– Vasiliev believes that sea snakes are deep-sea creatures, – Sergeyev explained just as seriously. – And their bodies were brought to the surface. The excitement, the wind and the imagination of people gave them the appearance of life. Then they were eaten by birds and fish. The creatures died out, and so they stopped being encountered. But perhaps one pair remained.
– And I…
– I am a scientist, – Sergeyev interrupted me dryly. – I need facts. And all sorts of "I believe" or "I don't believe" are not suitable for science.
– I just wanted to say, – I retorted right away, – that Vasiliev may be interviewing the last of the last serpents right now. And I will do everything to ensure that this interview is not lost for science. I can’t promise to bring you a sea serpent, but I will try to find Vasiliev.
My cockiness didn’t surprise them. They must have already known something about me.
– Excellent, – Salnikov said. – I have always believed that the correct choice of expedition members is half its success. When are you planning to leave, Captain?
– Fifteen minutes after you answer my last question.
– Speak.
– What do you know about Vasiliev’s character? You know him well, don’t you?
– Yes, of course. I want to tell you something that will help you find him.
– Exactly. I need to understand how Vasiliev would act in such a situation. I can imagine how a person of my type would act. But I know about Titov for sure. I can tell about his actions better than about mine. So, there is only one unknown on which everything depends. I am not a psychologist, but I will have to become one.
– It is difficult to say how a person will act in unexpected circumstances, – Salnikov said thoughtfully. – But I know one thing for sure: he is very stubborn. He adores snakes and collects them. Can you imagine what he is capable of if he has the opportunity to add to his collection? For example, to take a photo of a real snake or something unknown that we took for a snake. He is fearless. I don’t know if this is good or bad. He is a speleologist by profession.
– A speleologist?! – I rubbed my forehead. This is the last thing I needed! I remembered that I had recently read statistics from the Safety Control. It turned out that in terms of the number of accidents, speleologists occupy one of the first places among nature researchers. They climb into such narrow and dangerous places where even a small shift in rock can lead to disaster. The main reason for accidents is that researchers do not reinforce caves and underground passages before someone enters them. Those who had something happen to them usually wanted to first study the cavity they had discovered in its original state. And only then did they think about making emergency exits and installing protective nets. I remembered the advice of the Safety Control about how to combine science and safety. I wonder if Vasiliev got this important advice?