They'd decided to ignore him.

Perhaps, thought Anawak, as he steered the motorboat along the coast through Clayoquot Sound, that was a mistake. Maybe a simple letter of complaint would have satisfied Greywolf's need for acknowledgement. Anything to show he'd made an impact.

He scanned the surface of the ocean. The Zodiac was racing through the water and he didn't want to risk scaring or hurting a whale. Several times he spotted flukes in the distance, and once he saw glistening black fins cutting through the water not far from the boat. He kept in radio-contact with Susan Stringer on the Blue Shark. 'What are they doing?' he asked. 'They're not getting physical, are they?'

The walkie-talkie crackled. 'No,' came Stringer's voice. 'They're taking photos like last time, and yelling at us.'

'How many?'

'Two boatfuls – Greywolf and another guy in one boat, and three in the second. Oh, God, they've started to sing.'

Anawak heard a faint rhythmic sound above the radio interference.

'They're drumming,' Stringer bellowed. 'Greywolf's beating a rhythm and the others are chanting Indian songs.'

'Keep calm. Don't let yourself be provoked. I'll be with you in a moment.'

'Leon? What kind of Indian is this asshole?'

'He's a con artist,' said Anawak, 'not an Indian.'

'But I thought-'

'His mother's half Indian, but that's as far as it goes. His real name is Jack O'Bannon.'

Anawak sped on towards the boats. The noise of the drum floated over the water.

'Jack O'Bannon,' said Stringer slowly. I've got a good mind to-'

'You'll do no such thing. Can you see me now?'

'Yes.'

'Sit tight.'

Anawak stowed his radio and turned the boat towards the open water. At last he could see what was happening. The Blue Shark and the Lady Wexham were in the middle of a group of humpbacks that had spread out across the sea. From time to time flukes disappeared under the waves or a cloud of droplets rose into the air. The Lady Wexham's white hull shimmered in the sunlight. Two small, dilapidated sport-fishing boats with red-painted hulls were circling the Blue Shark tightly.

If Greywolf had noticed Anawak approaching, he didn't let on. He was standing in the boat, banging a drum and chanting. The people on the other boat, two men and a woman, were shouting insults and curses. Every now and then they took pictures of the Blue Shark's passengers and pelted them with something that sparkled. Fish scraps, Anawak realised. The people on the Blue Shark ducked. Anawak felt like ramming Greywolf's boat and watching as the man toppled overboard, but he restrained himself.

He pulled up close to the boats and shouted, 'Quit drumming, Jack. Let's talk.'

Greywolf ignored him.

A male voice came over the radio: 'Hello, Leon. Good to see you.'

It was the Lady Wexham's skipper. The boat was about a hundred metres away. The people on the top deck were leaning over the rails, staring at the beleaguered Zodiac. Some were taking photos.

'Everything OK at your end?' asked Anawak.

'Fine. What are we going to do about the bastards?'

'I'll try the peaceful approach.'

'If you want me to run them down for you, just say the word.'

The Blue Shark was being jostled by the Seaguards' motorboats. Greywolf swayed as his boat hit the inflatable, but he carried on drumming. The feathers on his hat quivered in the wind. Behind the boats a fluke rose into the air and disappeared again, but no one had eyes for the whales.

'Hey, Leon! Leon!' One of the Blue Shark's passengers was waving at him – Alicia Delaware. She was bouncing up and down. 'Who are those guys? What are they doing here?'

Anawak did a double-take. The other day she had told him she was about to leave the island. But right now it didn't matter.

He manoeuvred his Zodiac towards Greywolf's boat and drew up at right angles to it. He clapped his hands loudly. 'All right, Jack, you can stop now. Tell us what you want.'

Greywolf increased the volume. His monotonous chant rose and fell like an aggressive dirge.

'For God's sake, Jack!'

The noise stopped. Greywolf faced Anawak. 'Do you want something?'

'Tell your people to back off. Then we can talk about whatever you like, so long as you tell them to stop.'

Greywolf's face contorted with rage. 'We're not backing off.'

'What's your point, Greywolf? Why all the fuss?'

'I tried to tell you at the aquarium but you wouldn't listen.'

'I didn't have time.'

'And I don't have time to talk to you now.' His supporters laughed and jeered.

Anawak nearly lost his temper. 'I'm going to make you an offer, Jack,' he said, as calmly as he could. 'You call this off, and we'll meet tonight at Davie's. Then you can tell us what you'd like us to do.'

'Just keep away from here.'

'But why? What harm are we doing?'

Two dark islands surfaced next to the boat, textured and mottled like weathered stone. Grey whales. It would have made an amazing photo, but Greywolf had ruined the day.

'Turn back,' shouted Greywolf. He stared at the Blue Shark's passengers and lifted his arms imploringly. 'Turn back and leave the whales in peace. Live in harmony with nature. Your boats are polluting the air and the ocean. Whales are being hounded so you can take photos. This place belongs to them. Go home. You don't belong here!'

What a load of garbage, thought Anawak. Surely even Greywolf didn't believe it. But his supporters cheered.

'Come on, Jack! We're here to protect the whales, remember? Whale-watching helps us to understand them. It lets people see them in new light. It's not in their interest for you to disrupt our work.'

'Their interest? You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?' Greywolf jeered. 'Can you read their minds, Mr. Scientist?'

'Jack, drop all the Indian crap. What do you want?

'Publicity,' Greywolf said.

'And how are you going to get that here?' Anawak waved his hand at the ocean. 'There's just a couple of boats and a few people. Let's talk about this properly and get some real publicity. Both sides can put forward their arguments, and may the best side win.'

'Pathetic,' said Greywolf. 'Listen to the voice of the white man.'

Anawak lost his patience. 'That's crap and you know it. You're more of a white man than I am, O'Bannon. Get real.'

For a moment Greywolf stared at him. Then a grin spread across his face. He pointed to the Lady Wexham. 'Why do you think the people on your boat are so interested in filming us?'

'Because of you and your mumbo-jumbo.'

'Exactly,' laughed Greywolf 'You got it in one.'

Then it dawned on Anawak. The people on the Lady Wexham weren't tourists: they were reporters whom Greywolf had invited for the show.

The son-of-a-bitch.

He was about to make a suitably cutting response, when he noticed that Greywolf was still staring at the Lady Wexham. Anawak followed his gaze, and gasped.

A humpback had catapulted itself out of the water just in front of the boat. For a moment it looked as though it was balancing on its flukes. Only the tip of its tail was still submerged as it towered above the Lady Wexham's bridge. The throat grooves on its lower jaw and underbelly were clearly visible. Its long pectoral fins stuck out like wings, two shiny white appendages with dark markings and knobbly edges. A loud ooh! went up as the gigantic body tipped slowly to one side and hit the water in an explosion of spray.

The people on the top deck shrank back. Part of the Lady Wexham disappeared behind a wall of foam. But the jet of water had cloaked another dark shape. In a mantle of mist and water a second whale surged up from the waves. This time it was even closer to the vessel. Even before the cry of horror went up, Anawak knew that the leap had gone wrong.