, but Scotty was
already untying her. The moment her hands were free, she pulled the
gag from her mouth and announced, "Well! You took long enough getting
here!"

Rick didn't know what to say to that. He didn't have a chance to say
anything. His sister rushed over, put her arms around him, and
squeezed.

"You were wonderful," she said. "Scotty, he held four of them at bay.
I never knew you could fight like that, Rick Brant!"

Rick grinned. "I didn't do so much. You took one of them out of play
by stamping on him. And Jan gave me an opening with as fine a kick as
I've seen off a football field."

The two JANIG agents had produced handcuffs, and the men and women
were manacled together in a continuous chain.

"Outside," one agent commanded. "Get into the pram."

"You've got nothing on us," the man in the striped shirt protested.
"We were only protecting ourselves against this wild man who barged in
here."

"Were you protecting yourselves against the two girls?" Scotty asked.

"We were holding them for the police," striped shirt stated. "They
sneaked aboard, probably intending to steal anything they could find.
You're going to get yourselves into a peck of trouble, my friends.
There's a law in the state against carrying firearms! A fine
reputation this will give the Boy Scouts!"

The agent with the pistol said mildly, "You talk too much. Get in the
pram." To Rick he said, "We're taking them to Spindrift. We'll send
the speedboat back for you."

The four young people stood at the rail and watched as the crowded
pram with its outboard motor chugged off to the island.

Barby pulled off her bathing cap, and Rick saw that she wore the
Megabuck unit underneath. He pointed to it. "I tried to call you. Why
didn't you answer?"

Barby replied with an embarrassed blush that started at the shoulders
and swept up until her face was bright red. "I forgot to turn it on,"
she admitted. "Jan reminded me while they were tying her up. They
hadn't got to me, yet. One of the women was holding the pistol and
pointing it at me. Jan sort of looked up and said, 'We need an outside
power to help us now. But we must be sure the power is turned on.'
Then I remembered. I pretended my head hurt, and pushed the switch."

Rick looked at Jan. "That was clever. I'd been trying to reach Barby,
with no success. Then, suddenly, I heard her talking."

"We knew you were close, because we could hear the plane." Jan
shuddered. "The men heard it