Davis said earnestly, at the other side of the room, "I'd feel a lot better if that thing last night hadn't splashed where it did."
"The bolide," said a voice humorously, "is a free animal."
The discussion went on. Terry saw Deirdre talking to a middle-aged woman with a splendid sun-tan and a placid expression on her face. Doug and Tony sat watchfully on the side lines, listening. Doug had been offered, and had accepted, a sandwich. He ate it methodically.
Terry had a sudden feeling of unreality. Less than half an hour before he'd been in torment and, but for Deirdre, on his way to death. On the Esperance there'd been so much that was absorbing in the way of fish behavior that he'd forgotten some people were interested in other things. Here a dozen people squabbled over the behavior of a meteorite. Nothing could be of less consequence to the outside world. But in the outside world, people argued about baseball, or golf, or politics....
Doug excused himself and slipped outside. Terry joined him there a little later. Doug was smoking a cigarette, looking at the sky and the palms.
"Pretty heavy discussion," said Terry.
"It's over my head," said Doug. "I got lonesome. It made me think of my girl. She likes to talk like this. That's why ..."
He stopped.
"Is there an aqualung outfit on the Esperance?" asked Terry.
"Sure! Two or three of them. Mr. Davis had an idea they'd be useful. Used one of them last week to look at the Esperance's bottom-planks. Why?"