ame for the elevator operator. But, for now,
we'll consider you've drawn a blank and let it go at that."

CHAPTER VI

A Calm Precedes a Storm

A crisis had arisen and Rick and Scotty could only stand by
helplessly. After all, what could mere males do in such a situation?

Barby decided that Rick and Scotty were to fly over to Whiteside and
get diving equipment for Jan, so she could have her own. It was easy
to agree on the type of face mask, snorkel, and fins. But everything
bogged down when it came to color.

Rick's own mask, snorkel, and fins were sea green. Scotty had a green
mask, blue snorkel, and black fins. Barby had a white mask, red
snorkel, and white fins.

"Look," Rick said impatiently. "What earthly difference does it make?
The principal thing is comfort. If the fins feel good and the mask
fits comfortably, that's it. Color? What difference does color make to
a fish?"

Barby sniffed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Jan looked at him coldly and stated that she wouldn't know what
difference color made to a fish, because she was not a fish.

"You swim like one," Scotty said diplomatically, but didn't even get a
smile in return.

There was only one thing for the boys to do, and that was to make as
graceful a retreat as possible. They did so, and sat waiting under a
tree in the orchard while raging debate went on between the girls on
the porch.

Rick looked over at the laboratory building. His father and the other
scientists were hard at work on the project, he supposed. He felt
rather left out, because they were too busy to talk with him, and when
he went in to look around he could see only stacks of paper covered
with equations that he couldn't begin to understand.

"Wonder when Marks will arrive?" he asked.

Scotty shrugged. "We'll probably find out when he gets here."

Dr. Marks had agreed to join the team at Spindrift as soon as he
finished running some of the team calculations through the automatic
computer at the Bureau of Standards in Washington. Tom Dodd would
arrive with him, Steve had reported. Meanwhile, protection for the
Spindrift team was under the direction of another of Steve's men, Joe
Blake. Joe and another agent took turns in the laboratory, sleeping
and eating there and emerging one at a time for a little exercise.

Nor were Joe and his partner the only protection. In the woods on the
mainland, just out of sight of the tidal flat, a group of four Boy
Scout