“Ever tried drinking it?” Biff’s uncle chuckled. “Don’t. Fresh water, my lad, is what we need. And there are no springs or wells on these islands.”
“Well, we couldn’t find any fresher air,” Biff said. “You’ve got to admit that, Uncle Charlie.”
“Sure, Biff, sure. But what we want is compressed air. For the Scubas. Those air tanks only carry enough for an hour’s diving. I have one extra tank. We have enough compressed air for about two hours’ diving daily. I mean two hours for each of you. I don’t think there’s any compressed air in Le François. I know there is in Trinité.”
“Well, that’s not too far,” Biff said. “We’ll have to go in to Trinité every day. Air and water.”
“And fresh food, Biff,” Uncle Charlie added.
Derek had been silent during this discussion. Now he spoke:
“Mr. Keene, I have a plan I want to suggest.”
“Fire away, Derek.”
“Since we have to go in to Trinité every day, I think we ought to do our diving in the morning.”
“Okay by me, Derek. Go on.”