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diff --git a/old/51755.txt b/old/51755.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2c22cdf..0000000 --- a/old/51755.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5440 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hawaiian Sea Hunt Mystery, by Andy Adams - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Hawaiian Sea Hunt Mystery - A Biff Brewster Mystery Adventure - -Author: Andy Adams - -Release Date: April 14, 2016 [EBook #51755] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -[Illustration: "_This is it. It's got to be._"] - - A BIFF BREWSTER - MYSTERY ADVENTURE - - - - - HAWAIIAN - SEA HUNT - MYSTERY - - - [Illustration: Compass] - - By ANDY ADAMS - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS - NEW YORK - - (c) GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1960 - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - Contents - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I Peril in Paradise 1 - II A Disturbing Call 5 - III Worried Twins 11 - IV Aloha! 18 - V Detective Biff 25 - VI The Letter 33 - VII An Important Find 41 - VIII The Police Call 51 - IX Mysterious Message 61 - X Starting a Search 70 - XI Wharf Rats 76 - XII Bomb Away 87 - XIII A Near Miss 97 - XIV Storm! 108 - XV Men Missing 117 - XVI Held Prisoner 123 - XVII A Dangerous Dive 130 - XVIII Exploring the Depths 141 - XIX Reunion 152 - XX Dawn Attack 160 - XXI A Human Fish 166 - XXII Check-Out 175 - - - - - HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY - - - - - CHAPTER I - Peril in Paradise - - -In the tropical, jungle-like garden behind the hotel, a man stood -absolutely motionless. The broad trunk of the coconut palm tree behind -which he lurked protected him from being seen by anyone on the hotel's -wide, sweeping porch. - -The tense set of the man's features showed his growing impatience. - -The broad porch ran around all four sides of the white, sprawling Royal -Poinciana Hotel on Waikiki Beach, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The porch was -called the "deck," and it had been designed to resemble the promenade -deck of an ocean liner. It was an open porch, or deck, with brightly -colored floral-patterned umbrellas spreading welcome shade. The deck was -spotted with lounge and captain's chairs, and its teak-wood floor was -marked off at regular intervals with shuffleboard courts. - -The fore deck, that part of the porch running across the front of the -hotel, overlooked the beautiful beach and its rolling, coiling breakers. -Chairs and tables scattered on it were occupied by people waiting for -the noon meal. On the rear deck, overlooking the carefully planned, -luxuriant jungle-garden, only one couple could be seen. - -"Will they never leave?" the man muttered to himself. He looked at his -watch, then carefully peered around the tree, looking up at the deck -jutting out from the hotel's second floor. - -Just as he did so, the couple got up from their chairs and walked -leisurely away, heading for the other side. The man waited until they -rounded a corner and were out of sight. Then he moved swiftly. - -His linen-clad figure was a white flash against broad green leaves as he -dashed for the steps leading up to the now unoccupied porch. Once on the -deck, he moved casually, as though he were just another tourist. He -walked softly on crepe-soled shoes, making not a sound. - -Nearing the center of the porch, the man pressed his back against the -white-painted wall, almost blending into it except for his dark, swarthy -face. Now he moved sidewise, crab-like, until he reached a partly opened -latticed door. He stopped, pressing his head against the slight crack -where the door was hinged. - -Moments passed. Then he heard the sharp jangling sound of a telephone -ringing from within the room beyond. Next he heard the soft pad of feet -on thick piled carpet as the room's occupant crossed the floor to take -the call. - -Now the prowler abandoned his extreme caution. He looked through the -partly opened door. He saw the back of a man sitting at a telephone -table. The prowler carefully pulled the door open and slipped into the -room. Its occupant had the phone's receiver to his ear. - -"On your call to Mr. Thomas Brewster in Indianapolis, Indiana, sir," the -operator was saying, "they are ringing that number now." - -The prowler crept closer until he was within an arm's length of the -seated man. - -"Yes," the man said into the telephone. "I'll hold the line." With his -free hand he pulled a well-used pipe from his jacket pocket and stuck it -in his mouth. Then he patted the table for matches. He opened a drawer -and felt in it. - -The prowler watched his prey anxiously. He was an old man, with shaggy -white hair hanging down almost to his collar. - -Unable to find a match, the old man had just started to turn when the -operator spoke again. - -"This is Honolulu, Hawaii, calling Mr. Thomas Brewster," she said. A few -seconds passed. "Here's your party, sir." - -The prowler stood there, arms raised, the fingers of his cupped hands -spread like talons just over the old man's shoulders. - - - - - CHAPTER II - A Disturbing Call - - -"I'll get it! I'll get it!" - -It was the voice of eleven-year-old Monica Brewster. - -"You always do," grumbled her twin brother Ted. "I never do get to -answer the telephone. Not when _you're_ in the house." - -Monica wasn't listening. She was flying into the kitchen to answer the -steady ring before her mother could lift the phone from its cradle. Mr. -Brewster's study was nearer, and there was a telephone in there, too. -But Monica knew that her father was in the study, talking to her older -brother Biff. She was sure the call was from her friend Betsy, because -Betsy generally called her about five o'clock in the afternoon. Monica -didn't want her father interrupting her talk with Betts. Daddy didn't -approve of long phone gabs. - -Moments later, Monica came bursting through the living room. Her -excitement was at a pitch as high as her voice. - -"Daddy! Daddy! The call's from Honolulu! Someone's calling you from -Honolulu!" - -"Take it easy, sis, or you'll explode." Biff grinned as he saw the -eagerness on his sister's flushed face. - -Thomas Brewster picked up the telephone. He listened briefly, then -cupped his hand over the mouthpiece and spoke to his older son. - -"Close the door, Biff. _Behind_ your sister." - -Biff got up from his chair and gently ushered Monica, protesting, out of -the study. When he turned back, he was startled to see that an -expression of worry clouded his father's face. - -"Yes, Johann, I agree." Mr. Brewster gave the name its Germanic -pronunciation, "_Yohann_." - -Biff could only distinguish a mumble of words coming from nearly four -thousand miles away. - -"Well, Johann, don't you take any chances yourself," Mr. Brewster -continued. "Wait until I get there.... Danger? There's always danger -when the stakes are as high as those we're playing for.... What!" Thomas -Brewster's frown deepened. "Perez Soto? You say Perez Soto is there? I -don't like that one little bit. The letter, though, you have that safely -hidden?" - -Again the speaker at the other end took over the conversation. Biff -could hear only a scramble of sounds coming from the telephone. He saw -his father nod his head absently. His brows knitted into deeper thought. - -"You think your room was searched?" he exclaimed. "Had you hidden the -letter?" - -Biff watched his father intently. Mr. Brewster listened attentively to a -long reply. At last he said, "That's bad, Johann. Very bad. We'll have -to make the best of it, though. All right, Johann.... Yes, leaving here -tomorrow ... Northwest Airlines.... Take off from Seattle early the next -morning, Wednesday, at five A.M. Be in Hawaii about eight o'clock your -time.... You're stopping at the Royal Poinciana, aren't you?... Hello -... hello ... Johann?" Thomas Brewster waited a few moments. "Hello...." -Then he hung up and turned to Biff. "That's funny. He didn't answer. -Maybe we were cut off." - -"Maybe the three minutes were up," Biff suggested with a smile. - -"That's not as funny as you think, my boy," his father chuckled. "Dr. -Weber's a peculiar man about some things having to do with money. A call -from Honolulu to Indianapolis means nothing to him. But if the operator -told him his three minutes were up, he'd hang up quickly. He obeys what -he thinks are the rules." - -Biff laughed. "Isn't Dr. Weber the famous scientist? I'm sure I've heard -you speak of him." - -"That's right, Biff. He's a staff consultant for Ajax. I've worked with -him before." - -Biff nodded his head. "I thought so." - -Thomas Brewster was the chief field engineer for the Ajax Mining -Company, headquarters Indianapolis, Indiana. His job took him all over -the world, to many of the strangest and least known spots on the globe. -Whenever it was possible, he took sixteen-year-old Biff along. - -"One of my reasons for going to Hawaii is to meet Dr. Weber," Biff's -father continued now. - -"You mean the Engineers' Conference isn't the main reason?" Biff asked. - -Thomas Brewster shook his head. "No. Oh, the meeting is important, all -right. But I doubt if I would have gone out there for that alone. Dr. -Weber wrote me over a month ago. Said he wanted to meet with me and Jim -Huntington. He said it was very important. But he didn't go into -details. I imagine he didn't want to put too much information on paper. -Afraid it might be seen by eyes other than my own." - -Biff was thinking. "It seems to me, Dad, that I've heard you mention -this Mr. Huntington before, too. Am I right?" - -"Probably. I hadn't heard from Huntington for a long, long time. But he -did some work for me in the past." - -"What's going on, Dad? And what was all that about a letter?" - -Thomas Brewster sighed. "Oh, the letter. Forget you _ever_ heard about -it. Dr. Weber told me Jim Huntington was lost at sea sailing up to -Hawaii from New Zealand. Got caught in a terrific storm, and his sloop -sank. He was able to send a radio signal of his position, but Weber said -a sea and air search has failed, so far, to discover any trace of -Huntington or his sloop." - -"Gee, that's really too bad. Do you know why he wanted to see you and -Dr. Weber?" Biff asked. - -"I have an idea. And if what I think is true, then Jim Huntington's loss -is a very real one for the whole world." - -"I heard you mention there might be danger--" Biff stopped. A spark of -excitement flashed across his face. His blue eyes lighted up. - -"Danger, Biff? Well, we've been in tight spots before. You, in China, -and with me in Brazil." Tom Brewster paused, then said slowly, "There's -always an element of danger in the work we do for Ajax." - -Biff, his face serious, nodded his head. He was thinking of Hawaii, our -fiftieth state. What danger could there be there? - - -The telephone operator at the Royal Poinciana Hotel on Waikiki Beach, -Honolulu, looked up as her luncheon relief came into her small room. - -"Hi. Am I ever glad to see you! I'm just about starved. I'm on a diet. -Not for much longer, though. Hey, something funny's going on. That old -gent in suite 210. Made a stateside call just now and didn't hang up -when he finished. Imagine! He left the phone off the hook. I'll tell a -bellboy to hop up there when I go out." - - - - - CHAPTER III - Worried Twins - - -Although he didn't want to show it, eleven-year-old Ted Brewster was -just as excited as his sister over the call from Honolulu. He slipped -quietly over to the door of the study. He wanted to know what the call -was all about. He got there just in time to see Monica ushered firmly -out as Biff closed the door behind her. - -"Who was it, sis?" Ted demanded. - -"Don't know." Monica shook her head. "It was just the operator saying -she had a call from Honolulu for Mr. Thomas Brewster." - -"You'd better go out and hang up the phone in the kitchen," Ted ordered. - -Monica left the room and returned almost immediately. - -"You didn't listen in?" Ted asked suspiciously. - -"Course not! I have very excellent manners. No lady would listen in." - -"Ha," Ted sneered. "_You_, a lady? A 'leven-year-old-lady!" - -"I'm older than you," Monica replied. - -"Ten minutes older. Call that older? I don't. And don't tell me you -never listen in. How 'bout yesterday? When I was talking to Peteso? I -suppose you didn't try to listen in then." - -"That's different. You're only a kid." - -"A kid!" This was too much. "And what about you? You think you're so -grown up." - -The twins glared at one another. Then, without any reason, glares -suddenly turned to smiles, followed by unexplained, uncontrolled -laughter. Neither one of the twins could stay angry very long. When -their giggles died away, they strained their ears toward the study door. - -"Sure is a long call," Ted said. "Hope nothing's gone wrong." - -"Gone wrong? What could go wrong, Ted?" Monica's voice showed her -concern. - -"I don't know. But I sure hope that call doesn't mean we're not going to -Hawaii." - -Now Monica was really worried. "Golly, I just couldn't bear it. Not to -go!" - -"Me, too. Biff gets to go everywhere. When do I get to go anywhere?" - -"Or me?" - -The two sat in silence, thinking how cruel the world was to -eleven-year-olds. The Brewsters' summer cottage on Vineyard Lake--that -was nothing. Their speed boat and water skis, they seemed like nothing, -too. And their Christmas trip to Florida, visiting their -grandparents--what were all those things compared to going to Hawaii? -They had been to many places in continental United States, but neither -of the twins had ever been out of the country. Well, even if Hawaii was -now part of the U.S., they preferred to think they were going to an -exotic new land. - -That was why, when their father had told them just a week before he was -going to take the whole family with him to Hawaii, the twins' joy knew -no limits. - -They had known their father was going to Hawaii for a three weeks' stay. -He was to attend an international conference of mining engineers. He was -even going to deliver one of the most important speeches at the meeting. - -Biff Brewster was the oldest of the three Brewster children. He had gone -with his father on several of his explorations. But Biff was sixteen, an -age Ted could hardly wait to reach. Biff even had his driver's license. -To Ted, this was the highest goal anybody could hope to reach. - -The Brewster family had been having a cookout in their backyard when Mr. -Brewster made his wonderful announcement. - -"One more week, and it's off to Hawaii," he said. - -"Is Biff going?" Ted asked. - -The children's father had smiled and turned to Mrs. Brewster. "Let's -pack the small fry and take them along, too." - -"What!" whooped Ted, his hot dog hitting the grass and his lemonade -spilling all over his shorts as he leaped to his feet. - -"And me? Me? I'm going, too!" Monica hurled herself at her father, her -arms circling his neck. - -"Easy there, princess. I'd rather have this food inside me, not on the -outside." - -Thomas Brewster put his daughter down. He looked into her eager, -upturned face. Her hazel eyes sparkled. She had never looked prettier to -him, and Mr. Brewster had always thought her the fairest princess of -them all. Copper-colored hair framed her oval, pixie face. The summer -sun had bronzed her clear skin. Keeping up with her brother Ted had -given her a straight, sturdy figure. A nuisance at times, when her -spirits shot higher than Pike's Peak, she was the darling of the family, -and had to be squelched only three or four times a week. - -"What about it, Ted?" Mr. Brewster said teasingly. "Think your sister -ought to come along, too?" - -"Sure, Dad. Sure." was the quick reply. Monica flashed a loving look at -her brother. - -"All right, if you say so. Okay by you, Mother? And you, Biff?" - -"You mean we're all going?" A look of disbelief crossed Mrs. Brewster's -face. - -"That's right. Time we all had a vacation together. I won't be too busy -at this meeting. And I'm sure we'd all like to visit our fiftieth -state." - -Biff followed his father's words without speaking. He surely felt good, -though, about what his father was saying. Biff knew how envious his -brother and sister were of the trips he had made. This time, they were -going along, too. The whole family! They'd have a swell time. Dad was -really tops. - -A smile softened Biff's strong-featured face. His blue-gray eyes lighted -up. He moved off the deck chair where he was sprawled and walked over to -drape an arm over his mother's shoulders. He was taller than his mother, -with broad, square shoulders. For a sixteen-year-old, Biff was big and -husky. He had to be, to have come out of his many adventures unharmed. - -"Won't it be swell, Mom!" he said. "Dad couldn't have done anything to -make Ted and Monnie happier." - -Now, looking at his father's worried face, Biff wondered if the call -from Dr. Weber might mean a change in plans. He hoped not. Not only for -his own sake, but for his brother's and sister's. It would be a -wonderful rest and vacation for Mother, too. Biff wished he knew more -about his father's real reason for the trip. - -"Dad, will that call make any difference about your taking us on the -trip with you?" - -"I don't know," his father said slowly. "Dr. Weber's call puts the whole -trip in a new light." - -"Gosh, Dad, Ted's and Monica's hearts would be broken." - -Tom Brewster stood up. He went to the door without replying. When he -opened it, his two younger children swarmed all over him. - -"That call from Honolulu? What was it about?" Ted asked. - -"Tell us, tell us!" chirped Monica. - -Mrs. Brewster had entered the room. She looked at her husband -questioningly. - -The twins looked at their father. He ruffled Ted's hair and patted -Monica on the cheek. - -"We're still going, aren't we?" Monica said in a small, hopeful voice. - -"I guess.... Yes, we sure are." - -Squeals of delight filled the air. But Mrs. Brewster, reading the -expression on her husband's face, knew that the trip was no longer just -a pleasure jaunt for him. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - Aloha! - - -The blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, fourteen thousand feet below, -sparkled under the slanting rays of the rising sun. Sleepy-eyed -passengers aboard the Northwest airliner yawned, stretched, and brought -their reclining seats to an upright position. Two stewardesses hurried -back and forth along the aisle of the plane, carrying breakfast trays of -chilled pineapple juice, slices of golden yellow papaya, and steaming -coffee. - -The younger members of the Brewster family, Biff and the twins, had been -awake from the time of take-off, although their mother had insisted they -try to rest. Mr. and Mrs. Brewster still lay stretched out with their -chairs in a reclining position, but now they showed signs of coming out -of their fitful sleep. - -"How much longer, Biff? How long till we get there? You've been to -Honolulu before," Monica said. - -"Only for a short stopover on my way to Burma," Biff replied. He looked -at his watch. "I'd say we ought to be there in an hour. Maybe a little -longer." - -The Brewster family had boarded the plane at six o'clock that morning, -their flight having been delayed on take-off for an hour by a -low-hanging bank of fog. The big plane's four jet engines and a -favorable tailwind had pushed it through the sky at a speed of over 600 -miles per hour. - -Thomas Brewster leaned over the seat in front of him where Ted and -Monica were fussing in low tones over whose turn it was to sit next to -the window. - -"Morning, children." - -"Morning, Dad." - -"My, you're surely wide awake for such an early hour!" he said. - -"Early? Gee, Dad, it's after ten o'clock," Ted replied, looking at his -wrist watch. - -Mr. Brewster laughed. "Guess Ted doesn't know about setting his watch -back. You set yours right, Biff?" - -Biff nodded his head. - -"What do you mean, set my watch back?" Ted demanded. - -"Difference in time, Ted. With daylight-saving time further complicating -matters, it's three hours earlier in Hawaii than it is in Seattle. So, -if your watch says ten, then it's only seven o'clock in Honolulu. People -are just getting up there." - -Ted, although still puzzled, turned his watch back three hours. - -Biff came to the seat where Ted and Monica both had their noses pressed -to the plane's window. - -"Scrunch over, small fry. We'll be raising Diamond Head soon. Your big -brother will point it out to you." - -The plane zoomed through the air, racing the sun to Alohaland. The -"Fasten Seat Belts" sign flashed on. - -"Won't be long now," Biff said. "Ought to see Diamond Head any minute. -Look ... just over the right wing. See that sort of dark blur? That's -Oahu, the island Honolulu is on." - -Minutes later, Diamond Head rose majestically into view. The plane sped -over the yawning crater of the extinct volcano, then bore to the left -out over Honolulu Harbor. It turned back north, coming in low, and then -settled gently down on Honolulu's International Airport. - -[Illustration: _Diamond Head rose majestically into view_] - -The plane rolled to a stop, doors opened, and landing ramps were wheeled -into place. The twins, hardly able to contain their excitement, were -first at the exit. Biff, his mother, and his father were right behind -them. - -Outside, a band played the familiar welcoming song, "Aloha." Native -girls, in hula skirts, with fragrant flowers in their hair and brightly -colored necklaces of more flowers around their necks, swayed to the -rhythm of the music. - -Monica danced down the landing ramp. At its foot, a hula dancer stepped -forward and placed a lei, a beautiful necklace woven of flowers--around -the excited girl's neck. Ted got the same treatment. More leis for Biff -and Mr. and Mrs. Brewster, until the whole family wore fragrant chains -of flowers up to their chins. - -"Oh, Mother!" exclaimed Monica. "It's everything I ever dreamed of! Just -like I've read about and seen in pictures." - -It was a gay, exciting sight. The warm air, the gentle breeze, the -music--a real Aloha, a real welcome. The spirit of Hawaii took over at -once. Everywhere, happy people became happier. Gaiety filled the air. A -soft scent of flowers cloaked the new arrivals. - -The crowd milled about the gate leading to the terminal. It seemed there -were hundreds of people all trying to pass through at once. The Brewster -family clung together, Monica clutching her mother's hand. - -Thomas Brewster looked carefully over the crowd. - -"I don't see Dr. Weber," he said to Biff. "I thought surely he'd meet -us." - -"Maybe he's just late, Dad." - -Ted came up and touched Biff's sleeve. "Look, Biff, see that man over -there?" He pointed. - -Biff looked in the direction Ted indicated. - -"See, Biff, he's taking pictures. He took several of you and Dad. I was -watching him." - -Biff's eyes met those of the man with the camera. He was a swarthy man, -short, wearing a rumpled white suit. - -"Gee, I guess Dad must be some sort of a celebrity, taking his picture -and all," Ted said excitedly. - -Biff didn't think that was the reason. The man didn't look like a -newspaper photographer on an assignment. His eyes shifted as Biff stared -at him. The man made no attempt to get "just one more shot," as official -cameramen are apt to do. Biff started toward him, determined to find out -why the man seemed to be so interested in photographing Mr. Brewster. - -Seeing Biff approach, the man drew back, fading into the crowd. By the -time Biff had forced his way to where the man had been standing, the -picture-taker had disappeared. - -Biff frowned. He hadn't liked the man's appearance, and his slinking -away made Biff even more suspicious. Why had he taken the pictures? How -had he known which of the arriving visitors was Mr. Brewster? Biff shook -his head. The answer to that question might have some connection with -the call his father had received from Dr. Weber. - -He had better tell his father about the incident, Biff decided. He -rejoined the family and was about to speak when Mr. Brewster raised his -voice. - -"Over here! Over here, Mr. Mahenili!" He waved to an approaching man who -in turn waved back, calling, "Aloha, my friend. Aloha!" - -It was Hanale Mahenili, a native Hawaiian with whom the Brewster family -was to stay during their visit to the islands. Mr. Mahenili was the -Hawaiian representative of the Ajax Mining Company. - -Introductions were made, and with the smiling Hawaiian leading the way, -the party entered the airport terminal. - -Passing a newsstand, Mr. Brewster halted quickly. He strode to the -newsstand and snatched up a copy of the _Honolulu Star Bulletin_. Biff -stepped to his