reefs with Wee Diver, the remainder of those aboard 

 helped Ed to free the tangled anchor chain from the bot- 

 tom coral and to place a permanent mooring in almost 

 the same spot. Until then none of us had realized that our 

 anchor lay in twelve fathoms of water. 



I floated on the surface as I watched Ed disappear 

 down the anchor chain, hand over hand. On deck Vital 

 and Glenn stood ready to tend the air hose and to winch 

 in the anchor chain when it should be freed. I was to keep 

 a lookout from the surface for Ed's signals and then relay 

 them to the men on deck. Everything went like clockwork. 



As Ed loosened the chain from the coral pinnacles 

 with a crowbar, sometimes breaking off great arms in the 

 process, the slack was winched in. Ed looked like a pixie 

 in the clear, deep water below. His mission accomplished, 

 he ascended, hanging on to the anchor chain, his feet rest- 

 ing on the stock while the winch slowly reeled in the 

 anchor. 



One more job remained to be done, that of placing a 

 permanent mooring cable on the bottom. After looking 

 over the situation, Ed chose, as a resting place for the 

 anchor, the top of a large coral head, which was about 

 twenty feet nearer the surface than the sea bottom itself. 

 By placing the anchor thus, the chain would not become 

 entangled so easily with the bottom coral as the boat 

 shifted position in wind and tide. 



We took our stations again. An anchor was lowered 

 on a fresh length of chain while Ed swam downward to 

 sink it securely in the top of the coral head. When he 

 returned, he said he was sure nothing would ever budge 

 it from above; he really wondered whether he would be 

 able to dive it out again when the time came. 



Now, we thought, very pleased with ourselves, we 

 were prepared for any emergency that might come while 

 we were within the reef harbor! 



262 Sea Diver 



