Part 5 (1/2)

The boat spun around in a tight turn and headed back

Scotty surfaced next to Rick, pulled the snorkel froritted, ”Say Let hiet that son of a spiny sea walrus”

Rick saw froun that his friend had charged the weapon during the dive He nodded, then turned and say, flippers flailing as though trying to hurry He watched over his shoulder and saw the boat head for hi hard froot ready to dive But still he swa boat until it was al as he went He looked back in tiun and fire as the boat went past

At first Rick thought his pal had missed, then he realized what Scotty had done The spear shaft was attached to a long wire leader, and the leader to a safety line coiled around a spool just ahead of the pistol grip Scotty had deliberately fired ahead of the propeller, knowing that the wire leader would be caught and would wrap around the shaft

Rick saw the spear stop short as the wire caught, saw it hauled back against the propeller and drop free as the prop blades cut it loose

Scotty shot up for a breath, then dove instantly, toward the rapidly falling spear

Rick had to breathe hiain Scotty was picking up the spear Rick saw hi the loader over the razor-sharp harpoon head, and shove down on the spring In a ain

Luckily the spear had not bent when the prop blade hit it

The boat had coer turn against the wrapping of wire and heavy fishline Scotty hooted twice, their signal to surface, and Rick followed hi the side of the boat away froed for a weapon, even a hand spear But he was helpless Scotty would have to get in the first bloith the gun But, Rick thought, that rapple with the shadow

His head broke water He pulled the snorkel fro As luck would have it, the shado hi at Rick's head

Scotty's voice stopped the swing ”Don't do it or you'll get three feet of steel through you!”

The man turned and faced the needle point of Scotty's spear The oar dropped froulped his relief Apparently the shadow had no weapon

”Jump overboard!” Scotty ordered

The un forward ”Jump, I said!”

The shadow did, and sank in a flurry of bubbles When he rose to the surface again, the point of the spear was against his back ”Hang on to the boat with both hands,” Scotty directed

Rick got to his side with a kick of the flippers and ran his hands over theHe found a switch knife, which he put in his belt

”He's clean,” he said ”No other weapons”

”Take a look in the boat,” Scotty suggested

Rick did so, lifting hi in the boat but oars and a can of gasoline

”Want to tell us why you tried to run us down?” Rick asked

The shadow merely stared

”Talk,” Scotty ordered, ”or I'll put this spear through you”

The man spoke, and his accent was the soft speech of the island ”No, you won't I could explain running doi a spear through a man in a boat You don't want that kind of trouble”

Scotty grinned at the truth of it ”Okay,” he said ”Just one thing