father's side and read the eight-column headline over his -shoulder. - - Dr. Weber, Famous Scientist, Missing - - - - - CHAPTER V - Detective Biff - - -Thomas Brewster read the startling story hurriedly. Biff read along with -him. The story was sketchy. There were few details. Dr. Weber had been -scheduled to open the first session of the mining engineers' conference -the previous afternoon. The meeting had started, but Dr. Weber failed to -appear. When the meeting ended, and Dr. Weber was still missing, the -police were notified. - -"Do you know anything about this, Hank?" Mr. Brewster asked Hanale -Mahenili. "Hanale" was the Hawaiian form of the proper name, "Henry." -Among his business associates, Mr. Mahenili liked to be called Hank. His -Hawaiian friends called him Hanale. - -"Yes, my friend, I do," Mr. Mahenili replied. "It is most sad, most -frightening. In fact, I was the one who discovered his disappearance." - -"When and how?" Mr. Brewster's voice showed his concern. - -"Yesterday afternoon, at the opening of the conference." - -Tom Brewster turned to his wife. "Martha, why don't you take Ted and -Monica over to that bench and sit down? We'll only be a minute. Biff, -you stay with me. I want you to know what's going on. Sorry, Hank, but I -didn't want my wife alarmed. Please continue." - -Biff felt highly pleased that his father wanted him in on whatever was -happening. - -"Well, Tom, when Johann failed to appear at his place at the speakers' -table, I thought at first he might have been detained, perhaps held up -by traffic. Or that he might have been napping after lunch, and had -overslept. He's an old man, you know. And not too strong." - -"Yes. I know. We've all been worried about him. He still tries to do too -much for a man his age." - -"I waited about fifteen minutes," Hanale Mahenili continued. "Then I -left the head table to go to his hotel. He's been staying at the Royal -Poinciana. On my way there, my fears that he had become ill increased." - -Mr. Mahenili paused, as if ordering his thoughts. - -"Yes, yes. Go on." - -"At the hotel, I rang his room. There was no answer. I went to the desk, -and they told me they believed the doctor was still in his room. He -hadn't left his key at the desk, which was his habit every time he left -the room." - -"I'll bet you were really worried then," Biff said. - -"I certainly was, young man. I called for the manager, and we went up to -Johann's room. The manager had a pass key, and, after knocking, we -entered his suite." - -"And no Johann Weber," Mr. Brewster said. - -"That's right, Tom. He has a two-room suite. He wasn't in either room." - -"Was there any evidence that the room had been searched?" - -Mr. Mahenili shook his head. "It was hard to tell. Papers on his desk -were in a disordered mess. Two drawers in his bureau were pulled out, -with clothing messed up, and a few things strewn on the door. But you -know how careless Johann was. He was never one for neatness and order." - -"But it could have been someone else who had searched the desk, and -pulled out the drawers," Mr. Brewster said. - -"Yes, it could. There was no way of telling definitely." - -"Sir," Biff said. "Were you able to get any idea of when he had last -been in his room?" - -"No, Biff. We weren't. I was coming to that. We questioned the elevator -operators and the desk clerks. Both night and day clerks. None of them -could remember when they had last seen the doctor." - -Biff's brows were knitted in questioning thought. "Sir, I'd like to make -a suggestion, or, rather, ask you this. Do you know if Dr. Weber usually -had his breakfast in his room?" - -"Why, the idea never occurred to us." - -"Good thinking, son," Mr. Brewster said. - -"And were the maids asked if his bed had been slept in the night -before?" - -Henry Mahenili gave a shrug of helplessness. "I'm afraid, young man, -that you're a far better detective than I am. No, the maids weren't -questioned." - -"Well, then, Dad--" - -Thomas Brewster interrupted his son. "I'm right with you, Biff. Our -first stop in Honolulu had better be the Royal Poinciana Hotel." - -"My car's right outside. Your luggage should be off the plane by now," -Mr. Mahenili said. "The hotel's on the beach--Waikiki Beach. I'm sure -your family will enjoy seeing the most famous beach in the United -States." - -"Gee, that's great," Biff said. "Ted and Monica will flip. And so will -I. After all, we're tourists." - -"All right, let's go." - -Luggage and family were assembled and placed in Mr. Mahenili's open -convertible. The Brewsters were in for a thrilling ride. - -Leaving the airport, Mr. Mahenili turned onto a dual thoroughfare called -Ala Moana. They crossed the Ala Wai Canal nearing the famous Waikiki -Beach section. - -"On the right," Mr. Mahenili pointed out, "is the Kapaiama Basin." - -Yachts of every color and description lay at anchor in the beautiful -harbor. Some were moving out into the main harbor of Honolulu. - -Everywhere the Brewster family looked, they saw flowers. One street -would be lined with trees bearing white flowers. The next street would -be one of red flowering trees, or yellow, or deep blue. - -The car turned off Ala Moana onto Kalia Road. They saw the gleaming dome -of the Hawaiian Village. To their right now, they could see the -beautiful hotels standing like sentinels guarding the beach. Then Mr. -Mahenili turned the car into the spacious Garden-of-Eden-like grounds of -the Royal Poinciana Hotel. Mrs. Brewster and the twins walked down to -the beach. Biff, his father, and their Hawaiian friend went into the -hotel. - -The manager of the Royal Poinciana received the two men and Biff in his -office. Biff looked at his father. - -"Go ahead, Biff. This was your idea." - -"Sir," Biff said, addressing the manager, "I wonder if you could find -out if Dr. Weber usually had his breakfast in his room since he's been -here?" - -"Easily, young man. Won't take a minute." The manager picked up the -telephone on his desk. - -"And would you ask if he had breakfast there yesterday morning?" - -The manager nodded his head and spoke into the phone. He asked both -questions Biff had suggested, nodded his head, and replaced the phone on -its cradle. - -"No real help there. Sometimes he called for breakfast service; -sometimes not. Yesterday morning, room service reports, there was no -call from Suite 210-11--that's where Dr. Weber was staying." - -"Well, one more thing." Biff continued his role of detective. "Would the -same maids who were on duty yesterday be on duty this morning?" - -"I'll check that with the floor supervisor. I think I know what your -question will be--had Dr. Weber's bed been slept in?" - -Biff smiled. "That's right, sir." - -Again the manager placed his call and asked his questions. - -"The floor supervisor will call back as soon as she's checked. Only take -a minute or two. While we wait, let me extend my welcome to Hawaii to -you. I regret that this most unfortunate situation has come about. But -I'm sure Dr. Weber will be found." - -"Thank you," Thomas Brewster said. "I hope you are right." - -The telephone rang. - -"Yes. Yes. I see. Thank you." The manager replaced the phone. "The -supervisor says the maid who takes care of that suite said Dr. Weber's -bed had not been slept in Monday night." - -Biff looked from his father to Mr. Mahenili. Nothing was said for a -moment. Then Mr. Brewster spoke. - -"Any more questions, Biff?" - -"No, sir. Can't think of anything else, Dad. Not now." - -"Well, we have established the fact that Dr. Weber must have disappeared -sometime on Monday," Mr. Brewster said. - -"That was the day he telephoned you, wasn't it, Dad?" Biff asked. - -"Yes. I talked to him late in the afternoon. Here, that would have been -around noon, Hawaii time. I know he was calling from this hotel. So, we -can pinpoint his disappearance from sometime between noon Monday, to -early Monday night. The doctor always retired early." - -"Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mr. Pierson," Mr. Mahenili -said. With Biff and his father, he arose and left the manager's office. - -They walked out into the bright sunlight and across a broad patio, -hedged in by flame-colored flowers. The beach of Waikiki was right in -front of them. As they walked toward it to find Mrs. Brewster and the -twins, the swarthy man with the camera who had been at the airport -earlier, stepped from behind a palm tree and watched them go. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - The Letter - - -Hanale Mahenili had driven only a short distance from the Royal -Poinciana when Monica, in the rear seat of the convertible, let out a -howl. - -"Monica! Whatever in the world!" her mother said. - -"My lei! My lei! I left it on the beach!" Monica wailed. - -"Knew you would," her brother Ted said, in his I-told-you-so voice. - -Mr. Mahenili turned to Tom Brewster and smiled. "That's easily taken -care of. We can get them anywhere along here." - -He pulled the car over to the curb in front of a charming hotel -constructed of red and white coral. Just to the left of the entrance to -the hotel's palm-studded grounds, sat an old woman surrounded by flowers -of every color and species. The woman was seated in a high-backed chair, -made of coconut fronds, with her feet in a tub filled with pink, red, -and yellow buds. A flame-red hibiscus was stabbed in her topknot. She -was a plump Hawaiian woman, dressed in a flowered _muumuu_ the island -adaptation of the mother-hubbard dress introduced many years ago by New -England missionaries. - -The old woman's brown, deeply lined face cracked into a smile as the -Brewsters got out of the car. - -Mr. Mahenili spoke to her in the musical words of the native Hawaiian. -The old woman's deft hands grasped a long, slender lei needle, and her -hands seemed to fly as she swiftly threaded at least a hundred flowers -into a beautiful garland. - -"This lei," Mr. Mahenili explained, "is being made of the plumeria. You -see," he picked up one of the flowers, "it has five petals. Smell it." - -Mrs. Brewster took the flower. "My, that's lovely! It seems to me I've -been smelling this lovely scent ever since we've been here." - -"You have. This blossom is highly perfumed. It makes our island the -sweetest smelling place in the world." - -The old woman had finished. She arose and draped the newly made lei -around Monica's neck. "For the _nani keiki_," she said. - -"That means for the 'beautiful child.'" - -Monica blushed, but her smile showed her pleasure. - -"Thank you," she said, dipping her head. - -Mr. Mahenili handed the woman some money. - -"_Mahalo, mahalo_," she said. - -"And now she's saying, 'Thank you,' to us," Hank Mahenili explained. - -Half an hour later, following a thrilling ride up the twisting road -running over the _pali_, the cliffs, of the Koolau Mountain range, they -dropped swiftly down to sea level again on the north side of the island. -A short run along broad, curving beaches, and they arrived at the -Mahenilis' beach-front home on Waimanalo Bay. - -The warmth and gracious hospitality of the Mahenili family made the -Brewsters feel at home immediately. The Mahenilis' son, Likake, fifteen, -and Biff were old friends within an hour of their meeting. Little -Wikolia Mahenili was just Monica and Ted's age, but quite a bit smaller. -She considered the twins her personal property and showed them around -with great pride. - -There was only one cloud to mar the Brewsters' sky-high happiness. Dr. -Johann Weber was still missing. - -Late in the second afternoon of the Brewsters' stay in Honolulu, Biff -and Likake were swimming when Biff saw his father come down to the beach -and hail him. - -"Let's go, Li!" Biff called, and the boys rode a breaker back to the -shore. - -"Hi, Dad. You want me?" Water dripped off Biff's tanned body. Likake, -his round brown face with its usual eager expression, stood beside him. - -"I want you to get dressed, now, son. I'd like you to come to the dinner -and evening session of our meeting," Mr. Brewster said. - -"You bet, Dad. Wouldn't miss it for anything. This is the night you -speak, isn't it?" - -"Yes." Tom Brewster smiled. "But that isn't the main reason for my -wanting you there. I'll tell you about it later." - -"Okay, Dad. May Likake come along?" - -"Surely. Mr. and Mrs. Mahenili are coming. The little ones will stay at -home." - -Likake had gone on ahead. - -"What's it all about, Dad? Something to do with Dr. Weber?" Biff asked. - -"Not exactly, Biff. But I think there's going to be a man at the dinner -tonight I want you to get a look at. There could be a connection between -him and Dr. Weber's disappearance." - -"Is it that man, Perez Something-or-other--the one you mentioned when -you got that phone call at home?" - -"He's the man, Biff." - -Biff's brows were knitted in thought. - -"Dad, there's something I've been wanting to do," Biff interrupted. "Is -it all right if I do a little snooping after you speak? You'll be at the -reception and dance. I've got an idea. And Likake said he'd help me." - -"Snooping, son? When trained detectives are on the job? This is a -vacation, and I want you to enjoy it. But there's no reason why you and -Likake can't nose about a bit. Don't do anything foolish, though." - - -The dinner was over. Biff had tried not to stare too hard nor too long -at the husky, shifty-eyed man at the next table. Perez Soto! Biff sensed -the sheer physical power of the man, and he shuddered involuntarily. -This was no opponent to treat lightly. He couldn't help thinking: Biff -Brewster, take warning! - -The chairman rapped for order. Guests at the head table were introduced, -then the chairman turned to Thomas Brewster. - -"We are very happy tonight," the chairman said, "to have so -distinguished a speaker with us. You all know him. You all know of the -many contributions he has made in our field. I refer, of course, to the -chief field engineer of the Ajax Mining Company, Mr. Thomas Brewster." - -Mrs. Brewster smiled proudly at her husband. - -Tom Brewster arose. His talk was short, direct, and crisply delivered. -He received an ovation when he concluded. - -Biff looked at Likake and winked. The two boys slipped away from the -table unnoticed. - -Outside the hotel, Biff asked, "Which way?" - -"The Poinciana's just a short walk from here. We'll go in the back -way--through the garden." - -"You're sure it's all right? This bellboy is a good friend of yours?" -Biff inquired. - -"Sure. I know Hale real well. His brother, Kioni, and I go to Kamehameha -School. That's a school only for boys and girls of Hawaiian ancestry. -We're almost like blood brothers." - -The night was moonlit. Palm leaves rustled under a gentle breeze. The -steady murmur of the surf was clear in the night air. - -Biff and Likake reached the garden of the Royal Poinciana. - -"Hale told me he would fix it so the deck door of Dr. Weber's room would -be open. Come on," Li said. - -The boys walked boldly through the hotel's garden. Biff knew better than -to try to hide their presence. To do so would attract attention, and -that was just what he didn't want to do. - -They mounted the stairs to the hotel's second floor, and walked along -the deck until they reached Dr. Weber's room. - -Hale had done his job. The door was open. Biff entered the room. Likake, -his heart pounding, was right on his heels. - -The room was faintly lighted by the moonlight from outside. Biff paused -in the middle of the room to allow his eyes to become accustomed to the -dim light. - -Then he started his search. Ever since the call to Indianapolis, Biff -had wondered about the letter mentioned during the conversation. His -father had said, "Forget it," but Biff hadn't been able to. The letter -_had_ to mean something. Where would a man like Dr. Weber hide a letter? -Biff asked himself. He felt certain that Dr. Weber had been kidnaped, -but he didn't think the abductors had the letter. If they did, then why -were they holding the doctor? - -"Course, I could be all wrong," Biff told himself. But he didn't think -he was. - -"Likake. Li. Come here," Biff whispered and was startled to hear Li's -voice right back of him. - -"I am here. Right with you." Li sounded scared, Biff thought. - -"Okay. You take the bathroom. It's a letter we're looking for. I'll take -the bedroom, then we'll both search this room." - -The boys made a swift, but thorough search. Nothing in the bathroom. -Nothing in the bedroom. - -"Now where do we look?" Li asked. - -"You take that side of the room. I'll start by the hall door." - -Biff's search started at the telephone table. Nothing in the drawers. -But there wouldn't be, Biff told himself. Too obvious a place. He -started to leave the table, and, glancing down, saw that the table must -have been left in the same condition it had been in on the day of the -call. Crumbs of tobacco were scattered on the tabletop. Several burned -matches were in an ash-tray. The doctor's tobacco pouch lay at the base -of the lamp. Biff picked it up idly, looking about the room for the next -spot to search. - -Standing there, swinging the pouch by its draw-string, he thought he -heard paper crackle. He stood motionless, halting the swing of the -pouch. He strained his ears. Nothing. He tossed the pouch back on the -table. Again he heard the slight sound of paper crinkling. - -Biff snatched the pouch up again. He opened the pouch. His hand darted -in it and dug deeply in the tobacco. Paper! His fingers weren't wrong. -He withdrew the paper and held it close to his eyes. It was a letter, -all right. - -"Biff! Biff! Look out!" Li shouted. - -Biff turned just in time to see a figure leap at him. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - An Important Find - - -Biff sidestepped quickly. His attacker's charge struck him a glancing -blow, spinning him around. He stumbled backward, almost losing his -footing. - -In the dim light, Biff saw the man turn and crouch, ready to charge -again. This time, Biff met charge with charge. The man came at him low. -Biff hurled his body at the attacker even lower. He threw a -bone-crushing football block at the man's knees. The attacker was -upended, his head striking the floor, his legs flying upward as if he -were diving. - -Biff leaped to his feet. - -"Come on, Biff!" Li called from the open doorway. - -Biff sprang for the door, hurdling over his attacker lying on the floor. -He felt sure he had cleared him when a hand snaked up and grabbed Biff -by one ankle. Biff crashed to the floor, stretched out, his head -pointing toward Li, who was standing in the doorway in dismay. - -Rising on one knee, Biff tried to jerk his ankle free. The man held on -with a viselike grip. Biff thought fast. - -"Here, Li! Catch!" He tossed Dr. Weber's tobacco pouch to his friend. It -fell at Li's feet. "Grab it, Li! Grab it, and scram. I'll be all right." - -Li bent over and snatched up the tobacco pouch. He stood in the doorway, -hesitating. - -"Don't wait!" Biff called fiercely. "Get out of here fast." - -Li, shocked by the sudden violence, was confused. He felt he should stay -and help his friend. But Biff had ordered him out. Apparently the -important thing was to escape with the tobacco pouch. He turned, shot -through the door, and ran swiftly, silently, along the porch. - -Biff now turned his full attention to freeing himself. He knew he would -have to make his getaway fast. Someone in the hotel was certain to have -heard the sounds of violence coming from the room. This was no time for -an investigation. Biff knew that he was as much of a prowler as his -attacker. - -The attacker changed his tactics. Now he wanted to get free of Biff. - -"Oh, no, you don't," Biff muttered, and threw his arms around the man's -legs. He knew that Li was now the attacker's prey. Li and the tobacco -pouch. - -Biff held on. The man, struggling to remain upright, struck down -savagely at the base of Biff's skull. Biff rolled, avoiding the -paralyzing blow. - -The attacker, freed of Biff's grasp, leaped for the door. Biff was on -his feet, right behind him. Reaching the door, Biff saw the man dash for -the steps. Instead of following immediately, Biff decided to wait a -moment. Surely Li had gotten clear. Li knew the grounds of the hotel -well. He'd be able to avoid capture, make a clean getaway with the pouch -and its valuable letter. - -When the attacker was out of sight, down the stairs, Biff stepped out -onto the porch. He straightened his jacket. He wanted to look like a -guest of the hotel if anyone stopped him. From behind he heard the -sounds of someone banging on the corridor door. - -"The time has come," he said to himself, "for me to make my departure -from this charming hostelry." He walked unhurriedly toward the stairs. -Once there, though, he dashed down them, taking three steps at a time. -In moments, he was concealed behind a spreading poinciana shrub. - -Biff stood silently. He strained his ears for any sound, the sound of -either Li or his attacker. Only the soft rustling of palm fronds came to -his ears. He decided to move out. Taking great care to remain in the -cover of trees and shrubs--the moonlight was brilliant--Biff moved -cautiously through the garden. He decided against returning the same way -he and Li had come. He felt sure that his attacker had followed them -from the hotel where his father had spoken. The man might figure the -boys would return to the hotel. He'd be waiting for them there, Biff -reasoned. - -"Sure hope Li figures it the way I have," Biff told himself. - -Biff walked in the opposite direction. He came to the edge of the -garden. The street was only a few feet away. A few feet, but those few -feet were open space, no cover, unprotected from the view of others. - -"I'll just have to chance it," Biff said softly. He planned to dash -across the opening, run down the street, and hope to find a cruising -taxicab. - -Biff tensed. He thought he heard a noise behind him. It sounded like a -small twig snapping. He turned his head slowly. He didn't want a second -attack from behind that night. Now he felt positive that someone was -moving in the shrubbery nearby. - -Then he heard it, softly, barely audible above the noise of the rustling -leaves and nearby surf. - -"Biff!" - -Biff let out his held breath in a deep sigh of relief. - -"Right here, Li," he called. - -His Hawaiian friend emerged from behind a tree and joined him. - -"You all right, Biff? You hurt?" Li asked anxiously. - -"Me? No. Not even shaken up. But how about you? And the tobacco pouch. -You've still got it?" - -Li nodded his head, extending a hand with the pouch in it. - -"Swell, Li. Great. How did you get away? Did that guy try to follow -you?" - -"He tried to follow all right. But I fooled him. I kept just far enough -ahead of him so he could hear me. I made little noises." Biff could see -Li's grin in the moonlight. "So I could lead him away. I wanted to be -sure you got away okay." - -"Pretty smart, Li. But how did you finally shake him off?" - -"I led him way to the rear of the garden. Then I quit making any noise. -I moved like a cat, circled around, and headed for here. I sort of -figured you wouldn't try to get back to the other hotel." - -"Good figuring. You and I are going to make a great team. But I think -we'd better get out of here fast before 'Nosy' figures the same way we -did. Where would be the best place to get a cab?" - -"Just follow me." Li turned, and instead of heading for the street, he -plunged back into the garden. He led Biff along the edge of the garden, -until they came to a low hedge fence, the rear boundary of the -Poinciana's grounds. Li leaped over it, Biff following. Then the -Hawaiian boy cut to his right, and in a few moments, they jumped another -hedge into another formal garden. - -"Where are we now?" Biff asked in a whisper. - -"This is the garden of the Aloha Hale--that means Aloha House. It's a -small hotel. We can find a taxi right out front. Come on." - -They moved noiselessly through the garden, and emerged on the lighted -street just to the left of the hotel's entrance. They were lucky. A -taxicab was waiting at its stand. The boys quickly hopped in. - -Biff sat back. Relief came to him, and he suddenly realized how much his -recent exertions had taken out of him. - -"Wowie! Am I ever glad to get out of that." - -"Me, too, Biff. Where do we go? Back to the hotel, or home?" - -"To your house. I told Dad we'd take a cab back." - -Li gave the driver instructions. - -Biff looked at the luminous dial of his watch. - -"Jeepers! Do you know it's been two hours since we left the hotel! Seems -like only minutes." - -Tom Brewster and Hank Mahenili were still up when the boys reached home. - -"Well, we were beginning to wonder what had happened to you two," Tom -Brewster said. - -"Plenty, Dad," Biff said, smiling. - -"It looks like it." His father was looking at Biff's rumpled white -jacket. One shoulder of it bore a smudge where he had landed on the -green carpet of Dr. Weber's room. - -"We had a little adventure," Biff said. "More than we expected." - -"You're all right, Li?" Hank Mahenili asked, a worried look on his face. - -"Sure, Dad. It was Biff who had the fight." - -"Fight?" Tom Brewster stood up. "Just what happened, son?" - -Biff gave his father and Hank Mahenili a fast fill-in on the night's -adventure. - -"But we got what we were looking for," he concluded. Biff reached in his -jacket pocket and pulled out Dr. Weber's tobacco pouch. He took out the -crumpled letter. - -"This has a New Zealand postmark on it. I think it's that letter you -talked to Dr. Weber about when he called you back in Indianapolis. I -haven't read it, though. Thought you might not want me to know what's in -it." - -Thomas Brewster took the letter. He read it rapidly, then reread it. His -frown showed how deep his concentration was. Without a word, he handed -the letter to Mahenili. The Hawaiian read it. - -The two boys watched their parents. Finally Biff spoke. - -"Is it important, Dad? I thought it might be." - -"Very important, Biff. Wouldn't you say so, Hank?" - -"Unbelievably so." - -Biff looked questioningly at his father. - -"This _is_ the letter Dr. Weber mentioned; the letter he received from -Jim Huntington. It tells of a find Jim made in New Zealand--a fabulous -mining discovery." - -"And that's why he was coming here to meet you and Dr. Weber?" Biff -asked. - -"That's right, son." - -"Then whoever it was attacked me tonight, or kidnaped Dr. Weber, would -know where the find was, too?" - -"Not exactly, Biff. They'd know of it, but not where it was. Huntington -was bringing samples of the ore, and details of its location, with him." - -"That information, then, must still be in his sunken sloop," Biff said. - -Tom Brewster nodded his head. - -"We'll have to find it, won't we, Dad?" the boy asked eagerly. - -"We're surely going to try." - -There was silence for several minutes. Everyone's mind was filled with -thoughts. - -"Dad." It was Biff who broke the silence. "Don't you think we can read -good news in my finding this letter?" - -"How do you mean, Biff?" - -"Well, wouldn't you think from this that Dr. Weber must still be alive?" - -"Why do you say that, Biff?" Hank Mahenili asked. - -"Well, sir, whoever grabbed him, since they didn't find the letter, must -figure Dr. Weber knows what Mr. Huntington discovered, and they're -holding him until he tells them about it, or tells them where the letter -is. They couldn't know that the location isn't described in the letter." - -"But how would they know anything about it if they hadn't seen the -letter?" Li piped up. - -"They have their ways," Tom Brewster replied. "The doctor probably told -someone else about Huntington's coming here. Not that he would have said -why. But Huntington's explorations are well known. Whoever kidnapped Dr. -Weber would know that a meeting between Dr. Weber, Huntington, and me -could lead to something of tremendous value." - -"And what is that, Dad? Can you tell me?" - -"I could, Biff, but I don't think I will--not yet. The fewer people who -know what Huntington discovered, the better. And it would be safer for -you, too, not to know." - -"You mean, Dad...." Biff paused. - -"Yes, Biff, you're in this now right up to your young neck. It could -easily be figured that you now know as much as Dr. Weber, since you -found the letter. That makes you a target, too." - -Biff found it difficult to swallow the lump which had suddenly come into -his throat. