past hours — worry and fright over their long absence, the 

 stunned reahzation that alone on Sea Diver I was help- 

 less to handle the equipment, and indignation at Ed for 

 thoughtlessly subjecting me to long hours of fear for their 

 safety. 



I'm afraid I gave him a bad time, for when I finally 

 broke down in tears, he gruffly commanded me not to be 

 foolish. "It was much quieter out there today," he said, 

 "and we had a good chance to look over the bottom. I 

 never dreamed you would be worried." 



And I'm sure he meant it, for, when Ed sets his mind 

 on a specific objective, every other consideration fades into 

 the background. I said no more, but this was one of the 

 times when I wished for another woman aboard, who 

 would have understood and sympathized with my feelings. 

 And I'm sure it was one of the times when Ed would have 

 been just as happy with only a male crew. 



"We had planned to leave for Nassau the next morn- 

 ing, but when we woke there was scarcely any wind, for 

 the first time since our arrival. So we piled into Reef Diver 

 and headed seaward. I went along because, after my ex- 

 perience of the previous day, I preferred to brave the 

 hazards of the reefs than to stay alone aboard Sea Diver 

 and fret. 



This time we found that the sea within the reefs had 

 calmed down considerably, except where the waves roll- 

 ing in from the open ocean continued to break with a great 

 white roar upon the reefs. Ed and I disappeared into the 

 cabin to have a look at the bottom as we neared the pin- 

 nacle of rock which was our landmark. Perhaps today we 

 would be able to sight the brass cannon. 



Beneath our hull, the white sand was ridged in wide 

 windrows, like snow after a blizzard has swept across the 

 fields. Here and there the erratic tracks of conches marred 

 its pristine perfection. Half hidden by a thick, greenish- 



The Bahama Islands 155 



