Dark Day in the Deep Sea

stick. He started poking at clumps of seaweed.
    “What’s he doing?” asked Jack.

    The man dropped his stick and picked up something small from the sand. He studied it for a moment. Then he knelt down, pulled a small book out of his pocket, and started to write.
    “Who is he?” said Jack.
    “I don’t know,” said Annie. “But one thing’s for sure—pirates don’t carry butterfly nets or write in notebooks.”
    “You’re right,” said Jack. He put down the Pennsylvania book. “So what’s going on?”
    “Let’s go find out,” said Annie. She dropped the rope ladder back to the ground and started down.
    Jack grabbed his pack and hurried after her. Together they ran barefoot over the hot sand and through the feathery ferns. They climbed to the top of a sand dune and looked down. The three men were still at the edge of the water while the big ship drifted offshore.
    “Hey, look. You can see the name of the ship,” said Annie.
    Jack peered through the haze and read on the side of the ship, HMS
Challenger
. “I’ll look it up,” he whispered. He pulled out their research book and searched the index. “It’s here!” he whispered. He found the right page and read:
    The HMS Challenger (HMS stands for Her Majesty’s Ship) was a British navy vessel that served as the first dedicated scientific exploration ship in the history of the world.
    “Oh, man,” said Jack, looking up. “That is so cool.”
    “Yeah, read more,” whispered Annie. Jack read on:
    From 1872 to 1876, the HMS Challenger circled the globe, exploring the dark depths of the ocean. There were over 200 seamen and six scientists on board.
    “So we landed in the 1870s,” said Jack, looking up again.
    “And that guy with the butterfly net must be one of the scientists,” said Annie. “Come on, let’s go meet him!”
    Before Jack could tell her to wait, Annie darted down the sand dune. “Hey, guys!” she called. She waved her arms. “Hi!”
    The three men whirled around. Their eyes grew wide and their mouths dropped open. They looked at Annie as if they were staring at a ghost.

J ack threw their book into his pack and quickly ran to join Annie. “Hi,” he said to the three men.
    “Don’t be afraid,” said Annie. “We come in peace.”
    The three men kept gawking. “Who—who
are
you?” one of the sailors sputtered.
    Jack and Annie walked closer. “I’m Jack, and this is Annie,” said Jack.
    The man in the bow tie stepped forward. He had a long mustache and a big, friendly smile. “My name is Henry,” he said. “I came ashore to look for rare butterflies, plants, and shells. But itseems I have found a rare creature called a Jack-and-Annie instead.”
    “And we’ve found a creature called a Henry,” said Annie, giggling. “That’s what we named a pteranodon when we went to the time of the dinosaurs.”
    “I beg your pardon?” said Henry.
    “Uh … she’s teasing,” said Jack.
    “What an unusual wit,” said Henry, his eyes sparkling. “Well, you have not only found a Henry. You’ve also found a Joe and a Tommy, the two able seamen who rowed me here.”
    “Hi, Joe and Tommy,” said Annie. She gave the two sailors a big smile.
    But Joe and Tommy didn’t smile back. They were both scowling. “Where are you from?” Joe asked suspiciously.
    “Frog Creek, Pennsylvania,” said Annie.
    “Where is that?” asked Tommy.
    “America,” said Jack.
    “How nice!” said Henry. “Why are you here?”
    “We, uh … we’re on vacation,” said Annie.“We’re camped with our family back there somewhere….” She waved vaguely.
    “Vacation?” said Henry.
    “Our parents like to vacation in really out-of-the-way places,” said Annie.
    Henry chuckled. “Americans!”
    “Are you a scientist from the HMS
Challenger
?” Jack said. He was eager to change the subject.
    “Why, yes,” said Henry. “I am one of the team trying to solve the riddles of the deep.”
    Jack loved the sound of that:
riddles of the deep
. “What kind of riddles have you solved so far?” he asked.
    “Well, for one thing, we’ve learned that the ocean floor is absolutely teeming with life,” said Henry.
    “You didn’t already know that?” asked Annie.
    “We thought it was probably the case,” said Henry. “But mind you, many people cannot imagine that life can exist in the icy darkness of thedeep. In fact, some still believe there is no floor to the ocean at all! They think the sea goes down forever.”
    “Are you