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SMUGGLERS' REEF

CHAPTER I

Night Assignment

"Adventure," Rick Brant said, "is kind of hard to define, because what
may be adventure to one person may be commonplace to another." He took
a bite of cake and stretched his long legs comfortably. "Now, you take
flying with Scotty. That's the most adventurous thing I do."

Mr. and Mrs. Brant and Jerry Webster looked at Don Scott, the object
of Rick's jibe, and waited for his reply. Verbal warfare between the
two boys was a usual feature of the evening discussions on the big
front porch of the Brant home on Spindrift Island.

Scotty, a husky, dark-haired boy, grinned lazily. "You've proved your
own point," he returned. "Flying with me is adventure to you but safe
travel to anyone else. I'd say the most adventurous thing you do is
drive a car."

Mrs. Brant, an attractive, motherly woman, poured another cup of
coffee for Jerry Webster. The young reporter had started the
discussion by stating wistfully that he wished he could share in some
of the Brant adventures. "Why do you call Rick's driving
adventurous?" she asked.

"The dictionary says so," Scotty replied. "One definition of adventure
is 'a remarkable experience.'"

Hartson Brant, Rick's scientist father, grinned companionably at his
son. "I agree with Scotty. Not only is Rick's driving a remarkable
experience, but it fits the rest of the definition: 'The encountering
of risks; hazardous enterprise.'"

Jerry Webster rose to Rick's defense. "Oh, I don't know. Rick always
gets there."

"Sure he does," Scotty agreed. "Of course his passengers always have
nervous breakdowns, but he gets there."

Rick just grinned. He felt wonderful tonight. When you came right down
to it, there was nothing that matched being at home with the family in
the big house on Spindrift Island. The famous island off the New
Jersey coast was home for the scientific foundation that his father
headed, and for the scientist members. It was home for Scotty, too,
and had been since the day he had rescued Rick from danger, as told in
_The Rocket's Shadow_. As junior members of the foundation, Rick and
Scotty had been included in a number of experiments and expeditions.
Rick wouldn't have missed a one of them, and if opportunity offered he
would go again with just as much eagerness. But it was nice to return
to familiar surroundings between trips. More than once, during lonely
nights in far places, his t