cealed his workbench. On the
bench was a camera with an odd-looking searchlight and telescope
attached. The searchlight gave off invisible infrared rays instead of
ordinary light, and the telescope was equipped with special lenses in
order to pick up the infrared. When the camera was loaded with special
film, it could take pictures in total darkness, provided the subject was
within range of the infrared light rays.

The camera had played a major part in solving the mystery of _Smugglers'
Reef_. With the evidence collected from Rick's pictures, the police had
broken up a ring of gunrunners. But Rick still was not satisfied with
the camera. He was always striving to find the simplest way of doing a
thing.

This time, he was planning to eliminate both the spring-driven dynamo
that powered the searchlight, and the infrared telescope. A new-type
battery in a small metal case already had been mounted under the camera,
far enough to one side so it wouldn't interfere with the tripod mount.
The battery would give ten hours of service, and it could be replaced in
a moment with a spare carried in the pocket.

To take the place of the telescope, Rick had ordered lenses made of the
special glass that could "see" infrared. He intended to put the lenses
in ordinary sunglasses frames, restore the regular view finder to the
camera, and turn the telescope over to Scotty. By using the eyeglasses
with special lenses he could see whatever the infrared searchlight was
lighting up without the need of looking through the special telescope.
Using the glasses and searchlight on the camera together, he could see
perfectly in the darkness, and he could take movies, too, if he wanted
to.

He went to work removing the telescope.

"I've checked," Scotty said. "That 'scope will fit the mount on my rifle
with no changes."

Scotty already had a telescopic sight on his rifle, and the telescope
from the infrared unit could be put in its place with a simple turn of a
screw. The infrared 'scope and light originally had been designed for a
rifle to be used by soldiers at night. Rick had simply adapted the unit
to his own needs.

"We can get in some night skunk hunting," Scotty said. "You put the
infrared on 'em and take their pictures and I'll sight in through the
special 'scope and shoot 'em."

Rick slipped the telescope out of its mount and handed it to Scotty. "If
there's one thing I don't need," he said, "it's a dead skunk. Couldn't
we hunt pr