to wheels. It had made it possible for him
and Scotty to leave the morning after Barby's urgent letter arrived.

The four-seater plane was actually Rick's second. The first, his beloved
Cub, had been bought and paid for by his own efforts, serving as taxi
for the scientists and as the island's shopping service. When the Cub
was wrecked, as described in _Stairway to Danger_, the reward for
capture of a criminal and his loot had made it possible to buy a larger
and more powerful plane.

Rick consulted his watch. "We must be pretty nearly there."

"We are," Scotty confirmed. He consulted the map again. "There's the
cluster of buildings on top of the mountain Barby circled. It's either a
weather station or a radar installation. Start losing altitude after we
go over it. The town of Lansdale should be in sight by then."

Scotty's navigation proved excellent as usual. Shortly after passing the
mountaintop Rick saw the town, obviously a very small one, and
immediately swung slightly north again. The glint of water caught his
eye and he said excitedly, "There's Costin's Creek. It has to be. No
other water in sight."

He lost altitude rapidly, finally leveling off a thousand feet above the
creek. Scotty, peering ahead, saw the ground signal first. "There's the
panel of white towels, ahead and to the right, on my side. Swing and
you'll see it."

Rick did so. He spotted the panel at once, with four figures standing
next to it. In a moment they were in plain sight, waving as the plane
passed overhead. Rick did a wing over that took the plane back over the
area. This time he watched the terrain carefully, while Scotty did the
same.

"Looks good," Rick said. "See any rough spots?"

"Nope. It's a hayfield, fresh cut, from the looks of it. Should be okay.
The leaves on the trees across the creek aren't moving, so wind
shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay. Here we go." Rick turned into his landing pattern, losing
altitude rapidly. The field was a big one, so he had plenty of room. In
a moment the Sky Wagon touched down, bumping only a little as it rolled
across the field. He taxied to where the girls and the Millers were
waiting, and killed the engine.

Barby and Jan were up on the wing before the boys had a chance even to
unbuckle seat belts. Both girls were obviously excited, and both started
to talk the moment Rick opened the cabin door.

He looked from one to the other trying to make sense out of the stream
of words. Barby