The second island looks to be more of the same thing as the first island. I go in over the barrier reef and land on a very narrow, rocky beach. The whole island looks to be basically one gigantic rock. Even the beach is just a few rocks broken off the giant rock and smoothed a bit by a million or so years of tide and wind. I gather a few rock samples, as directed, and then try to find a way up the cliff that seems to go all the way around the island. There's a way up the cliff, steep but barely manageable. When I get to the top of the rock I find a sort of shallow bowl. There's a structure in a sheltered place near the rim of the bowl. There's not supposed to be a structure, as the island is supposedly uninhabited and uninhabitable. It's a puzzle.

When I get to the structure, it's made of maybe some sort of plastic. There's a door to the structure. I work what appears to be a latch and the door opens, I go inside. There's some sort of altar at the far end. There's writing engraved in what appears to be the metal of the altar. The writing isn't Polynesian and, in any case, the Polynesians didn't have metal, at least not in a quantity to build altars of the stuff. While looking around, I spot something mostly buried in dirt along one wall. The something is a ring. Without thinking, I brush the dirt off and then slide the ring on my finger for easy carrying, so that I have both hands free in case I find something that I need to carry.

About this time I get a call on my radio. My expedition people want me back now!

I climb back down to the beach and my kayak and I can see my ship and a large, unfriendly looking Navy type ship close by. I tell my people, "I can't get back out for some 10 or so hours, until it's again high tide."

The Navy wants me out now!

I tell the Navy people, "I have to wait for high tide before I can get my kayak back out over a tiny gap in the barrier reef."

The Navy wants me out now!

A discussion follows and it gets a little heated, actually more than a little heated.

The Navy finally grudgingly accepts the reality of the situation. However, I'm forced to wait out the time on the beach, in view of the Navy ship.

High tide again comes and I'm able to get out over the barrier reef. I'm intercepted by a Navy boat, crewed by armed sailors. The sailors on board the Navy boat take my sample bag and my notes. They then tell me to go away and don't come back, ever. The Navy ship then also tells the research ship to go away and don't come back, ever.

When I get back on board the research ship, it seems that the big rock is restricted territory.

I ask the Skipper, "What, a big chunk of isolated rock in the middle of the ocean is restricted territory?"

The Skipper of the research ship points out that I have logic on my side, but the Navy boys have guns.

My employers then leave the vicinity of the rock island, not that we have any real choice in the matter.