be the team
to our right has gotten off course and swung closer to us. You--"

"There it is again!" Freddy broke in excitedly, and pointed. "Right out
there. And it is a plane, though I can't tell what kind."

Dawson hesitated for a split second, and then as he, too, caught sight
of sunlight flashing off the wings of a moving plane he made up his
mind, and banked the plane around.

"Maybe we'd better take a look, just in case, Freddy," he said. "Maybe
it's one of ours way off course. And then again, maybe it isn't. So
we'll go look-see."

Freddy Farmer simply nodded, and made no comment as Dawson brought the
Dauntless all the way around, and gave the Cyclone in the nose full
throttle. And during the next couple of minutes neither of them spoke.
Both were too busy trying to keep the distant plane in sight. It was
more or less between them and the sun climbing up toward the zenith,
and for that reason they kept losing sight of the other plane in the
sun's brilliance.

They quickly picked it out again, and presently they were close enough
to get a good look.

"Hey, what do you know!" Dave cried in astonishment. "That's not one of
ours, but whose is it? I sure never saw a job like that before. Did you
ever, Freddy?"

The English youth shook his head and frowned at the other plane. It was
a double pontooned seaplane with short, stubby-tipped bi-plane wings. It
was painted a light, light gray, but carried no markings or insignia of
any sort.

"No, I never have," Freddy Farmer finally replied to Dave's question.
"Rather a queer-looking thing, isn't it? A two-place aircraft, too. And
what in the world is it doing way out here, I'd like to know? A thing
that small certainly can't carry much gas!"

"Just what I'm thinking, too!" Dawson grunted, and took his eyes off the
other plane to sweep the surrounding waters carefully. "I'd bet it isn't
a land-based job. Must be from some surface ship. And, doggone it, don't
they see us coming over? Why don't they give some sign whether they're
foe or friend? Maybe I should let them have a burst to wake them up!"

"Not a bad idea, Dave; go ahead," Freddy said. "They--no, wait a bit!
They've spotted us, and are coming over. See?"

Freddy's exclamation was a waste of breath as far as Dawson was
concerned. He had already seen the seaplane bank around toward them and
came prop clawing across the sky. For some unknown reason, which he
didn't bother to fathom at that moment, the old