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finally separated in his hands. Now we can get out of here!
    He looked up to signal Hap and Ray.
    They were gone. In their place, heading straight toward him, was a great white shark.
    Trip’s gut wrenched, and he experienced a moment of paralyzing fear as the shark hurtled toward him. Hanging frozen in the water, his heart trying to pound its way out of his chest, he had a momentary fantasy of swinging the chain with the transmitter/bomb at the end and smashing it into the shark’s head. But what might have worked on land was useless here in the water; there was no way he could get any momentum with the ball and chain.
    Nor was there any way to outswim the creature.
    That left him no choice but to outthink it.
    Rachel and Roger were clinging to the life preserver Roger had been trying to throw to Wendy when they capsized. Both were scanning the waves for any sight of their friends.
    When the pounding rain subsided for a moment, Roger spotted the Wonderchild floating face down about forty feet away.
    Letting go of the life preserver, he began swimming in her direction. An enormous wave lifted him, then plunged him down. He shook the water out of his eyes—just in time to see Wendy disappear beneath the surface. She went down so rapidly it was as if something had actually pulled her under.
    Praying that his timing would be accurate, Trip began to pull on the chain, drawing the brightly glowing transmitter/bomb closer to him. In doing so, the gangling blond was making himself the point of an angle where two deadly forces—the shark and the bomb—would soon converge.
    Only Trip had no intention of being there when they did. With all the strength he had left, he swam down and away, hauling the bomb behind him.
    His timing wasn’t merely accurate, it was inspired. No sooner had he replaced himself with the bomb than the unwitting shark swallowed the glowing ball whole!
    Trip was still clinging to the chain when the shark struck. He felt his arm being wrenched nearly out of its socket. Whipping around, he saw that the shark had turned and was heading for the surface. It was dragging him with it.
    He let go of the chain and dropped back.
    Hap, Ray, and the shark broke through at about the same time.
    The boys were in one piece. The shark was in several thousand, most of them flying through the air.
    Well , thought Hap, once the shock wave had passed, that takes care of that .
    The storm was beginning to abate.
    Ray was in his arms—gasping for breath, but alive.
    Off to his right he saw Rachel clinging to a life preserver. Roger was splashing in the water not too far from her.
    Another splashing, this time on his left, turned out to be Trip, breaking through to the surface. Ripping off his mask, he shouted triumphantly, “Trip one, Shark nothing!”
    Hap smiled. So far, so good. But as he finished the slow circle he was making to look for his friends, a sick feeling began to twist his stomach.
    The Wonderchild was nowhere to be seen.

    Â 
    A Change of Plans
    The storm was over. The sky, so dark and angry a short time ago, had become a great blue bowl arcing above the Pacific.
    Its serene beauty was lost on the five forlorn youngsters huddled on the upturned hull of The Merry Wanderer . The capsized boat, equipped with almost indestructible flotation tanks, bobbed gently on the low swells—a tiny island in a vast ocean that stretched in all directions. The only break in the universe of water was a faint line on the horizon that the gang desperately hoped was Anza-bora.
    How far from home did the storm sweep us? wondered Trip dismally. The endless water made him nervous. Seeking escape from it, he looked up. All he saw was more blue. Lowering his gaze, he rejoined his friends in scanning the empty sea for any sign of their lost companion.
    Strain as they would, their anxious eyes could find no trace of the Wonderchild.
    â€œYou know what I think?” asked Hap. He hesitated, half-expecting