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - The Police Call - - -"Did you get a good look at your attacker, Biff?" Tom Brewster asked his -son. - -"Gee, Dad. He came at me too fast. And it was fairly dark in the room." - -"I was wondering. Perez Soto--you know, the man I pointed out to you at -the dinner--well, he wasn't at the reception afterward. I thought he -might have followed you boys." - -"I don't think so, Dad. Perez Soto is a good-sized man. Husky. This -fellow I had the hassle with was smaller, I think." - -"And that Mr. Perez Soto," Li added, "he was wearing a white dinner -jacket. This man wasn't." - -"He could have changed, son," Hank Mahenili pointed out. - -"Li's right, though," Biff said. "I think we both will agree that it -wasn't Perez Soto." - -"All right, boys. Better get to bed. It's late, and tomorrow's going to -be a big day." - - -It was a big day, and it ended with a bang. - -The engineering conference had wound up the night before with the dinner -at which Biff's father spoke. This day, the day following, Hanale -Mahenili had invited a selected group from among those who had attended -the conference to a _luau_ at his house. The prospect of going to the -_luau_, the traditional Hawaiian feast, especially one cooked by a -native of the island, was exciting. - -Hank Mahenili had been up early to get things under way. He was going to -supervise the cooking of the _luau_ personally. It took all day to -prepare a _luau_ properly, and when Hank Mahenili did something, he did -it right. - -Biff and Li helped with the early preparations. They dug a deep pit in -which a pig would be roasted. - -"Anything else we can do, sir?" Biff asked. - -"Not now, Biff," his Hawaiian friend replied. - -"Then how about a swim, Li?" Biff inquired. - -"Want to try real surfing this morning?" Li asked. - -"Do I! Let's go." - -Since Biff had arrived, the boys had swum before breakfast, after -breakfast, and practically all their free time. Li was an expert -swimmer, especially under water. At first, Biff became worried when his -new friend dived and seemed to remain under water long past the safety -point. But always, Li's laughing face would break the water just when -Biff was about to dive for him. - -Biff and Li hit the water and swam out into the ocean with powerful -strokes. Biff was just a bit faster than Li. They took the plunge first -to loosen up their muscles and became accustomed to the water. Next they -tackled the surfboards. - -Li swam most of the way back under water. - -"You still worry me, Li. I don't know how you can hold your breath that -long," Biff remarked as the boys walked up the beach. - -"Just practice, Biff. I've been doing it since I could walk, I guess. -Dad tells me I could swim before I could walk." - -The boys paused to watch an outrigger come plunging toward the shore -atop a long, rolling wave. - -The outrigger was being paddled furiously by two Hawaiian boys. On one -side of the canoe, its outrigging extended out in two arching arms, -connected by a buoyant float of _wiliwili_ wood to give the slender -canoe more stability. - -The canoe ground ashore, and its laughing passengers scrambled out. - -"All set, Biff? Ready to make a real try at it today?" - -"By me that's fine. I think I almost got the knack of it yesterday." - -"When it comes to you, it comes all of a sudden. You just sort of feel -it." - -"I hope I feel it today," Biff said, laughing. - -The first day, the boys had swum out to where the long rollers formed, -and had ridden them in, their bodies held stiff. Li wanted Biff to -become accustomed to the waves. Then they had started with the -surfboards. - -The two boys walked across the beach to two long, brightly painted -surfboards made of _wiliwili_ wood. They carried the boards out into the -ocean until they were waist deep. Then, sprawling on the boards, they -paddled off shore several hundred yards. - -"Okay, we'll try it here. Head your board toward shore," Li called. - -Biff slowly turned his board until its pointed bow was aimed at the -beach. - -"Okay. I'm ready." - -"Let the first few waves pass until you get the feel and lift. Then, -when one comes that feels good--that's the only way I can explain -it--start paddling like crazy." - -Biff followed instructions. He felt himself being lifted by the first -wave, then a second. Now came a huge roller, raising both boys high -above the trough left by the preceding roller. Biff started paddling -furiously, still lying face down on the board. He felt the wave grab it. -The board picked up speed, riding right at the crest of the roller. He -had made it! - -Li was right alongside. The boys were speeding shoreward at nearly -thirty miles per hour. - -When the roller broke on the shallow shore, Biff was tossed off in the -foaming breaker. He grabbed his board and held on until the wave -smoothed out. - -"Gee! That's the most thrilling ride I've ever had!" he exclaimed. - -"You did great, Biff," Li said. "But just wait. If you think that was a -charge, wait till you ride the board standing up. How about it?" - -"Let's go!" Biff agreed promptly. - -Out they went again. Again they waited for the right feel of the roller. -Biff felt one take his board. He was speeding shoreward. He looked over -the water at his friend. He saw Li rise to a knee crouch, then slowly -straighten up until he was standing straight, head held high. - -Biff tried it. He got to his knees. Carefully feeling for his balance, -he started straightening up. "I've done it," he said triumphantly to -himself. He looked shoreward just in time to catch a blinding splash of -salt spray. He blinked his eyes, and the next thing he knew, he was -floundering in the water. - -Li, seeing what had happened, leaped off his board, turned it, and came -paddling back to Biff. - -"I meant to tell you. When you get up, hold your head high, and back. -Then the salt spray doesn't hit you in the eyes." - -"_Now_ you tell me," Biff said, laughing. "I'm going to make it this -time." - -They started out even. Li got up first. Biff took seconds longer. He was -more careful this time. The tough part was straightening up from a -crouching position to an erect one, then placing one foot ahead of the -other, and getting a good balance. Biff arose slowly, slowly but surely. -He made it. The two boys rode standing up, only a few feet separating -their two boards. - -Li turned to Biff and grinned. Then he clasped his hands over his head, -making a handshake of congratulation. He was so thrilled at seeing Biff -make it that he forgot about himself. This time it was the expert who -spilled himself into the water. - -Biff rode triumphantly into shore alone. - - -The _luau_ was ready. The guests had arrived. Li burst into Biff's room. - -[Illustration: _Biff got to his knees, carefully feeling for his -balance_] - -"_Wikiwiki_, Biff! Hurry. Everything's ready." - -"I'm wikiwiki-ing just as fast as I can." - -"Here, put on this _aloha_ shirt--all the _kanes_ wear them. The -_wahines_, the women, wear _holukus_ or _muumuus_. You call them -mother-hubbards, only ours are brightly colored with big flowers printed -on them." - -"What do the kids--what do you call them--_keikis_? What do they wear?" - -Li laughed at Biff's pronunciation. "How many times do I have to tell -you that _every_ letter in a Hawaiian word is pronounced? Here's how you -say 'children' in Hawaiian: _kay-ee-keys_, with the accent on the first -syllable." - -"Okay, _Li-ka-kay_." - -"Gee, that's the first time you've said my name right. You stick around -long enough, and you'll be a real Hawaiian!" - -"What's your name in English, Li?" Biff asked. - -"Richard." - -"Okay, Dick--let's go." - -The _luau_ was being held in the garden in the rear of the Mahenilis' -home. Under gaily striped awnings, long tables had been set up. They -were decorated with fragrant-smelling ferns, flowers, pineapples and -bananas. - -At each place setting, there had been placed a _niu_, a coconut with its -top slashed off, still containing the _wai niu_, or coconut water, which -would be sipped with the meal. - -Hank Mahenili stood over the _lua_--the hole Biff and Li had dug earlier -in the day--making sure that the _puaa_ was done to a turn. A _luau_ -isn't the real thing without a roast pig. - -"All ready, everyone," Hank called out, and started cutting pieces of -the pig. The meat was so tender it fell apart. Hank placed the meat on -_ti_ leaves, and servants carried it to the tables. - -"What a meal!" Biff said, finding his place beside Li. "Never saw so -much food." - -In addition to the _puaa_, there was a _umeke_, a small bowl, of -_poi_--taro root pounded to a paste. There was a dish, called _pa_, of -_lomilomi_--salmon, which didn't look a bit like salmon, since it had -been shredded and kneaded into a salad. There was also a dish of _moa_, -chicken cooked in coconut juice, and another _pa_ of _opihi_, a small, -delicately flavored shell fish. - -This wasn't all. There were _pas_ of _i'a_, fish, and sweet potatoes, -called _uwala kalua_. - -"If I eat all this, I'll explode," Biff said. - -"Here, have some of this," Li said. - -"What is it?" There was a suspicious look on Biff's face. - -"It's delicious. Called _limu_." - -Biff took a small bite. His face lit up. "It's good. But what is it?" - -"Seaweed," Li said and burst out into laughter. - -"Honestly. _This_ is seaweed?" - -"That's right. Not the kind you know, though. This is an edible -seaweed." - -"I'll say it's edible. Give me more." - -Everywhere one looked, Mahenili's guests were devouring the food. -Strange though some of it looked, no one could deny the food's -succulence. People were falling to as if they hadn't eaten for days. - -Biff took one final bite and sat back. - -"Couldn't eat another thing if I had to. Don't think I'll ever want to -eat again." He looked at his friend and smiled. "_Mahalo, aikane_. -Thanks, friend." - -Biff's attention was attracted by a Hawaiian, not in _luau_ dress, but -in business clothes, coming across the garden. He saw the man approach -Mr. Mahenili. - -"Who's that?" Biff asked, nudging Li. - -Li looked, and his face became serious. - -"Golly. That's Mr. Kapatka. I wonder what he's doing here." - -"And just who, _aikane_, is Mr. Kapatka?" Biff asked. - -"He's the chief of the Honolulu police." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - Mysterious Message - - -"I'm sorry to interrupt your festivities," Chief of Police Kapatka said -to Mr. Mahenili. - -"That's all right, Kioni," Li's father replied courteously. "We're at -the end of our _luau_, and I know you've got your job to do. Just what -is it? You have word of the missing Dr. Weber?" - -"Well, the answer to that has to be both yes and no. Actually, I'm here -to see one of your guests. You have a Mr. Thomas Brewster staying with -you, do you not?" - -"Why, yes, we do." - -"And his son?" - -"Yes, Mr. Brewster and his family are staying with me on their visit to -the islands." - -"I'd like to speak to them," the chief requested. - -Hank Mahenili excused himself and crossed the garden to where Mr. and -Mrs. Brewster stood chatting with other guests. - -Biff and Li had watched the police chief talking to Li's father. Now -they saw Mr. Mahenili and Mr. Brewster coming toward them. - -"Come along, Biff," his father said. "Police want to talk to us." - -Li tagged along, the deep brown eyes in his bronze face wide with -curiosity. - -"I'm Thomas Brewster, Chief. And this is my son, Biff. Has Dr. Weber -been found?" - -"No, Mr. Brewster, unfortunately not." - -"But it is Dr. Weber you want to see us about?" - -"In a way, yes. Let me explain. An hour ago, we had a call from Wailuku, -that's the capital of the Island of Maui. An emergency case had been -brought to the hospital there--a man suffering from a deep stab wound. -The man was identified as a certain Juan Tokawto. He has a police -record. A minor criminal, in and out of several scrapes, but a bad -character. A man for hire." - -"Yes. But what has that to do with me, or my son?" Mr. Brewster asked. - -"I'm coming to that, sir. Tokawto was found unconscious. At the time the -police called from Wailuku, he was still unconscious, so they hadn't -been able to question him. They did find in his wallet, though, a -picture, a small photograph--two photographs, in fact. They identified -the man in one of the photos from a picture that appeared on the front -page of our Honolulu paper yesterday." - -Chief Kioni Kapatka paused. He apparently enjoyed building up suspense. - -"The photograph in our paper was one of you, Mr. Brewster. It appeared -the day you spoke at the mining engineers' meeting." - -"I know. But I don't see--" - -"The small photo found in Tokawto's pocket was also of you, Mr. -Brewster. Of you and a lad whom I presume to be your son. This boy, -here." He looked at Biff. - -"Remember, Dad? I told you about that man at the airport snapping -pictures of you, of you and me. Ted spotted him first," Biff reminded -his father. - -Thomas Brewster nodded his head. "Well, Chief Kapatka, I can't imagine -why any criminal would be carrying a picture of me and my son." - -"But remember, Mr. Brewster, I said that man was carrying two pictures." - -"Yes." - -"The other picture was that of the missing Dr. Weber." - -The police chief's last statement struck the group like a bombshell. For -moments, nothing was said. The chief broke the silence. - -"I'm sure that now you will see the connection," he said. - -"Yes," Thomas Brewster replied. "There must be one. But just what? Have -you any ideas?" - -"Only this, Mr. Brewster. The man Tokawto must have been hired to keep a -close check on your and your son's movements. I suspect he was in -Honolulu yesterday. He must have learned something--something of value -to someone." - -"Say, Dad, I wonder if that man could have been the one who--who--" Biff -paused. He didn't want to reveal to the police chief that he had gone -into Dr. Weber's rooms at the Royal Poinciana without authority. "You -know, Dad. The man I had that little scrape with." - -"Could have been, son." - -The police chief looked at Biff with renewed interest. However, he -didn't press Biff for a fuller explanation. - -"It is my belief, Mr. Brewster," Chief Kapatka continued, "that when -Tokawto went back to Maui, he thought his information was worth more -than he was being paid. His attempts at getting more money were rewarded -by a stab in the abdomen." - -"Some reward!" Biff interjected. - -"But why the Island of Maui?" his father asked. - -The police chief shrugged his shoulders. - -Biff touched his father's arm. "I have an idea on that, Dad," he said. - -"Let's hear it, son." - -"Wouldn't you think that perhaps Dr. Weber might be on the island, or on -a nearby one? And that whoever kidnaped him must have his headquarters -there?" - -The three men considered Biff's idea. - -"You could be right, Biff. Do you agree, Chief?" - -Chief Kapatka nodded his head in agreement. - -"The police on Maui have asked that you come to Wailuku. They want you -there when Tokawto has recovered sufficiently for questioning," the -chief said. "_If_ he recovers," he added. - -"We'll go right away. Can you come along, Hank?" - -"Certainly. Let me explain to my guests." - -Biff felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Li. - -"How about asking if I can go, too, Biff?" - -"Sure. You can help us." Biff turned to his father. "Dad, Li ought to go -along, too. He speaks Hawaiian, and he and I might pick up some valuable -information. Would you ask Mr. Mahenili?" - -Thomas Brewster nodded his head. "You better go pack a small bag. We may -be there for a day or two. Hop to it. We want to get over there -quickly." - -Biff and Li went into the house. - -"We'll get there soon, Biff. We'll take the Inter-Island Street-Car -System." - -"Street-car! What are you talking about? Street-cars running across the -ocean!" - -Li chuckled. "That's what we call the Hawaiian Airlines. They make so -many flights each day, it's just like standing on a corner waiting for -the next street-car." - -And it was. When the boys and their fathers reached the airport, they -learned there was a plane taking off within fifteen minutes. - -The flight to Kahului, the principal airport on Maui, took only thirty -minutes. They arrived just as dusk was spreading over the Valley Island, -as Maui is called. - -The drive from the airport to the capital of Maui, Wailuku, was a short -one. The police were expecting them. - -"We've just been talking to the police in Hana," the Wailuku police -chief said. "Tokawto is still on the danger list. They haven't been able -to get anything out of him." - -"Then this Tokawto isn't here?" Tom Brewster asked. - -"No. He's in Hana, a coastal town about sixty miles from here." - -"Shouldn't we start right down there?" - -"You can, of course, Mr. Brewster. However, Tokawto's been placed under -heavy sedation. There's little chance that he'll do any talking tonight. -I'd suggest you spend the night here, then drive down early tomorrow -morning." - -"Oh, yes, Tom," Hank Mahenili said. "You don't want to miss the drive to -Hana. It's a truly beautiful and thrilling experience." - -The sixty-mile drive was one of continuous curves. The road snaked -around cliffs, dived down to sea level, then climbed back up another -cliff. - -The party checked into the Han-Maui Hotel, then left for the police -station. - -Tokawto had come out of his sedation, but was still in such serious -condition that his words seemed a meaningless jumble during his -conscious spells. - -"I don't know if he's going to make it or not," Mr. Brewster said in a -low voice. - -Biff stepped to the wounded man's bedside for a closer look. - -"That _is_ the man who was snapping pictures of us at the airport, Dad," -he declared. - -"Do you also think he's the one you had your tussle with?" - -"He could be," Biff said slowly. "I'd say he's about the right size. I -didn't get a close look at his face, though." - -Tokawto moaned. He opened his eyes. He looked at Biff, and a frown of -recognition crossed his face. He stretched out one hand and spoke. - -"Ka Lae," he said, and repeated the two Hawaiian words: "Ka Lae." - -"What does that mean, Hank?" Mr. Brewster asked. - -"Ka Lae is the name of the southern tip of the Big Island-Hawaii." - -"I think he was trying to tell me that," Biff said. "I'm sure he -recognized me, and is trying to tell us that we ought to go to Ka Lae." - -Biff's father nodded his head. "I think you're right, Biff. Those words -have a meaning for me, too. I'll tell you about it later. Back at the -hotel." - -They walked the short distance back to their quarters. - -"Hank, do you think we could charter a boat here for a couple of days?" - -"I'm sure we can. You're going to Hawaii?" - -"Yes. To Ka Lae. But, I want it thought that we're just off on a fishing -cruise. No need for anyone but us to know our real reason for going." - -"Do you think Dr. Weber might be being held on the Big Island?" Biff -asked. - -"I think it quite likely, Biff. But there's still another reason for us -to take a good look around Ka Lae. That I'll tell you about when we're -on our boat at sea. Would you mind hopping up to my room and getting my -sun glasses, Biff? Then we'll go see about a boat." - -Biff took the stairs to the second floor three at a stride. Li was right -behind him. Biff scrambled through his father's bag, looking for the -glasses. - -"Hey, Biff. Look at this!" Biff, glasses in hand, turned to see Li -pointing to the mirror of the room's dresser. He walked over for a -closer look. - -On the mirror, written in soap, was a message: - - "JW for Cs" - - - - - CHAPTER X - Starting a Search - - -Biff wasted no time in getting back down to the lobby of the hotel. He -told his father about the message written in soap. - -"Just the letters, you say--_JW_ for _CS_?" Mr. Brewster exclaimed. -"Let's go back to my room. I want to see them for myself." - -The Brewsters and the Mahenilis went up the stairs. As they neared Mr. -Brewster's room, they noticed its door was open. - -"Now what can that mean? More trouble? That door was closed." The -question flashed through Biff's mind, but he did not speak. - -The door, it developed, had been left ajar by the maid, but it was what -she was doing that upset Thomas Brewster. - -They entered the room just in time to see the maid wipe the soap message -off the mirror. - -Thomas Brewster started to speak, but he realized that she was only -doing her job. When the maid left the room, Mr. Brewster questioned his -son closely. - -"Now this is important, Biff," he said. "Can you remember exactly how -those letters were written? I mean, were they all capitals? Or was one -or more of them in lower case?" - -"Lower case?" Li looked puzzled. - -"He means small letters, Li. Now let's see, Dad. I'm almost positive -that the _J_ and the _W_ were capitals. How about you, Li? Is that how -you remember it?" - -The Hawaiian lad nodded his head. - -"And I think I'm sure about the C. It was a capital letter, too. Right, -Li?" - -"Gee, I think so, Biff." - -"But what about the _s_, Biff? This is important," his father said. - -Biff frowned. He