Part 18 (1/2)
Zircon waved his hand ”TheMr Brant, who soence He has a device which projects infrared light, and glasses that allow the wearer to see whatever that light illu that they take his underwater camera and use it for illumination That s?” he asked incredulously
”And why not?”
”But we've never done any night diving!”
”You tested the caht, did you not?”
”Yes,” Rick admitted, ”but that was in water that we knew, off Pirate's Field at hoh to expose a few feet of filh about these waters to know that there are no dangerous obstructions beyond the reef, at least between here and the _Maiden Hand_”
Scotty laughed ”This is a day I never thought would co to sell soht, Rick?”
”No reason,” Rick admitted ”It was just that it hadn't occurred to h I have only two pairs of glasses with infrared-sensitive lenses So only two of us could go”
”Only two could dive with the cao Tould remain on the surface, with the floats, in case of trouble”
”Who would dive and ould stay on the surface?” Scotty demanded
Rick produced a quarter ”Let coins decide Except for the professor He thought of it, so he dives”
”Fair enough,” Scotty agreed ”All right with you, Tony?”
”Of course The three of us, then Odd oes with Hobart”
Tony and Scotty produced coins With Rick, they walked into the living roohted a kerosene la it in the pal it onto his other wrist Tony and Scotty followed suit Rick uncovered first He had heads Tony uncovered and displayed a tail
Scotty groaned ”Shucks! I lose It's one of you”
Rick held his breath as Scotty uncovered--another tail! He turned to Zircon ”We dive, while Scotty and Tony stay topside”
”Good Well, what are aiting for?”
They changed quickly into trunks, then asseear Rick took the front plate fro bracket He changed to a fresh battery, then replaced the film in the camera with the special infrared-sensitive film
Whatever the infrared illulass
Rick had ordered lenses ground frolass and had placed them in frames made to fit into a face -equipned for divers who had to wear their own corrective glasses, and they suited Rick's purpose to perfection He handed a pair to Hobart Zircon, then inserted the other pair in his own uns Zircon chose Rick's rubber-powered gun, while Tony selected the light spring gun Scotty chose the highest-powered gun they had, a new jet-type powered with carbon dioxide
Rick and Zircon connected their regulators to two freshly filled tanks, then tested the equip scientist drew theether for a brief conference