  Biff stood on the beach calling out his friend’s name again and again. His voice shook with effort, trying to drown out the noises of surf and sea. The wind was dying down slightly, but the surf was still too rough and dangerous for Biff to try to reach the boat, which stood one hundred feet off shore. Biff’s eyes searched the beach, hoping to spot Li swimming ashore. No such welcome sight met his eyes. To his left, about a quarter of a mile away, Biff could see a formation of lava rock jutting out into the sea. He thought his friend Li might have gotten to shore on the other side of the lava promontory. Biff ran down the beach. His pounding heart sank when he reached the ugly, grayish-black rock, stretching out into the sea. Its side was smooth, rising upward some thirty feet. There was no place Biff could spot where he could gain a foothold to climb to its top. Around the base of the lava cliff, the water dashed and swirled, making it impossible for Biff to swim around to the other side. Biff went back to the spot on the beach directly opposite the Easy Action. He sank down on the wet sand, filled with despair. He felt certain now that his good friend Li must be lost in the ocean. Night settled over a lonely, saddened Biff. The rain had stopped. The wind was dying down. The surf was losing some of its angry roar. Sleep, a sleep Biff felt he could never attain, finally came to the tired, worried boy. With it came release for his troubled mind. By morning, the wind was gone. The sea was smooth, and the sky was blue over Hawaii once again. Biff saw the yawl rocking gently at its anchor. Its sails torn, tattered, drooped from the masts like the banners of a defeated army. There was no sign of Li. There was only one thing to do. He must search the nearby coast for his lost friend. Biff swam out to the yawl. A quick inspection showed the Easy Action to be a stout ship. She had taken on little water. Her seams had held. Her masts had stood the strain. Biff took out the emergency suit of sail and rigged them to the halyards. He started the engine, let it idle as he raised the anchor, then put out to sea. He ran on engine past the lava promontory, bringing the boat as close into shore as he felt safe. No sign of Li. Biff put back out to sea, raised the jibsail and cruised along the coast, his eyes constantly scanning the shoreline. He didn’t know how far down the Big Island he sailed, but he dreaded turning about and giving up. Finally, he felt he had to. He had to get back to where he had left his father and Mr. Mahenili and tell them the tragic news. Biff came about. Now he sailed in the opposite direction. He rounded the lava promontory, lashed the tiller, and went forward to raise the mainsail. Returning to the cockpit, Biff cast a final look at the spot on the black beach where he had spent the night. His heart leaped. There was someone on the beach, jumping up and down, waving madly. Li! With a shout of happiness, Biff turned the yawl inshore. Li had already dashed into the water, and was swimming toward the approaching boat. Biff came about quickly, heading the yawl into the wind. Li reached its side, and Biff pulled him aboard. He threw his arms around Li’s wet body and hugged him in sheer happiness. Then he stepped back and sized Li up carefully. Except for some scratches, and a deep gash on one leg, Li looked fine. “I thought you were a goner,” Biff said. “Nope, old Davy Jones hasn’t got me in his locker yet.” “What happened? Where’ve you been?” Li grinned. “I fell overboard. I’d just let go the anchor when my foot got caught and I went over. A current caught me and carried me away from the boat. The anchor must have dragged for quite a distance before it caught, because when I finally made shore, the yawl wasn’t in sight.” “Where’d you land? The other side of that lava cliff?” “Yep. And there was no way to get over it.” “I know that. I walked down the beach to the cliff, but it can’t be climbed from this side, either.” Both boys were silent for a minute, thinking about their narrow escape. “So what did you do, Li?” “I started up the cliff, the side of it. I had to find some way of getting over it, hoping to find you safe on the other side.” “Yes, go on.” “Well, it was growing dark. I slipped several times, cut myself, too.” “I see you did. We better put some antiseptic on that cut.” “I’ve already cleaned it out with salt water. Stung like the dickens.” “We’ll still do some more doctoring. Now get on with your story,” Biff ordered. “Well, I knew I wouldn’t make it at night, so I found a protected spot and went to sleep. This morning, I made my way farther up the cliff, found a place where I could cross, and came over to this side.” “And I was gone.” “Yes, Biff. When I finally made it here, I could have died. No Biff. No boat.” “I was looking for you. I must have sailed two or three miles down the coast, trying to spot you.” “That’s what I finally figured out, Biff. I thought that since the boat was gone and there was no wreckage on the beach, old E.A. hadn’t smashed up. So, putting my two heads together, I also figured you must be safe and had gone hunting for me. So I just sat and waited. Boy, when you rounded that promontory, was I ever glad!” “Me too, when I saw you jumping around like a crazy Indian!” The boys smiled at each other. Their smiles turned to laughter, and for a few moments they let themselves go in a wild laughing bout. “I should have known,” Biff said, simmering down at last. “I should have known that Likake Mahenili, champion swimmer of the Islands, could take care of himself.” “It was close, though, Biff.” “I’ll say it was.” Biff put the Easy Action on a course for the spot where the dinghy had been beached. They sailed through the morning and well into the afternoon before they spotted their landmarks. Biff anchored the yawl. Both had felt sure their parents would be waiting for them on the beach. There was no sign of either man. “What do we do now, Biff?” Biff shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know, Li. All we can do is wait. It’ll be dark, soon. We can’t search for them at night.” “Biff, you don’t think that maybe Perez Soto—” Li couldn’t finish his sentence. Biff knew the worried thoughts which must be running through his friend’s mind. The same thoughts were racing through his own. Had his father and Mr. Mahenili been trapped by the enemy? |
|
