you had the option of becoming like everybody else here on land or living only in the ocean. What would you choose?”

  “I don’t know,” Ichthyander drawled, after a moment’s though’t. The ocean and the land-meaning Gutierrez-were equally dear to him, but Gutierrez was lost for him now.

  “The ocean, I should say,” he said.

  “As a matter of fact you’ve chosen it already-by your disobedience. Now that the balance in your body’s upset it’s only the ocean for you, I’m afraid.”

  “The ocean, yes, but not this horrible tank, Father. Ill die here! Oh, if only I could be back in the ocean! “

  “111 do my best to see you delivered from prison as soon as possible,” Salvator said, smothering a sigh. “Keep a stiff upper lip, my boy,” and tapping on his shoulder by way of encouragement Salvator went out.

  Back in his cell he sat down on the stool at the narrow table and fell into meditation.

  Like any other surgeon he knew the bitter taste of failure. Quite a few people had died under his knife before he had attained his present skill. Yet his mind was not burdened by memories. Dozens had died to save thousands. He found the ratio comforting.

  Now this was different. Ichthyander was his special pride. In Ichthyander he loved his best achievement. Besides, he had grown fond of the boy over the years and looked on him as his own son. So he sat there, worried, thinking about Ichthyander’s present condition and what the future held for him.

  Somebody knocked at the door.

  “Come in,” said Salvator.

  “I’m not intruding, Professor?” the governor said in a low voice as he came in.

  “Not at all,” Salvator said, rising. “How are your wife and child?”

  “Very well, thank you. I’ve sent them to my wife’s mother, way in the Andes.”

  “That’s right, mountain air is just the thing for them,” said Salvator. Throwing a glance at the door the governor came closer to Salvator.

  “I owe you my wife’s life, Professor,” he began, his voice still lower. “I love her. I can’t-“

  “No thanks are needed. I only did my duty.”

  “Ill always feel I’m deeply in your debt,” said the governor. “And it’s not only that. I’ve got no education to speak of, but I read my newspaper and I know Professor Salvator’s worth. If you ask me, a person like you oughtn’t to be in prison, together with thieves and tramps.”

  “As far as I know,” Salvator said with a smile, “my learned colleagues are doing their hardest to get me transferred to a padded cell.”

  “An asylum is still a prison,” the governor retorted, “and even worse. Instead of thieves youll have lunatics for mates. No, that mustn’t happen,” and lowering his voice to a whisper, he said, “It’s not only for their health I send my family into the mountains. This is what I decided. Ill help you escape and will cut and run myself. Need made me take my job but I hate it. They won’t find me; as for you, you’ll leave the country. There’s something more I wanted to tell you,“he added after some hesitation. “I’m giving away an official secret, a state secret-“

  “You needn’t do that,” Salvator interrupted him.

  “Yes, but… I can’t … for one thing, I can’t carry out the horrid order I’ve received. My conscience would give me no rest all my life. And it’s all right when I think it’s you I’m giving it away to. You’ve done such a lot for me, and the authorities-I owe nothing to them, still less so they’re forcing a crime on me.”

  “Are they?” was all Salvator said.

  “Yes; I learned they are not going to give Ichthyander to either Baltasar or Zurita for all him being the guardian and the bribe money it’s cost him. They’re going-they’re going to kill Ichthyander.”

  Salvator started slightly.

  “Is that so? Go on! “

  “Yes, kill him. That’s what the bishop has been after all the time, though, I suppose he never said it in so many words. They’ve given me the poison, potassium cyanide, I think they called it. Tonight I’m to spill it into Ichthyander’s tank. The prison doctor’s in on it. Hell certify death was caused by the operation you performed when making Ichthyander into an amphibian. If I don’t do it it’ll go real hard for me. And I’ve got a family to support. They’ve got me right where they want me, you see. I slipped up in the past-nothing serious though. Almost accidental. If I do it, they’ll shut me up for good later, no doubt. Anyhow my mind’s made up; I’m running away. I can’t and won’t kill Ichthyander. To save both of you-at such short notice-is impossible. But I can save
you. I’ve thought of everything. I’m sorry for Ichthyander but your life’s more valuable. Youll create another Ichthyander, by your skill, but nobody in the world could create another Salvator.”

  When he finished, Salvator shook the man’s hand and said:

  “Thank you, but I can’t expose you to all this danger for my own sake-“

  “There’s no danger. I’ve thought of everything.”

  Wait a minute. I can’t accept this for my own sake. But if you agreed to save Ichthyander you’d be doing more for me than saving myself. I’m full of health and sure to find friends to help me out of prison. But Ichthyander must be freed without delay-all the more so because of what you’ve just told me.”

  “I’ll do as you wish,” said the governor.

  Left alone, Salvator smiled and said:

  “Good. That’ll snatch the bone of contention away right under everybody’s nose.”

  For some time Salvator was walking up and down the cell, then he went up to the table, wrote something on a sheet of paper, got up and knocked several times on the door.

  “Please ask the governor to come to me.”

  When the governor came Salvator said to him:

  “There’s another thing I wanted to ask of you. Could you possibly arrange for me to visit Ichthyander today, for the last time?”

  “Why, nothing could be easier. No authorities around, the whole prison’s at your disposal.”