d back to Freddy when there were
some five thousand feet of air under the wings.

"What suits me?" the English youth echoed back. "This plane, or your
flying, or what? Of course, if you mean your flying, why--"

"Save it, sweetheart, save it!" Dave growled. "No. This pip of a plane,
and _my_ expert flying, go without saying. What I meant was, how does
this Jap hunt shape up to you?"

"Could be worse, I fancy," Freddy replied. "Truth to tell, though, I
could do with a whole lot more details. The colonel didn't say very
much, you know."

"Well, for cat's sake, what else could he say?" Dawson demanded.
"Somewhere in an area of about a hundred thousand square miles is
supposed to be a big Jap force on its way south to make plenty of
trouble. Maybe it isn't going south. The colonel doesn't know. Or
anybody else, for that matter. However, the colonel can't take chances
on our Guadalcanal and Tulagi attack going haywire. I mean, having this
Jap force bump into them right at the beginning of the attack. See what
I mean?"

"Rot!" Freddy snorted. "As if a ten-year-old child couldn't reason
_that_ out? Certainly! Of course, you silly blighter. Naturally the
colonel doesn't know _where_ this Jap force is. But I meant, more
details on how, and when, and how long we're to patrol, and stuff? He
only touched on that part by saying that we're to find the Jap force."

"Okay, okay, fire horse!" Dave grunted. "Just be patient. I promise you,
I'll refuse to take off on a single patrol until your craving for
details is completely satisfied. Will that be all right, fussy pants?"

Freddy Farmer made some remark, but Dave didn't hear it. He didn't
because at that moment he heard the call signal from the carrier in his
earphones. He answered at once, and his heart started hammering against
his ribs as the crisp spoken orders came through from the carrier far
below and several miles to the north of his position.

"Proceed due east from your position, Tiger!" the carrier officer said,
using the Dauntless' code name. "Scout for unidentified aircraft.
Proceed at full throttle. If it is an enemy aircraft, attack and destroy
at once. Repeat! Attack and _destroy_ at once!"

"Orders received and understood, Swordfish!" Dawson called back
instantly. "On course, now!"

As Dave had spoken the words he had heeled the Dauntless around on
wingtip, opened up the Cyclone wide, and was now streaking across the
Southwest Pacific sky toward the east. T