elling me
a fair load of goods, Freddy. But there's one thing you haven't
explained. How in thunder did they _hear_ us chewing over what we were
going to do? Answer me that?"

"I can't prove it, unless you want to take us back to that Jap carrier!"
the English youth replied in an exasperated tone. "But I'd bet anything
on it. And I'm amazed that you haven't thought of it yet!"

"Okay, wonderful one!" Dawson growled. "Folks call me Dummy Dawson. So
be big-hearted, and tell me the answer."

"A _dictograph_, of course!" Freddy snapped at him. "A dictograph put in
that empty cabin while we were having our little chat-chat with Sasebo.
Or maybe the confounded thing was hidden there all along. But it must
have been a dictograph, and--and the beggars made all the arrangements
_we_ wanted!"

Dawson didn't say anything. He just sat stiff and straight as though he
had been shot. Then he gasped, and clapped his free hand to his
forehead.

"So help me, the guy must be right!" he mumbled. "The guy _must be
right!_ A dictograph as sure as the earth grows little apples. And me
thinking that _we'd_ pulled off something very bright. Holy smoke! We
really are in a jam now, Freddy!"

"Quite!" the English youth replied, and glanced back over his shoulder.
"If we lead those Zero pilots to within sight of Admiral Jackson's
force, it might result in a terrible thing. Just the exact opposite of
what we really want to do. And that's why those devils are hanging back
up there, Dave, instead of coming down to do us in. They are going to
follow us until Jackson's force is sighted. Then the beggars _will_ come
down, no fear!"

"What now, what now?" Dawson mumbled helplessly, and stared back at the
Jap Zeros himself. "If we let them trail us to Jackson's position, who
knows what may come of it? And if we lead them in the wrong direction,
we'll run out of gas eventually, and be forced to sit down in the water.
Then Jackson will not know that Sasebo's force is moving down on
Guadalcanal by a roundabout course. And Jackson will not know that
Sasebo _knows_ about the attempt to take Guadalcanal and Tulagi.
Jeepers! A choice of two things, and both bad!"

[Footnote B: _Dave Dawson With The Flying Tigers._]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

_Dead Wings_

For another fifteen minutes Dawson stuck to the course he was flying and
battled desperately with the problem of _which_ of the two bad choices
he should make. One moment he was in favor of leadin