“You might have, boy, but I see you right here with him.”

“Reckon that’ll shut you up,” said Nathaniel. He jumped to his feet and going below to the navigation station, rifled through the charts for the last one in the roll, the one bearing the legend: UNITED STATES — EAST COAST. FLORIDA KEYS. MARQUESAS KEYS TO DRY TORTUGAS. Soundings in Fathoms at Mean Low Water.

He spread the chart on the cabin top, weighting it with the oil lamp.

“Would you show where she is, if you remember?”

“You think I was joshin’ you, don’t you? Uh-uh, ain’t gwan to show you, ’cause den you go out dere to dive de wreck, lookin’ for what ain’t dere.”

“I believe that, Mr. Lowe. All I want is to see on the chart where she went down. Honest.”

Artemis threw him a skeptical look, frown lines stacking up beneath the deep crease made by his hat.

“Been twenny year. Don’t know how good I remember.” Bending over the chart, squinting in the lamp’s weak light, a forefinger moving over water and islands. “Like I told you, she hit de west end of de reef on de north side. A fishermon buddy I got, he know her position down to de yard, but right here de best I can do.” His finger pressed down, and where it pressed, near the upper tip of the blue crescent moon that marked the reef, Nathaniel penciled an X.

“Okay, now dot I show where she sort of is, you tell me what you fixin’ to do, Nathaniel, and I don’t want to hear no bullshit.”

“I want to lay eyes on her, so when we get back, I can tell Dad that we did,” Nathaniel answered, speaking from the heart. “You can see her from the surface, can’t you? You said her side was only ten feet under.”

“Maybe a little more den dot, and by now, she settle some into de mud and sand, but, yeah, you can see her, big dark thing layin’ down there in two pieces, port side down. De water real clear out dot way. Hell, you can see de bottom, fifty foot down from a boat. And dass all you mean to do? Take a look so you can tell your papa you did?”

“That’s all.”

“Don’t make sense to me, but you makin’ it sound like it’s real important to you.”

“I’ll single-hand this schooner out there if I have to,” said Nathaniel, with a challenging glance at Will and his brothers.