"How are you going to get there?"

"Why, I'll have to trust to my swimming skill, I guess," replied
Dave.

"Um-m," observed Hiram thoughtfully, and, if the young aviator had
been more watchful, he would have noticed that for the rest of the
evening his willing assistant seemed to have something on his mind.





CHAPTER XIX

THE SEARCHLIGHT


"Hallo! Hallo!"

Dave made the echoes ring with the loud call as he moved up and down
and across the queer basin, or cairn, where they had landed in the
Monarch II the night previous.

He had awakened just at daylight to find Hiram Dobbs mysteriously
missing. Dave was not worried at the first, but as he looked around
and then explored the immediate neighborhood, he began to get
mystified, if not alarmed.

Neither did his vigorous shouting bring any response. Dave came