closed his eyes trying to recreate a mental picture of -the soap scrawl. "Dad, I can't be absolutely sure, but I think the _s_ -was a small letter." - -Biff looked at Li. Li could only shrug his shoulders. - -"I think your memory is probably right, Biff. You have a pretty good -one, and besides, it fits," Mr. Brewster declared. - -"I'm completely mystified," Hank Mahenili put in. "All this talk about -letters, capitals, and small letters. What do they mean, Tom?" - -"Well, first, I think--I hope--they mean that Dr. Weber is definitely -alive. That's good news. They must also mean that he's being held -prisoner. Not so good. The doctor is old, you know, and just how much he -can stand at his age is doubtful." - -"If he's alive, we'll find him," Biff cut in. - -"But the letters, what do they mean?" Hank repeated his question. - -"The _J_ and the _W_, I'm sure, stand for Johann Weber. The _C_--capital -_C_--and the small _s_, is the chemical symbol for cesium." - -"Cesium!" Understanding came to Hank Mahenili. Any informed engineer -knew the importance of this element. - -"Just what is cesium, Dad? And what is it used for?" - -"Technically, son, its atomic number is 55, and its atomic weight is -132.91. Its use?" Mr. Brewster smiled. "I'll tell you this, we'll never -get to the moon without it." - -"You mean it's used in rocket propulsion?" Biff asked. - -"That's right, Biff. It's a high-thrust, long-life rocket propulsion -fuel. Most costly." - -"More than gold?" Li asked eagerly. - -"Much more, Li. If you and Biff had about ten pounds of it between you, -you'd have your education paid at any college you wanted to go -to--M.I.T., Cal Tech--any of them." - -"Wow! Must be worth more than a thousand dollars a pound, then," Biff -said, his voice filled with amazement. - -"It is, Biff. The refining process is what makes it so expensive. -Scientists and explorers--like Jim Huntington--have carried on extensive -searches to locate a field where the purity of the ore is high--higher -than in those fields we now know about." - -"And Mr. Huntington--he thought he had made such a strike?" Biff asked. - -Before answering, Tom Brewster went to the door. He opened it cautiously -and looked up and down the hall. - -"I don't want any eavesdroppers or spies lurking around." He had lowered -his voice until it was little more than a whisper. - -"Now I'll fill you in so you will all know what we're up against." Hank -Mahenili, Li, and Biff crowded close to Mr. Brewster. They didn't want -to miss a word. - -"That letter you found the other night, boys, is important. Not as -important as Dr. Weber's abductors think it is, but it does tell of a -cesium find Huntington made in New Zealand. He felt it to be a -sensational discovery." - -"High-grade ore?" Biff asked. - -"Yes. In his letter to Dr. Weber, Huntington told of the find, of his -belief in its high degree of purity. He was bringing a sample, and a map -of the location, to Honolulu. Dr. Weber was to assay it. Then, if it -proved out as expected, Ajax Mining was to move in on the deal and -exploit the field." - -"And Mr. Huntington never got here," Biff said. - -"That's right. That call I received from Dr. Weber--you remember, Biff. -The doctor had just arrived in Honolulu when word of Huntington's loss -at sea became known. There was an extensive sea and air search, but -nothing was found, no sign of the sloop's wreckage, and, even more -unfortunately, no slightest sign of Huntington." - -"How could that be, Mr. Brewster?" Li wanted to know. - -"It is thought that Jim Huntington's sloop must have split its seams -open in a heavy squall, Li. Huntington apparently stuck by his boat and -went down with it." - -"Isn't it supposed to have gone down somewhere off Ka Lae, Dad?" - -"That's right. But there's a lot of ocean off the southern tip of the -Island of Hawaii." - -Biff was frowning with concentration. "Ka Lae," he said. "Those are the -two words Tokawto mumbled to us this morning." - -"And that's where we're going," his father said. - -"You think Dr. Weber is being held somewhere near there, while somebody -tries to locate the sunken sloop?" - -"I'm sure of it now, Biff." - -"Who do you think his abductors might be, Dad?" - -Thomas Brewster looked at Hank Mahenili. "Any doubt in your mind, Hank?" - -"Not one bit," the Hawaiian answered, shaking his head. "Perez Soto." - -"He'll make contact with us again," Biff's father said. "He doesn't know -exactly what is in this letter Biff found. His message--the one written -on that mirror, is telling me that if we want to see Dr. Weber alive -again, then I'll have to tell him where the cesium strike is located." - -"And that information is at the bottom of the sea," Biff said soberly. - -"Yes," Mr. Brewster said. "We've got to do everything we can to try and -spot that sunken sloop. Dr. Weber's life depends on it." - - - - - CHAPTER XI - Wharf Rats - - -Biff's father had concluded his conversation. - -"Now you all know as much as I do. Now we move into action. Biff, you -and Li will be our ground forces. Li's father and I will take over the -naval side." - -"You mean we're not going to the Big Island with you?" Biff was -dismayed. - -"No, Biff. I want you and Li to roam about Hana. You both had a good -look at Perez Soto. I'm sure you could describe him. Make a few -inquiries. See if anyone of his description has been in Hana recently. -Hana is a very big place. I'm sure he was here yesterday--probably met -with Tokawto, to Tokawto's misfortune." - -"We'll check on him, too. We'll stop by the police station," Biff -replied. - -"Hank," Mr. Brewster went on, "our job is to rent a boat. A yawl, about -thirty feet. Biff and I can sail, and I'm sure you and Li have handled -boats all your lives. I don't want a captain or a crew. Just a boat. -Think we can rent one here?" - -"I'm positive we can, Tom." - -"All right then. Boys, you start your investigation. You're pretty good -at it. But be careful. Meet us back here in time for lunch. I hope we -can sail tonight." - -Biff and Li went to their room and changed into shorts. Then they went -out to explore Hana. - -The mid-morning sun was bright. The sky was clear. It was a beautiful -day on the Island of Maui. The boys covered the small business section, -stopping in a few stores, and asking if anyone had seen a man answering -to the description of Perez Soto. They were becoming discouraged as noon -approached. - -"Let's go to the police station, Li. See how Tokawto's condition is," -Biff suggested. - -They learned that the wounded man was still much the same. It would be a -close thing if he lived. - -Leaving the police station, Biff had an idea. "Look, Li," he said, -frowning. "We're going about this thing all wrong. If Perez Soto -kidnaped Dr. Weber and took him to Hawaii, he'd have to have a boat, -wouldn't he?" - -"Sure, Biff, sure." - -"Then let's head for the docks and find out if anyone looking like Perez -Soto has rented a boat in the last week or so." - -"Good idea, Biff." - -They headed for the waterfront. Suddenly Biff turned to his friend. - -"Don't look back, Li," he muttered, "but I think we're being followed. -Just walk along as we're doing now. When we get to the middle of the -next block, you leave me. We'll shake hands, then you cross the street. -Go into one of the stores. Find a place where you can see out but can't -be seen from the street. Keep a sharp lookout." - -Li's face showed his excitement. "I get you, Biff. You want me to see if -someone keeps on following you." - -"That's right. I'm going to continue on down the street another few -blocks. Then I'll cut back and meet you in front of one of those stores. -Look sharp, now." - -The boys solemnly shook hands. Biff clapped Li on the shoulder. "Be -seeing you," he called loudly when Li had reached the middle of the -street. Then Biff continued his "sight-seeing" walk along Hana's main -street. - -He desperately wanted to look behind him, but he knew that to do so -would spoil his plan. He walked three blocks, stopping every so often to -stare into a window. If he was being followed, he wanted to give Li -plenty of time to spot his pursuer. - -Toward the end of the street, where the business section left off and -the residential section began, Biff cut across the street, then started -slowly back to his rendezvous with Li on the opposite side. - -He saw Li in front of a small store, standing under a brightly colored -awning. - -"Well, did you see anything?" Biff asked. - -"I think so, Biff. But I don't know for sure. There was a man, maybe one -hundred feet behind you. Every time you stopped, he'd stop, too, and -sort of step into a doorway, in case you looked back, I guess." - -"Then I was being followed!" - -"Gee, Biff. I thought so at first. But then this man turned into a side -street before you reached the end of your walk." - -"How could you tell that, from inside that store?" - -"Oh? Well, I stepped out on the sidewalk, so I could see better. Once -you got down to the next block, I couldn't see you through the window -any more." - -Biff smiled. "I was being followed, all right, Li." - -"But how can you be sure? This man didn't keep on following you." - -"You know why, Li? Because when you stepped out on the sidewalk, the man -spotted you. He had seen you with me, and knew you had planted yourself -in the store just to check and see if he was following me." - -Li's face fell. "Gee, I'm some detective! Charlie Chan would box my -ears, as he was always doing with No. 1. Son. I'm sorry, Biff." - -"Don't let it get you down. Let's go find out about boats." - -If Li had flunked his first detective test, he more than redeemed -himself on his second. - -At the waterfront, the boys spotted several signs announcing boats for -hire. - -"Let me see if I can find a _kamaaina_," Li suggested. "I could talk to -him. He might even know my family, then I could find out a lot." - -"Go ahead, Li. Good idea. I'll take a walk out on that dock and wait for -you." - -Biff stood on the end of the pier, scaling small sea shells into the -water. He could see Li going from place to place. At a nearby dock, Li -took much longer than at the other places where he had inquired. Biff -could see him talking to an old Hawaiian, bent of body, wearing a floppy -sun hat. He saw Li look in his direction and signal for him to come -over. - -Proud excitement shone from Li's face as Biff came up. - -"I've got big news, Biff," Li exclaimed. "This _kamaaina_ has told me -just what we want to know. He's an old man, speaks no English, but he -says he knew my father's family many years ago." - -"Yes, but what about Perez Soto?" - -"I'm coming to that. The oldtimer says he didn't rent any boat last -week, but at that dock up there--" Li pointed to a dock about one -hundred feet down the shore--"a _malihini_--that means a -newcomer--rented a big power boat about five days ago. He can't remember -the exact day. He's old, I guess, and kind of forgetful. But he thinks -it was on a Monday. That would be--" - -Last Monday! That was the day Dr. Weber had disappeared! - -"Good going, Li," Biff exclaimed. "And you described Perez Soto?" - -"I sure did. And the _kamaaina_ says he thinks it was the same man. The -man came to him, first, but he didn't have any boat big enough to suit -this man." - -"Well, Li, I think we're getting somewhere. I want to try one more thing -before we go back. I want to make sure I was being followed. I think -it's important to know if any of Perez Soto's men are still in Hana." - -"Why would they be," Li demanded, "if Perez Soto and the doctor are on -the Big Island?" - -"Don't forget about Tokawto. I'm sure Perez Soto would want to know if -Tokawto recovers enough to talk." - -"What are you going to do?" - -"I've got a trick up my sleeve. If someone is following me, it might be -because he thinks I might still have that letter." Biff took out his -address book and tore paper from the back of it. "You know he might be -just stupid enough to think I was still carrying the letter with me." - -"Guess he'd have to be plenty _lolo_ for that, Biff." - -"Plenty _lolo_? What does that mean?" - -"It means dumb or stupid," Li replied. - -Biff grinned. He took a pencil and scribbled a word on the paper. Then -he stuck the paper in his hip pocket, on top of his handkerchief. - -"We'll walk over to that boathouse," Biff said. Halfway there, he -stopped, pulled out his handkerchief, and wiped his forehead. As he did -so, the paper fell to the ground. - -"Come on," he muttered. The boys entered the boathouse. They pretended -to examine the boats, allowing themselves several minutes. - -"Guess we've given our pursuer long enough, if we are being followed," -Biff decided. - -They came back out of the boathouse and retraced their steps. At the -spot where Biff had pulled out his handkerchief, he stopped again, and -looked carefully about him. - -"We've been followed, all right. The paper is gone," Biff said to Li. - -"What did you write on that paper, Biff?" - -"'_Lolo_,'" Biff said, and the boys burst out laughing. - -Time had slipped by much faster than Biff and Li realized. It was -midaftenoon when they got back to the hotel. - -"Guess I've been so excited I forgot about eating," Li said, "but am I -ever hungry now!" - -"I could eat my way through another _luau_, Li," Biff agreed. - -At the front desk of the hotel, they found a message from their fathers. - -"_We're checking out the boat_," Biff's father had written, "_and -getting supplies. Wait for us._" - -Biff and Li had a late lunch, took a small siesta, then had a refreshing -swim in the hotel's pool. It was growing dark when Mr. Brewster and Hank -Mahenili came back. - -"We've got the boat, Biff. And it's a real honey. As trim a craft as -you'd ever want to see." - -"Where is it, Dad?" Biff wanted to see the boat. - -"Tied up at the municipal wharf. Know where that is?" - -"We sure do. We were down there this afternoon. I wonder how we missed -you." - -Biff then told his father and Mr. Mahenili what he and Li had learned. - -"I felt sure it would be Perez Soto. And he rented a powerful cabin -cruiser?" Mr. Brewster asked. - -"That's right, Dad. Li's _kamaaina_ friend thinks it was the Monday Dr. -Weber disappeared." - -"It all adds up. We can't get to Hawaii fast enough now." - -"Are we leaving tonight?" Biff asked. - -"About ten o'clock. Have to wait until then for supplies to be -delivered." - -"Gee, is it all right if Li and I dash down to the dock and look at the -boat?" - -"Sure. You'll have time. But don't stay too long. We'll be having dinner -in an hour." - -Biff and Li started for the door. - -"Hey!" Mr. Brewster called. "Don't you think you ought to know the -boat's name? It's the _Easy Action_." - -It was growing dark when Biff and Li reached the dock. There was the -trim craft, painted a bright white, with a golden arrow trimming its -sides. Its two masts swayed gently from side to side in the gently -rolling water. - -"She's a beauty, all right," Biff said to Li as they approached the -boat. "Come on, let's go aboard." - -Biff felt Li's hand on his arm, restraining him. - -"Hold it, Biff," Li said in a whisper. "I think I saw someone on the -boat. Let's duck behind these pineapple crates." - -[Illustration: _They peered intently at the yawl's portholes_] - -The boys secreted themselves. They peered intently at the yawl's -portholes. There was barely enough light to see. - -"There, did you see that!" - -Biff nodded his head. They had seen a white-clad figure flash by one of -the portholes. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - Bomb Away - - -For several moments Biff and Li remained absolutely quiet and -motionless. They knew someone was on the boat. But what was he doing? - -"Could he be one of the men bringing supplies to the boat?" Li whispered -at last. - -Biff shook his head. "No. I don't think so. You'd see activity on the -deck, too, and a truck somewhere nearby. No, we've got to investigate -what that character is doing." - -"I've got an idea, Biff." - -"Let's have it, Li." - -"Well, look, you know how well I can swim under water. Suppose I slip -into the water on this side of the wharf. Then I'll swim under it, and I -can come up right beside the boat. I'll move along from porthole to -porthole and see if I can find out what's going on in the boat." - -"Sounds okay to me. Good thing we changed into shorts. Be careful not to -make any noise." - -"Me, Biff? I'll be as quiet as a fish." - -He was, too. There wasn't even the faintest "ker-plop" as Li lowered -himself over the edge of the dock and sank into the water. - -Biff waited tensely. From behind his stack of pineapple crates, he could -get a good view of the starboard side of the yawl. He could see right to -the water line and the four portholes just above it. - -Moments became minutes, and it seemed to Biff that the minutes were -stretching out much too long. Had Li met some obstruction beneath the -dock? Biff's worry was increasing. Finally, he noticed a circle of -lightly rippling water near the bow of the boat. In the center of the -circle, he could just spot Li's head. - -He watched as his friend slowly raised himself by the boat's starboard -gunnel until his head was even with the porthole. Noiselessly, Li -dropped back into the water and took two strokes toward the stern. Now -he peered into the second porthole. He repeated the process at the third -porthole and moved on to the fourth. The fourth must be the one, Biff -figured, that was in the small compartment where the yawl's auxiliary -engine was located. - -Li took a longer time at this porthole. Biff watched him intently -through the growing darkness. A slight movement on the boat caused him -to raise his eyes. He gasped. - -Directly over Li stood a man with a small nail keg raised over his head. -He was ready to smash it down on Li's head. - -"Li! Look out! Duck!" - -The Hawaiian boy submerged just as the keg struck the water at the exact -spot where his head had been. - -"Jeepers," Biff thought, "I hope Li got far enough under." - -The keg hurler was running along the deck toward the boat's bow. Here he -could leap on the dock and make his getaway. - -Biff went into action. He jumped from behind the crates, reached the -boat in six fast strides, and leaped aboard just as the prowler reached -the bow. - -Biff grabbed at the man. His arms encircled him, and Biff in turn felt -the man's arms squeeze him in a bearlike hug. Biff exerted every ounce -of his strength, trying to force the man over backward, trying to free -himself of the man's crushing grip. - -He heard a noise from directly behind the man. Looking over his -shoulder, Biff saw the dripping figure of Li scramble aboard. Li didn't -hesitate. He threw himself at the man, striking him just at the knees -from the rear. "Clipping," flashed through Biff's mind. Unfair in -football, but in a fight like this there'd be no fifteen-yard penalty. - -The impact of Li's body forced the man to release his grip. As he did, -Biff stepped backward. His feet became entangled in a coil of rope. He -lost his balance, toppling backward. His feet hit the raised gunnel, and -the next moment he was flying through the air. He felt himself falling, -a sickening feeling, as if he were falling from a great height. He -wasn't, though. He was falling from the bow, six feet to the water. But -he was falling backward and had no time sense of the distance. - -He hit the water with a splash. His broad back smacked the water with -the noise of a loud handclap. Biff could feel his back sting from the -impact. - -He turned over and looked up. There was the bow of the boat, directly -overhead. There was Li, looking down at him. - -"You all right, Biff?" There was a strange sound in Li's voice. For a -moment, Biff was angered. The strange sound was Li trying to hold back -his laughter. Biff's sense of humor came to his rescue. He must have -been a funny sight, thrashing around in the water on his back like a -beached porpoise. - -"Yep. I'm all right," he called. "I'll swim to midships. You can give me -a hand up." - -Once back aboard, Biff's first concern was about the prowler. - -"Oh, him," Li said. "When you made your backward bellywhopper, that guy -took off. He raced down the dock. He's long gone by now." - -Biff rubbed the small of his back with his left hand. "That hurt. And -here you are laughing at me." - -"You were funny, Biff," Li laughed. "And that sting won't last long." - -"Guess you're right. Hey, let's see if we can find out what our visitor -was doing on board." - -First the boys explored the deck of the boat. They opened the sail-chest -and inspected the sails. They hadn't been touched. They carefully -examined the yawl's rigging. Both knew that an important rope could be -cut just far enough through so that it would hold in a mild wind, then -snap in a heavy one, just when it was most badly needed. No evidence of -any tampering with the rigging. - -"Let's go below. That's where the prowler was when we got here. He must -have been doing his dirty work down there," Biff said. - -A careful search of the cabins, each with two berths, revealed nothing. - -"Hey, look at this!" Li called. He was in the engine compartment, a -small space between the forward cabin and the galley. "Doesn't it look -to you as if this has been moved recently?" - -Li pointed to the wooden cover which housed the engine. It was sitting -slightly askew. - -"We'll take a look underneath." Biff took one side of the housing, Li -the other. - -"Careful now. Heave gently." - -They removed the housing. - -"Must be a flashlight around here somewhere. Have to have one if we're -going to find anything." - -Li found one in the tool chest. - -Biff took it and directed its beam of light on the top of the engine. - -"Nice little engine. A four-cylinder Indian Marine. Ought to shove us -along around eight or ten knots." - -He placed the light's beam over the engine, inch by inch. Suddenly he -brought the light's rays to a fixed spot. Biff bent low. - -"Never saw anything like this on one of these engines. Take a look, Li." - -Li bent down beside Biff. - -The boys were looking at a crudely made object, resembling a small tin -can. It was roughly attached just below the engine's carburetor. - -"Let's get out of here," Biff said, swallowing. His throat had become -dry and tight. "That thing's a bomb--a homemade bomb." - -Li was already heading back to the cockpit. - -"Alloo there! Ship ahoy!" came a cry from the dock. - -Biff and Li burst on deck just as his father and Mr. Mahenili started to -step aboard. - -"Stay back, Dad! Stay back! There's a bomb on the boat!" Biff yelled. - -Breathlessly, the boys told their fathers of spotting the prowler on -board, of the brief tussle, and the results of their investigation. - -"It's a good thing we came down," Tom Brewster said. "You were late. We -thought you might have run up against something." - -"We sure did, Dad," Biff assured him. - -"I'll have to investigate. Can you tell me exactly where this thing you -think is a bomb is located?" - -"You're not going on board, are you, Dad?" Biff asked, his voice filled -with anxiety. - -"I think it will be all right. I have an idea that bomb isn't intended -to go off while the boat's still in harbor." - -"But, Dad, it might," Biff protested. - -"Biff, I've handled dynamite and other types of explosives in my work. I -was also in the bomb demolition service in the army. I can handle it. -You stay back, though, all of you, until I give you an all-clear. Now -just where is this thing you found?" - -"Directly under the carburetor," Biff replied. - -"Here, you'll need this." He handed his father the flashlight. - -They watched Mr. Brewster's head disappear as he moved down the steps -from the cockpit to the first cabin. - -"I think we'd better follow your father's orders, boys," Hank Mahenili -said. "We'll put a little distance between us and the boat--just in -case." - -The three moved an anchor rope's length from the stem of the boat. - -The minutes went by. The waiting became almost unbearable. Biff couldn't -control the feeling of fear gnawing at the pit of his stomach. Any -moment, he expected to hear the dull thud of an explosion. He expected -to see the boat burst open, sending wood and debris flying through the -air. - -Minutes ticked on. Each one seemed an hour to Biff. At last, he saw his -father emerge from the cockpit. - -"I've got it. It's all right." - -Biff ran to where his father stood. It may have been all right, but Biff -could tell by the beads of perspiration standing out on his father's -forehead and by his soaked shirt, that it had been a ticklish job. - -"It's a bomb, all right. Perez Soto is playing for keeps," Mr. Brewster -said grimly. He wiped his forehead. "It's a simple thing, really. Anyone -with Perez Soto's experience, or mine, for that matter, could make it." - -"But when was it set to go off?" Biff asked. - -"That would depend on when and how long we used the auxiliary engine. -See this timer?" - -The three leaned forward for a closer look, peering warily at the -infernal machine Biff's father held in his hand. - -"This timer, which is hooked up to the detonator, is fixed so it starts -in motion when the engine is started. It cuts out when the engine is -out. Very clever, actually, even though it is simple." - -"When would the timer fire the charge?" Biff asked. - -"I'd judge after about an hour, perhaps two--no more--after the engine -had been running." - -"We'd be out in the middle of the ocean by then." Biff looked at Li and -Mr. Mahenili. Both shook their heads. - -"Worse than that, Biff, if I've got it figured right." - -"How, Dad?" - -"Well, Perez Soto would know that we'd use the engine to get us out of -the harbor. Maybe a twenty-minute run. Then we'd go to sail. And we'd -use sail every minute we could. But then--this is the really devilish -clever part of his plan." Mr. Brewster paused. He turned to Li's father. - -"Didn't you tell me that there are some dangerous reefs off Ka Lae?" - -"You bet there are," Mr. Mahenili said. "And the water's shark-infested, -too." - -"Well, to search the coast along there for Huntington's sunken sloop, -we'd have to use the engine. Couldn't take a chance with sail on those -ragged coral reefs." - -"I'm beginning to catch on, Dad," Biff said soberly. - -"I expected you would." - -"We'd have to use the engine, as you said. And right in the midst of -those reefs, and those sharks, _bang_! The boat would have blown up--" - -"And that would have been the end of us," Thomas Brewster said quietly. -He tossed the deactivated bomb overboard. - -"Rest in pieces," Biff said fervently. