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"Sure looks like it boss"

I waved my arm up above my head to Keturah and the other whale riders Keturah waved back and dove into the water from off Dimbo's back The other divers jumped free of their whales into the water in like fashion

The whales subed doard into the crystal clear water with us It e-inspiring and so ated in a sined that I would experience anything to co It was both odd and awe inspiring to witness the interplay going on between the gigantic whales and their tiny human counterparts

These whales ate dinosaurs for breakfast and yet they seeer as puppies to heed the instruction of their riders I credited Keturah the

She more than any of the other whale people seemed best able to communicate with the whales or at least Dih theup The water suddenly danced with squeaks and pinging noises delivered at high frequency as Dimbo conveyed what to do to the other whales who soon followed in like order and took their positions

The whales turned away froer of the ironclads and waited patiently at the botto the seafloor as they waited on their riders Teams of divers pulled the heavy ropes out fro whales to hook the loops of the rope ends over the tusks of the whales Through it all the whales re only, as they curiously took in the scene

With the ropes all in place Keturah signaled Diain the water vibrated with percussionary clicks and warbles In unison the whales all began to rise

They didn't launch into their burdens, but rather they eased their way there as the ropes grew taunt with tension Once tension was achieved then they began to work hard at the ga-of-war

There were thales per rope only they were on opposite ends and facing away from each other with the ship in between There were fifteen such pairs of whales with two solitary whales tied off at the forward prow and one at the rudder

The ironclad began to rise ponderously, as the whales chugged relentlessly upward toward the surface of the lagoon It was hard to see anything because of all the stirred up sediment and the perfusion of bubbles in the water