rendering. They called this arrangement “the Law of the Tongue.” This went on for 90 years. Over time, the Davidsons and the orcas developed a special kinship. If orcas became entangled in the whalers’ ropes, the humans would abandon whatever efforts they were engaged in to rescue their partners. These were also shark-infested waters, and occasionally the big baleen whales would smash the little green rowboats and send their occupants spilling into the sea. When this happened, the orcas would surround the men in the water and protect them from sharks until they could be rescued.
