“Nothing better,” said Ted. “But, I say—” He did not say it, for she was away like a flash and ten seconds later the natives in their canoes were making the foam fly. “Can you beat that!” Stew exclaimed. “Hot copper rivets in a cannibal village!” “I can’t,” said Ted. “But I believe we’ll get them all the same.” And they did. Not half an hour had passed when the girl and her dusky crew once more entered the harbor. “Great Scott!” Stew exclaimed at sight of their heavily laden canoes. “Where’d you get all that equipment?” “I think we have all it takes,” Mary said, smiling. “You certainly have!” Jack exclaimed. “A portable forge with coal to fire it, a vise, an anvil, and all sorts of tools. Where did they come from?” “Let’s not go into that now,” Mary replied in a most professional manner. “It was my understanding that you were in a great rush.” “Sure! Of course, we are!” the boys agreed. “Well, then, let’s get busy.” She motioned her men to unload. “We don’t have rivets,” she went on, “but we do have several sizes of copper pipes and these boys will make you the finest rivets you ever saw—any size—any length.” That this was no idle boast the boys soon discovered, for in an incredibly short time the forge was glowing and the anvil ringing. “I only hope those Japs don’t hear that noise.” Jack’s brow wrinkled. “They won’t,” was Mary’s reply, “for there’s a high stone wall between them and us. But if they did, and came over here without their machine guns, we would be a match for them. My natives took their rifles from hiding. There are six of them with good rifles. And believe me, they can shoot!” With the natives to forge out hot copper rivets of just the right size and the young airmen to hammer them into place, the work progressed rapidly. So busy were the boys that they failed to miss Mary Brown, who had slipped away almost at once. They failed, too, to note that night was falling. “Three more rivets,” Ted breathed, “and we’re through. What luck!” At that instant Mary appeared at the crest of a huge rock. Without speaking, she beckoned to Jack. When he reached her side he realized that she was greatly excited. “Tell them you’re going with me,” she whispered. “Say you’ll be right back.” Jack told them. They assured him that they could finish the job by themselves in jigtime. Then they’d have a bite to eat. As Mary and Jack vanished over a low ridge she said in a low, tense voice: “You said you’d like to fly the jet plane away.” “Would I!” She gripped his arm to silence him. “There is just a chance that you might if only—” “If only what?” “If only you could beat that Nazi to the controls.” “But the Japs?”