yed world
plenty. Boy, oh boy! Would that burn up Sasebo, to hear us telling the
world about his force, where it is, and how many ships, and so forth. I
bet he'd dive over the side, and commit _hara-kiri_ on the way down!"

"Well, don't consider it as good as done," the English youth cautioned.
"Stealing a plane in story books is quite simple, of course. But the
real thing is quite something else. Just the same, though, I very
definitely would like it that way."

"And while we're at it, let's shoot the works," Dawson said with a dry
chuckle. "We'll not only swipe a plane, but we'll also swipe all of
Sasebo's task force plans before we leave. And maybe even his samurai
sword. Now, there is something that would sure get the guy's goat. And
I don't mean perhaps!"

Freddy Farmer joined Dave in laughing, and then, suddenly, as their eyes
met both sobered in a flash. All that had happened to them, and the
terrific strain under which they were right then, was fast catching up
with them. It was causing them to become just a bit light-headed, to
talk through their hats, and--and, if they didn't call a halt, send them
haywire like a couple of babbling idiots. They saw that approaching
breaking point in each other's eyes. And it straightened them up, and
fast.

"Well, anyway, we got some of it off our chests," Dawson muttered, and
stared down at his red welt-marked wrists.

"Yes, quite," Freddy Farmer echoed absently. "And I fancy it helped a
little. But I wonder what, Dave?"

"And so do I, chum," Dawson sighed. "So do I!"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

_Devil Eyes_

A good fifteen minutes of silence settled over the two battle-scarred
youths before it was broken. And when it was, it was not by either of
them. On the contrary, it was broken by a third party. By an unusually
tall, and well built Japanese Navy officer who opened the door of the
empty cabin and came striding inside. Both boys were startled by his
sudden approach, they were amazed by his huge size, and they also
noticed that he was unarmed save for the samurai sword hung at his belt.
But when they looked at his face, at his eyes, they both gulped
impulsively.

The newcomer's eyes were plenty Jap. They were also even more than that.
The first impression that came to Dave was that he was looking into a
pair of devil's eyes, if ever a pair existed. They were more black than
brown, and they had the sagging double upper lid that distinguishes a
Jap's eyes from th