eed. "Now it's time to move in on our foolish
friends at Calvert's Favor. Do you boys want to take a hand?"

"Try and leave us out," Rick said with a grin. "JANIG is welcome to
assist us, but the flying stingarees are our babies. Scotty's and mine,
that is."

"Be glad to have you help," Scotty echoed.

The JANIG men laughed. "You've got a point," Chuck Howard conceded.

"Want to plan the operation?" Steve asked with a twinkle.

Rick held up his hand. "Whoa! We didn't say that. You've got information
we don't have."

"Only one piece of information," Steve replied. "The time of the next
launching from Wallops Island."

"When?" Rick asked eagerly.

"At dusk tonight."

CHAPTER XVIII

The Stingaree's Tail

"This is the plan," Steve Ames said. "Joe and Chuck will approach from
upriver and go around the mansion fence by wading downstream. They'll
stay under cover somewhere at the edge of the mansion grounds until they
hear my signal on the radio to close in--or until they see the balloon
launched. I'll go in the way I did before."

The two JANIG agents nodded, and bent over the chart borrowed from the
houseboat.

"Cobb will set up his equipment here at my house," Steve continued, "and
try to intercept all signals from the mansion. McDevitt will set up here
too, and track the balloon through my telescope--if it rises--watching
until the rocket fires. McDevitt also will keep in touch with Wallops
Island by radio, and notify me on the walkie-talkie when the countdown
reaches thirty minutes."

Steve turned to Rick and Scotty. "Before I go to my post, I'll take you
two to the creek mouth in the runabout. Then you will swim up the creek,
underwater, and take up stations in the weeds directly in front of the
house."

Rick's pulse stopped. "They'll see our bubbles," he protested. "It would
give the whole show away!"

Steve motioned to Joe Vitalli. "Show 'em."

Joe walked to the car in which he and Chuck had driven from Washington,
and opened the trunk. He brought out a pair of riot guns, automatic
shotguns, which he handed to Chuck, then he reached into the trunk and
brought out a pair of small cylinders with full face masks attached.

"Rebreathers!" Rick exclaimed. He grinned at Steve. "You planned this
before you ever told us what was on your mind!"

"I thought it was best to be prepared," Steve said. "You know how these
work?"

Rick nodded. "We both do." The rebreathers, unlike Scubas, which were