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He tried to stay just deep enough below the wave troughs so his progress wouldn't be hindered by the heavy seas More than once he becalance at his coain He kicked his fins with all the strength in his legs, doggedly dragging the line that was digging into his shoulder, gaining two feet and losing one fro current

Pitt's leg ish His en His heart was beginning to pound froan to heave He dared not pause or rest or the current would have wiped out all his gains There could be no delay Every minute counted as the Ocean Wanderer was i sea

Another ten an to ebb He sensed that his body was about played out His ed him to try even harder, but there was only so much that muscle and flesh could be called on to achieve Out of desperation he began to stroke with his hands and ars, whose nu by the minute

He wondered if Giordino was in the sa up, not with all those women's and children's lives at stake Besides, his friend was built like a Brahma bull If anyone could swim across a wild ocean with one hand tied behind him, Al could

Pitt did not waste a breath to inquire of his friend's condition over the intercoht not ht was brushed aside, and he reached deep within himself to tap his inner reserves

His breath was co on the line ainst a herd of elephants He started to recall the old ads of thea steaht have been carried away frolance at his coht course toward Sea Sprite

The dark cloud of total exhaustion was beginning to creep over the edge of his vision, when he heard a voice speak his name

"Keep coh his headphone "We can see you under the water Surface now!"

Pitt obediently swam upward and broke the surface

Then Barnuain, "Look

to your left"

Pitt turned No e buoy on the end of a line leading to the Sea Sprite Pitt didn't bother acknowledging He had about five good strong kicks of his fins left in hiave them to the cause With a physical relief he had never known, he grasped the safety line, threw his arm over it so that it was firainst his back shoulder

At last he could relax as Barnum and his crew pulled hi hook under the line three feet behind Pitt and carefully lifted him onto the deck

Pitt raised his hands and Barnum deftly removed the looped end of the Falcron line from his shoulder and connected it to the winch on the crane along with the line already brought aboard by Giordino Two of the crew re a deep breath of pure ocean salt air, he found hi face of Giordino

"Slowpoke," muttered Giordino, still in the throes of exhaustion "I beat you on board by a good two minutes"