d. "I was just walking along, and the next
instant I was out cold."

Dawson started to shake his head, when suddenly he remembered. "I saw
his feet and legs up to his knees! As a matter of fact, he was
barefooted, but he wore pants. That's all I saw. Just his bare feet and
his trouser legs up to his knees."

"Barefooted, eh?" Major Parker murmured. "That could well mean one of
the natives. There are certainly enough of them around here. Well, that
just makes this confounded business much more mysterious. I'll certainly
be mighty glad when Colonel Welsh arrives."

"I guess that goes for the three of us, sir," Dawson added with a smile.

"Yes, very much so," Freddy Farmer chimed in.

Then followed a few minutes of silence, while each was engrossed with
his own thoughts. Presently Major Parker sighed faintly, knocked the
coals from his pipe bowl into an ash tray, and got to his feet.

"I have to make a little nightly inspection tour about the place," he
said. "So, if you two will excuse me, I'll get on with the job. Don't go
away, though. I won't be long. I'll be back for another cup of coffee
with you. They certainly know how to make it down in this part of the
world."

"All right, sir, we'll wait," Dawson answered for Farmer and himself.
"Unless there's something we can do to help? Doesn't seem quite fair
for us to eat your food, take up your time, and not do any--"

"Forget it, Dawson," Parker interrupted. "I'm glad to have you here.
Well, be seeing you shortly."

With a nod and another wave of his hand, Major Parker went outside and
left the two youths looking at each other.

"I like Major Parker plenty," Dawson said after a while. "And it sure
makes me feel like a heel."

"What does?" the English-born air ace wanted to know. "The fact that you
like him?"

"Cut it out!" Dawson urged. "Of course not. I feel like a heel because I
can't come clean and tell him all that we know."

"It isn't very much, if you ask me," Freddy said with a shrug and a
gesture.

"I know, but just the same I wish I could tell him what little we do
know. I'm sure he knows that we're holding out on him. And like I said,
he's such a swell fellow. And not the least bit dumb, what I mean."

"Well, you can't be dumb and work for Colonel Welsh, I fancy," Freddy
murmured.

Dawson started to agree with him, but suddenly checked his words and
shot a quick glance at Freddy. The English-born air ace was toying with
his cup of coffee and