perhaps we had better start our survey for the brass can- 

 non and the plate wreck, farther in on the bank. 



When we woke the next morning, we found that the 

 wind had returned to its normal summer position in the 

 southeast. It was already blowing ten knots, roughing the 

 surface of the water and destroying the clear visibility 

 of the bottom. As we were already on the location, we de- 

 cided to continue with our plan to search for the brass 

 cannon and the plate wreck. 



We had been told that we would probably find the 

 cannon forming the center of a dark patch of coral, its 

 grassy perimeter separated from the black center by a 

 stretch of white sand. So Barney, Dick and Ed took turns 

 watching from the crow's-nest as we followed carefully 

 calculated compass courses back and forth across the banks. 

 Each time the watcher spied a black patch, we cruised 

 hopefully toward it, eyes peeled to catch a glimpse beneath 

 the water of those loglike objects which would be brass 

 cannon. 



We found the entire Lily bank to be harmless, deep 

 sand, but toward the middle of the afternoon, in the vicin- 

 ity of Matanilla reef, we came upon some wicked-looking 

 coral formations. After Sea Diver was anchored at a safe 

 distance, Jane and Barney took the dinghy to examine 

 them. They found a wild, awesome underwater wilderness, 

 its brown, tumbled, rocky surface broken by deep crevasses 

 full of seaweed and milling masses of fish. 



When they were once more on board, we retreated 

 southward a mile or so to the safety of the bank, where 

 we anchored for the night. The day had passed without a 

 glimpse of what we were seeking. Ed acknowledged the 

 diflBculty of the task we had set ourselves. It was all very 

 well to know the latitude of the plate wreck, but with no 

 longitude to assist us, Ed figured the wreck could lie any- 



The Bahama Islands 115 



