“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.”