Part 24 (2/2)

”Shall we take a look in the octopus cave too?”

”A quick one I doubt that we'd seeout what kind of inforet And I don't knoe'll do that”

”Wait for a break,” Scotty replied ”Coet into the water”

It was cold The storoose flesh and wished they had brought along midseason suits

The water was murky, too, because of the sand and silt stirred up by the storm The murkiness started about twenty feet below the surface Not until they were over fifty feet down did the water clear again The light was reduced soht his camera to take ht

Scotty carried the big jet spear gun It was powerful enough to spear sharks or big barracuda, just in case the frogain

Rick led the way to the octopus cave, glancing up now and then to make sure they were alone in the water The little octopus was in his usual position on the ledge

Scotty, spear gun extended, swahtly to his chest to keep it fro, so Rick didn't bother with his own

The cave was just about large enough for both of them It was a typical coral formation, not much different from the reef outside, except that the brass ball was in the center of the rough floor

The boys exa of interest Rick pushed at Scotty's shoulder and swao

The wreck of the _Maiden Hand_ was just as they had left it, and the grouper was back in his coh speed as the boys appeared They had agreed to start work aft of the captain's cabin, and the wrecking bars were carried under their tank harnesses for the purpose Both were convinced that there was nothing h the possibility reht conceal the statue

Rick tied his ca bar and looked for a place to start Scotty pointed to a place where there were boards aft of the cabin they had already uncovered, and they started to work

By the time they had pried off the first few boards it was tied tanks, then rested for half an hour There was no sign of activity at the frogmen's house, nor could they see Tony at work on his midden, since the location was hidden by palht be sonals?”

He didn't know the answer to that ”Anyway, since it's underwater, if it sends out anything it must be sound iood is sound if not for signals?” added Rick

”Sonar,” Scotty reminded

The boys were familiar with sonar because of the Spindrift work on the Subh frequency sound impulses were sent out, and the echoes were timed or used in other ways It was the way in which bottos were made by surface craft, and the way in which Navy shi+ps detected sub schools of fish

”It could be sonar of soood would it do anyone to stick a sonar device on an island like this?”

And there speculation stopped again, the question still unanswered

They dove to the wreck and continued the hard labor of taking the aft end of the shi+p apart When they finally got the new area cleared of rotted boards and timbers it was only to find a cabin already filled with sand

Rick borrowed the spear froun and thrust it down into the sand It slid in easily,except more sand