Part 24 (1/2)

Scotty whistled

Rick laughed ”Quite a story,” he said

”I pointed out the obvious,” Tony went on, ”that it was strange they should choose a storht Their ansas that storht it possible that soht be obtained only under stor,” Rick reood story, and if we didn't know Steve was after at least one of those men, we'd probably believe it!”

”Fish noises!” Scotty exclai around before, they'd probably claim that the octopus really did wail, and that they were only recording hi barracuda would appeal to theot out of that one pretty well

I had a little trouble banging my tank Didn't want to do it overtly, of course Finally Ito the boat, and I banged ainst one of theirs But how did you knohat to do?”

Rick explained briefly, then he broke into a suys are s story”

”It's appealing,” Tony admitted ”I'm almost tempted to pay them another call to cry of the wild sea trout, or the love song of the gay sardine”

”But you won't,” Scotty said practically ”You certainly cahed ”He's adventure-prone And lucky How do you beat a combination like that?”

CHAPTER XVI

The Deadly Spring Gun

The stor an overcast sky and heavy swells An inspection with the binoculars showed that all was quiet at the frogmen's house Their boat was tied to the pier

”They probably recovered the brass ball during the night,” Rick observed, ”or perhaps early this ”

”The question is,” Scotty reet to the octopus cave?”

Tony joined them on the porch in tiht on that It happens that I woke up at dawn and looked out to see how the weather was behaving The frogmen were anchored off the eastern reef in the same place We can assume that they picked up the brass ball and put it back in the cave near the wreck”

Rick rubbed his hand over his short hair in a gesture of bewilderet froine Steve A If you boys have no objection, I think I'll spend the afternoon at ?”

Rick looked at Scotty ”Dive at the wreck?”

”Sure Frogolden statue of St

Francis somewhere down there”

After lunch the boys checked their equip particularly careful because they had not rinsed out the regulators with fresh water after every dive Their small supply of water, coupled with the odd hours at which the equipment had been used, was the reason They took a little water froulators The rest of the equipment would just have to wait

Tony departed for his Indianover his shoulder The boys started the coht, then untied the _Water Witch_ and headed for the diving area Scotty scanned the frog of interest

They anchored just outside the reef and looked for their buoy It was gone, probably torn away by the storain,” Rick said ”No trouble I could find rinned ”I have!”