Gavin had wasted no time in the impossible feat of baling heror of plugging her unpluggable leak. As she went swayinglytoward the bottom of the bay he slipped clear of her andstruck out through the tepid water.

The mangrove swamp's beach was a bare half-mile away. And theman knew he could swim the intervening space. with ease. Yetthe tedious delay of it all irked him and fanned to a blindfury his rage against Milo. Moreover, now, he could not hopeto reach the hidden path before real darkness should set in.And he did not relish the idea of traversing its blind mazeswithout a glimmer of daylight to guide him.

Yet he struck out, stubbornly, doggedly. As he passed thetooth of coral that had wrecked his scow the reef gave him apainful farewell scrape on one kicking knee. He swam onfuming at this latest annoyance.

Then to his ears came the steady purr of a motorboat. It really wasclose to him and coming closer.

"Boat ahoy!" he sang out treading water and raising himself ashigh as possible to peer about him through the dusk.

"Boat ahoy!" he called again, shouting to be heard above themotor's hum. "Man overboard! Ten dollars if you'll carry meto the mainland!"

And now he could see against the paler hue of the sky. thedark outlines of the boat's prow. It was bearing down on him.Above the bow's edge he could make out the vague silhouette ofa head and upper body.