conducted sound so well, the hoot could be heard clearly some distance
away.

Rick lifted his face from the water and saw that Scotty was pointing to
an area a short distance to their right. He followed Scotty's lead and
saw the reason for the signal. It was a rocky, coral-covered area about
thirty feet square and perhaps fifteen feet below the surface.

The boys swam directly over it, then floated motionless, watching the
activity below. At first glance, there appeared to be only a pair of
odd-shaped file-fish nibbling at the formation, but as their vision
adjusted they made out literally dozens of tiny, colorful fish in
clefts, under overhangs, or waiting motionless against a patch of color
on the rocks. Rick pointed to a school of about ten vivid little fish of
electric-blue color. The largest was less than two inches long. Scotty
hooted for attention and pointed in his turn to a section of the rock
that held over a dozen sea urchins that looked like black horse
chestnuts with exaggerated spines.

Rick watched a pair of brown doctorfish about eight inches long swim by
below, then his attention was attracted by a brilliant red squirrelfish
peering out of a cleft. He pointed the red fish out to Scotty, who in
turn showed him where a little moray was peering out of a hole near the
base of the rock.

Rick was fascinated. If a tiny patch of rock held this amount of life,
what must the real reefs be like off Clipper Cay? He was suddenly
impatient to get going, to put on his aqualung and explore the reef from
top to bottom. And if they should really find the wreck of the _Maiden
Hand_, there was every chance that the exploration of the wreck and the
sea life it had acquired would more than compensate for the treasure
none of them really hoped to find anyway. What a vacation!

He was suddenly conscious of a throb in his ears. He listened and tried
to identify it. A motorboat of some kind, but it didn't sound like a
very powerful one. He lifted his head and searched for it.

Scotty, too, had heard the boat. He began to tread water, lifting his
mask, then rinsing it because it had fogged a little.

Rick spotted the boat. It looked like a large row-boat, powered with an
outboard motor, and it was headed in their direction.

Scotty took his snorkel out of his mouth. "Better stay topside and
watch. We don't want to start our vacation by getting run over."

"Too true," Rick said. "Isn't this great? I've never seen so man