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - A Near Miss - - -"Everything all clear?" Mr. Brewster called out from his position at the -tiller in the yawl, _Easy Action_. - -"Aye, aye, sir," Biff called back to his father. Biff held on to the bow -line, loosely circled over a piling at the dock. - -"Cast off, then," Tom Brewster ordered. - -Biff flicked the rope, snaking it over the piling, as the _Easy Action_ -was cleared. Biff heard the low growl of the reverse gear as his father -backed easily away from the wharf. A shift to forward, the engine revved -up higher, and the yawl headed out of the harbor at Hana. - -It was a clear night, bright stars lighting up the skies over the -Hawaiian Islands. A slight sliver of a new moon could just be seen -rising in the east. - -The yawl ran on its auxiliary engine for fifteen minutes, putting the -harbor behind it. When they were well clear, and in open sea, Mr. -Brewster cut the engine. - -"All hands to," he called. "Prepare to hoist sail." - -A yawl is a fore-and-aft rigged vessel. It has a large mainmast forward, -and a much smaller mast set abaft or behind the tiller, or wheel. - -Hank Mahenili and his son Li had hold of the halyards at the mainmast, -ready to pull on the lines to raise the main and jib sails. - -Biff would handle the mizzen or aft sail by himself. - -"Heave away, me hearties," Mr. Brewster ordered. - -The three "hearties" heaved, and the sails slid up their masts, and -billowed gently out, catching a soft, warm wind. The sails were set and -trimmed. - -"Okay, Biff, you take over now." - -Biff came into the cockpit and took the tiller over from his father. - -"Keep her headed as she is now. The compass setting is for Upolu Point. -We ought to make it easily by daybreak, and then we'll cruise the -western coast of the Big Island." - -"Heading for Ka Lae, Dad?" Biff asked. - -"That's right, Biff. Hank and I are going to turn in now. You and Li -handle the ten-to-two watch. Wake us up at two, then you boys can grab -some sleep." - -Li joined Biff in the cockpit. - -The _Easy Action_ lived up to her name. She slid effortlessly through -the water, noiseless except for the soft swish of her bow cleaving a -path. The wind held steady. There was nothing to do but hold her on -course. - -"Like sailing, Li?" Biff asked. - -"It's the greatest. I'll take sail over power any day." Li spoke as if -he were an old salt. - -"Not so good for water skiing, though," Biff said. "You need more speed -for that, quick speed, fast starts." - -"Oh, sure. But for a cruise like we're taking, give me sail." - -The boys were quiet. The spell of the night settled over them. Li, Biff -knew, dozed off from time to time. He himself felt drowsy, lulled into -sleepiness by the slight rise and fall of the craft as it rode over the -swells. - -Biff looked at the luminous dial of his watch. It was nearly twelve -o'clock. He nudged the sleeping Li. - -"Hey, you're supposed to be on this watch with me. How 'bout taking over -for a while?" - -Li rubbed his eyes, stretched, and yawned. - -"Aye, aye, Captain." He took the tiller. - -Biff stood up, stretched his body, then settled into a more comfortable -position. He fought off sleep, but knew he dozed now and again in short, -five-minute catnaps. He was never far from consciousness, though. And if -anything happened--say a quickening of the wind--he would have been -alert immediately. - -At two o'clock, a widely yawning Tom Brewster emerged from the cabin, -followed by Hank Mahenili. - -"All right, boys. We'll take over now. Get some sleep. At this steady -pace, we'll reach Upolu long before daylight. We'll drop anchor, then -set out again at daybreak." - -Upolu is the northernmost point on the Island of Hawaii. - -Biff and Li were asleep the moment they hit their berths. It seemed to -Biff he had only just gone to sleep when he felt his father shaking his -shoulder. - -"Rise and shine, Biff. Almost daylight. We're shoving off as soon as we -have some grub." - -Under a bright morning sun, the _Easy Action_ got under way again. Biff -was at the tiller. His father and Hank Mahenili, tired from their early -morning watch, dozed on the foredeck in comfortable captain's chairs. - -Biff and Li had their work cut out for them. The course set was a zigzag -one. They wanted to cruise as much of the coastline as possible in the -hope of spotting some sign of Huntington's sunken sloop. - -Biff would head the _Easy Action_ off shore, run out nearly ten miles, -then tack back in. For every three miles they progressed down the coast -toward Ka Lae, the southern tip of Hawaii, they covered nearly twenty -miles out and back from the coast. - -A stiff morning breeze sent the _Easy Action_ skipping briskly over the -waves. They had covered a good distance by eight bells, twelve o'clock -noon. - -Biff and Li took turns at the tiller. When Li was the steerer, Biff -stood on the highest point of the foredeck, near the ship's bow, -scanning the waters on either side with powerful binoculars. When it was -his time to take over the wheel, Li took up the vigil. - -They reached Kailua on the Kona coast as the sun, like a blazing ball, -settled into the Pacific Ocean to the west. They were halfway to Ka Lae, -the southern cape. - -The party went ashore for a steak dinner at the famous Kona Steak House, -then came back to their boat filled with food and tired. All turned in -at once. No watch was set. None of them saw the black-hulled power -cruiser come in and drop its anchor nearby. Then the captain of the -cruiser, having spotted the _Easy Action_, weighed anchor and moved off -to an anchorage out of sight from the crew of the yawl. - -The next morning the search was continued, the yawl weaving its way in -and out along the coast, drawing nearer to Ka Lae, nearer to the -position at which Huntington had last been heard from. - -"I'll take the tiller now, Biff,'" his father said. "Hank and I will -alternate. I want you and Li to keep a constant watch. Your young eyes -are sharper than ours." - -The _Easy Action_ spent the day crisscrossing a wide area of water -between the shore line and a distance outside the coral shoals, varying -from five to twelve miles. - -Nightfall found them off Ka Lae, or South Cape. They anchored in thirty -feet of clear water, about a quarter of a mile off shore. They could see -the white combers lashing at the rocky formation of the beach. - -"We'll combine our evening meal with a council of war," Tom Brewster -said, once the ship was made tight for the night. - -"You figure we're in the danger area now, Dad?" Biff asked. - -"Huntington's sloop is on the bottom of the ocean somewhere in this -area." - -"And Perez Soto is looking for it just as hard as we are," Hank Mahenili -added. - -"What about Dr. Weber?" Biff asked. "Do you think he's aboard Perez -Soto's boat, or do you think he's being held on shore?" - -"Hard to say, Biff. My feeling is that he's being held on shore. A -captive on a boat could be too easily spotted at a refueling wharf." - -"Don't you think, Dad, that we ought to divide up now?" Biff suggested. -"Two of us make a shore search for Dr. Weber, the other two cruise -around and try to spot the sunken sloop?" - -"Good idea, Biff. We'll do that tomorrow," Mr. Brewster agreed. "Hank -and I will go ashore. You and Li conduct the sea search." - -That suited Biff and Li just fine. They looked at one another and -smiled. - -"Now tonight, I don't think it's necessary to have a standing watch. -There's been no sign of Perez Soto so far. But one of us ought to sleep -on deck. Any volunteers?" Biff's father asked. - -"Me, Dad." Biff jumped at the chance. "I'd love to. Nice warm night. The -sleeping will be better under the stars than it will be in the cabin." - -"Okay, let's all turn in. Big day ahead." - -Biff spread out a sleeping bag on the _Easy Action_'s foredeck. He lay -on his back, his eyes staring up and the millions of stars twinkling in -the sky overhead. The sound of the surf came distinctly. It was a -soothing sound, and shortly Biff was lulled to sleep. - -Some hours later, he was awakened slowly. He heard the distant throb of -a powerful engine. At first, Biff thought it must be an airplane. But -then, as he became wider awake, he realized the throbbing came not from -the air, but the sea. It grew louder as the craft, whatever it was, drew -nearer. - -Biff sat up, propping himself on one arm. Now there was no mistaking it. -A boat, one with a powerful engine, was rapidly approaching the _Easy -Action_'s anchorage. Biff stood up. He peered into the starlight night. -He could see the reflection of stars twinkling on the water's surface. -Then he made out the outlines of a cabin cruiser throwing a fan-tail -white wake, heading fast toward the _Easy Action_. - -"Fools," Biff muttered to himself, "if they don't change course, they'll -ram us." - -He knew the white-hulled yawl was sharply outlined against the starlit -waters. Then he suddenly knew what was happening. The on-charging -cruiser was aiming at the yawl. It _meant_ to ram her. - -Biff raised a cry. It was too late. His voice was drowned out by the -roar of the cruiser's engines--Biff knew now that it was a twin-engined -craft. - -Now the boat seemed on top of the yawl. Its bow, with a much higher -freeboard than the low-lying yawl, reared up menacingly only twenty feet -from the sailing craft. Surely it would crash them, ram them, send them -to the bottom of the sea, with Biff's father, Hank Mahenili, and Li -trapped below. - -Biff yelled. - -At the last moment, the cruiser swerved sharply to the starboard, making -an almost right-angle turn. It roared alongside the _Easy Action_, not -ten feet separating the two boats. - -As the cruiser made its fast, skidding turn, it threw up a tremendous -wave. Biff saw the wave sweeping toward the yawl. Then, tons of foaming -water cascaded over the _Easy Action_. Biff grabbed for the mainmast, -wrapping his arms around it in a death lock. He felt the wave tugging at -his body. It took all his strength to prevent being swept overboard. - -The wave passed on over, tumbling gallons of water into the cabins -below. - -Biff released his grip on the mainmast. He sprinted to the cockpit. It -was nearly filled with water. - -"Dad! Dad! You all right?" - -He started to plunge into the water-filled cabin and was met by his -father, Hank, and Li fighting their way out, gasping for breath, trying -to expel water from their choked lungs. - -The black cruiser had sped away, the throb of its engines barely audible -now. - -Everyone was all right. But what a mess! Bedding was soaked. Galley -equipment, pots, pans, dishes had been swept off shelves, some of the -pans bobbing like corks in the swirling waters inside the ship's cabin. - -Biff went into action. Maybe he could start the engine before the water -did its damage. He splashed through the water and reached the engine -compartment. He pulled open the door. It had held back the flood from -the engine room. Before the water could rush in and fill up that -compartment, Biff had the engine going. He quickly turned on the yawl's -sea pumps. He stood there with his fingers crossed, hoping the engine -wouldn't conk out. It didn't. The heavy-duty pumps worked perfectly. -Already the water inside the boat was beginning to recede. - -Biff joined his father, Hank Mahenili, and Li in the cockpit. They were -still dazed and only now beginning to breathe easily. - -"I thought he was going to ram us, Dad." - -Mr. Brewster shook his head. - -"I get it now," Biff continued. "To ram us would have damaged _his_ -boat--put it out of commission, even if it didn't sink. He wanted to -swamp us." - -"And nearly did!" Mr. Mahenili said. - -The steady beat of the pumps continued. They were rapidly bailing the -yawl out. - -"Well, Biff, you know what we're really up against now," his father said -seriously. - -"I think I always did, Dad. This Perez Soto will stop at nothing." - -Li sat quietly, but he was shaking as if from a chill. It was the recent -frightening experience which caused him to tremble. - -"Tom, I've been in and around water, in and out of boats all my life. -But that was the nearest brush I've ever had with a watery grave." Hank -Mahenili's voice was solemn. "He'll never get away with it," he added -fiercely. - -The next hour was spent in straightening up the water damage. Bedding -was brought on deck and spread to dry. Li was elected cook, to make -coffee and hot tea. Dawn was spreading before the _Easy Action_ was -shipshape again. - -After a hot meal, Mr. Brewster took Biff aside. - -"Biff, we're not going to let last night's incident change our plans. -Hank and I are going ashore immediately. You and Li put out and start -the search at once. We've got to stop Perez Soto before he stops us. -Come below with me for a moment." - -Biff followed his father into the cabin. He saw him open his bag. When -he turned around, he was holding a revolver in his hand. - -"You know how to use this, Biff. You've practiced enough." - -"Yes, Dad." - -"You're not to use it, except in the most extreme emergency. You're to -use it only to repel anyone trying to board this boat." - -Biff nodded his head gravely. Mr. Brewster replaced the weapon and left -the cabin to join Hank Mahenili. Biff and Li watched their fathers as -they headed for shore in the yawl's dinghy. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - Storm! - - -The boys watched the dinghy plunge into the surf near the shore. They -saw it picked up by a breaking roller, and carried on its crest to the -shore. They saw the two men pull the dinghy high up on the shore and -hide it behind some low, spreading growth. - -"They're taking no chances," Biff said to Li. "We've got to be equally -careful." - -Biff's voice held a grim tone. The memory of the night before was still -vivid in his mind. Li's face was solemn, too, his round brown eyes -serious. - -"You're the captain, Biff." - -Biff smiled. He didn't want Li to become too alarmed. - -"Okay, my friend. Let's put out to sea. I can handle the mainsail and -the jib. You stand by the tiller. We'll hoist the mizzen after we're -heading out." - -Biff ran the mainsail up, leaped to the bow of the boat, and started -hauling in the anchor on a hand winch. It took a lot of effort. The -anchor was heavy, and he had to raise it thirty feet. The _Easy Action_, -a spanking off-shore breeze in its sail, was already plowing through the -sea before Biff had the anchor safely stowed. - -Once the anchor was stowed, Biff went back to the cockpit. - -"How'm I doing, Biff? Heading the right way?" Li asked. - -"Point her a little more to the southwest. I'll raise the mizzen." - -Biff finished his seaman's job and dropped down in the cockpit beside Li -for a breather. - -"I'll take over now, Li. You go forward and be the lookout. Take the -binoculars," he suggested. - -All morning they continued their crisscrossing course. The high noon sun -blazed down on them. The heat soon dried the bedding. Biff heaved to -long enough to carry the bedding below and make up the berths. - -They had a sandwich, then stretched out on the hot deck for a brief -rest. The boat drifted. - -"Where do you think we are now, Li?" Biff asked. - -Li looked shoreward. They could just make out the coastline. - -"I think we've rounded Ka Lae. Must be just off the black sand beach." - -"_Black_ sand?" - -"Yes, Biff. The lava from Kilauea spilled down to the ocean. The surf -ground it up into a fine black powder, really finer than sand. That's -why it's called the black sand beach. It's all along the Puna coast, all -the way up to Hilo--that's a city on the west side of the Big Island." - -"I think we ought to change course, then. Head a point or two north by -northeast. Then we'll wing back east and return to the anchorage." - -Li was at the tiller. He came about, and the _Easy Action_ was put on a -long reach, pushed briskly along by a southerly wind. - -Toward the middle of the afternoon, Biff looked up to see Li coming aft. -Biff was at the tiller. He noticed a frown on his Hawaiian friend's -face. - -"What's up, Li? You sight something?" - -"No, Biff," Li shook his head. The serious expression on his face had -deepened to one of worry. - -"Then what's your trouble? You look like you got trouble." Biff smiled. - -"I'm afraid we both may have," Li answered. "Have you noticed it getting -any warmer?" - -"A little, perhaps. Wind's freshened a bit, too." - -"That's it. I'm afraid we're in for some Kona weather." - -"Kona weather?" - -"Yes, that's what we call a wind coming up from the Equator. Sometimes -it reaches gale force. Always there's heavy rain." - -Biff looked astern. On the southern horizon, he could make out huge -thunderheads. - -"Was there a Kona wind when Huntington was lost?" - -"Yes. A big one." - -"Then we'd better get out of here fast. We'll try to get back round Ka -Lae. The Point ought to give us some protection." - -There was no doubt now that a Kona wind was catching them. Biff changed -course again. He headed _Easy Action_'s bow west by north. The wind rose -rapidly. It whistled through the sails, making the rigging lines -vibrate. The sea began kicking up. - -The wind drove _Easy Action_ before it. The yawl heeled far over, its -mainsail stretched taut on the starboard side. The yawl was fairly -racing through the water. - -Suddenly they were struck by a torrential downpour. The rain hit the -deck in drops as big as half-dollars. The sky had blackened. The shore -was blanked out. Angry whitecaps dotted the water like blobs of cotton. - - [Illustration: Sailboat in heavy seas.] - -"Take the tiller, Li," Biff shouted above the roar of the wind and the -pounding of the rain. "I've got to get the mainsail down." - -Biff fought his way forward on the rain-slippery deck. He was pushed -along by the driving wind. He reached the mainmast. Its lines were -whipping against it, cracking like pistol shots. He loosened the -mainsail halyard. The wind grabbed the mainsail. Biff struggled to pull -it down. Suddenly there was a thunderous crack. The mainsail gave way, -torn loose from its halyards. It stretched straight out like a flat, -white canopy and flapped violently in the wind, which was now near gale -force. - -There was no way to cut it loose. Biff let the line go. The jibsail was -still holding. Turning, Biff felt the rain and salt spray beat against -his face. He had to bend into a crouch to make any progress aft. The -salt spray stung his eyes, nearly blinding him. - -Once he slipped and crashed to the deck. He could feel himself sliding -toward the starboard gunnel, now nearly under water because the yawl had -heeled over so far. A last-second grab at a mooring stanchion saved him -from going overboard into the boiling sea. - -Biff pulled himself up slowly. He crawled on hands and knees and fell -exhausted into the cockpit. For moments he lay there, gasping for -breath. Then he saw the fear on Li's face. Li held the tiller in a -viselike grip. Biff rose. - -"I'll take over," he shouted. - -Li merely nodded his head in assent, glad to relinquish the wooden -tiller handle. It was a fight to hold it steady. - -From forward, the boys heard another crack, sharp as a shotgun shot. - -"Jibsail's given away," Biff shouted. - -Now their only control of the yawl was by the mizzensail. It was behind -them, making control of the boat most difficult. - -"If the mizzen goes," Biff yelled, "we're done for!" - -Just as he spoke the words, the mizzen gave way, torn from its halyard -by a sudden driving gust. At the same moment, the boys heard a sound -that sent an even greater chill of fear racing up and down their spines. -It was the roar of an angry surf pounding the shore. - -They were being swept ashore. The boat would be dashed to bits. They -would be flung on razor-sharp coral! - -"Get forward, Li," Biff shouted. "Let the anchor go!" - -The sound of the pounding surf came nearer. Biff prayed that the anchor -would grab and hold. He fought the tiller, trying to keep the yawl from -being swept ashore broadside. Then, suddenly, the yawl was lifted high -on the crest of a roller, as if handled by a giant. When it crashed down -into a churning trough of water, Biff's grasp on the tiller was torn -loose. He felt himself being hurled through the air. Then he struck the -water with a thud, knocking the wind from his lungs. - -Biff felt himself go under. Then he was lifted by another roller. -Surfacing, he gasped for air. His arms flailed the water. The waves -tossed him about, carrying him nearer and nearer the shore. Biff -struggled to ride the waves, to keep control of his body so that he -might avoid being dashed on the shore. He was hoping against hope that -this would be a sand, not coral beach. - -After a seemingly endless struggle, Biff, kicking out, felt his feet -touch bottom. Nothing had ever felt so good before. His feet were -touching a powdery sand, now roiled up, but at least, it wasn't a coral -bottom. - -Biff found himself in waist-deep water. The shoreline was only a few -feet in front of him. He staggered through the surf, reached the black -sand beach, and threw himself face down on the sand. Every muscle in his -body felt as if it had been pounded, pummeled, pulled, and strained. - -Then he thought of Li. He turned over and rose to his knees. He saw the -_Easy Action_. Her anchor had caught and held. She was pounding up and -down on the rough waters, but Biff could see that she was holding. - -But where was Li? - -Biff stood up. He went to the water's edge. He walked out until the -water raced around his knees. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he -shouted: - -"Li! Li!" - -There was no answer. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - Men Missing - - -Biff stood on the beach calling out his friend's name again and again. -His voice shook with effort, trying to drown out the noises of surf and -sea. - -The wind was dying down slightly, but the surf was still too rough and -dangerous for Biff to try to reach the boat, which stood one hundred -feet off shore. - -Biff's eyes searched the beach, hoping to spot Li swimming ashore. No -such welcome sight met his eyes. - -To his left, about a quarter of a mile away, Biff could see a formation -of lava rock jutting out into the sea. He thought his friend Li might -have gotten to shore on the other side of the lava promontory. - -Biff ran down the beach. His pounding heart sank when he reached the -ugly, grayish-black rock, stretching out into the sea. Its side was -smooth, rising upward some thirty feet. There was no place Biff could -spot where he could gain a foothold to climb to its top. - -Around the base of the lava cliff, the water dashed and swirled, making -it impossible for Biff to swim around to the other side. - -Biff went back to the spot on the beach directly opposite the _Easy -Action_. He sank down on the wet sand, filled with despair. He felt -certain now that his good friend Li must be lost in the ocean. - -Night settled over a lonely, saddened Biff. The rain had stopped. The -wind was dying down. The surf was losing some of its angry roar. Sleep, -a sleep Biff felt he could never attain, finally came to the tired, -worried boy. With it came release for his troubled mind. - -By morning, the wind was gone. The sea was smooth, and the sky was blue -over Hawaii once again. - -Biff saw the yawl rocking gently at its anchor. Its sails torn, -tattered, drooped from the masts like the banners of a defeated army. -There was no sign of Li. - -There was only one thing to do. He must search the nearby coast for his -lost friend. - -Biff swam out to the yawl. A quick inspection showed the _Easy Action_ -to be a stout ship. She had taken on little water. Her seams had held. -Her masts had stood the strain. Biff took out the emergency suit of sail -and rigged them to the halyards. He started the engine, let it idle as -he raised the anchor, then put out to sea. - -He ran on engine past the lava promontory, bringing the boat as close -into shore as he felt safe. No sign of Li. - -Biff put back out to sea, raised the jibsail and cruised along the -coast, his eyes constantly scanning the shoreline. He didn't know how -far down the Big Island he sailed, but he dreaded turning about and -giving up. Finally, he felt he had to. He had to get back to where he -had left his father and Mr. Mahenili and tell them the tragic news. - -Biff came about. Now he sailed in the opposite direction. He rounded the -lava promontory, lashed the tiller, and went forward to raise the -mainsail. - -Returning to the cockpit, Biff cast a final look at the spot on the -black beach where he had spent the night. His heart leaped. There was -someone on the beach, jumping up and down, waving madly. Li! - -With a shout of happiness, Biff turned the yawl inshore. Li had already -dashed into the water, and was swimming toward the approaching boat. - -Biff came about quickly, heading the yawl into the wind. Li reached its -side, and Biff pulled him aboard. He threw his arms around Li's wet body -and hugged him in sheer happiness. Then he stepped back and sized Li up -carefully. Except for some scratches, and a deep gash on one leg, Li -looked fine. - -"I thought you were a goner," Biff said. - -"Nope, old Davy Jones hasn't got me in his locker yet." - -"What happened? Where've you been?" - -Li grinned. "I fell overboard. I'd just let go the anchor when my foot -got caught and I went over. A current caught me and carried me away from -the boat. The anchor must have dragged for quite a distance before it -caught, because when I finally made shore, the yawl wasn't in sight." - -"Where'd you land? The other side of that lava cliff?" - -"Yep. And there was no way to get over it." - -"I know that. I walked down the beach to the cliff, but it can't be -climbed from this side, either." - -Both boys were silent for a minute, thinking about their narrow escape. - -"So what did you do, Li?" - -"I started up the cliff, the side of it. I had to find some way of -getting over it, hoping to find you safe on the other side." - -"Yes, go on." - -"Well, it was growing dark. I slipped several times, cut myself, too." - -"I see you did. We better put some antiseptic on that cut." - -"I've already cleaned it out with salt water. Stung like the dickens." - -"We'll still do some more doctoring. Now get on with your story," Biff -ordered. - -"Well, I knew I wouldn't make it at night, so I found a protected spot -and went to sleep. This morning, I made my way farther up the cliff, -found a place where I could cross, and came over to this side." - -"And I was gone." - -"Yes, Biff. When I finally made it here, I could have died. No Biff. No -boat." - -"I was looking for you. I must have sailed two or three miles down the -coast, trying to spot you." - -"That's what I finally figured out, Biff. I thought that since the boat -was gone and there was no wreckage on the beach, old E.A. hadn't smashed -up. So, putting my two heads together, I also figured you must be safe -and had gone hunting for me. So I just sat and waited. Boy, when you -rounded that promontory, was I ever glad!" - -"Me too, when I saw you jumping around like a crazy Indian!" - -The boys smiled at each other. Their smiles turned to laughter, and for -a few moments they let themselves go in a wild laughing bout. - -"I should have known," Biff said, simmering down at last. "I should have -known that Likake Mahenili, champion swimmer of the Islands, could take -care of himself." - -"It was close, though, Biff." - -"I'll say it was." - -Biff put the _Easy Action_ on a course for the spot where the dinghy had -been beached. They sailed through the morning and well into the -afternoon before they spotted their landmarks. Biff anchored the yawl. -Both had felt sure their parents would be waiting for them on the beach. -There was no sign of either man. - -"What do we do now, Biff?" - -Biff shrugged his shoulders helplessly. - -"I don't know, Li. All we can do is wait. It'll be dark, soon. We can't -search for them at night." - -"Biff, you don't think that maybe Perez Soto--" Li couldn't finish his -sentence. - -Biff knew the worried thoughts which must be running through his -friend's mind. The same thoughts were racing through his own. Had his -father and Mr. Mahenili been trapped by the enemy? - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - Held Prisoner - - -High up the side of Mauna Loa volcano, Tom Brewster and Hank Mahenili -turned their binoculars on the sea 10,000 feet below them and several -miles away. - -The men scanned the coastline, inch by inch, searching for any activity -on the wide horizon. - -"Can't spot the _Easy Action_, Hank. Can you?" Tom Brewster asked. - -"No. But look over there. To your right. Line up on that tall palm tree, -couple hundred feet down." - -Tom Brewster followed his friend's directions. He adjusted his glasses. -As the focus became sharp, he spotted a black object, apparently a boat, -anchored off shore. - -"Couldn't that be a black power boat? Looks like it to me, Tom," Hank -said. - -Brewster studied the boat for a minute before replying. "I think it is. -I'm sure it is. That must be Perez Soto's boat." - -Mahenili had turned his glasses in the direction where the _Easy Action_ -should be riding at anchor. - -"I'm getting worried about the boys, Tom." - -"Oh, they'll be all right. They'll be coming into sight any moment now. -Anything in particular worrying you? We've spotted Perez Soto's boat. -They haven't had any trouble with him." - -It was late afternoon. Hank Mahenili had turned his glasses to the -south, looking out over Ka Lae. - -"See that cloud formation to the south?" he said. "It's building up -fast. It could be a Kona wind coming up." - -"Maybe we'd better start down, then," Mr. Brewster suggested. - -The two men had descended only halfway down the side of the volcano when -the Kona storm struck. They had to halt. It was too dangerous to make -the steep descent in the raging storm, the same storm that had hit the -_Easy Action_ two hours earlier. - -The high wind, ripping and roaring, whining against the side of the -mountain, was followed by a sheet of rain. Tom Brewster and Hank -Mahenili had to scramble for any cover they could find. They located a -small but deep depression, more of a pocket than a cave, and dived into -it. Water trickled in, wetting them, but it was better than being in the -open with the rain and wind lashing at them. - -Shortly after nightfall, the storm lessened. There was no question of -trying to continue their descent. - -"Have to make the best of it for the night," Mr. Brewster said. - -"What about the boys?" Hank asked. - -"Nothing we can do, Hank. Don't think I'm not worried. I am. But I do -trust Biff. He's been up against many a tough situation and has always -come through. He will this time, too. And so will Li." Tom hoped his -strong tone of confidence would be imparted to his friend. He knew that -the Mahenilis weren't accustomed to running into the dangerous -situations that had been a part of his own life for many years, and -recently, had become almost a pattern for Biff, too. - -Henry Mahenili was made of stout stuff, too. He also knew that, when -faced with a situation where there was no immediate out, the best thing -to do was to face up to it and hope for the best. - -Tom Brewster changed the subject. - -"I've an idea, Hank. I base it on seeing that black power boat anchored -off shore." - -"What is it, Tom?" - -"I think that Perez Soto and whoever is working with him must be ashore. -I think they must have Dr. Weber with them. It would be too easy to spot -someone being held captive in as confined a space as a boat." - -"I'm with you in that thinking, Tom." - -"Tell me this, then. Don't you think they must have a hideout somewhere -nearby? They wouldn't want to be too far from their anchorage. They'd -want to be able to get to their boat quickly if any definite news came -about the location of Huntington's sunken sloop." - -"There are all sorts of places around here, Tom. Lean-tos, shacks. -Finding one certain hideout won't be simple. There's also a lot of the -Mauna Loa, too. Don't expect too much too soon." - -"I know. But I won't rest until I've made every effort to find Dr. -Weber." - -"Well, Tom, if we don't rest now, we won't have the strength to continue -our search. Let's try to get some sleep." - -"Good idea." - -They spent a restless night in their cramped, wet quarters. Daylight, -with a bright sun already sending up steam vapors as it dried the wet -mountain side, was a welcome relief. - -The first thing both men did was to scan the shore line again with their -binoculars, searching for the _Easy Action_. Failure to spot her -increased the worry in both men's minds. Neither spoke of the matter. -Each knew how greatly concerned the other was. But there was no point in -dumping one worry upon another. - -"Come on, Hank. Let's get back on down. The boys may be there when we -arrive." - -They started on down the side of Mauna Loa. At an elevation of about one -thousand feet, almost directly opposite the anchored black power boat, -they halted for a breather. They were only a mile or so from the shore. -Their intention was to cut to their left, now that the going was easier -at the lower altitude. The descent was no longer so precipitate. - -They headed almost due south now. They stayed at the same elevation, -stopping now and again to sweep the coast line with their glasses. At -one halt, Tom Brewster placed a retaining hand on Mahenili just as he -started off. - -"Hold it a moment, Hank," Tom said in a low voice. "Hear anything?" - -Hank Mahenili listened. In a few moments, he nodded his head. - -"Sound like voices to you?" - -"Yes. And angry ones." - -"Come along then, let's find out." - -The voices seemed to be coming from a point below them, not too far -below, and just a bit to their right. - -They proceeded most cautiously in the direction of the voices, careful -not to start any pebbles or small stones rolling downward. Easing -themselves down, the two men came to a ledge. It projected out like the -roof of a shed or porch. Tom Brewster got down on his stomach. He wormed -his way forward. The voices were coming, it appeared, from directly -beneath him. - -Inching ahead, Tom Brewster came to the edge of the ledge. Carefully, he -craned his head forward and looked down. He saw the tops of two men's -heads. A third man was stretched out on a makeshift bed of brush, -covered with a worn cloth. - -The third man was Dr. Weber. The doctor's cheeks were sunken. His color -was bad. He looked completely ill and worn out. Towering over the doctor -was Perez Soto. Thomas Brewster couldn't see the other man's face, but -he knew it must have anger written on it from the tone of his voice. - -Dr. Weber groaned as he turned on his side. Brewster could see that his -hands were bound behind his back. His ankles were also lashed together. - -"You old fool!" Perez Soto said. "Why should it make any difference to -you whether I get the cesium or Brewster gets it? You're a scientist. -Bah! A scientist should put his science before all else." - -Brewster heard the doctor's reply in a voice barely audible: "There are -certain things even a scientist places a greater value on--friendship, -loyalty, humanity." - -Perez Soto leaned over the old man, his arm raised as if to strike him. -Brewster had all he could do to keep himself from leaping off the ledge -onto Perez Soto's back. But Soto's henchman stood, gun in hand, by the -old man's side. - -"I give you this day, and no more, my fine doctor," Perez Soto said. "By -nightfall, if you do not reveal to me the location of the cesium strike, -the world will lose one of its most eminent scientists!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - A Dangerous Dive - - -Biff and Li were up with the first rays of daylight. After a hurried -breakfast, they prepared to go ashore. - -"Do you think it's safe to leave the boat unguarded, Biff?" Li wanted to -know. - -"No, I don't. I know darn well that Perez Soto would like nothing better -than to find the _Easy Action_ with no one aboard and scuttle her." - -"What do we do then?" - -"We take that chance," Biff said grimly. "We've got to. Finding our -fathers is more important than all the yawls and all the cesium in the -world." - -Li smiled in agreement. "We're going to be awfully wet when we get -ashore." - -The dinghy was still secreted behind beach brush. The yawl had no other. - -"Couldn't you kind of kick your way ashore, swimming on your back, Li?" -Biff asked. - -"Sure, Biff. Why?" - -"Well, here's what you try to do. Jump overboard. Turn on your back. -I'll hand you some dry shorts and sweat shirts. Hold them out of water -over your head and see if you can make shore that way." - -"I'll try, Biff. But I don't know. Getting through the surf isn't going -to be easy. Probably get the clothes wet anyway." - -"We'll try it. And if they do get wet, the sun will dry 'em fast." - -Li dived into the ocean. He plunged around like a porpoise for a few -moments, enjoying and getting the feel of the water. Then he turned on -his back and kicked to the side of the yawl. Biff handed down a bundle -of clothing, and Li propelled himself away from the boat with a powerful -thrust against its side. - -Biff slung a pair of binoculars in a waterproof case around his neck and -slipped into the water. - -Li's progress was slow. His leg thrusts were those of an excellent -backstroke swimmer, but unable to use his arms, he couldn't go very -fast. Biff stayed alongside him. - -"I'm going ahead when we reach the shore breakers," Biff called to Li. -"I'm taller than you. Maybe I can reach bottom, and take the clothes -from you before a wave rolls over you." - -It was a good plan. But the sea has a way of upsetting good plans, and -it did this time. Boys and clothes reached shore equally wet. They wrung -out their shorts and sweat shirts as best they could, donned them, and -headed up the southern slope of the Mauna Loa in the area called Kau. - -They toiled upward, resting at regular intervals. It was hot, tiring -work. Their wet clothes clung to their bodies. Perspiration from the -effort kept their clothes damp. Even in the heat, Biff found himself -shivering convulsively. - -"I've got a clammy feeling from these clothes. Guess that's why I'm -shivering," Biff said to his friend. He hoped it _was_ the damp -clothing, rather than fear for the safety of his father and Hanale -Mahenili. - -By noon, the boys had climbed nearly three thousand feet. - -"Let's take a break," Biff called. - -"By me, fine. That was a tough climb," Li answered. - -Biff stretched out. Li remained seated. - -"Let me have the glasses. Biff." - -Biff handed them over, shielded his eyes from the sun, and tried to -catch a catnap. He was just dozing off when he felt Li nudge him. - -"Biff! Biff!" The excitement in Li's voice brought Biff to a sitting -position in a hurry. - -"What is it, Li?" - -"Over there, see? About halfway between Ka Lae and that point to the -north--Kauna Point." - -"Yes. But how can I see anything without the glasses?" - -Li unslung them from around his neck and handed them to Biff. "Now, -look. Follow the direction of my arm. About half a mile, I'd guess, off -shore. Almost exactly between Ka Lae and Kauna Point." - -"I'm following you, Li." - -"Move your glasses around in a tight area of a few hundred yards. See if -you spot a dark object on the bottom of the ocean." - -The boys were looking almost straight down. From his many flights over -water, Biff knew that from above, one could see through the water to -depths of forty to fifty feet with ease. The water acted as a magnifying -glass. - -He moved the glasses in a tight circle. Then he spotted what had caused -all Li's excitement. Lying on the bottom of the ocean was a dark object. -It was slender, about forty feet long, Biff judged. - -"Do you think it could be, Biff? Think it could be a boat?" - -Biff didn't want to raise either his own or Li's hopes too high. - -"Couldn't it be a coral formation, Li?" he asked. - -"Gee, I don't think so, Biff. There'd be more then one formation of -coral around. It's mighty rare to find just a sliver stuck out somewhere -in the ocean." - -"Then it could be a boat! A boat on the bottom of the ocean." - -"Huntington's boat?" - -"Could be, Li. But let's not get our hopes up too high." - -"Let's go. Let's get back to the _Easy Action_ and cruise over there. -We've got to find out." - -Before agreeing, Biff thought about his father and Hank Mahenili. Should -the boys continue the search? After all, the same storm that had forced -him and Li to spend the night ashore could well have caused the fathers -to take shelter. Perhaps their parents even now were back at the beach -opposite the anchorage, or even aboard the yawl. Biff made his decision. - -"Okay, Li. Let's go," Biff said. - -The boys reached the beach opposite the _Easy Action_'s anchorage in -half the time it had taken them to make the ascent. Downhill, all the -way. - -"We'll take the dinghy out," Biff said. "Won't do our parents any good -if the yawl isn't here." - -Their haste matched the excitement growing inside them about their find. -Of course, both knew they could be in for a great disappointment. Biff -pushed that depressing thought out of his mind. - -Li upped anchor while Biff got the engine started, then went to the -cockpit. Biff took the tiller and pointed the yawl's bow directly out to -sea. With a careful eye, he measured the distance from shore until he -was sure he was about half a mile out. Then he put the helm of the _Easy -Action_ hard over to the starboard and cruised parallel to the shore. - -"Think you've got that spot well marked in your mind, Li?" - -"Sure have, Biff. Remember when we spotted it? There was a large, oval -patch of whitish lava just to the left of where we were resting. I'm -sure we can spot it from the sea." - -"Okay. You be the lookout. I'm going to keep this boat on as true a -course as I can. I think we're just about as far off shore now as we -figured that sunken boat was. What do you think?" - -"Looks right to me. What do you want me to do?" - -"You take the glasses. Keep them turned on the Mauna Loa slope. Soon as -you pick up that oval lava patch, sing out." - -"Aye, aye, captain." - -Li went forward with the binoculars. He kept them trained shoreward, -aiming them about two thousand feet up the slope. - -The distance to the spot the boys had in mind was greater than they had -thought it to be. They covered a lot of water. Biff checked his watch. -He hoped they could spot the sunken hulk before the light went. - -"Land ho!" Li sang out and came racing back over the deck to the -cockpit. "Oval patch coming into sight, captain. Here, take the glasses -and see for yourself." - -Biff turned the tiller over to Li and took a look. That was the patch, -all right. It was off their starboard bow, still a good two miles ahead. -Biff revved up the engine, and the _Easy Action_'s auxiliary pushed the -yawl along at a good eight knots. In twenty minutes--Biff timed the run, -figuring the miles the yawl would cover at full speed--they were dead -opposite the lava patch. Biff cut the motor. - -"It ought to be somewhere about here," Biff said. "You shin up the -mainmast. I'm going to put the yawl in a tight circle, starting right -here, then I'll increase the circle every time we make one full turn." - -While Li was climbing the mast to a height of about fifteen feet, Biff -ducked down into the cabin for a marking buoy. This he tossed overside. -Its metal weight plunged to the bottom and held. The red-and-white buoy -would be the hub of the circle he would put the yawl into. Biff started -the engine again. - -"All set, Li." - -"Start the merry-go-round," Li called back. - -The _Easy Action_ made a tight circle. Biff edged the tiller away from -him, and the second circle was of a greater circumference. Biff eased -off on the tiller again. The yawl described a larger circle. If the -sunken hulk was in that area, there shouldn't be any chance of missing -it. The water was clear, the sea calm. - -Round and round they went. The bobbing red-and-white marking buoy became -a mere speck. Biff could barely make it out with his naked eye. - -Half an hour passed; then another. The sun was slanting downward, not -more than two hours from its nightly dip into the Pacific. - -"Hold it, Biff! Hold it!" came the excited shout from Li. - -Biff threw the engine into reverse. He leaped forward and let down the -anchor. He turned and looked up at Li, who, shading his eyes, was -peering intently into the water off the yawl's portside. - -"I've spotted it, Biff. I'm sure of it. If I haven't, well--you come up -and take a look." - -Li slid down the mast and Biff shinned up. He looked at the spot Li had -pointed out. For a time, his eyes were unable to discover any difference -as he squinted, looking down into the water. After several minutes, he -did make out a formation differing from anything around it. It was a -dark object. Biff could think only of a whale, or some other large sea -animal, lying on the ocean's floor. - -"You're right, Li. There's something down there." He slid down the mast. -"But how are we going to find out just what it is?" - -Li grinned. "That's easy, Biff. You have on board your ship _Easy -Action_, Captain Brewster, none other than the world's record-holding -free skin diver, Likake Mahenili." - -"You're going to dive down there?" Biff said, awe in his voice. - -"Sure. Why not?" - -"Well, you're not going to until we sound for the depth here. What's the -deepest dive you've ever made, Li?" - -"Forty-five, maybe fifty feet if I stretch it a little," Li replied. - -Biff got out the sounding line. This was a thin, strong rope. It had a -heavy sinker on the end. At intervals of one foot, it had a metal weight -to mark off the depth. Biff tossed it overboard. The line seemed to run -out endlessly. Biff was afraid the ocean's depth here was going to turn -out to be too great for Li to try a dive. Then he felt the thud of the -heavy sinker touching bottom. He drew the rope tight. - -"Here we go. Let's both count the markers as we pull it up." - -Biff worked slowly, carefully. They couldn't risk any mistakes in their -count. - -When the sinker broke the surface, Biff looked at Li. "How many markers -did you count?" - -"Forty-three. Does that check with your count?" - -"On the nose, Li, on the nose. I make it forty-three too." - -"Good. I can make that easy. But, hey, how am I going to know if it's -the right boat? What was the name of Mr. Huntington's sloop?" - -"The _Sea Islander_, Li." - -"Okay. Can you work the boat over a bit? I'd like to be right over her -when I make my dive." - -"All right, Li. Take up the anchor. Just enough to get it off the -bottom. Then let go the second I call." - -Biff went back to the cockpit. He pushed the engine's starting button. -He had to go forward about ten feet and edge the yawl to the port about -fifteen. He shoved the tiller away, putting the boat to the port, and -went forward about twenty feet. Then he pulled the tiller to him, put -the yawl in reverse, and came back. - -"Let 'er go," he called out. He felt the anchor grab. It must be almost -alongside the sunken object. - -Li came back to the cockpit, darted into the cabin, and came out with a -small anchor. It was a spare for the dinghy. - -"What do you want that thing for?" Biff demanded. - -"A weight. I'm going down with it. It will pull me down a lot faster -than I could swim. And forty-three feet is a lot of water." - -"I'll say it is. You all ready?" - -Li nodded his head. He had changed into brief, skin-tight swim trunks. -He walked over to the starboard side of the yawl. He took some wooden -matches and hurled them into the water. - -"What's that for?" Biff asked. - -"I want to find out if there's much flow here. If there's any current. I -have to judge my dive by the current." - -They watched the matches. They seemed to bob up and down in the same -place. Li had tossed them about ten feet from the yawl. As they watched, -they saw the distance between yawl and matches closing. It was closing, -all right, but slowly. - -"Know all I have to, Biff. Very slight current. Nothing to worry about; -nothing I have to figure on particularly. Here I go." - -Before Biff could even call "good luck," Li, the small anchor held in -front of him, plunged into the water. - -The wait for Li to surface began. