by John Blaine
The brass ball!
Rick wondered. He had heard no boat noise. The brass ball must be operating
automatically. He hooted for Scotty’s attention,then pointed toward the cave.
Scotty checked his spear gun and motioned for Rick to lead. Rick pushed his camera in front of him and made his fins move rapidly. There might be some outward sign when the ball sounded, something that would tell them a little about its mechanism or purpose.
As the cave came in view he coasted, looking upward. The murky layer prevented his seeing very far, but there was no one in sight. He let inertia carry him toward the cave,then swung upright in the water as he saw that the octopus had moved a little distance from the cave mouth.
Instinctively Rick knew that something was wrong, but it was too late to get out of harm’s way.
A frogman emerged from the cave, spring-type spear gun pointed directly toward them.
The frogman held the brass instrument in his free hand.
Even as Rick hooted a warning, the frogman fired!
His spear lanced through the water directly at Scotty!
CHAPTER XVII
Trapped in Twenty Fathoms
Scotty writhed to one side, and the fact that the frogman had fired from too great a distance gave him time to dodge. The spear went by, and Scotty lifted his own gun to return the shot.
Rick, senses suddenly acute, glanced upward again in time to see two more figures descending through the murky layer.He hooted for danger!
Scotty glanced up, too. Then, instead of firing, he sped forward and thrust the tip of his spear at the frogman’s chest. The frogman lifted his hands high. Scotty jerked the man’s face plate loose, then turned swiftly and motioned to Rick.
Rick followed, fins driving, as Scotty led the way into deeper water in the direction of the wreck.
The frogman who had been in the cave was temporarily out of things. His Scuba was the type that combined the breathing apparatus with the full face plate. He could clear the face plate of the water Scotty had let in, but it would take a little time.
Suddenly Scotty shot upward. Rick turned and looked over his shoulder as he followed.
The second two frogmen were in clear water now, and both had spear guns!
Scotty led the way into the murky layer, then leveled off and swam horizontally. Rick wondered what kind of evasive action his pal was planning, but he followed without trying to communicate with the other boy. In a situation like this, Scotty’s instincts were dependable.
Rick stayed close to Scotty in the murky layer, swimming at his side and a little behind.
After a few yards Scotty dove again, into clear water. Rick looked around but could see
no sign of the enemy. Apparently the frogmen had followed and were still in the murk.
Scotty shot downward, Rick at his side. The wreck was directly below them. Scotty didn’t hesitate. He let his momentum carry him right through the grouper’s front door into the cabin. Rick followed, hah0 expecting to see Scotty and the grouper meet head on, but the fish hadn’t returned.
Inside the cabin, Scotty switched on his flashlight, took his slate, and wrote,
“Thylthnkwewntbk tobot . We sty hrIngnuff thyfnd out wentthr & cmbckIkngfr us.Thn we go up tobot .”
Rick nodded his understanding. It was good strategy, provided they timed it right. The frogmen would assume the boys had returned to the Water Witch when they went up through the murky layer. They would examine the boat,then dive down again. At that time, if he and Scotty could time it right, the two groups would pass in the murky layer and the boys would emerge while their enemies were still descending.
He looked at his watch. They had only a few minutes of air left. The frogmen would have more air, not only because they had entered the water after the boys were already on the bottom, but because they had not descended so deeply.
He wrote, “Rlax.Bretheeasy.”
The less effort they made, the longer their air would last. For a moment he debated suggesting that they share one tank by trading the mouthpiece back and forth, but that would leave one of them practically without air when they had to leave. He tried to imagine the movements of their enemies. The frogmen would be on the surface now, approaching the boat ladder with caution. They couldn’t be sure the boys were not waiting in ambush.
Both boys had switched off their lights and were resting motionless in the darkness of the cabin. A little light filtered through the hole near the roof, but not enough to see by.
Suddenly the light was blocked out!
Rick reached for his belt knife and Scotty thrust the spear gun forward, then both relaxed a little. The grouper had returned.
The big fish turned at the opening and backed into his hole. He hovered in the opening, holding position while he stared out into his watery kingdom. Apparently the fish had no idea that the boys were in the cabin. When it came time to leave and they touched him or hooted at him, he would get the surprise of his life.
Even in their predicament, Rick could see the humor in the grouper’s reaction. He wondered if groupers were subject to heart failure from shock.
Rick returned to trying to imagine the movements of the frogmen. Now they would be cautiously boarding the Water Witch, one up the ladder, the other climbing the anchor chain. They would be careful, still unsure whether or not the quarry was aboard.
He thought he felt constriction in his lungs from the warning signal that his air was running out, but finally decided it was only his imagination.
Now the frogmen would be aboard the Water Witch, making a quick search, spear guns ready to fire their lethal shafts. Now they would be in the cabin and shouting their disappointment.
Now the frogmen would be hurrying back into the water, readjusting their face masks, ready to dive.
The grouper shot out of the cabin with a flick of his powerful tail that raised the silt around them.
