another anchor! It was much smaller than the one Charhe 

 had brought us to see. It was heavily encrusted with coral, 

 its simple hues unbroken by flukes. The ring and a part of 

 the shank were missing. Tliis was much more the type for 

 which we had been searching. 



I called to Ed, "There's another anchor over here. 

 Better have a look at it, too, when you get into the water." 



I reaUy didn't give it much thought. I was pretty well 

 surfeited with anchors after the number we had seen that 

 morning. Besides, we were quite a ways from the area 

 where the Santa Maria was supposed to have gone down. 



Finally arrayed in his underwater gear, Ed climbed 

 clumsily over the side of Reef Diver. He headed in my 

 direction, and I led him to the spot where the ringless 

 anchor lay. I watched from the surface as he dove to make 

 his inspection. The anchor was in about twelve feet of 

 water. He looked it over carefully, making crude estimates 

 of its length and breadth with his outstretched arms. Then, 

 instead of swimming over to the larger anchor which had 

 puzzled Captain Weems and me, he swam toward the 

 boarding ladder on Reef Diver. 



I followed him on the sinrf ace, arriving just in time to 

 hear him say, "I think perhaps we've got it." 



There was an excited interchange of data. It was the 

 right shape and size; it was heavily encrusted with coral; 

 its ring and flukes were missing. 



Immediately there was a general scramble overboard 

 as all those in swimming gear made a beehne for the spot 

 where my discovery lay. While the swimmers hovered over 

 it and dove upon it, Ed investigated the first anchor which 

 had excited om* curiosity. He dismissed it with scarcely a 

 glance. Back on Reef Diver he told us that it was a modem 

 patent anchor with a stock which folded back on the shank 

 when not in use. Coral had grown over it in grotesque 

 hunks to give it its strange appearance. 



Kemp dropped a yellow buoy on the spot, and we 



Search for the Santa Maria 213 



