Du Fresne, at the bottom of the lagoon, rubs his soft parts.
He watches the unexpected stone move away.
How can this happen?
Is it not a stone? Is it a turtle?
No it's a stone, tied with....yes!... familiar string.
The work of the aunties!
He looks up.
The paperbark canoe is still above him.
Plonk!
The canoe moves slowly away.
Perhaps the aunties are simply trying to recover the canoe.
And are unaware he is under it, moulting
Mais alors! He has quite enough problems.
His discarded carapace lies beside him and it is crackling.
Not crackling, bloobling.
No doubt Baudin is trying to get through.
He reaches out to fiddle wih a protuberance.
Damn thing never worked well under water.
Blooble-bloo.
He hears something faintly.
Du Fresne, where are you?
He pulls the cracked carapace towards him, and speaks:
Du Fresne here. I'm out of action temporarily. The search party has gone on without me. More news soon.
Baudin, in the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary with Gaius, receives the following message:
Booble boo here out of blueshine bomblearily blub blub without me monsoon.
At last says Baudin. A message from Du Fresne.
Excellent, says Gaius. What is it?
He is out of blueshine bomblearily, says Baudin. Due to the monsoon.
Are you sure? asks Gaius. It sounds garbled.
He may be transmitting underwater, says Baudin.
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