PEAKE BAY

II THE FLYING STINGAREE

III ORVIL HARRIS, CRABBER

IV STEVE'S PLACE

V THE FACE IS FAMILIAR

VI THE SAUCER SIGHTERS

VII SIGHTING DATA

VIII CALVERT'S FAVOR

IX THE DUCK BLIND

X KEN HOLT COMES THROUGH

XI ON THE BOTTOM

XII NIGHT RECOVERY

XIII THE NIGHT WATCHERS

XIV DAYBREAK

XV THE EMPTY BOAT

XVI STEVE WAITS IT OUT

XVII CROWD AT MARTINS CREEK

XVIII THE STINGAREE'S TAIL

XIX LUCKY LEFTY

XX HUNT THE WIDE WATERS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Little Choptank River

Scotty fitted the camera to the telescope

Now to find out what he had

The flying stingaree lifted him

CHAPTER I

Chesapeake Bay

The stingaree swam slowly through the warm waters of Chesapeake Bay.
Geography meant nothing to the ray, whose sole interest in life was
food, but his position--had he known it--was in the channel that runs
between Poplar Island and the town of Wittman on the Eastern Shore of
Maryland. The ray was also directly in the path of an odd-looking
cruising houseboat, the _Spindrift_, that had just rounded the north
point of Poplar Island and entered the channel.

The sting ray's color was an olive brown, so dark in tone that he looked
like wet black leather. He was roughly diamond-shaped, like a kite, with
rounded sides. He had a long, slim tail that carried vicious barbs along
the base of its upper side. It was from the barbs, which served as
defensive weapons, that the name sting ray, or stingaree, derived. The
ray was harmless to men--unless one chanced to step on him as he lay
resting on the bottom ooze. At such rare times, his tail would lash up,
inflicting a serious and painful wound.

A tiny crab, hatched only a week before, swam upward toward the gleaming
surface, his churning legs making a slight disturbance. The ray sensed
the small vibrations and instantly changed course, speeding through the
water like a fantastic spaceship of the future. Intent on the crab, the
ray ignored the stronger vibrations caused by a pair of outboard motors
and a long, flat-bottomed hull. Not until the crab was within reach did
the ray sense imminent danger. With a single flashing movement, he
snatched the crab and flung himself upward through the shining surface
and into the air.

Rick Brant, at the helm of the cruising houseboat, saw the ray break
water and he let out a yell. "S