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - Exploring the Depths - - -When Likake disappeared beneath the surface, Biff glanced quickly at his -watch. He tried to remember the record for a person's holding his breath -while under water. Was it three minutes? Four? He remembered reading of -some Polynesian divers in Bali who had remained submerged for six -minutes. - -How long could Li hold his breath? Biff looked at his watch again. -Already the sweep hand had passed the two-minute mark. - -Biff began to worry. The seconds ticked by slowly, as if held back by a -magnet. The three-minute mark was approaching. Surely Li couldn't hold -out much longer. Biff's eyes kept shifting from the water to the sweep -hand of his watch. Three minutes! Still no sign of Li. Biff made up his -mind. He was going in after Li. He slipped off his watch and peeled off -his shirt. Just as he was preparing to dive, Li's head broke the -surface. - -[Illustration: _How long could Li hold his breath?_] - -For several moments, the Hawaiian boy lay in the water, head back, body -floating. He needed time to recover. Biff could see his chest heaving up -and down beneath the two inches of water covering it. Finally, Li turned -his head. He looked up at Biff and smiled. He turned over, and with one -powerful stroke, propelled himself to the side of the yawl. - -Biff's eager hands helped heave Li overside. - -"You all right? You were sure down long enough!" Biff said. - -Li nodded his head, his chest still moved in and out as he took deep -breaths, exhaling them slowly. Biff was dying to find out what, if -anything, Li had learned on his dive, but he didn't want to press his -friend. - -Li let out a "H-a-a-a-a-a. Boy! Guess that's the deepest I've ever -dived." - -Biff couldn't stand the suspense any longer. - -"And what did you find? Was it a sloop? Was it the _Sea Islander_?" - -"Yes to both questions, Biff." - -"Whoopee! Eeeowie! We've found it! We've found it!" - -Biff grabbed Li by the shoulders and whirled him around. - -"You sure, Li? You're positive it's the _Sea Islander_?" - -"I'm sure, Biff. There was a life preserver still attached to the side -of the sloop's cabin. I could make out the letters spelling the boat's -name. And those letters sure did spell out _Sea Islander_." - -"What condition's she in?" - -"Well, I couldn't tell much. She's heeled over on her starboard side, I -think. Not all the way. Her mast is broken off, as far as I could tell. -Some of her ropes are still attached. I brushed against them both going -down and coming back up." - -Li had stretched out on the deck of the _Easy Action_. Strength was -flowing back into his body. Staying submerged as long as he had takes a -lot out of a person physically. - -"Well, Li. I think we'd better get back to our original anchorage. Your -dad and mine must be back there by now. If they're not, well, we'll have -to forget about the _Sea Islander_ and really look for them. We may have -to go for help." - -"Before we go, though, Biff, I'd like to go back down to the _Sea -Islander_--" - -"Again? What in the world for?" - -"Not all the way. But don't you think it would be a good idea if we -could attach a marker to one of the loose lines? Then we'd be able to -spot this location easily." - -"Good idea, Li. How near the surface do those loose lines come?" - -"Oh, I'd guess twenty, maybe twenty-five feet. Won't be much of a dive -this time. Not after going down over forty feet." - -"Okay, Li. You lie there and rest. I'll rig a marking buoy." - -Biff went below and took out another buoy from the yawl's captain's -chest. This was an all-white one. He attached a short length of nylon -rope to the buoy, and a metal clip to the other end of the rope. - -Returning to the deck, he showed it to Li. "How will this do? I figure -you can tie a fast knot in one of those loose lines, then just snap this -metal fastener below the knot. Then it won't slip off." - -"Swell, Biff. I've got my breath back now. This won't take a minute." - -Li took the buoy. A frown came over his face. - -"What's the trouble?" Biff asked. - -"Well, with this buoy, it's going to make it tougher to get down. The -other time, remember, I had the help of a weight pulling me down--the -dinghy's emergency anchor. Now I've got this buoy, which will be working -against me. I don't know--" - -"I'll fix that." Biff went astern. He pulled in the dinghy which was -tied to the stem of the yawl, hopped in, and cut its anchor. - -"Here you are, Li. That cleans us out of dinghy anchors. They go fast on -a day like this." - -"Marked down. Special sale." Li grinned in reply. He stepped to the side -of the yawl. Holding buoy and anchor in front of him, once more the -Hawaiian boy jumped feet first into the blue water. - -Biff looked at his watch again, but he wasn't worried this time. Li was -only going down twenty feet. Feeling quite happy over finding the _Sea -Islander_, Biff whistled a popular tune. He looked up at Mauna Loa, -wondering where his father might be at the moment. He glanced down at -his watch. He couldn't believe his eyes. Unless he had misread the time -of Li's submersion, three minutes had already passed. - -Biff swiftly went into action. Li shouldn't have taken more than two -minutes--not that long--for this dive. Biff's body split the water. He -pulled himself downward. The water pressure at the depth of fifteen feet -was already exerting abnormal pressure on his chest. Still he pulled -himself downward. He had to. _I've got to find Li_, he told himself. - -At twenty feet beneath the surface, with his lungs screaming for air, -Biff's hands touched Li's head. The Hawaiian boy was fighting -frantically to free one leg from a rope entwined around it. - -Biff used Li's body to pull himself the four feet farther downward to -reach the rope. He tore at it, felt it give, and Li's leg was free. Biff -placed his hands on Li's body and gave it a powerful thrust upward. -Then, barely able to hold his breath any longer, he spread his hands, -palms downward, pushed with all his might and shot toward the surface. - -When Biff broke the surface, gasping for breath, he looked for his -friend. There was Li, only a few feet away. But from the position of his -head, lolling to one side in the water, Biff knew the boy was -unconscious. Tired as he was, his own lungs aching from the recent -strain put upon them, Biff swam to Li's side. At first, all he did was -support Li's head, keeping his nose and mouth from going under water. - -After a few moments, Biff kicked his way to the side of the yawl. He -felt the need of support, too. With one hand holding on to the _Easy -Action_ amidship, he held onto Li with the other. Biff had no way of -knowing as yet whether Li had swallowed so much water that his lungs -were filled. He kept the word "drowned" out of his mind. - -When he had regained his strength, Biff let go of the yawl. Treading -water, he took Li's head in both hands and drew it right up to his own -face. He placed his cheek against Li's nose. - -Thank heavens! He could feel Li's breath on his face. - -Biff pulled himself and Li back to the side of the _Easy Action_. He -placed Li directly against the side of the yawl. He released him and at -the same instant, pulled himself quickly onto the deck. Then, belly -down, he leaned over and was just able to grasp Li under the arms. With -a powerful tug, he pulled the still unconscious boy onto the deck. - -His first action was to turn him over and administer first aid. He -raised and lowered Li's body to expel any water that might still be in -his lungs. Then he placed Li on his side, his face turned toward the -deck. He watched Li's troubled breathing become easier. - -Biff sank back with a sigh of relief. His friend was going to be all -right. A tremendous weariness swept over Biff. He hadn't known how near -to the point of exhaustion he had brought himself. For the next half -hour, both boys lay on the deck regaining their strength. - -The slanting rays of the setting sun were casting long shadows on the -slope of the Mauna Loa. Biff sat up. He didn't know at first what had -caught his attention. He stared at the side of the volcano. He saw it -again. A quick flash, a bright reflection. It disappeared. Biff kept his -eyes trained on the spot. There it was again. He turned. The sun was low -on the horizon, but still bright. He realized that the _Easy Action_ was -directly between the setting sun and the flash of reflected light he had -spotted. - -What could it be? Was it his imagination? - -Biff felt Li stir beside him. The Hawaiian boy opened his eyes. A feeble -smile touched his lips. He tried to speak. - -"Take it easy, Li. Rest a little longer." - -Li closed his eyes. - -Biff looked again at the spot on the Mauna Loa where he had seen the -flash. It came again, then disappeared. - -Biff heard Li's faltering voice behind him. - -"You saved my life, Biff." - -Li was sitting up now. Biff felt embarrassed. What was there to say? He -turned to his friend, and the smiles they exchanged expressed more than -any words could possibly do. - -"What happened, anyway, Li?" - -"It was my own fault, Biff. I guess I panicked. I got down easily. Found -a loose rope. But I had trouble staying submerged while I tried to tie a -knot. So I made a quick slip knot and hooked it over my leg to hold me -steady while I tied the knot to fasten the clasp to." - -Biff frowned. "You mean you sort of anchored yourself to the _Sea -Islander_?" - -"Guess you could call it that. Anyway, it took longer than I figured. -Once I had hooked the buoy on the rope, I tried to free my leg from the -slip knot. My body pulling on the knot had tightened it. The wet rope -made the knot even harder to undo. That's when I panicked, I guess. The -more I worked on the knot, the tighter it seemed to get. Then I sort of -blacked out. I don't even remember you're coming down to rescue me." - -"Thank goodness I got there in time!" - -Li put his hands over his face. His shoulders shook. Biff realized the -boy was crying. He said nothing. Better to let Li get the shock out of -his system. He continued to watch his friend carefully. Li had come -close to death. - -Li, after a few moments, removed his hands and grinned. "Sorry, Biff, I -guess I'm acting like a baby." - -"Nonsense. After what you just went through, well--Say, I want you to -see if you can see what I just saw--if you can follow all that 'see' and -'saw.'" Biff wanted to change the subject, stop Li from thinking about -his narrow escape. He also wanted to check the flash he had just seen. - -"Look over there, Li. About two thousand feet up the slope of Mauna -Loa." He pointed with his arm. "I'd swear I've just been seeing light -reflected. Seems like a mirror pointed into the sun--you know, the way -kids sometimes signal to one another." - -Li raised his eyes. Both boys saw the reflection come at the same time. - -"I see it, Biff. There it is. Now it's gone." - -"What do you think it could be, Li?" - -"Like you said, maybe a mirror or--or glasses." - -"That's it! Glasses. Someone's got binoculars trained on us. And we're -right in the path of the setting sun. Someone's watching us through -binoculars." - -"I'll bet you're right. It's probably my dad and yours." - -"Hey, I sure hope so." But even as Biff spoke the words, another idea -came into his head. "Or, Li, it could be Perez Soto." - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - Reunion - - -It was Perez Soto. - -The swarthy adventurer was standing on a lava ledge not far from the -spot where Biff and Li had sighted the sunken hulk of the _Sea Islander_ -earlier in the day. - -Through his powerful binoculars, he had watched every movement the boys -had made. He had seen Li's first and second dives. His glasses were of -such powerful magnification he could even see the exultant expressions -on the boys' faces. He knew they had made an important discovery, and he -was certain what the discovery was. - -A crafty smile came over his heavy features as a plan formed in his -scheming mind. He would go back to his hideout and get his henchman, -Madeira. Then, quickly to his power boat, the _Black Falcon_, and head -for the dot on the ocean where he had seen the boys. - -He had little thought for Dr. Weber. The thing to do now, and do it -fast, was to get out to the sunken _Sea Islander_ and stake his salvage -claim. In the case of a lost boat, or a sunken one, it was "first come, -first served." The important thing, though, was not only to take the -claim, but remain in possession of it. - -With his glasses still on the _Easy Action_, he saw one of the boys -raising the anchor. He saw the yawl set a course toward Ka Lae, leaving -the sunken sloop abandoned. - -Too bad about Dr. Weber. Maybe someone would find him, maybe they -wouldn't. Perez Soto didn't care. All he wanted to do now was to -establish his salvage rights, and do so in the shortest possible time. - -He stepped back from the ledge and started walking rapidly toward his -hideout. - - -Thomas Brewster and Hanale Mahenili watched with torn emotions as Perez -Soto threatened and tormented Dr. Weber. Both men wanted to act. Both -knew, however, that to do so would not only endanger the doctor's life, -but would also jeopardize their chances of rescuing the old man. - -The morning passed. Perez Soto continued his threats. But the old doctor -held firm. He refused to answer any of his captor's questions. - -Madeira, Perez Soto's henchman, kept his snub-nosed revolver steadily -pointed at the doctor. Brewster and Mahenili didn't dare try to jump the -kidnapers. - -About noontime, Perez Soto took the gun from Madeira. Madeira prepared -some food by lighting a small fire and heating up some stew he took from -a can. The smell of the steaming stew rising to the cliff where Brewster -and Mahenili were hiding, sent sharp pangs of hunger rumbling through -their stomachs. - -Shortly after Perez Soto and Madeira had eaten, Perez Soto, as if having -an afterthought, poked a spoonful of food at the doctor's mouth. The -doctor turned his head away. - -"Look at that, Hank," Brewster whispered. "I think the doctor wants to -die. He's refusing food." - -"Perhaps he feels that death is preferable to any more of Perez Soto's -threats and demands." - -About two o'clock, Perez Soto entered the cave which he was using for a -hideout and emerged minutes later with a pair of binoculars slung over -his shoulder. - -"Guard the old man well," he ordered. "I'll be back before sunset." He -strode off. - -Brewster whispered to Mahenili. "I think our chance will come now. We'll -let Perez Soto get well on his way, then we'll find a way of jumping the -guard." - -The time came more quickly than either man could have hoped for. -Madeira, his stomach filled with stew, could be seen to yawn. They saw -him shake his head to ward off sleep. Apparently feeling that there was -little threat of Dr. Weber's attempting to escape, the guard checked the -ropes binding the doctor's hands and feet. He sat down nearby, propping -his back against a large boulder, the gun in his hands. - -Brewster and Mahenili watched every move. They saw the guard's head nod -forward. They saw him bring it up with a jerk and shake his head from -side to side in an effort to remain awake. They saw the process -repeated. For the third time, the guard's head dropped forward. This -time, it stayed there. - -"Now's our chance," Brewster said to his friend. - -Mahenili nodded in the affirmative. - -Brewster measured the distance between himself and the sleeping guard. -The drop from the ledge to the ground in front of the cave was a good -fifteen feet. From where he would land, Brewster would still have to -cross a clearing of ten feet before he could reach the guard. The noise -of his landing would certainly arouse the guard. Before Brewster could -cross the opening to close with him, the guard would have time to raise -his pistol and fire. - -A plan shaped up in Thomas Brewster's mind. - -"Hank, here's how we'll have to do it. You crawl back. Make your way to -the rear of the guard if it's possible. Creep up as near to him as you -can. Keep me in sight. When you see me leap from this ledge, you spring -forward. Try to take him from the rear. Hurl a rock at him, anything. -Just try to give me enough time to leap across that clearing and grapple -with the guard before he can fire. Once I get my hands on him, I can -handle him." - -"But if you can't see me, Tom, how will you know when to leap?" - -"It's now two-twenty-two. I'll make my move at exactly two-thirty. I'll -just have to trust that you've been able to get behind the guard. Go -along now, and good luck." - -Brewster kept shifting his glance from the sleeping guard to the minute -hand on his watch. It seemed that the large hand would never reach the -half-hour mark. But it did. - -At exactly two-thirty, Brewster stood up. He jumped. He went to his -knees and rolled when he hit the ground, fifteen feet beneath him. It -was a fall he had learned in his army training, one designed to prevent -a broken ankle. - -He leaped quickly to his feet. The guard, awakened, stood up. He was -still groggy from sleep and confused. He could hear sounds from behind -him, and here right in front of him, a large man was charging him. - -Brewster hit Madeira with a jolting right cross before the guard could -think straight. He hit the ground with a thud. Brewster was on top of -him like a hungry tiger making a kill. From the rear, Mahenili sprang -into the arena, spotted the pistol still in the guard's outstretched -hand, and kicked it away. - -The fight was over. It had been an easy victory. - -In minutes, Dr. Weber was freed, and his bonds were used to truss up the -guard. As an extra precaution, Brewster used his handkerchief to gag the -guard. He didn't want him calling for help. No telling how near Perez -Soto might be. - -"Dr. Weber, my friend." Brewster leaned over to help the doctor to his -feet. "How are you? Are you injured in any way?" - -"Mostly my dignity," the doctor grunted gruffly. - -"Are you able to walk? We must get away from here before Perez Soto -returns." - -"Hurrumph!" the good doctor hurrumphed indignantly. "You youngsters seem -to think I'm an old dotard, dying on my feet." - -Mr. Brewster had to smile at being called a youngster. But he was a good -thirty years younger than Dr. Weber. - -"Of course I can walk!" The doctor took two steps, and would have fallen -if Biff's father hadn't caught him. - -Dr. Weber glared up at his friend. "Release me. All I need is for the -circulation to be restored to my legs. I've been tied up most of the -time." The doctor was stubborn. He gingerly raised one leg, then the -other. He flapped his arms against his sides. He cautiously took another -step, glancing out of the side of his eye to see if Tom Brewster was -prepared to help him. - -The doctor's vitality was amazing. Brewster got him some water. He -forced him to take several mouthfuls of the stew, now cold, but energy -giving nonetheless. - -"All right, now," the doctor said. "You lead the way. I'll follow." - -Brewster started off on a path leading down to the coast. Before doing -so, he signaled to Mr. Mahenili to stay close behind the doctor, ready -to catch him if he should fall. - -Their progress downward was slow. Brewster halted every hundred yards, -sometimes more often where the descent was difficult, to allow the -doctor to regain his strength. Brewster knew Dr. Weber must be going -along on sheer nervous energy. His frail body just wasn't young enough -to take such punishment. But Biff's father knew also that it is amazing -to just what great limits the human body can go when forced to do so. - -It was dusk when the three men stumbled onto the beach opposite the -_Easy Action_'s first anchorage. Thomas Brewster looked out over the -ocean, and his heart leaped with joy. He saw the yawl coming into its -anchorage, Li in the bow, ready to drop the anchor, and Biff at the -tiller. - -"Hi, Biff! Hi, Li!" he called. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - Dawn Attack - - -Shouts of joy rippled across the water from Biff and Li to their -fathers. The boys hopped into the dinghy and sent it fairly flying over -the waves to shore. - -The first thing to do was to get Dr. Weber on the boat. The old man's -stout, fierce spirit seemed to leave him once he reached the anchorage. -He had exhausted his reserve strength. He was near the end of his -remarkable endurance. - -The others were ferried to the _Easy Action_. Dr. Weber was bedded down. -Hot soup was prepared for the aged scientist, and shortly he was -sleeping like a baby, a quite wrinkled baby, true, but his sleep was as -sound and peaceful as that of a one-year-old. - -Biff quickly filled his father in on what had happened. He saved until -the last the discovery of the _Sea Islander_. - -"But I think maybe Perez Soto has spotted her, too," Biff had to add in -conclusion. "I think he must have spotted us when Li was diving." - -Thomas Brewster turned to Mr. Mahenili. "That must have been why Perez -Soto went away, giving us the chance to rescue Dr. Weber." - -"I'm sure it was," the Hawaiian answered. - -"Now what we've got to do is get back to the _Sea Islander_ before Perez -Soto does. We've got to hook on to the sunken boat somehow. Then we've -got to get into her cabin and locate that metal box with the cesium -sample and the map showing where the field is located." - -Brewster paused. He had to think this thing through clearly now. There -could be no mistakes, no more risks. They would have to get a -professional diver. - -"Hank, where is the nearest town to here--a place where you can hire a -professional diver? Someone with an aqualung?" - -"I imagine Hilo would be the nearest place." - -"How far is that from where we are?" - -"Oh, I'd say roughly seventy-five miles." - -"Any way of getting there, aside from walking?" - -"Sure, Tom. I would have to walk inland until I reached the Wamalahoa -Highway--that's the road which circles the island. I know I could rent a -car or taxi at Honupo Landing. Not much more than an hour's drive from -there into Hilo." - -"Right. What do you say to this? We'll put you ashore right now. You get -to Hilo. Hire a skin diver and get back here as early tomorrow morning -as you can. We've got to get back to the _Sea Islander_ right away. How -far up the coast is she, Biff?" - -"An hour. Maybe a little more. That's pushing the yawl at full speed." - -"All right. Biff, you row Mr. Mahenili ashore. Li and I will make ready. -Get back fast." - -"Aye, aye, sir." Biff grinned at his father. It was good to have someone -else make the decisions for a change. And when Biff's father went into -action, he did so with a snap and precision that commanded respect. - -It didn't take Biff long to set Mr. Mahenili ashore. The dinghy was -quickly secured once the boy returned, and the _Easy Action_ headed up -coast at full throttle. - -"Think we can find the place in the dark, Biff?" his father asked. - -"It will take a bit of doing, Dad. But we set a marking buoy over the -_Sea Islander_, attached to one of her halyards. Good thing we did, too. -We'd never be able to locate a boat on the bottom at night." - -It took more time than they had calculated to locate the marking buoy. -They had to cruise the area for more than an hour before a shout from Li -told them they had found it. - -"Now the problem is," Mr. Brewster said, "how are we going to hook our -anchor into the sunken ship? Once we do that, there can be no doubt as -to our salvage rights." - -"How about this, Dad?" Biff suggested. "Let's drop the hook until we can -feel her just touch bottom. Then we can run back and forth over the _Sea -Islander_ until we feel the anchor's points sink into her side." - -"Good. Excellent suggestion." Biff's father acted at once. He brought -the _Easy Action_ about and aimed her bow directly at the marking buoy. -They felt the anchor drag as it struck the submerged sloop. But on their -first pass the hook didn't catch. Mr. Brewster reversed his course. This -time the hook sunk into the side of the sunken _Sea Islander_ and held. -Mr. Brewster revved up the engine, and the _Easy Action_ tugged at her -sunken sister. - -"That ought to set the anchor in her side but good," Mr. Brewster said. -He cut the engine. "Try the winch, Biff. See if you can raise the -anchor. I want to make sure we're really caught onto her." - -Biff did so. He put all his strength into trying to turn the winch. The -anchor was set. The _Easy Action_ and the _Sea Islander_ were joined by -a stout, thick hawser. - -It was late. Everyone, feeling happy about their success, was ready to -turn in. - -"Tired, Li?" Biff asked. His answer was a quick nod of his friend's head -as Li headed below for the comfort of his berth. - -"I'm going to sleep on deck again tonight, Dad. Perez Soto's boat is in -these waters. I don't think he'll try anything tonight, but you never -can tell." - -"All right, Biff. I agree. We can't take any chances with success so -near at hand." - -Biff rolled himself up in a sleeping bag and was asleep the minute he -finished zipping it up. Early in the morning, an hour or more before -sunrise, he was wide awake. He lay still, staring up at the sky. Stars -covered it like a million white dots on a field of navy blue. A quarter -moon, looking like an orange section, still hung in the sky. - -A soft splash attracted Biff's attention. He rose on one elbow and -looked in the direction of the noise. It came again. - -"Could be a fish jumping," he told himself. Adjusting his eyes to the -night, Biff peered more keenly toward the sound. He raised his glance, -and his heart started thudding. Lying at anchor, not more than a quarter -of a mile away, was the outline of a power boat. Biff was sure it was -the same one which had tried to swamp the _Easy Action_. - -Biff crept noiselessly to the stem of the yawl. He went below. Reaching -his father's berth, he shook him gently. - -"Dad, Dad," he whispered softly. "Wake up. I think someone's trying to -board the boat." - -Thomas Brewster was out of his berth in an instant. Li, hearing the -noise, leaped out of his bunk, too. - -Silently the three crept back to the cockpit. They raised their heads -over the gunnel. - -"Listen, Dad. Listen carefully. I heard a noise; sounded like a fish -jumping. Right over there." - -The three strained their ears. They heard the sound again. Then they saw -what was causing it. A man was swimming toward the _Easy Action_. They -could make out his head moving slowly, but steadily along, coming toward -the yawl. - -When the swimmer was some twenty feet from the _Easy Action_, the pale -light of the moon was reflected by an object the swimmer was holding in -his mouth. In the brief instant of the gleam, the object became clear to -them all. It was a long knife. