officers. The
pilots in the room were filing past the desk, and obviously giving their
names, and so forth, to the two officers. One of them was an infantry
colonel, and the other was an Air Forces major. It was sight of the
infantry colonel that caused both Dave and Freddy to stop dead, and
gape. In short, once again they were meeting their old friend Colonel
Welsh, Chief of Combined U.S. Intelligence.

"Oh-oh!" Dave murmured. "Do you see what I see, Freddy?"

"I most certainly do," the English youth replied. "Fact is, we might
have guessed, what?"

"Yeah, something like that," Dawson grunted absently. "The colonel in
the flesh, huh? Well, that means there isn't any clam bake coming up,
that's certain. But I guess we must have fallen down on that last job he
gave us, Freddy. And he's very disappointed."[A]

"Eh?" Freddy gasped. "What do you mean, we must have fallen down on the
job? Don't be silly!"

"Well, look at all these other pilots here," Dave replied. "Must be he
doesn't think we're so hot any more, and is going to give us plenty of
help on the next job--whatever it is."

"Man! How some people hate themselves!" Freddy Farmer snorted. "But I
wonder what's up; what he has up his sleeve?"

"Well, there's one way to find out, I guess," Dave grunted, and started
to move. "Get into line, here, and ask him when it comes our turn."

As Dave and Freddy were the last two to enter the room, and were
therefore at the end of the line, the room was pretty well cleared of
pilots when they reached the desk. Colonel Welsh was bent over a list of
names and didn't look up.

"Name, rank, and former unit?" he asked mechanically.

"Dawson, sir. Captain. Returned from special assignment in China."

Colonel Welsh stiffened, let his pencil drop, and looked up quickly. A
broad smile of welcome lighted up his thin, sun-bronzed face. He didn't
bother to reply to their salutes. He simply put out his hand.

"So you made it, Dawson, and you, too, Farmer?" he said. "Good! I've
been worrying you wouldn't get under the wire. How are you?"

"Fine, sir," Dave grinned as he shook hands. "And sort of curious, of
course."

"Oh, quite, sir," Freddy echoed, and extended his hand. "And I fancy
Dawson has expressed it for both of us."

"Well, stay curious for a while, boys," the colonel replied with a dry
chuckle. "But here, I want both of you to meet Major Taylor. He's seen a
bit of action in this mess, too. Take a look at his decorat