Soon everyone was brought up to date on the most important things that had been happening. McFee and Stan, who had joined them, knew who Scoot was and how he came to be there. Outside, word went scurrying around among the men that they’d picked up a Navy flier, that it had turned out to be the exec’s oldest and best friend. Everybody felt happy.
“With a stroke of luck like that,” Pete Kalinsky said, “maybe we can find that Jap convoy now.”
March told Scoot about their search for the convoy, their encounter with the Jap patrol plane that very afternoon, and how the American plane had chased him away. Scoot was serious right away.
“Two-motored Aichi flying boat?” he asked.
“Yes, why?” March asked.
“I took care of him for you,” Scoot said with a smile. “He will try to depth-charge my friend, will he? Well, he won’t do that any more.”
Scoot told them about his leaky oil line, his encounter with the Jap plane, shooting it down, and then making the tiny island in a glide.
“And then I came along and picked you up,” March laughed, “with only a few hours’ wait.”
“Remember—a long time ago,” Scoot said, “you told me you’d probably have to come along in your sub and save me from a bunch of Japs?”
“Sure I remember!” March cried. “Didn’t know I was such a good prophet.”