Part 15 (2/2)

”It reed soberly He looked at Rick with a sudden twinkle ”It ood idea to take a look around down below--just so we'll knohat to stay away frorinned

By the tied and it was only the work of un in one hand and a wrecking bar in the other Ordinarily they would not have bothered with the guns, but being armed seemed just common sense

On the bottons of its former structure while Scotty attacked the stern with a crowbar Under Scotty's prying, a tirouper that hed nearly three hundred pounds rushed past Rick, startling him half to death until he sahat it was

Scotty hooted in derision as Rick back-pedaled, then he put his bar down and swam to Rick's side He scrawled on his belt slate, ”Whre he cood question They swa place and failed to locate it Rick knew the big fish liked caves, rocky clefts, and the interiors of wrecks This one ht down to the botto the sand Even so, he ht have missed the hole if stirred-up dust from the fish's sudden departure hadn't indicated where it was The hole, big enough for hih, was _under_ the wreck, hidden by rotted planks covered with rowth He hooted for Scotty's attention and showed it to him

He took his belt slate and wrote, ”Way into shp?”

Scotty nodded and wrote in his turn, ”Too drk Need lites”

Rick nodded For aoff the planks with his bar, but he decided against it Any disturbance ht very well collapse the entire structure He wondered whether the hole was just a shallow opening, or whether it actually led into the shi+p No hts with their spare gear in the boat They could find out on the next dive

For their re time underwater he joined Scotty in his assault on the stern of the shi+p They were rewarded by finding as evidently the interior of a cabin Rick ripped off another plank, then juer The cabin was the hoe rabbed for their spear guns, but Scotty held up his hand in a sign to wait Rick did so, and saw the big eel ee and swim rapidly toward the reef

Scotty had shoisdoiven theht have used up more air than they could spare

The water inside the cabin was murky Rick looked at his watch They had only a few ”

Scotty nodded agreement

They watched as the water settled and the interior of the cabin grew clearer Evidently it had been a very sht once have been a single bunk, and a few broken, alht have been a table Mattress and bedding had long since vanished Then Rick spotted a squarish shape under the ruin of the bunk and motioned to Scotty They went in after it

The top crumbled under their touch and silt rose into the water around them But Rick persisted and felt fabric under his hands He pulled it out and recognized a seaman's jacket, brass buttons corroded and fabric nearly rotted through Apparently they had found a sea chest, but their exploring hands discovered nothing but rotted fabrics

Rick felt the warning constriction that told him he had only minutes left He pulled down the reserve lever of his tank and touched Scotty's arm He hooted twice for the ascent

Back in the _Water Witch_, they connected their tanks to the coed tanks, then tested their underwater flashlights

Rick said, ”Do you realize I haven't taken a single picture?”

”Why not take some on the next dive?”

”Good idea” Rick went into the cabin and brought out his camera