Jack’s conclusions regarding the Black Bee’s fight with the Jap task force were correct. After he and Stew had been driven from the scene of fighting and had abandoned their plane on the sea, the U. S. dive bombers had come in for their deadly work. Diving from twelve thousand feet, they had released their bombs at a thousand feet. Some bombs missed their mark. Others made contact. One fell forward on the Jap carrier, killing a gun crew. Two fell almost directly on the propeller, rendering it useless. While the carrier ran around in wide circles, the torpedo bombers closed in. Judging the enemy’s probable position at a given moment, they released their “tin fish” with such deadly accuracy that one side of the carrier was blown away. Just as the Japs began abandoning ship, the carrier blew up.
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A squadron of U. S. dive bombers that had arrived too late to work on the carrier, went after the fleeing cruisers, which did not pause to pick up their own men struggling in the water. Two cruisers were sunk, and one left in flames.

Ted had limped back to his own waters to make a crash landing in the sea close to the Black Bee, and to be picked up by a PT boat. All in all it was a glorious fight. One U.S. fighter and his gunner were permanently lost. They had been seen to fall flaming into the sea. A service was read for these men by the chaplain.

The Commander lost no time in letting his men know that this battle was in the nature of an accident and that the real goal of the task force at that time still lay ahead.

All day they steamed rapidly toward the west.

“It’s Mindanao,” Kentucky, Ted’s flying partner, said to him. “We’re going to hit them where they live, in the Philippines. And will we take revenge!” Kentucky’s eyes were half closed as he looked away to the west. Ted knew that at that moment he was thinking of “the best pal I ever knowed,” as Kentucky had expressed it to him, whose grave had been dug the day after the smoke cleared from Pearl Harbor.

“Did the Commander tell you it was going to be Mindanao?” Ted asked.
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“No. But I’m plumb certain it has to be from the course we’re taking,” was the answer. “Just you wait an’ see! Some evening about sundown we’ll be meetin’ up with another task force. An’ then, man! You’ll really see some fightin’ ships!”

They did fulfill a rendezvous at sunset, but the force they met did not fit into Kentucky’s picture. It consisted of four transports, three cargo vessels and their escorts, two cruisers, and three destroyers.

The two forces moved into position, then steamed on toward the west. Two hours later the Commander called Kentucky into the chart room. Since Ted was with him at the time, he invited him to accompany them.

“You too may be in on this,” he said to Ted as they entered the brightly lighted cabin. “So you might as well know what it’s all about.”

Wasting no time, he led the boys to a large chart spread out on a table.

“This is where we are,” he said, pointing to a spot on the chart with a pencil.

“And this is about where we were during the battle with the Jap task force, is it not, sir?” Ted too pointed.

“Right,” said the Commander.

“Then Jack and Stew, if they made it, are on one of these three islands?” Ted pointed again.
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“That seems probable.” Then, reading the look of longing on Ted’s face, the Commander added, “Everything in its time, son. We do not desert our boys if it can be helped. I am sure you shall yet play a part in the rescue of your buddies.

“But now,” his voice changed, “there is other work to be done—dangerous work. This island,” he pointed once again, “is our present destination.”

“Not Mindanao then, sir?” Kentucky heaved a sigh of disappointment, for the Commander had pointed to a small island just inside a coral reef.

“Not Mindanao this time.” The Commander smiled. “This is to be a step in that direction. At present we do not have a force large enough for that undertaking. But some time we’ll hit Mindanao, and hit it hard,” he added.

“That’s good news, sir,” said Kentucky.

“Now we have another mission.” The Commander’s voice dropped. “The troops we are convoying tonight are to be landed shortly after dawn. Just before dawn we shall attack, using planes and warships.”

“Tear them to pieces!” Kentucky beamed.

“We hope to. But first,” the Commander weighed his words, “we may run into trouble. And that’s where you boys come in.”

“What sort of trouble, sir?” Ted asked quickly.
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“Land-based torpedo planes, perhaps.” The Commander spoke slowly. “We are not quite sure the Japs have them. We do know there’s a landing field on the island.”

“We’ll take them fast enough if they come after us, sir.” Kentucky squared his shoulders.

“At night it is not so easy,” was the quiet reply.

“Night!” Ted stared.

“Your squadron has been making practice flights at night recently,” said the Commander. “That wasn’t for fun.”

“I—I suppose not.” Ted was trying to think what going after torpedo bombers at night would be like. “Exciting,” he told himself. “And very dangerous.”

“In the past,” the Commander spoke once more, “our task forces have been destroying their torpedo planes long before they reached us in the daytime. So—”

“So they’re going to come after us in the dark, sir?” Kentucky suggested.

“Our Intelligence Service has strongly hinted at it,” said the Commander. “So,” he drew a deep breath, “I thought you, Kentucky, would like to call for four volunteers to be ready for night fighting, just in case th............