Rick’s heartbeat faltered. The grouper had been alarmed. They had mistimed.
Right now, the frogmen were outside the Maiden Hand!
CHAPTER XVIII
The Fight on the “Maiden Hand”
They had only one hope now-that the frogmen would make a quick survey of the wreck,then go away. The boys waited tensely, ears alert for any sound that would tell them the whereabouts of their enemy.
There was only the sound of their bubbles.
Rick pressed close to the opening and peered out. The water that could be seen from the entrance was clear. However, it was only a narrow sector. For all he knew, the frogmen might be right overhead.
He backed down into the cabin and pushed his camera into a corner. He could get it
later. Right now he preferred to have both hands free. He wished for a spear gun, to double their armament. But the other guns were on the Water Witch. The wrecking bars were useless, too. It was almost impossible to strike a blow against the resistance of the water.
Something scraped outside, and both boys froze.
There was no doubt that the frogmen were at the wreck. Why didn’t they go away?
They couldn’t know about the entrance to the cabin-orcould they?
The moments dragged by. There couldn’t be much air left in their tanks. Rick risked holding his wrist close to the opening and saw that his watch showed one minute of diving time before shortness of breath would signal time to turn on their air reserve and surface.
Time was critical. If the frogmen didn’t go away before their air ran out, they would have to surface, if they were allowed to by the enemy. With luck, Scotty could account for one. But that would leave two, both armed. By this time the first frogman would have blown the water from his mask and recovered his spear.
No, it would be dangerous for Scotty even to take time for a shot, unless he could fire without pausing. Their best bet was to make a run for it, depending on speed.
On land, he was sure he and Scotty could outrun the enemy, but in the water, speed depended on skill with the fins, and the power of leg
strokes. He doubted that the frogmen were much faster than he and Scotty, but there was an excellent chance that their speed in the water was equal.
He conserved his air, spacing his breathing, taking only enough air to keep comfortable.
There was another scraping sound, and he knew the frogmen were still around. Were they actually searching the wreck? If so, they might find the entrance.
And then Rick suddenly discovered a new danger!
Their air bubbles had been floating to the top of the cabin, forming a pool under the ceiling. But they had stayed in the cabin so long that enough water had been displaced to bring the pool of exhausted air close to the entrance, which was only a few inches below roof level.
In a moment the air would spill out, and rising bubbles would warn the frogmen!
He gripped Scotty’s shoulder and pointed to the silvery mass of exhausted air that curled perilously close to the entrance.
The other boy saw the danger at once. He wrote on his slate, “We gowhn airduz ,” and held it in the light for Rick to see.
Rick nodded. He drew his belt knife.
There couldn’t be many breaths left before the air spilled out. Nor could there be many before warning constriction forced them to turn on the reserves. At this depth the reserve wasn’t very great.
He saw Scotty reach for his reserve lever and pull it down. A moment later he had to pull his own.
Something rang like a struck tank, almost directly overhead.
The lip of the bubble pool moved from the water motion caused by pulling their reserves. Rick watched it, scarcely breathing.
The air pool trembled. A tiny bubble broke loose and sped upward.
Rick squeezed Scotty’s arm, then with a powerful thrust of his flippers he shot out into light, right into the stomach of a frogman!
He thrust with his knife, and a hand gripped his wrist and twisted. Scotty shot from the hole in the wreck and turned, fins flailing. His spear gun belched carbon dioxide, and the deadly spear ripped into the leg of one frogman.
Rick flailed arms and legs, trying to break free of the grip that held him. He saw the wounded frogman fire his spear at Scotty. The boy moved just in time, and the shaft shot between his arm and side.
Scotty let go of his useless gun and grappled with the frogman, reaching for his knife with one hand while he gripped the frogman’s wrist with the other.
Rick knew their air was running out fast. He felt a knife glance from his tank and heard the ring of metal. He struggled for footing and turned in time to thrust a flippered foot into the stomach of the frogman behind him.
Next to him he caught a glimpse of Scotty and his opponent rolling in the water, and he saw the shimmer of metal as a knife flashed.
Arms locked around his throat. He reached backward over his head and his hands touched rubber. He gripped and pulled with all his strength and felt the man’s face plate come free.
The frogman who had lost his mask suddenly threw off tanks and weight belt and sped for the surface.
The odds were even! Rick locked with his opponent and felt powerful arms drag him close. The man had more strength than he! He fought to break loose, and couldn’t!
Then the mouthpiece was pulled away from Rick’s lips in mid-breath, and he choked on sea water.
Without air-twenty fathoms down!
Frantically he fought, locking his air passage so his last lungful couldn’t escape. He got a hand free and caught his opponent’s hose where it joined the tank. He pulled with all his strength and felt it give. Bubbles rose in a cloud.
He would have sobbed if he could. It was the wrong hose! He had only torn loose the exhaust. He groped and found the intake hose, then, lifting his knee and thrusting for leverage, he pulled with all his strength. The hose gave! The grip on him loosened.
