Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE PIRATES OF SHAN A RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE STORY BY JOHN BLAINE GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS NEW YORK, N. Y. 1958 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED _Printed in the United States of America_ [Illustration: _Rick wielded the kris with deadly effect_] Contents I THE MISSING SCIENTISTS II THE HINDU MERCHANT III BAGOBO COUNTRY IV THE HEADMAN'S SECRET V TRAIL OF THE "SAMPAGUITA" VI THE MAN IN THE RED FEZ VII NEWS AT ZAMBOANGA VIII THE "SWIFT ARROW" IX THE MORO KNIVES X SOUTH OF SULU XI THE DANCING PIRATES XII SEARCH THE WIDE SEAS XIII THE TWO DATUS XIV THE HIGH FIRE XV PLAN OF ATTACK XVI THE BLACK CLIFF XVII THE RADIO LINK XVIII UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS XIX CHAHDA SWEEPS THE SEA XX THE PATROL TAKES OVER List of Illustrations _Rick wielded the kris with deadly effect_ _The warrior shook Rick's hand and smiled_ _The man's back was tattooed with a strange design_ "_All hands on deck! Pirates!_" _A sudden jerk would attract the guard's attention_ _Rick braced himself for the shock_ THE PIRATES OF SHAN CHAPTER I The Missing Scientists "We'd better do something," Rick Brant stated grimly, "and we'd better do it fast." He picked up a stone and threw it far out into the green waters of the Atlantic, a gesture that did little to relieve his worry and anxiety. Don Scott, nicknamed Scotty, said soothingly, "I know how you feel. I feel the same way. But don't forget that Dad is just as worried as we are--maybe even more so, because he feels responsible. Besides, I don't think we have long to wait, not with Colonel Rojas here." Rick knew that his dark-haired pal was right, but inaction, even under ordinary circumstances, made him restless, and now that two staff scientists had mysteriously disappeared, his normal desire to keep things moving swiftly was augmented by fear for their safety. The Spindrift Scientific Foundation, with headquarters on famed Spindrift Island off the New Jersey coast, was regarded by most people as a typical group of scientists, impersonal and efficient, who sometimes made important discoveries or got involved in scientific adventures. But the picture of the Foundation, given mostly through impersonal scientific publications, was wrong. The scientific efficiency and purpose of Spindrift could not be denied. But what the public failed to appreciate was that the staff, headed by Rick Brant's scientist father, was more like a family than a corporation. The center of activity was the big Brant house and the adjoining laboratory on Spindrift Island. The scientists were not only colleagues, but close personal friends.