that if the Santa Maria had grounded here, it could only 

 have been at this end. Captain Weems and Vital were to 

 follow the inside of the reef in Wee Diver, while the rest 

 of us, in Reef Diver, would investigate the outer edge, as 

 close to the reef as the rolling sea would allow. 



We found the water very rough, and as the wind came 

 up and slack tide changed to a rising one, our project be- 

 came increasingly hazardous. The waves reached the outer 

 edge of the reef in large swells and charged across it in 

 foaming white crests. Ed steered as close as he dared, but 

 was forced to keep Reef Diver at a distance of nearly forty 

 feet. Kemp was perched on the bow, where he could 

 watch the bottom with his "X-ray" eyes, and the rest of 

 us took turns at the viewing glass in the cabin. 



Now and then we caught glimpses of Wee Diver on 

 the inner side of the reef, working past us in the opposite 

 direction. She looked very small and helpless as she ap- 

 peared and disappeared behind the breaking seas. Still, 

 she was on the safe side of the breakers, where a stalled 

 outboard would only result in her occupants' being carried 

 away from the reef in the direction of shore. I tried not to 

 imagine what would happen to us if the engine of Reef 

 Diver should suddenly stop. It demanded all the power 

 that Ed could muster to keep us at a safe distance, with 

 wind, waves and tide all conspiring to carry us on the reef. 



I spent an unproductive half hour looking through the 

 glass in the cabin. When I returned to the cockpit, we had 

 just passed Wee Diver on the other side of the barrier reef, 

 only a few hundred yards from us. I could see only Vital 

 at the outboard. Captain Weems undoubtedly was 

 sprawled in the bottom of the boat, his eyes glued to the 

 passing scene below; for he, like myself, was so intrigued 

 with this means of exploring the ocean floor that the rest 

 of the world was blotted out whenever he had a chance to 

 search. 



218 Sea Diver 



