Crunch nodded his head slowly.
“Okay, Crunch. We want to thank you for giving us this warning.”
“No want you to get hurt. Now Crunch go before boss comes back.”
Biff and Derek walked to the edge of the water with Crunch.
“I’ll fix some chow,” Uncle Charlie called.
The boys watched Crunch climb into a small dory and row off. He was facing them as he pulled away, and he was still staring from one boy to the other.
“What do we do now?” Biff asked when he and Derek rejoined Charlie Keene.
“We carry on as if we knew nothing. We’ll explore another place this morning. We’ll go to Trinité this afternoon and replenish our air and food supplies. Tonight, we’ll be ready to give Dietz an unexpected reception.”
The pearl diving that morning was no more productive than it had been the previous day. Noon found the three in the cabin cruiser, heading for Trinité. In town, Derek left Biff and his uncle. He was off on his quest for his father.
The three met again at the prearranged hour of six o’clock and embarked for the return trip to their island camp.