ar toward him the keen
knife flashed across the 'cuda's spine just behind the gills. Rick
tossed his gun onto the float, then together they heaved the fish up
beside it.

"Spindrift was never like this," Scotty said, grinning.

Rick gulped air and grinned back.

A hail from the shore reached them. They turned and saw Tony Briotti. He
was waving a frying pan in a signal for breakfast. Suddenly Rick
realized that he was famished.

"Let's go," he said. "We'll trade these for bacon and eggs."

It was nearly noon before they got into the water again. The first part
of the morning was spent in fashioning sea sleds from the planks the
boys had gathered. This was simple enough, but it took a little time.
First the planks were cut to proper length, then two of them were nailed
together. A bridle was arranged so that they could be towed, and spare
weight belts and weights were used to counteract their bouyancy. They
were very much like the aqua-planes commonly towed behind motorboats,
but much cruder, and designed to go under rather than remain on the
surface.

Two long ropes were arranged so that a sled could be towed on either
side of the _Water Witch_. Once this was done, the boys rechecked their
equipment, attached the regulators to the tanks, and carried them to the
beach.

Zircon would pilot the boat, following the 120-foot mark on the chart.
Tony would act as tender at the stern, while Rick and Scotty would ride
the sleds. The first leg would take them through the reef channel, then
south to the tip of the island, reverse course and north again, staying
at the twenty-fathom mark. Zircon was sure that he would be able to
follow the prescribed course by judging his distance from the reef.

When all was in readiness, they loaded their gear aboard the _Water
Witch_, including the spare tanks. Only the runaway tank was missing,
and Rick had determined that its wild flight had not weakened it. The
valve and pressure gauge had been recovered after a considerable search,
and the tank could be refilled with the others.

Zircon took the _Water Witch_ through the reef, and the boys donned
their equipment while Tony swung the ladder outboard. Rick checked his
own straps, and then those of Scotty, while Scotty returned the favor.
Then each checked the flow of air through his mouthpiece, and made sure
the reserve rod was in the "up" position. This done, they entered the
water. Tony tossed the boards over and made sure the lin