The Wailing Octopus Page 15

  Jonesy, a short, husky frogman with a bright-red crew cut, added, “Sir, I think the cannon and stuff would be on the deck ahead of the cabin we opened up, but the deck is under the sand. Could we rig a hose, Sir?”

  “Good idea. Put a detail to work, Chief.”

  Sanders called out four names and issued instructions. Jimmy called a ten-minute break

  for the rest.

  During the break, Rick sought out Steve Ames. He commented, “You know, this wasn’t a very well-organized gang. I keep thinking about the two who tried to get us atSt.

  Thomas .”

  Steve disagreed. “You’re wrong. It was a very well-organized gang. Their trouble was not enough trained agents. They had to hire extras, and the extras were just ordinary mugs, and not very bright ones. It was the mugs who made the mistakes, not the real agents.”

  Jimmy Kelly spoke up. “Did we tell you? We got reports from the other UDT teams this morning. Our people have all the stations except one in British territory. Maybe our British cousins can get the station team for us. We’ve tipped them off.”

  The lieutenant finished a glass of orange juice and rose. “Time’s up. Let’s get back to the wreck.”

  Hobart Zircon asked, “Don’t you want to take your camera, Rick?”

  “Good idea.” He hurried to get it. One of the frogmen had picked it up, along with the rest of the equipment they had left behind.

  The water had settled enough for thorough inspection of the entire aft portion of the wreck. Rick and Scotty helped the frogmen poke into every possible place without finding more than a pair of rusted cutlasses.

  Rick surveyed the scene with discouragement. The statue was somewhere under the sand, which probably meant they would never find it. He had another sudden realization, too. They had no proof that this ship was the Maiden Hand, no proof that the whole business wasn’t just a wild-goose chase.

  By the time the dive was over, the sand hose had been rigged. The first group surfaced and Jimmy ordered the fresh group of frogmen to hose out the aft cabins to find anything that might be left. Then the group was to start work on the probable location of the foredeck.

  During the rest period, Rick told Jimmy about the other wreck they had found, the modern ship that he guessed was a war casualty.

  “We’ll take a look at it first thing in the morning before we shove off forSt. Thomas ,”

  Jimmy promised. “You never know what you’ll find in a wreck. We’ve found a lot of

  things worth salvaging.”

  The boys were operating under Navy rules now. They put on fresh tanks and got their instructions from Chief Sanders.“Longer decompression this time. Stick with me on the way up and move when I move. We don’t want you to get the bends.”

  The boys nodded their understanding,then took to the water.

  The frogmen below were still hosing sand. Water forced at high pressure through the hose that ran down from the ship sent the stuff swirling in great clouds. The boys watched. They couldn’t do much looking around until the water settled.

  Then they saw that the frogmen weren’t waiting. They swam into the murk, feeling around with their hands. Rick saw one emerge triumphantly holding a round object that could only have been a cannon ball.

  He and Scotty plunged in, too. Working with the frogmen they rapidly assembled a treasure trove of cannon, more cannon balls, cutlasses still in good condition, and useless ship’s gear.

  Fifteen minutes later a frantic hooting brought them in a rush to where Jonesy was holding something. Zircon and Tony got there at the same time, and soon all work had ceased while Jonesy’s find was examined.

  Tony took his belt knife and scraped. Then he looked around at the watching group and nodded. He clasped his hands together and shook them like a fightermitting the crowd.

  Rick and Scotty hooted their triumph. Jonesy had found the statue of St. Francis!

  The boys, the scientists, Steve, and Jimmy carried the treasure to the surface. The rest of the frogmen continued hunting for souvenirs.

  On the landing stage they put the statue down with loving care. Even under the marine growth they could make out thecowled figure of the sainted monk, head bent over the fawn he held in his arms.

  Tony went to work. Soon there was a gleam of gold that brought a yell of triumph from the boys.Then -amazingly-the gleam of dull silver.

  “Hobart, look at this!” Tony exclaimed.

  The big scientist knelt and examined the silvery streak. He borrowed Tony’s knife and

  probed, then his laugh boomed across the water.

  “We are the victims of our own research!” he roared. “All this trouble-over a statue of lead!”

  “Lead!”Rick stared incredulously. This couldn’t be true! “There’s gold, too,” he pointed out.

  “Apparently gold leaf over a lead base,” Tony said with a sigh. “No, Rick.Hobart is right. This is lead.”

  A call from the water made them look up. Chief Sanders and his diving buddy had surfaced, and they were carrying a statue of St. Francis!

  Behind them, another pair of frogmen, with still another statue!

  Within a half hour there were no less than eight identical statues lined up on deck. St.

  Francis, in lead, repeated eight times.

  Scotty scratched his head. “Well,” he said finally, “we certainly found St. Francis! In fact, we overdid it a little.”

  Not until long afterward did they learn the answer. Tony Briotti, a scientist of great persistence, did some research inEngland during a European trip to attend a conference of archaeologists. He found that the Maiden Hand had carried several dozen St. Francis statues, for sale to churches and individuals in theNew World . Captain Campion had considered only one special enough to mention, because it had been blessed by the Cardinal of France and entrusted to his care for delivery to the Governor of Barbados.

  The Spindrifters took one statue as a gift for Barby. A cutlass was Rick’s share of the loot, while Tony took the bar shot they had found near the wreck and Zircon selected a cannon ball. It was understood that the knife Scotty had found was to be his, so that he could present it to Hartson Brant.

  A few quick dives the following morning disclosed nothing of interest around the first wreck they had found, but Jimmy identified it as a common type of small cargo vessel.

  Then the destroyer escort sailed forSt. Thomas .

  Before it left, there was time for a few words with Steve Ames.

  “I’m leavingSt. Thomas by air tonight forWashington ,” he reported. “Something new has come up and I’m needed. I may need you, too, before this case is over. The report

  wasn’t detailed, but it carried a few implications that have me worried.”

  “We’ll be ready if you need us,” Rick assured him.

  Steve’s warm smile flashed. “I know,” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”

  THE END

  THE WAILING OCTOPUS

  A RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE STORY, No. 11

  BY JOHN BLAINE