ll want to hear about your experiences. Hobart, want to pick up
where we left off?"

They found seats on the beds and in the wicker chairs while the big
scientist told of their adventures in Korse Lenken, with assists from
the boys. When he had finished, Keaton-Yeats sighed. "I wish now I'd
gone with you," he said. "Nothing dull where you Americans go. While you
were barging around caves, I was making change at the bank. Very dull."

"I guess that ties up all the loose ends," Bradley said. "And it makes
quite a package."

"Even without a nuclear reactor or any potential atom bombs," Rick
added. "Anyway, we couldn't know until we investigated that there wasn't
some kind of atomic menace in the offing."

"Right," Zircon agreed. "I must say, however, that I have a fine story
for one of the scientific journals. My analysis of the water samples
shows a layer almost a foot deep of nearly pure deuterium. It's an
amazing phenomenon which will require more of a theory than just the
heavy water settling. Settling wouldn't produce a fraction of the
amount. I'm taking the samples home for further analysis, along with
some samples of limestone from the caves. Who knows? This may produce a
scientific finding of some significance."

"It may," Bradley agreed. "I hope it does, because then the trip will
have made some contribution to the sum total of our knowledge besides
contributing information to the JANIG files."

"And the files of our office," Keaton-Yeats added.

Rick looked at Chahda. "What now for you? Going to stay in the Far East
for a while?"

The Hindu boy smiled. "Not so very long. I think now I go back to
Bombay, see my family for a while, then I will come to Spindrift."

"Swell!" Scotty exclaimed. "We've missed you, half pint."

Zircon and Rick echoed the sentiment.

"No point in our staying on," the scientist said. "If we can get space,
we'll take off on tomorrow's flight." He smiled. "It will be good to get
back to our peaceful lab, eh, lads?"

"Yes," Scotty agreed.

"Definitely," Rick said.

And even as they spoke, halfway across the world hammer strokes
completed a structure that would mean anything but peace, a story to be
told in the next volume:

STAIRWAY TO DANGER

_The_ RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE _Stories_

BY JOHN BLAINE

THE ROCKET'S SHADOW
THE LOST CITY
SEA GOLD
100 FATHOMS UNDER
THE WHISPERING BOX MYSTERY
THE PHANTOM SHARK
SMUGGLERS' REEF