stworthy."

"I have a hunch," Rick said. "My hunch says that Mr. Lazada is crooked
as a helical coil. I wouldn't trust him anywhere, any time."

Scotty agreed. "I would have said he's no straighter than the cutting
edge of a saw. And he's just about that sharp, too. Trouble with you is,
Tony, you're too civilized. You always see the best in everything,
including people."

"Don't you?" Tony asked mildly.

The boys chuckled. Of course they did, and Tony knew it. But on an
expedition like this, their suspicions came to the fore and they
automatically distrusted everyone. Lack of distrust had caused them much
trouble on other expeditions, and had come close to costing them their
lives.

The headwaiter approached. "There is a man to see Dr. Briotti. Shall I
have him wait?"

"That must be Okola's man," Tony said. "No, please bring him here."

The three watched with interest as the headwaiter went to the door and
returned leading a short, dark man.

Rick examined him with interest. At first glance the Filipino seemed
quite short, as so many of his race are. Then Rick's discerning eyes saw
the breadth of his shoulders. And he saw that the man wasn't really very
short; he only seemed to be because of his extraordinary shoulder width.

The man was dressed simply but neatly in typical Filipino style with
white trousers and a white shirt. The shirt had no tail, but was cut
square at the bottom like a sport shirt. The collar was sport-shirt
style, too, worn open, and disclosed a muscular throat.

The man bowed slightly. "Dr. Briotti?"

"I am Briotti." He indicated the boys. "Mr. Brant and Mr. Scott. And
you?"

"I am Angel Manotok, at your service. Dr. Okola said that you needed a
driver, guide, and general handyman. He said that he had recommended
me."

"Yes. Please sit down. Will you have breakfast?"

"Some coffee, perhaps. I have already had breakfast."

Angel Manotok had a strong, square face. Rick thought that he looked
very much like an American Indian. His hair was thick and very black,
and freshly cut into a sort of crew cut.

"You will want to see my papers," Angel said.

He produced a wallet and extracted several documents. The Spindrifters
examined them. There was a Philippine driver's license, a United States
Army driver's license indicating that the bearer was qualified to drive
military vehicles, an honorable discharge from the Philippine Scouts,
which had been a part of the United States Army, and