And it was very good, for scarcely had they passed on to safety when there was a great flash and an explosion as the giant blew up. “Good work! Great stuff!” sounded in Ted’s ears. Jack was speaking. “Better keep radio silence,” was Ted’s answer. All the while Ted and Mary were engaged in the fight, Jack and Stew had been standing by to come in if they were needed. Stew had been all for stepping in at the very start, but Jack had ruled against it. “We don’t know our ship, our guns, or our instruments well enough to risk it,” was his verdict. “Besides, our capture of this secret plane may be of more importance than we think.” “Not much help at the bottom of the sea,” Stew agreed. The fight over, they got back into line, then zoomed on through the night. Ted was astonished when at last, flying high, they sighted the white specks on the sea that would be their task force. And a greatly reinforced one it was. “Three times as many fighting ships as we had before,” he said to Mary. “Three carriers and scores of cruisers and destroyers. This is it! We’re off to the big show!” “This is it!” Stew was saying to Jack. “Only part of it,” Jack replied. “We’ll pick up two other task forces. In all there will be hundreds of ships—more than you have seen in all your life!” Even at that, Jack was thrilled to his fingertips at sight of this great battle armada. “We’ll be back on the deck of the _Black Bee_ in just no time,” he said to Stew. “With luck we shall,” Stew agreed. “But you’d better let the gang know that we’re coming in a freak plane that eats no gas and carries no propeller—or they’ll be shooting us up for wild game!” “I’ll tell Ted to take the lead,” said Jack. So, breaking radio silence, he said: “Go on in ahead of us and tell them who we are, Ted.” “Right. I hope they believe me!” Ted laughed into his mike. “Make ’em a speech, boy! Make ’em a speech!” Jack urged. “And it better be good!” Ted’s speech was a good one, at least good enough, for fifteen minutes later Jack and Stew set the jet plane down quite neatly on the _Black Bee’s_ deck. It would have been hard to tell which created the most excitement—Jack’s freak plane or Ted’s white girl, rescued after having spent two years on a wild cannibal island. Mary dropped out of the competition rather soon, for the ship’s Commander carried her away to a late dinner such as she had not known for two long years. Then he instructed his orderly to attend to all her needs, and to stow her away at last in a small cabin behind the bridge, where she might sleep as long as she pleased. Lieutenant Commander Donald Stone had been asleep when Jack came on board, but an hour later he came up to the flight deck. When he saw the jet plane he stared, rubbed his eyes, and then looked again. “Jack! How did you get it? And where?” he demanded. So, once more Jack told his story.