had to turn and make for shore, pursued by these frightful 

 white-maned monsters? I was terrified. 



"Please, Ed," I pleaded, "let's go back. It's so danger- 

 ous." 



But Ed had spotted the rock we had been looking for, 

 and he wanted to get as close to it as possible. After in- 

 structing Kemp to continue toward it, he disappeared in- 

 side the cabin to watch the bottom for signs of the guns. 

 I stood in the cockpit, braced against the wind, exerting 

 every bit of self-control I possessed, for I was certain we 

 would either be capsized in these waves or swept upon a 

 reef. 



Moments passed that seemed like hours. Kemp guided 

 Reef Diver carefully between a series of rolling combers. 

 I wanted to shut my eyes, yet I was fascinated at the wild 

 grandeur of the sight. We made a slow way past the pin- 

 nacle of rock which was revealed every now and then from 

 beneath a smothering cover of white foam. 



At last Ed reappeared and gave the signal to return. 

 This was the crucial moment. Would we be able to come 

 about without shipping quantities of water? Would it be 

 possible to outrun the waves which formed and broke 

 around us as they raced for shore? I braced myself for 

 whatever might come. 



With careful timing, Kemp swung Reef Diver's bow 

 about until we were headed for distant Miss Romer cay. 

 I waited for one of the huge waves which followed us to 

 overtake us and burst into the cockpit. Instead, Reef Diver 

 gallantly rode their crests and shot ahead on their sur- 

 face until the speedier waves disappeared forward of us. 

 Indeed, we discovered, we had a boat well adapted to her 

 task. For with an ordinary craft under such circumstances, 

 the rudder and wheel would have come out of water each 

 time a wave rolled beneath, with consequent loss of steer- 

 ageway. Reef Diver, on the other hand, sat solidly in the 



152 Sea Diver 



