Alexander Belyaev - The Amphibian

“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! “

“I’ll 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?”