Rick was now desperate for air! He pulled the quick release on his weight belt and felt it drop away,then he kicked for the surface, frantic with fear for Scotty. Had he gotten free? Had he? His last view had been of his pal locked with the remaining frogman!
Bubbles streamed from his mouth as the compressed air in his lungs expanded under the decreasing pressure. He let himself exhale as he rose, fighting against panic and the impulse to lock the remaining air in his lungs. That would be fatal, he knew, and he willed himself to act properly. He kept his fins moving, knowing that, if he kept his head, he would make the surface.
He passed through the murky layer and saw the surface like a wrinkled silver sheet far overhead. Straining, he swam for it, letting out his breath as the pressure on his lungs demanded.
There was another boat hull in the water, almost over him! He angled away, to avoid coming up under it.
And suddenly there were forms around the boat. A cry tore from his lips and was
swallowed in the water.
More frogmen! More enemies, when they were already defeated!
CHAPTER XIX
JANIG Takes to the Water
A figure dove to meet Rick. He angled away, fighting the impulse to breathe, keeping the compressed air moving out of his lungs. The figure angled with him,then suddenly sheered off. Rick shot past and the figure followed.
These new frogmen were diving in midseason suits. He was aware of nearly a dozen of them. He didn’t count them; with his terrible need for oxygen he didn’t care that much.
He knew he would make it. He hadtolBut where was Scotty?
Rick shot to the surface, went right through it, his impetus carrying him into the blessed air. He gulped a great lungful before he fell back with a splash, and as he hit water his fins were flailing, to carry him toward the hastily glimpsed shore.
A masked figure surfaced beside him and called, “Take it easy!”
He only moved faster. The frogman caught him easily, because the power was gone from his leg strokes now. But he had enough strength to fight. He reached for the frogman’s face plate, and a strong arm pushed him back.
A voice penetrated his consciousness. “Stop it, Rick, or I’ll have to let you have one.”
The frogman knew his name! He hesitated, fist pulled back to throw the best punch he had left, and the new frogman back-pedaled.
“Hold it,” the frogman called, and lifted his face mask.
Rick stopped moving, staring numbly.
Jimmy Kelly! Lieutenant Kelly!
“I’ll tow you to the boat,” the lieutenant called. “Relax.”
Rick obeyed, head spinning. He was a little groggy, and he couldn’t make sense out of things. How had Kelly got here?
And Scotty! Where was Scotty? He started struggling again, calling his friend’s name.
“He’s all right,” Kelly said urgently. “Relax, Rick!”
Rick caught the words, and they penetrated. How did Kelly know Scotty was all right?
But the lieutenant had spoken with authority, so he relaxed.
Kelly towed him to the landing stage of the ship Rick had seen, a destroyer escort.
Willing hands lifted him from the water. He slumped down on the edge of the stage, shaking his head to clear it while Navy frogmen stripped his aqualung harness from him and pulled the mask from his face.
A voice said, “Drink this.”
A mug of steaming black coffee was thrust into his hand and he sipped, grateful for the spreading warmth it brought.
Suddenly he started again. “Scotty! Where is he?”
“Up here, Rick, with me.”
He looked up, and his eyes focused again-on Tony and Zircon!
A motor whaleboat drew up to the landing stage, and two husky frogmen handed up a suited figure. “Here’s one, Lieutenant,” a frogman called.
“All right, Danny. Where’s the other?”
“Heading for the reef at top speed.Jonesy’s after him.”
“Go help Jonesy haul him in.”
“Yes, Sir.”The motor whaleboat veered off and sped toward shore.
A frogman surfaced almost at Rick’s feet. He instinctively drew bac
k, and the frogman gripped the edge of the stage, spat out his mouthpiece, and pulled up his mask with the other hand.
Rick found himself looking at Steve Ames! What was he doing here?
“Where’s the brass ball?” Steve asked.
“I don’t know.”
With an effort Rick pulled his scattered wits together. His mind began to work again.
Obviously, through some miracle Steve and Zircon had arrived on a Navy ship with Jimmy Kelly and a detachment of Navy frogmen.
Scotty called from on deck. “It’s at the octopus cave, Steve. I saw one of the frogmen drop it there.”
Steve hauled himself out to the landing stage. He grinned at Rick. “Feeling better?”
“Much,” Rick said. He was beginning to feel nearly human again.
“Let’s go on deck. I want to find out about this octopus cave.”
Rick stood up, and was surprised to find that he didn’t wobble. He followed Steve up the ladder to the deck and found Scotty seated on a canvas stool, sipping coffee.
Zircon asked anxiously, “Are you all right, Rick?”
Tony said, “Here’s the doctor for a look at you.”
A young Navy officer joined them and motioned Rick to a canvas stool. He applied a stethoscope and listened, then grunted his satisfaction. “He seems all right. Pulse a little fast, but 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?”
