Jack scarcely listened. He was hearing a rumble. It came from the west. “Bombers! Our bombers!” he exclaimed. “Our work is finished!” Stew exulted. “All but getting back. And that we can’t do.” There was an air of finality in Jack’s voice. “That Jap did plenty to this plane. Nearly got me too. Take a look at my right temple.” Stew leaned forward, then whistled. “Burned you, all right. Bleeding a little. Wait. I’ll fix you up.” They circled slowly in their cloud while first aid was applied. “There are some islands off to the east,” Stew suggested. “How far?” “’Bout fifty miles.” “Good! That’s our best bet.” “Then what are we waiting for?” “Nothing.” Jack eased his plane over toward the edge of the clouds. “What about the Zeros?” Stew asked. “It’s a chance we have to take,” Jack replied soberly. “This old kite won’t stay up too long. Be prepared to give them the works if they show up.” “The works it shall be,” Stew replied grimly as he reloaded his powerful weapon. CHAPTER V A GOOD SHOW The Zeros, it seemed, were engaged elsewhere. When Jack and Stew emerged from their cloud none were in sight, nor were the islands that Stew had seen. “A rain squall has hidden the islands. They’re there, all the same,” Stew insisted. “It’s our only chance.” In vain Jack tried to get more power from his disabled motor. It coughed, sputtered—all but died—then carried on. Heading due east, he started to climb. He had gained a thousand feet or more when he began losing again. “Look over your parachute,” he said to Stew. “Be sure you can get hold of our rubber raft at a second’s notice. This motor may die at any moment.” “It’s all done,” said Stew. “All in order. Let’s have a look at your chute.” He worked over Jack’s chute and harness. “It’s okay. Be sure to pull the cord,” he joked. “That’s always a necessity, you know.” “Sure I know,” Jack’s voice was cheerful. “I’m glad we got our job done before this thing happened.” “The sea’s fairly smooth. We’ll get on. Some kind of a bird will light on us. They always do—booby, gull—something.” “Sure, they light on anything that stands out above the water.” Jack set his ship climbing again. They were inside the rain squall. From not too far away came the sound of sudden battle. “Zeros and our fighters have tangled.” Stew became tremendously excited. “Boy! This is going to be terrific! Wish we could see it!” “Like taking in a world-series game from behind a high board fence,” Jack agreed. “But leave it to our bombers!” “They’re sure good! They took that other carrier we discovered a week ago.” “They’re tops, those bombers!” Jack had a great love for his ship and her men. “There never was a carrier like the _Black Bee_!” The roar of bombers coming on in formation filled the air. “They’re climbing! I can tell by the sound!” Stew exclaimed. “Boy! Just you wait!”