“This is it!” Stew was saying to Jack.
“Only part of it,” Jack replied. “We’ll pick up two other task forces. In all there will be hundreds of ships—more than you have seen in all your life!”
Even at that, Jack was thrilled to his fingertips at sight of this great battle armada. “We’ll be back on the deck of the Black Bee in just no time,” he said to Stew.
“With luck we shall,” Stew agreed. “But you’d better let the gang know that we’re coming in a freak plane that eats no gas and carries no propeller—or they’ll be shooting us up for wild game!”
“I’ll tell Ted to take the lead,” said Jack.
So, breaking radio silence, he said:
“Go on in ahead of us and tell them who we are, Ted.”
“Right. I hope they believe me!” Ted laughed into his mike.
“Make ’em a speech, boy! Make ’em a speech!” Jack urged. “And it better be good!”
Ted’s speech was a good one, at least good enough, for fifteen minutes later Jack and Stew set the jet plane down quite neatly on the Black Bee’s deck.