But he was not telling Kayles that; he was taking a chance.

Kayles merely shrugged, and I said, "We know you're a cocaine smuggler. If you come across and tell the truth it might help you in court. Not much, but it might help a bit."

Kayles looked startled.

"Cocaine! You're crazy right out of your mind. I've never smuggled an ounce in my life."

Either he was a very good actor or he was telling the truth, but of course he would deny it so I put him down as a good actor.

"Why did you go to Cat Island?"

"I'm not saying another goddamn word," he said sullenly.

"What's the use? I'm not believed no matter what I say."

"Then that's it." I stood up and said to Sam, "Where do we go from here?"

"Sail this boat back to Duncan Town and hand him over to the local Government Commissioner. He'll contact the police and they'll take it from there. But not until daylight."

"Scared of sailing in the dark? " jeered Kayles.

Sam ignored him, and said to me, "I'd like a word with you on deck."

I followed him into the cockpit.

"What did you tell Bay- liss?"

"Enough of the truth to shut him up. He'd heard of the disappearance of Lucayan Girl so he'll stick around and cooperate." He picked up the flashlamp Kayles had used and swept a beam of light into the darkness in a wide arc. There came an answering flicker from a darker patch of blackness about 200 yards to seaward.

"He's there."

"Sam, why don't we sail back now? I know it's not true what Kayles said."

"Because we can't," said Sam, and there was a touch of wry ness in his voice.

"I was a mite too careful. I was figuring on what might happen if Kayles got loose and I wanted to hamstring him, so I got some ofBayliss's fish net and tangled it around the propeller. That engine will never turn over now. Then I cut all the halliards so Kayles couldn't raise sail. Trouble is neither can we. I'm sorry, Tom."

"How long will it take to fix?"

"Splicing the halliards and re-reeving will take more than an hourin daylight. Same with the engine."

"We could take Kayles back in Bayliss's boat, starting right now."

"I don't think he'd do it," said Sam.

"Fishermen aren't the same as yachtsmen who sail for fun. They don't like sailing around at night because there's no call to do it, so they don't have the experience and they know it." He pointed south.

"There are a lot of reefs between here and Duncan Town, and Bayliss would be scared of running on to one. You don't know these folk; they don't work by c harts and compasses like pleasure boat people. They navigate by sea colour and bird flight things they can see."

"You'd be all right on the tiller," I said.

"But Bayliss wouldn't know that. It's his boat and he wouldn't want to lose her."

"Let's ask him anyway," I said.

"Call him in."

Sam picked up the lamp and flashed it out to sea. There were a couple of answering winks and I heard the putt-putt of the engine as Bayliss drew near. He came alongside, fending off with the boat hook and then passed his painter up to Sam who secured it around a stanchion. Sam leaned over the edge of the cockpit still holding the light.

"Mr. Mangan wants to know if you'll take us back to Duncan Town now."

Bayliss's face crinkled and he looked up at the sky.

"Oh, no," he said.

"Might if there was a full moon, but tonight no moon at all."

I said, "Sam here is willing to navigate and take the tiller, too.

He's a good man at sea. "

It was just as Sam had predicted. Bayliss became mulish.

"How do I know that? This the only boat I got I don't want to lose her. No, Mr. Mangan, better wait for sunrise."

1 argued a bit but it was useless; the more I argued the more Bayliss dug in his heels.

"All right," I said in the end.

"We wait for sunrise."

"Jesus!" said Sam suddenly.

"The knife I left it on the chart table." He turned and looked below.

"Watch it!" he yelled.

"He's coming through the fore hatch

I looked forward and saw a dark shape moving in the bows, then there was a flash and a flat report and a spaaaang as a bullet ricocheted off metal. Sam straightened and cannoned into me.

"Over the side!"

There was no time to think but it made immediate sense. You could not fight a man with a gun on a deck he knew like the back of his own hand. I stepped on to the cockpit seat and jumped, tripping on something as I did so and because of that I made a hell of a splash.

There was another splash as Sam followed, and then I ducked under water because a light flashed from the sloop and the beam searched the surface of the water and there was another muzzle flash as Kayles shot again.

It was then I thanked Pete Albury for his swimming lessons on the reefs around Abaco. Scuba gear had just been introduced in those days and its use was not general; anyway, Pete had a hearty contempt for it. He had taught me deep diving and the breath control necessary so that I could go down among the coral. Now I made good use of his training.

I dribbled air from my mouth, zealously conserving it, while conscious of the hunting light flickering over the surface above. I managed to kick off my shoes, being thankful that I was not wearing lace-ups, and the swimming became easier. I was swimming in circles and, just before I came up for more air, I heard the unmistakeable vibrations of something heavy entering the water and I wondered what it was.

I. came to the surface on my back so that just my nose and mouth were above water. Filling my lungs I paddled myself under again, trying not to splash. I reckoned I could stay underwater for two minutes on every lungful of air, and I came up three times about six minutes.

The last time I came up I put my head right out and shook the water from my ears.

Then I heard the regular throb of the engine of Bayhss's boat apparently running at top speed. Ready to duck again if it came my way I listened intently, but the noise died away in the distance and presently there^ vas nothing to be heard. The sound of a voice floated softly over the water.

"Tom!"

"That you, Sam?"

"I think he's gone."

I swam in what I thought was Sam's direction.

"Gone where?"

"I don't know. He took Bayliss's boat."

"Where's Bayliss?" I saw the ripples Sam was making and came up next to him.

"I don't know," said Sam.

"I think he went overboard, too. He may still be in the boat, though."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," I said.

"That might have been Bayliss running away, and Kayles might still be around."

Sam said, "I was bobbing under the bows and Kayles was swearing fit to bust a gut. First, he tried to start the engine and it seized up.

Then he tried to hoist sail and found he couldn't. I think it's fairly certain he took Bayliss's boat. "

"Well, if we're going to find out, let's do it carefully," I said We made a plan, simple enough, which was to come up simultaneously on both sides of the sloop, hoping to catch Kayles in a pincer if he was still there. On execution we found the sloop deserted. Sam said, "Where's Bayliss?"

We shouted for a long time and flashed the light over the water but saw and heard nothing. Sam said, "It's my fault, Tom. I botched it. I forgot the knife."

"Forget it," I said.

"Which way do you think Kayles went?"

"I don't know, but in his place I'd head north. He has fifty miles of fuel and maybe more, and there are plenty of cays up there to get lost in. He might even have enough fuel to get to Exuma." He took a deep breath.

"What do we do now?"

I had been thinking about that.

"We wait until sunrise, do the repairs, find Bayliss if we can, go back to Duncan Town and report to the Government Commissioner, and have Bill Pinder make an air search for that son of a bitch."