phic. And I can take along infrared film as well as regular color
film. If anyone asks, I can say I want movies of the animals you and
Zircon shoot. Then all three of us won't have to take guns."

"Better finish putting the lenses into those sunglasses frames then,"
Scotty said.

"I'll do it right now. It won't take long." A thought struck Rick. "What
will Zircon do for a rifle?"

"He'll have to borrow one, and an ordinary one won't do, either. If
we're supposed to be hunting big game, he'll need one bigger than
my .303." Scotty frowned thoughtfully. "How about Captain Douglas? He
used to be quite a hunter. You've seen the African trophies in his
office at the barracks."

Captain Douglas was commanding officer of the Whiteside State Police
Barracks, and a good friend of the boys. He and his officers had
co-operated with them in rounding up the Smugglers' Reef gang.

"Give him a phone call while I finish putting these lenses in," Rick
suggested.

"Good idea." Scotty went to phone.

More and more Rick was realizing the magnitude of the job they had
undertaken. He hoped fervently that Chahda would know something useful
in case they failed to locate Bradley.

In a moment Scotty stuck his head in the door. "I've got the captain on
the phone," he said. "He's got a .45-90 we can borrow, and, bless his
heart, he didn't ask where we were going. When can we pick it up?"

Rick thought it over. "I'll have to fly to the airport and pick up
Zircon in a little while. Tell Captain Douglas I'll buzz the barracks on
the way over. Ask if he can possibly deliver it to me at the airport. I
hate to bother him, but I won't have a car to go get it." Rick's little
cub airplane was the island's fast messenger-passenger service.

"Okay." Scotty disappeared down the hall again for a few moments and
then returned. He took a seat in the leather armchair. "He finally did
get curious. Wanted to know if we needed that caliber rifle to shoot
Jersey mosquitoes. I told him we were going on a trip and that I
couldn't say anything more about it. So he said he'd lend us the gun
only on condition that we tell him the story when we got back. I said we
would, if we could."

"He's the best," Rick said. "But he knows we've done some hush-hush work
for the government, and don't forget he's an ex-Marine. He wouldn't
embarrass us by asking too many questions."

Scotty nodded. "Wait until you see this rifle. A .45-90 is a regular
cannon. It'll knock do