The four walked to the marina where the boat was kept.

"How do you like the name I gave it?" Danny asked.

The girls laughed when they saw what was painted on the side of the skiff.

"Pirate!" George exclaimed. "Even if you hadn't told me, I'd have known a boy picked it."

"Do you go after all the treasure that's supposed to be buried on these islands?" Bess asked him.

"I sure do," Danny replied. "The trouble is, some of the small keys floated away in hurricanes and any treasure on them is lost forever."

"What a shame!" George teased. "And here we came all the way to Florida, thinking we could dig up a million doubloons!"

The young people laughed, then stepped aboard the skiff. Four swivel chairs were bolted to the deck, and Danny explained that this made it easy for fishermen to turn in all directions. Then he pointed to the large outboard motor in the rear of the craft. "It weighs two hundred and fifty pounds and is raised and lowered hydraulically."

"Why do you have to raise it?" Bess asked.

"When you get caught in low tide, you literally have to jump along over the sand dunes at a very fast clip. If you don't, you're apt to get stuck."

Danny settled himself behind the wheel and started the boat. As they rode along, he pointed out the shoreline of Key Biscayne with its high-rise condominiums and many-storied hotels. But soon they left the area and one little island after another came into view.

"All of these were built up by coral formations and mangrove trees," Danny explained. "I'll show you some trees along the edge. The way they grow is fascinating."

He pulled up to a small key and stopped the boat. The narrow mangrove trunks rose some fifteen feet into the air, then started to bend over. Their branches were heavy with leaves, which in turn hung down into the water. Being thick and close together, they were a natural catchall for whatever floated by, and together they formed a solid shoreline.