Part 32 (1/2)
Rick listened, and he had to admit it wasn't a bad plan at all--so far
”Of course they would let us rest Then I'd wait for a chance to put the radio behind a cushi+on, or in the crack of an armchair, or somewhere like that I didn't know exactly what I could do, but I knee could get aboard there would be so the radio behind”
The pram had vanished around the turn of the cove The speedboat would coht,” Rick adood plan What happened?”
Jan took up the tale ”We didn't want to try to swim all the way from Spindrift, so we took the rowboat and did exactly what Cap'n Mike did yesterday We rowed along the shore with the aqualungs and got into the water right where we could see the houseboat We had to
Otherwise, ould have gotten lost underwater”
”But you had the wrist compasses, didn't you?” Scotty asked The boys had stressed that compasses were essential because low visibility in the waters off Spindrift made it very easy to lose one's sense of direction
”We had the coht to the houseboat?”
”Then why didn't you get into the water out of sight of the houseboat?” Rick asked, and suddenly he knew That would havea compass course around a turn So e to another co He had explained it to them, but they just hadn't learned It was not easy, he had to admit, and it took practice even on land ”Never mind,” he said ”I know the answer Go ahead Tell us the rest”
Barby studied his face ”I guess you do know,” she assented ”Well, they told us later, on the houseboat They saw us get into the water, then they watched our bubbles coot here, they weren't fooled”
”We went through with it, as we planned,” Jan said, ”and we thought ere getting aith it They were very nice Of course we could colad to have us stop by But e got aboard, one of the woo into the cabin and sit down Then they started asking us questions”
”What kind of questions?” Rick inquired
”About e had come We stuck to the story, until they told us they'd seen us Even then we didn't ad Then Barby started to threaten them”
Scotty chuckled ”I'd like to have heard that”
Rick watched the tip of the cove The speedboat fro shortly ”How about the plane?” he asked suddenly ”What did you do with it?”
Scotty motioned to the other side of the houseboat ”It's anchored I landed next to the JANIG teaon carried a small anchor and a few yards of anchor line in one of the pontoons
”Okay Carry on, Barby How did you threaten theical,” Barby stated ”Wasn't I, Jan?”
Jan nodded agree theht as well let us go right away”
”Bet that i this, or am I?”
”You are,” Rick said contritely ”Go ahead”
”Well, I said my brother knehere ere, and they'd better be careful It didn't work Then I pointed out that they didn't even dare to kill us, because our bodies could be traced back to the houseboat
Everyone knee'd just gone for a swim, and everyone knee could take care of ourselves”
Rick thought privately that any tier frouard at all tis, too, but finally they slapped me and told me to shut up”