d the Jap
plane. Laughing and choking in the same breath, Dawson heaved himself up
out of the pit, stepped out on the wing but missed his footing and fell
sprawling on the wing. He slid off it feet first, so he was standing on
the deck when the Colonel and the Admiral came up.

"Here we are again, sir," Dawson cried. "Just like a couple of bad
pennies that--that--"

His tongue seemed to stick in his mouth, and the Carson seemed to spin
like a top.

"_Dave!_" he heard Freddy Farmer scream. "Somebody--quick--catch him!"

"Here, Dawson, steady!" he heard Colonel Welsh shout.

"Good grief!" cried a third voice. "Look at his chest! Good grief. The
man's hit bad. Here, somebody...!"

But Dawson didn't hear any more. The Carrier Carson turned upside down
and smashed him on the head with its flight deck. Then there was nothing
but complete silence and utter darkness.

* * * * *

It was a beautiful pink-tinted cloud that was carrying Dawson through a
beautiful world filled with soft and soothing music. Never had he felt
so rested, and so comfortable. So much so that he just couldn't be
bothered trying to figure out where he was, or what had happened to put
him there. Maybe it was Heaven. He didn't know, and he didn't care. If
it wasn't Heaven, then it was certainly the next best thing. Whatever it
was it suited him perfectly, and he was quite willing to stay where he
was indefinitely.

However, that was not to be!

The pink cloud faded away and became a white bunk in some ship's
whitewashed sick-bay. And the soft, soothing music faded out, and became
the quietly coaxing voice of a human being. In other words, he slowly
regained consciousness to find himself staring up into the face of
Freddy Farmer, and into the face, also, of Colonel Welsh. And it was the
Chief of Combined U. S. Intelligence who was speaking to him.

"Easy does it, son," the colonel was saying. "Try and hang on this time,
Dawson. You're all set, son. Everything is fine and dandy. Not a thing
to worry about. Just try and relax and be calm, son."

"That's right, Dave, old thing," Freddy Farmer echoed with a catch in
his voice. "Gosh, but it's good to see your eyes really clear. You look
fine, really. Feel a fair bit better, what?"

Dawson blinked, started to mumble a question, and then gasped as
complete memory came flooding back into his brain like water over a
broken dam.

"Hey, hey!" he got out. "What am I doing