Jack and Stew had heard Ted’s battle with the jet plane without seeing it. They had become tremendously excited but were unable to do anything about it.

Before Ted’s adventure began, Jack was just sitting up, rubbing his eyes sleepily after only three hours of rest. He said:

“Life on this island has become impossible. There are five of those beasts against us. They have machine guns and plenty of ammunition. We have automatics with just the slugs that were in their chambers when we arrived.”

“There are the natives,” Stew suggested.

“Those Germans and Japs would mow them down like grass,” was the quick reply. “It will be better for the natives if they’re never discovered.”

“They’ll be discovered all right,” Stew declared. “You can’t hide for long on this island. It’s too small. I’m surprised that those fellows haven’t hunted us down long before this,” he added.
176

“Well, they won’t do that just yet.” Jack drew in a deep breath of relief. “There they go, or at least the Germans must be leaving. If they go we should be able to handle the Japs.” He had caught the low whistle rising into a scream that told of the jet plane’s departure.

“If only I could get my hands on that baby!” Jack exclaimed, thinking of the jet plane. “I’d fly her right to the deck of the old Black Bee.”

“And get yourself good and shot up by your own pals,” Stew laughed. “There’s no mark of identification on that jet plane.”

“That’s right,” Jack admitted. “But she does carry a radio. I’d announce my arrival.”

“Well, you haven’t got her yet. You—”

Stew stopped suddenly to listen. Jack cocked his head on one side. Back of the high-pitched scream of the departing jet plane they could hear the low roar of an approaching plane of quite another character.

“That’s Ted!” Jack exclaimed. “Great Scott! I hope he doesn’t meet that jet plane!”

“Be a swell fight. Ted is really good. I’d like to see that fight.” Stew’s eyes shone.
177

“Yes, Ted is good, all right,” Jack admitted. “But something tells me that jet plane is a natural for fighting. It’s got amazing speed. Besides, I’ll bet it’s as easy to handle as a bicycle.”

Three minutes later they went racing for the rocky beach. The silence of their island had been torn to bits by the rasping rat—tat—tat of machine-gun fire. Since it came from the sea they guessed that Ted had met the jet plane.

“That wasn’t Ted’s gun,” Stew said.

“No, it wasn’t.” Jack agreed solemnly.

The wind was toward the island. A large cloud hid the battle, but every sound of it came to them. Jack could picture it all in his mind. Ted’s effort to gain the advantage, the terrible speed of his enemy, the flash of fire, the dip of wings, the sudden downward plunges and the upward sweeps in an effort to get on top—all this came to his mind.

With lips parted and hearts pounding, Jack and Stew stood there in silence, listening. They knew from the thunder and scream of the planes just what was going on. “It’s as if a pilot in a man-made plane were fighting with one of those prehistoric flying reptiles,” Jack murmured huskily.

“Reptiles all right,” was Stew’s comment, “but not prehistoric.”
178

Jack held his breath as he heard Ted make his dash for that smaller cloud. He understood perfectly that Ted was heading for the surface of the sea when he took his final plunge and sensed, with a deep pang of regret, that the end of the fight had come.

When once again they heard the short, sharp, rattle of the jet plane’s gun, both Jack and Stew knew that there must still be something left on the water to shoot at—realized, too, what sort of fighter this jet plane fellow was, and at once vowed vengeance.

The two boys had stood in silence as the jet plane sailed away. Not a word was said until the screamer’s motor was silenced for a landing on the island. Then Stew muttered, “The dirty coward!”

Nothing more was said as they walked slowly back to their camp. So downcast were they that they failed to notice the smell of wood smoke rising from their fireplace. Nor did they see the figure standing by the fire until a voice said, “Good morning.”

Startled, they looked up to see the slim girl from the native village.

“Your breakfast is served,” she said cheerfully............