tched, a tall, thin figure passed in front of the fire and
was silhouetted briefly against the flames.

He grabbed for Chahda. That was no Moro, not with those long legs and
arms! And no Moro on this island would wear thick glasses, from which
the firelight had glinted momentarily.

That was Howard Shannon!

CHAPTER XV

Plan of Attack

The boys crossed the street, crept past several houses, and gained the
safety of the cornfield. Slowly, so that rustling leaves and stalks
would not give them away, they crossed the cornfield. To Rick, at least,
it was a terribly long and slow journey. He wanted to give a yell of joy
and triumph. He wanted to call Zircon immediately and pass on the good
news. But he knew silence was important, and he kept his exultation
locked inside.

As they reached the lava flow Chahda gave the now-faithful pirate dog
the last of his hamburgers, and the boys climbed across the lava to the
beach. Only then did Rick dare to stop long enough to call the _Swift
Arrow_.

"We found Shannon," he said triumphantly. "Now we have to get out of
here. We'll give you the details later."

The boys pushed off in the vinta and paddled toward the east in order to
get farther away from the guards before putting up the sail. Then,
because the slight breeze had shifted, it was necessary to tack the
cranky craft until dawn was pale in the east before they reached the
_Swift Arrow_.

As the MTB moved quietly south, out of danger, Rick reported. "We saw
Shannon, as I told you on the radio. I'm sure it was he. They're on the
cliff at the back of the village. I'd guess the shelf where we saw the
fire is over a hundred feet up."

"No sign of Briotti?" Zircon asked.

"None at all. Of course we couldn't see onto the shelf. There wasn't
enough light and it was too high."

Scotty rubbed his chin. "How did they get up there?"

"Must be ladder," Chahda answered.

"A pretty good prison," Zircon commented. "No danger of escape, once the
ladder or steps were removed, and the whole village serves as guard. The
big question is, how do we get them out of there?"

Rick had thought about it during the tedious trip back. He had turned
over every possibility in his mind and eliminated all but one. What's
more, he wasn't sure that would work.

"I have an idea," he explained, "but it depends on a daytime look at the
island."

Zircon nodded. "All right. We'll take a look. Now, tell us about the
village. Any trouble