"Get it?" came the voice in his earphones.
"I'll tell you when I've got one," Nils said.
"We're sending down Petrone."
"How about running the harpoon down to where I am?"
"Okay, Nils. Sorry," the voice said.
The radio was very comforting to Nils Borgmann. Through it he felt close to the surface, as if he had friends ready to help him at any moment. It made him forget the real dangers of his situation.
Nils saw the harpoon come jerking down into his reach. He grabbed it with his left hand, then held out his right for another shot at the air lion.
"Take it easy," Petrone's voice came into his eardrums. "Don't get me with that thing."
"Can you see it? It's getting away from me."
"I think so," Petrone said. "I think it's coming my way."