e
Japs. And then--well, I blessed well hope I'll never have to live
through anything like it again!"

The English-born air ace paused, and there were actually beads of sweat
on his face. Dave gasped at him as he brushed them off with his hand.

"Then what, Freddy?" the Yank asked. "Oh! You mean because you thought
I'd kicked the bucket? That my number had gone up?"

"Partly," the other replied. "But mostly because the Japs decided that
you wouldn't be of any use to them in that condition. That Jap officer
blighter was about to have you just tossed into the water for shark
food."

Dawson gulped hard, and every drop of blood seemed to drain right down
through his feet, and on out of his body.

"Sweet tripe, no kidding?" he gagged. "Jeepers! And there I was not able
to do a thing about it. Boy, oh boy! Praise be to Allah, they didn't!"

"I never want to live those minutes over again!" Freddy Farmer breathed
fervently. "I tried to call out and tell them something that would stop
them, but that confounded cord around my neck was digging in so deep
that I could hardly breathe. And then you, yourself, got them to change
their minds."

"Me?" Dave echoed wildly. "What in thunder did _I_ do?"

"You seemed to come out of it for a second or so," the other told him.
"You opened your eyes, glared your worst at the Jap rat officer, and
actually tried to push yourself up off the deck. Of course you barely
moved, bound up as you were. But you certainly looked and acted quite
the tough guy, old thing."

"Yeah?" Dawson echoed, and grinned faintly. "Well, that's me all over,
pal. Tough as they come--when I'm out cold! So I sort of saved my own
life, eh?"

"Just about," Freddy Farmer nodded. "The Jap rat decided that he wasn't
through with you, so he had the seaman pick you up again. I guess you
had passed out again by then. And you stayed that way--lucky beggar. I
also hope and pray I'll never have an airplane ride like that one!
Heaven preserve me, please! I'm still not quite sure that I've got
hands, and feet, and a neck. The blighters rammed us down in the rear
pit of that seaplane so tight I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to
breathe. You certainly missed something, Dave! You certainly did, old
chap!"

"Yeah, and am I glad!" Dawson grunted, and glanced about him.

It was then he saw that Freddy and he were in an absolutely bare cabin
aboard some kind of a ship. It was not until then that he realized that
the rhythm