The Secret of Skeleton Reef Read Online Free PDF

anchor!” Flask called, surveying all points of the boat.
    Frank and Joe moved to the rear, or stern, of the boat so they wouldn’t block the captain’s vision. Frank saw Montclare standing by one of the sternanchor lines and Dirk standing by the other. He could see the weasel-like guy named Ziggy standing by the front, or bow, anchor line.
    â€œPierre, maybe you should let someone else handle that anchor,” Flask called to Montclare. “You’re not experienced enough.”
    â€œWe’re short a man today and I can manage it,” Montclare called back. “Let’s not waste time!”
    Flask eyed Montclare mistrustfully, then pushed back his cap. “Drop the anchors!” the captain commanded. Montclare pulled a lever, and a motor began to whir.
    Frank glanced at the anchor line, which was a coil of thick rope sitting on the deck a few feet away. He knew the rope fed through pulleys that lowered the line down with the anchor. But something was not right. The rope was feeding into the boat rather than out of it.
    At the same time Frank and Montclare realized the lever had been pulled the wrong way. Montclare reversed the lever, and the rope swiftly uncoiled and shot through the pulleys onto the bottom of the sea.
    Then something bit fiercely into Frank’s ankle, and his feet flew out from under him.

5 The Laughing Moon
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    â€œHeeelp!” Frank yelled as he flew toward the stern. A section of anchor line had wrapped itself around his ankle and was yanking him straight for a pulley on the stern rail.
    Joe got to his brother first. He grabbed hold of Frank and pulled, hoping to prevent his foot from being ripped to shreds in the pulley. But the force of the falling anchor was too powerful. Frank was slipping out of Joe’s grasp.
    â€œShut it down!” Ted shouted as he also grabbed onto Frank. “Stop the anchor!”
    Montclare shut down the motor. The rope stopped unwinding, but it was still tearing into Frank’s leg as if it were the blade of a knife.
    â€œOwww!” Frank cried out in pain.
    Ted rushed to the anchor lever and reversed it. As the motor whirred again, rope began feeding back into the boat, causing enough slack in the rope for Frank to free his leg.
    â€œAhhh,” Frank gasped as he sat up on the deck. He could see blood oozing through his sock.
    â€œYou okay, kid?” Flask said as he and several other crew members hurried over. “Ziggy, get the first-aid kit.”
    â€œI guess so,” Frank said through gritted teeth.
    â€œMontclare!” Flask boomed at the Frenchman.
    â€œListen!” Montclare yelled back. “Accidentally I hauled some line toward the boat first. This created some slack in the rope and that’s what he got caught in. But the boy should have been watching.”
    â€œHe’s right,” Frank said after a heavy breath. “I should have been paying more attention.”
    â€œAll the same, Pierre,” Flask said, “you shouldn’t even be on the boat, let alone working one of the anchors. I don’t know why I let you.”
    â€œI only did this today,” Montclare argued, “because you lost a crew member! And if anyone should not be on the boat, it is these two boys.”
    Joe looked at the angry Frenchman. Maybe the anchor-line accident was Montclare’s way of telling us he doesn’t want us around, Joe thought.
    â€œOkay, the show is over, folks!” Flask shouted to the crew. “Everyone back to work! Let’s get that anchor down, then run the mailboxes.” At once, all the crew members returned to their chores.
    Ziggy handed Flask a first-aid box, and the captain knelt down to administer to Frank’s leg. Frank sucked in his breath as Flask pulled down the bloody sock. There was an ugly gash running around Frank’s ankle.
    â€œGood thing you had socks on,” Flask said as he poured hydrogen peroxide on the wound.