that's to be expected. You had
a slight dose of oxygen starvation. Feel better now?"

Rick nodded. He was beginning to feel wonderful. They were out of it,
and with whole skins.

Scotty grinned sheepishly. "I abandoned you. I had to, because I ran
completely out of air. I shoved my man away and headed for the surface.
I felt pretty guilty about leaving you with two of them."

Rick returned the grin. "I felt the same way. I thought I'd abandoned
you. But I see you got to the surface first."

Steve accepted a cup of coffee and squatted on the deck, facing them.
"Suppose we start from the beginning. What happened?"

Rick told him, starting from the moment when they had heard the brass
ball wail. He finished, "There were three of them. Did you get them
all?"

"Yes. Including one with a spear through his leg. The last one is just
being hauled aboard now. He tried to get to the island."

Jimmy Kelly and a group of frogmen joined them. Jimmy asked, "How about
the sounding gear, Steve?"

"We'll ask now. How about that octopus cave? Where is it?"

"We'll take you," Rick said. "Let us get tanks from our boat. There
should be a pair fully charged by now."

Steve shot a look at the doctor. The officer shrugged, then nodded.
"Okay, if it's a short dive. They've had plenty for today."

"Chief? Where are you?" Kelly called.

A frogman stepped from the rear of the group. "Here, Sir."

"Check their regulators, please. If they're okay, hook up fresh tanks.
If not, loan them complete outfits."

"Yes, Sir."

"Thanks, Chief. Then get set to come with us. Danny, Jonesy, Mike, and
Dick come along, too. Bring still and motion-picture cameras. When we
get down, split into two-man teams and search the area. You know what
we're looking for. It's just like the one we found off St. Croix."

Rick stared at the frogman officer. Another brass ball off St. Croix?
But there wasn't time for questions.

"Quick dive, please," Zircon requested. "These boys have had enough."

"They're through as soon as they show us the cave," Steve agreed. "Come
on, gang. Let's get to it."

Rick carefully checked his equipment, something that no diver can ever
take for granted or leave to someone else, while Scotty did the same.
Then they put the equipment on and adjusted face masks. Their knives,
Rick's camera, and Scotty's spear and gun were somewhere near the wreck.
They would have to get them another time.

The group entered the water. Rick loo