here, I realized, that the survivors of the Looe had spent 

 four anxious days. 



Ed nosed Blue Heron in between two of the extend- 

 ing teeth and dropped the fore and aft anchors. I saw 

 that the wreck had settled into the narrow valley be- 

 tween. Again, it was only because of the cannon lying on 

 the bottom that we were able to relocate it so easily. The 

 other two boats, which had followed us, anchored nearby. 



As the morning wore on, I swam about on the siu^face 

 with face mask and flippers, fascinated at the activities 

 which I could glimpse beneath the water. In one place the 

 coral came so close to the surface I could kick it with my 

 flippers. Then it dropped off sheer to the ocean bottom 

 thirty feet below, where the divers were working. I could 

 scarcely wait to join them. It seemed hours before my turn 

 finaUy arrived. 



This time I was better prepared. Instead of weights 

 hanging loose from one shoulder, I wore a weighted belt 

 across my chest, for Ed was afraid that if it were fastened 

 about my waist, I would not be able to remove it quickly 

 enough in case of emergency. On my feet I wore those 

 blessed flippers, which proved to be the means of making 

 my feet do what I wanted them to. 



I lowered myself slowly along the life line until my 

 feet hit the edge of a wire basket placed on the bottom as 

 a repository for the divers' finds. A heavy black air hose 

 hung from the boat above; it was being used to clean away 

 coral chips and sand from the objects on the bottom. I 

 paused and looked around. 



Towering high above the narrow valley on either 

 side were coral chffs and caves, from which grew beautiful 

 sea fans and other branching Gorgonia. In my ignorance 

 at the time I thought the animal-celled Gorgonia was 

 vegetation. 



The Florida Keys 25 



