Paul blinked. “What a relief. That certainly clears things up. I know what a sneaker is. Sneakee, on the other hand...”

She flashed a dazzling smile. “Cyrano the dolphin sneaked up and goosed me with his nose.” “I don't blame him.” He leered at her slim-hipped body with a Groucho Marx hike of his eyebrows.

“Mother warned me about men who wear bow ties and part their hair in the middle.”

“Did I ever tell you, you look like Lauren Hutton?” he said, puffing on an imaginary cigar. “And that I'm attracted to women with a sexy space between their front teeth?”

“Bet you say that to all the girls,” she said, putting a Mae West huskiness into her voice, which was low and cool by nature. “I did learn something scientific from Cyrano's little love poke.” “That you have a nose fetish?”

She gave him a no-nonsense lift of her eyebrow. “No, although I wouldn't rule it out. I learned that river dolphins may be more primitively developed than their saltwater cousins and more mellow in general than their marine relatives. But they are intelligent and playful and have a sense of humor.”

“You would need a sense of humor if you were pink and gray, had flippers with discernible fingers on them, a dorsal fin that's a joke in itself, and a head like a deformed cantaloupe.”

“Not a bad biological observation for a deep ocean geologist.”

“Glad to be of help.”

She kissed him again, on the lips this time. “I really appreciate your being here. And for all the work you've done computer profiling the river. It's been a nice change. I'm almost sorry to be going home.”

Paul looked around at their tranquil surroundings. “I've actually enjoyed it. This place is like a medieval cathedral. And the critters have certainly been fun, although I don't know if I like them taking liberties with my wife.”

“Cyrano and I have a purely platonic relationship,” Gamay said with a haughty elevation of her chin. “He was just trying to get my attention so I'd give him a treat.”

“A treat?”

“A fish treat.” She slapped the side of the inflatable several times with a paddle. There was a splash where the lagoon opened into the river. A pinkish-gray hump with a long, low dorsal fin cut a V-shaped ripple in their direction. It circled the boat, emitting a sneezing sound from its blowhole. Gamay scattered fish meal pellets, and the slim beak came out of the water and hungrily snapped them down.

“We've verified those apocryphal stories of dolphins coming on call. I can imagine them helping the locals with their fishing as we've heard.”

“You've also proven that Cyrano has done a good job of training you to give him a snack.” “True, but these creatures are supposed to be unfinished versions of the saltwater type, so it's of interest to me that their brains have advanced faster than their physical appearance.” They watched the circling dolphin with amusement for a few minutes, then, aware that the light was waning, decided to head back.