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - A Human Fish - - -"What do you think he is up to, Biff?" Li asked in a whisper. - -The swimmer was nearing the yawl. - -"With that knife in his mouth, I don't think there's much doubt about -it. Do you, Dad?" - -"Depends on what you're thinking, son." - -"Well, I think this is Perez Soto's last, desperate effort to establish -his salvage rights to the _Sea Islander_. I'm sure that's his boat over -there, just off our starboard bow. See it?" - -The power cruiser, the _Black Falcon_, was sharply silhouetted now in -the lightening dawn. - -"Perez Soto's sent that swimmer over to cut our anchor rope," Biff -continued. "Wouldn't you agree, Dad?" - -"You're right, Biff." - -"Why would he want to do that?" Li asked. - -"Well, if his man could cut our line, and we were still asleep, we'd -drift. Even in the slight current that runs in these waters, we'd drift -half a mile or more in a very short time. Once we were out of the way, -he could easily sink his own line onto the _Sea Islander_ and establish -his rights of salvage." - -The swimmer was now only ten feet from the yawl. Biff reached down and -pulled out a boathook, a long pole with a hook on one end, used to grab -a mooring when coming into an anchorage. - -"I'm going to hook me a human fish," he whispered. - -Biff raised the boathook. He rested its hooked end on the gunnel. The -swimmer was now within hooking distance. Biff shot the boathook out. It -grazed the swimmer's head. Feeling it, the swimmer dived. Biff prodded -forward with the boathook. He felt it catch. The pole bent just like a -fishing pole as the swimmer tried to get away. - -"Got him, Dad. Got him!" Biff shouted happily. - -"You sure have, Biff. You got him right by the seat of his swimming -trunks. Here, let me give you a hand." - -Biff pulled the pole, with his human catch on the other end, partly into -the boat. He and his father put their weight onto the in-boat end. The -pole became a lever, lifting their catch out of the water. - -A funnier catch Biff, his father, and Li had never seen. It was Li who -started laughing first. - -In the rapidly increasing daylight, they could see Perez Soto's man on -the end of the pole. He was waving his arms, kicking his legs -frantically. - -"He looks like a crab," Li chortled. - -He did. The man, caught by the seat of his swim pants on the hook, was -unable to reach back to free himself. He was suspended three feet above -the water, still kicking and squirming furiously. - -"What shall I do with him, Dad? Throw him back?" - -Thomas Brewster was laughing. - -"I've used many a weapon to defend myself in the past, but a boathook -... this is the laughing end." Both boys made an "ouch" face at the bad -pun. Mr. Brewster turned to Li. "Get a flashlight, Li. I want to make -sure who this human shark is." - -Li darted into the cabin and darted right back. He didn't want to miss a -thing. - -Thomas Brewster shone the flashlight on the hooked, would-be knife -wielder's face. - -"Just as I thought," Brewster said. "It's the man who was guarding Dr. -Weber. I heard Perez Soto call him Madeira." - -Madeira, in his frantic struggling, had dropped the knife from his -mouth. He was no longer any threat to the _Easy Action_ and her crew. - -"Guess I might as well drop him back in the water, hadn't I, Dad?" Biff -asked. - -"Sure, son. Let him go. In the water he can free himself. Then you just -watch him head back for Perez Soto and the _Black Falcon_." - -"You're not serious, Dad!" Biff exclaimed. "Isn't it dangerous to let -them get away?" - -But Biff didn't have to drop Madeira back into the water. There came a -ripping sound. Madeira's hooked swim trunks split. The water prowler hit -the water with a belly whopper. Pantless, he turned and swam away. - -Biff, Li, and Mr. Brewster howled with laughter. When the laughter died -away, Mr. Brewster said, "To answer your question, Biff. They're too -dangerous to keep aboard. We'll have to leave them to the authorities. -They'll track them down, now." - -It had grown much lighter. It was easy to follow the swimmer's progress -back to the _Black Falcon_. - -"He'll go without his breakfast when he gets back," Tom Brewster said. -"Perez Soto will be furious." - -"Speaking of breakfast--" Biff said. - -"Me, too," Li cut in. - -They went below. All hungry. All happy, feeling that they were nearing -the climax of their Hawaiian sea hunt. - -"Looks like easy sailing from here on in, Dad," Biff said, munching a -piece of toast. - -"Well, don't get your hopes up too high, Biff." - -"Why not, Dad?" - -"We still have to locate that metal box. We have no assurance that it's -still in the _Sea Islander's_ cabin." - -A frown of disappointment came over Biff's face. - -"I'm not saying it isn't there, understand," his father went on. "But -remember, the _Sea Islander_ has been on the bottom for several weeks. -The box could have been tossed around in the storm that sank the boat. -It might have floated out." - -"I never thought of that." - -The remainder of their breakfast was eaten in a concerned silence. - -Biff and Li were cleaning up the galley. Thomas Brewster was talking to -Dr. Weber. The doctor had had a good night's sleep and said he was -feeling fine. He chortled over the human fish incident. - -Biff's sharp ears caught the sound first. From a distance came a low, -steady buzzing. Biff ran on deck. From just off Ka Lae, he spotted a low -flying plane. It was coming directly at the _Easy Action_. In moments, -Biff was able to distinguish its lines. - -"Dad, Dad!" he called. "There's a seaplane coming this way." - -Li was on deck first, followed by Thomas Brewster and Dr. Weber. - -They watched the plane. It came in low over the yawl, dipped its wings -in salute, then described a long circle to head into the wind. It -settled ducklike on the water and taxied toward the _Easy Action_. - -One man stood up in the open cockpit by the pilot. He was waving his -arms. - -"It's Dad! It's my father!" Li shouted excitedly. - -"Well, it surely is. Li, when your father goes into action, he moves -fast. I never thought he'd come back in a plane. I thought he'd charter -another boat," Mr. Brewster said. - -The seaplane taxied to within ten feet of the _Easy Action_, its twin -propellers barely turning, just fast enough to give the plane headway. -Henry Mahenili stood up and tossed a rope toward the yawl. It fell -short. He pulled it in, and again the rope snaked out toward the yawl. -This time Biff caught it. He tugged on the rope, and the plane closed -the gap of water separating it from the yawl. Its nose bumped gently -against _Easy Action_'s starboard side. - -"Give us about five feet of play, young man," the pilot called out. Even -in this calm sea, he didn't want to take any chances on the nose of his -plane being punched in. - -"I can do better than that," Biff called, knowing the reason for the -pilot's concern. He went below and brought out extra boat snubbers, made -of foam rubber. He hooked them over the gunnel, forming a soft -protecting barrier between the side of the yawl and the nose of the -plane. Then he pulled the plane within two feet of the yawl, making it -easy for the plane's passengers to hop from plane to boat. - -Hank Mahenili was first aboard. He was followed by a muscularly built -Hawaiian. The pilot came last. - -"This is Kamuela Mamola, the skin diver I hired," Hank said, introducing -the muscular young man. - -"Just call me Sammy--that's what my Hawaiian name means. You got a job -for me?" the young man said. - -"We sure have, Sammy," Mr. Brewster said. "Right downstairs." He -laughed. - -"That line over the port side," Biff said, indicating the line. "That's -our anchor rope. It's caught in the sunken sloop." - -"Good," the diver said. "Then there shouldn't be any trouble at all." He -hopped back aboard the plane, dug around its cabin for a few minutes, -then reappeared with his skin diving equipment. This consisted of a -glass face mask, and a small oxygen tank connected to his aqualung. - -Coming back on the _Easy Action_, he donned his equipment, touched his -hand to his forehead in salute, and slipped overboard. - -Biff leaned over the gunnel. He saw the diver pulling himself downward, -using the anchor rope to guide him. It was the same as climbing a rope -hand over hand, only in reverse. - -Bubbles from the aqualung kept breaking the surface. - -"Never thought of this, Hank," Tom said. "No one told Sammy what to look -for." - -"Oh, yes, they did, Tom. Me. I did. On the way over. I couldn't give him -much of a description." - -"No, we don't have much to go on. Just some kind of metal box." - -"That's what I told him. I imagine it's similar to the small locker-box -you keep semi-valuable papers in at home. That's what I told him, -anyway." - -"We ought to know soon." - -Air bubbles dotted the surface near the port side of the _Easy Action_. -Five minutes went by. Ten. At fifteen minutes, worry began to appear on -the faces of those on board. - -"Think anything could have happened to the diver?" Tom Brewster asked. - -"No, Dad. Not as long as those bubbles keep coming up regularly. He's -all right. If those bubbles stop, we worry." - -After twenty minutes, Biff saw the anchor rope tighten, as if someone -had pulled it from the other end. - -"I think he's coming up," Biff said. - -Everyone leaned over the portside of the boat. - -Moments later, Sammy's wet head broke the surface. He wrenched the glass -face mask from his head. - -Disappointment swept over the boat. The diver was empty-handed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - Check-Out - - -"Don't look so worried," Sammy Mamola said. The skin diver looked up at -the disappointed faces. "I didn't expect to bring up that box on my -first dive. Give me a little more time. I do think I may have located -it, though." - -Expressions of hope replaced the sad faces aboard the _Easy Action_. - -"I need another tool," Sammy said. "A short bar, two or three feet long. -If what I think is the box, it's jammed, and I can't free it without -prizing it. What have you got?" - -Sammy was treading water, one hand resting lightly on the yawl's gunnel. - -"I'll look in the tool box," Biff said. - -While he was gone, Sammy told them what he had found below. - -"That boat sure took a beating. Everything in the cabin is smashed up. -She's filled with sand, and other sea trash. I had to chase some fish -out, too. Especially a small octopus--didn't want it squirting its ink -around, clouding my vision. I found what I think may be your box under a -mound of sand and broken sea shells. Couldn't pull it out, though." - -"Any sign of--" - -"No, Mr. Mahenili, no sign of the poor fellow who went down with her." - -Biff had returned. - -"Will this do?" He held up a metal bar, about three-quarters of an inch -thick and thirty inches long. It was used to turn the engine over if its -electric starter didn't work. - -"Just the thing." Sammy reached up for it. "Well, here I go again. Maybe -I'll have better luck this time." The diver submerged again. - -All had been so interested in the diver's activities and report that -they hadn't noticed the _Black Falcon_. It was Li who spotted Perez -Soto's boat. - -"Look, Dad," he called out. - -The _Black Falcon_ had left its anchorage and moved over until it was -only two hundred feet from the _Easy Action_. Perez Soto was watching -every action aboard the yawl. - -"Say one thing for that man," Tom Brewster said. "He doesn't give up -until the final chance is gone. If he sees us bring up that metal box, -he'll still try to get it away from us somehow." - -"I don't think he will," Hank Mahenili said. - -"What do you mean?" Biff asked. - -"You'll see." Hank Mahenili smiled mysteriously. - -Another fifteen minutes went by. A steady stream of bubbles broke the -surface. The diver was working. Thomas Brewster kept looking at his -watch. Biff and Li, lying on their stomachs, watched the area dotted -with bubbles. Biff, looking up, noticed Madeira frantically winding up -the anchor winch of the _Black Falcon_. Perez Soto was already at the -wheel, shouting at his henchman to hurry up. - -"Hey, look at that," Biff exclaimed. "Looks like Perez Soto has changed -his mind. He's in a hurry to get out of here." - -And he was. The anchor of the _Black Falcon_ was barely out of the water -when Perez Soto jammed the throttle of the cruiser full speed forward, -and the boat leaped away, leaving a high, foaming wake at its stern. - -"Now I wonder what made him change his mind?" Tom Brewster asked. - -"I think I know the answer to that. Look over there." Hank Mahenili -said. - -They looked in the direction he was pointing. A low, gray boat was -coming along at a racing clip. Huge numbers on its bow identified it. - -"It's a Coast Guard cutter," Biff shouted. - -"That's right, Biff. Now watch. We may see some fun." - -The cutter was after the _Black Falcon_. The cruiser was fast, but no -match for the Coast Guard cutter. She closed the gap between the boats -rapidly. - -Perez Soto wasn't giving up, however. He tried maneuvering, swerving the -_Black Falcon_ from one direction to another on a zigzag course. - -The people on the _Easy Action_ heard the boom of a small cannon. -Looking at the cutter, they saw a puff of smoke from its forward gun. -Then they saw a splash as a shell dropped just in front of the -_Falcon_'s bow. - -"If he doesn't heave to now, the next projectile will be directed at the -ship," Mr. Mahenili said. - -But Perez Soto had had enough. He heaved to. The cutter came alongside, -and two Coast Guardsmen, guns in hand, boarded her. - -"I imagine our troubles with Perez Soto are at an end," Mr. Mahenili -said. - -"This is your doing?" Tom Brewster asked. - -Hank nodded his head. "Kidnaping. I reported Perez Soto as having -kidnaped Dr. Weber. He'll be dealt with harshly. One witness against him -will be Tokawto. He's recovering. It was Perez Soto who gave him that -stab wound." - -"Well, you really did get around in Hilo, Mr. Mahenili," Biff said. - -"I don't like to leave any loose strings dangling. Incidentally, did Dr. -Weber ever tell you how he happened to be abducted from his hotel room?" -Hank asked Tom Brewster. - -"Yes, he did. He was talking to me when he felt a sharp point in his -back. That was the call I took in Indianapolis, Biff. It was Perez Soto. -With a sharp knife at his back and Perez Soto threatening to use the -knife, there was nothing the doctor could do but obey instructions. They -walked out of the porch entrance and through the garden to a waiting -car. Madeira was the driver." - -Dr. Weber smiled at the group. "Perhaps I should have resisted, but--I -knew Perez Soto meant what he said. I went along, like a quiet mouse." - -An idea occurred to Biff. He dashed below. He was back in a moment. He -held out his hand to Dr. Weber. - -"I just remembered this, Doctor." - -It was the doctor's tobacco pouch and pipe. - -"Bless you, my boy. Missing my pipe was the worst torture I endured -during my entire captivity." - -A shout came from the side of the yawl. - -"You people up there still interested in a metal box?" It was the diver. -"Think this could be it?" - -The Hawaiian diver held an oblong object above his head. Biff leaned -over the side and took it from his hands. It was encrusted with -barnacles, bits of shell, and slimy green seaweed. - -It was a metal box. Biff handed it to his father. - -"Get a screwdriver, Biff. We'll have to pry the lid open." - -Everyone watched tensely as Thomas Brewster worked the screwdriver under -the lid of the box. A small lock held it shut. Finally, the lid sprang -open. Inside was a loose, dust-like substance, hardened in spots where -sea water had leaked in. There was also a damp piece of paper. - -"This is it. It's got to be. Take a look, Dr. Weber." - -The doctor dipped his hand in the box. He fingered the powdery -substance. He nodded his head. - -"I can't tell how this will run yet. I will have to test it. But ... -well, I think we've really got something here." - -Thomas Brewster and Biff were pouring over the map. - -"The field's well marked. Won't be any trouble locating it if this -sample proves out to be high grade." - -The doctor was looking at the pilot. - -"Young man, could you fly me back to Honolulu?" - -"Sure. Only take an hour or so." - -"Well, Tom. I'd like to get back to my hotel. All my equipment is there. -I can test this sample immediately. I want to. Is it all right with you, -Henry, if I steal your plane and pilot?" - -"Certainly, doctor. We'll all go back to Hilo by boat." - -"Well then, when you get there, look for a message from me. I'll have -run my tests long before you can get back by boat. Then I'm off. I'm due -at an international scientific convention in Switzerland early next -week. I'll have to leave Honolulu before you get back." - -The doctor shook hands all around. His last words to the group were: - -"Thanks for my pipe, young man." - -Biff grinned in reply. It was hard to believe that this was the same old -man who had been carried aboard not long ago. - -The doctor boarded the plane, and in five minutes it was out of sight, -winging its way to Hawaii. - -Tom Brewster took the tiller of the _Easy Action_. Li was at the anchor -winch, Biff at the mainmast, and Hank Mahenili at the mizzen. - -"Hoist away," Tom Brewster sang out as he felt the anchor pull free. - -Sails rattled up their masts. The wind caught them, and the _Easy -Action_ was put on a course for Hilo. - -It was a pleasant sail. Everyone was relaxed. There was little -conversation. All were happy to loll about the deck, resting from their -recent near escapes from violence and storm. - -It was night by the time Mr. Brewster headed the yawl for a dock in Hilo -Bay. The boat was tied up, and in half an hour, the party entered their -hotel. - -As good as his word, there was a message waiting from Dr. Weber. - -"_Sample proves out cesium in purest state discovered thus far in world. -Looks like a sky-blue find._" - -Tom Brewster handed the message to Biff. Biff read it and smiled at his -father. "Why sky-blue, Dad?" - -"Dr. Weber's mild little joke. Cesium means 'sky-blue' because that is -how it shows up on a spectrum test." - -The boy and his father stood silent for a moment, enjoying this moment -of complete peace. - -"Dad," Biff said, "this was supposed to be a vacation for Mom and the -twins. Can we still make it one for the _whole_ family? Have them fly -over here and explore this beautiful island?" - -"Explore, Biff? Haven't you had enough adventure for now? I'll have them -come over. But for the rest of our stay, it's going to be nothing but -fun and frolic. You agree?" - -"Check, Dad. Check." - - - _A Biff Brewster Mystery Adventure_ - - HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY - - By ANDY ADAMS - -Why is Biff Brewster's father so eager to leave for Hawaii? Is there -more than just a mining engineers' conference afoot? The elder Brewster -is strangely silent, and Biff can only guess at the cause of his -father's sudden anxiety. - -In this third exciting mystery adventure of the Biff Brewster series, -the entire Brewster family flies to festive, exotic Honolulu where a -startling newspaper headline involves Biff and his father in a -hair-raising race to locate a kidnaped scientist, a sunken sloop, and a -cache of precious Cesium, a rare mineral essential to rocket propulsion -and the conquest of the moon. - -With the help of his new friend, Likake Mahenili, Biff soon learns that -more than sharpened wits are necessary to defeat the mysterious forces -working against them. The cunning of a ruthless rival engineer and the -violence of the reef-filled waters off the islands combine to challenge -the courage and stamina of the boys. Likake, an expert swimmer and -diver, teaches Biff the skills he will need to protect himself against -the defiant winds and tides which already have claimed the life of one -colleague. - -A vitally important scientific project and a life are at stake as Biff -Brewster and his father crash headlong into the danger and breath-taking -suspense of their adventure in Hawaii. - - - _NEW!_ BIFF BREWSTER - Mystery Adventures - - By ANDY ADAMS - - [Illustration: Biff Brewster] - -Biff Brewster, sixteen, is a tall, strongly built blond youth who lives -In Indianapolis, Indiana, with his parents and the eleven-year-old -twins, Ted and Monica. Because his mother and father believe that travel -is as important to education as formal schooling, Biff is encouraged to -travel to various countries during the vacation months. His experiences -in these lands, and the young people he meets there, form the basis of a -new series for adventure-loving readers. In every journey there is a -strong element of mystery, usually a direct result of conditions -peculiar to the region in which he is traveling. Thus, in addition to -adventure, these books impart carefully researched information about -foreign countries. - -_Start reading one today_-- - - (1) BRAZILIAN GOLD MINE MYSTERY - (2) MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE RING - (3) HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY - (4) MYSTERY OF THE MEXICAN TREASURE - (5) AFRICAN IVORY MYSTERY - (6) ALASKA GHOST GLACIER MYSTERY - - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, Inc. Publisher - New York 10, N. Y. - - [Illustration: Endpapers] - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---Retained one typo from the original: "pouring" for "poring" for its - comedic value. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hawaiian Sea Hunt Mystery, by Andy Adams - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY *** - -***** This file should be named 51755.txt or 51755.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/7/5/51755/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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