The Jupiter was a good 40 miles an hour faster than the big ship and Ralph waved his fingers derisively at the amphibian as he lined the biplane away for Auburn. CHAPTER TWELVE Against Time The fleet, powerful Jupiter soon outdistanced the slower amphibian and with Ralph at the controls, they sped toward Atkinson at 150 miles an hour. The roar of the motor was too loud for conversation and Tim settled down in the cushioned seat and reviewed the exciting events of the last 72 hours. They ranged all the way from the thrilling chase after Ace McDowell to the deadly game of hide and seek they had just completed with Jack Sladek and his companions aboard the amphibian. The big thing now was the fact that he had been invited to go with Grenville Ford on the quest for the sunken treasure in the Southern Queen. Tim, worn by the strain of the last few hours, closed his eyes as he contemplated the story possibilities of the treasure hunt. That there would be plenty of adventure went without saying. From the one encounter with Sladek he knew that the soldier of fortune would go to any length to obtain the treasure. The thought of making the trip into the Caribbean in a submarine appealed strongly to Tim. What a contrast it would be after his stirring adventures in the air as the flying reporter for the _News_. Tim glanced at his companion. Grenville Ford appeared to be enjoying every minute of the flight back to Atkinson. There was a pleasant upturn to his lips and the chin, although square cut, was kindly. But the cheery light in Ford's eyes was what appealed to Tim most for he felt that one of the best ways to judge a man's character was by his eyes. Ford's were piercing but they were steady and a perpetual laugh lurked in their depths. Tim sensed that he would make an excellent leader, a man in whom utmost trust could be placed and he knew he would have no hesitancy in following Ford on the trip. The Jupiter flashed over the outskirts of Atkinson and Ralph cut the throttle. They dropped down to an easy landing and rolled up on the ramp in front of the hangar. Tim, now a trifle stiff from the strenuous events and the night in the valley of the Cedar, climbed slowly from the cockpit. Ford followed. Ralph scrambled out from the rear cockpit and joined them. He was grinning broadly. "Guess I managed to get in for a little of the fun in the valley," he chuckled. "When I dropped down on that amphib the first time I thought those boys were going to have heart failure." "What kind of a gun did you have?" asked Tim. Ralph reached into the cockpit and brought out an ancient double barreled shotgun. "Here's the pet. Believe me I've got a sore shoulder. This old blunderbuss bucks like a Missouri mule." "Do you make a practice of carrying an arsenal around with you?" asked Ford.