al messenger-boy
mission was one-half completed. Three more stops and they would be at
Natal. There they would meet Colonel Welsh and, please, please, God,
find out what in thunder this secret sealed-envelope business was all
about.

"And if he doesn't tell me," Dawson muttered as he let down the Vultee's
wheels and nosed the craft earthward, "it's going to be the end of a
beautiful friendship as far as I'm concerned. Right! He's got to give us
a tiny inkling, at least or--or--Well, I sure hope he does, anyway."

"So do I, old chap!" he heard Freddy Farmer echo his hope. "I also want
to see his face when we tell him what we have to tell. You haven't any
new ideas, have you, Dave?"

"Dawson shook his head. During the remainder of the flight to this next
stop, both had taken the U-boat experience apart and had carefully
examined it piece by piece. It was all to no avail, in regard to
reaching any definite conclusion. True, the logical conclusion was that
the life raft had served as a decoy to bring them down so low that its
occupants could shoot them into the water. When that had failed, the
lurking U-boat had surfaced to try its luck with its bow anti-aircraft
gun. If that was the correct conclusion, it made everything even more
screwy. Colonel Welsh was the only man living who knew why they were
making this crazy flight. He had told them so. How could a Nazi U-boat
at sea learn the secret they shared with Colonel Welsh? And--

"Gosh!" Dawson gasped. "But no! Heck, no! That would be even screwier!"

"What, Dave?" Freddy asked. "You do have a new idea?"

"Not exactly," Dawson replied. "Just a chilling thought. Do you suppose
those birds on that raft were _really_ torpedo survivors, and in their
crazed state took us for a Nazi plane and--"

"What utter rot, Dave!" Freddy Farmer interrupted. "Don't be silly, old
thing! Of course not! Would four torpedo survivors bother to take four
sub-machine guns onto a life raft with them? Certainly not! Come out of
it, Dave! They were Nazis, sure enough. They were from that U-boat, too,
and set adrift to have a go at us."

"But how--" Dawson began and cut himself off short. "Oh, skip it! If I
let myself think any more about the crazy business, I'll forget what I'm
doing and crack us up."

"Then for goodness' sakes don't think of it!" Freddy Farmer cried in
alarm. "I fancy I've had excitement enough for the rest of this day! So
forget things and keep your eye on that field down