The Magic Island is once more a dread name to Mrs. Gregory and her little band of friends. When they made their escape from the island through messages carried to another boat by homing pigeons, things looked favorable for a few short hours, but now the future is as black as it could be painted. Recaptured by a Euclidean submarine and being towed back to the island by their submerged captor, Tex Bradford and Jerry Hall are on the deck, wondering what their fate will be. Mrs. Gregory and her daughter Joan are aboard the submarine. As Jerry and Tex notice a sudden list to starboard, the old skipper comes running with the news that they're shipping water through a bad hole in the hull, chopped by the Euclidean who was their prisoner. You're sure of that, skipper? Aye. But how could that guy get loose? He was tied down with everything in the hole. Wasn't enough, though, Jerry. He's gone. Kicked this side out of our boat doing it. We've got to do something about slapping a patch on that hole, or the submarine won't have to bother to tow us much farther. Well, let's go and see what we can do about them, Tex. Hold it a minute, Jerry. Think you and McCloud can get a patch over that hole, skipper? Aye. Without motors, we haven't got any pumps. No. Well, shove off, skipper, and get Mac working on that thing. If you can't stop it, we'll signal the sub to take us aboard. Aye. And sound out for us if you can't handle it. Aye. Gosh, the skipper looks like he'd just as soon drown as get on board that submarine. Can't blame him much for that, son. Things look pretty bad, don't they, Tex? They have looked brighter, but we won't give up. I hope Mrs. Gregory and Joan are all right in that crazy Euclidean submarine. Jerry, my optimism has led me into trouble more than once. But I can't believe that we won't find our way out of this somehow. I'm not scared about it. Well, yes I am. Plenty scared. But we've been on the island before, and we got away from it. Why can't we do it again? Well, they won't be disposed to treat us quite so kindly this time. I don't know about that. Now look, Captain Bradford, I think there must be some mighty good reason for wanting us to stay alive. Maybe it's your formula for the universal solvent. Maybe it's for what they think we know about our world that they don't know. But whatever it is, if they were going to do anything to us, well, why don't they just sink this boat and let it go at that? Well, that's one way to look at it, Jerry. And it's pleasant to look at it that way. They may decide to bring a little more pressure to bear on us this time. You mean torture you into giving them the formula? I wouldn't put it past them. But gee, Tex, you'd give up the formula before you'd let them, well, wouldn't you? Yes, Jerry, I'm afraid I would. There's very little satisfaction in being put out of the way entirely. If worse comes to worse, I'll give them the real formula. And take a chance on beating them to the use of it. Well, we'd have to try and make another escape then. We'll have to do that anyway if they give us a chance, but it won't be so easy now. Yeah, and they probably won't let us live on this boat. Not much chance of that unless they don't trust us on the island. After what you and Joan did to them, they're not sure how dangerous we may be. Not really dangerous to them. Well, they could get rid of us in a minute if they wanted to. Sure, but now they don't want to. They wouldn't be taking us back to the island so carefully. Hey, the boat's riding better now. Seems to be on more even keel. Mack and the skipper must have been able to stick something in that hole. Riding low in the water, though, we ship plenty of moisture. Well, it can sink if it wants to, just so we land on something. I managed to smuggle most of my instruments on this boat with us. They'll take those away the minute we get back to the island. Well, I guess there's no use guessing. But, golly whiskers, I'm nervous about what they're going to do to us. We won't be in doubt long. At this speed, we'll reach the island in an hour, possibly less. Hey, Tex. Tex, did you hear that? I did hear something. Sounded like our radio. Jerry, maybe we've got juice enough left in those batteries to pick up a carrier wave. No, it wasn't that. It was a ray gun. A ray gun? Yeah, one of those Euclidean ray guns. Like the two Joan and I took away from that guard we took prisoner. But where could it come from? I don't know. Oh, you must be imagining things, kid. That was a radio squeal. No, it wasn't, Tex. I've heard all sorts of noises come out of radio sets, but none of them made my hair stand on end like this one did. There's something about the high whine of those ray guns. It sounds... there. There it goes again. Yeah, I heard it plenty enough that time. Those things certainly have an unearthly wail. Where did it come from? Sounded right under our feet. How could it come from there? Will they work underwater? Not very well. And not that loud. I wonder. What? That Euclidean guard we had tied up in the hold. But he's gone. Escaped when he cut that hole in the boat just about daylight. He's gone? Where did he go? On board the sub, I suppose. He couldn't have boarded that sub, Jerry. We saw the hatch in the nose open. No one went in there but that woman's submarine commander and Mrs. Gregory and Joan. No, not in the hatch. Well, where else? Well, those subs have an airlock. He could have been taken aboard while he was swimming underwater. And we couldn't possibly have seen him. Then he's been in the water all the time. Now, remember that we had no power. He could have ridden that rudder post for hours of comparative ease. But who would he be shooting those ray guns at? Maybe the skipper and Mac stuck their heads up over the stern. No, no. They're still below. Below. That's it, kid. Scatter for that stern hatch, quick. And walk on your toes now. Don't make a sound. What's up? That Euclidean never left this boat. He what? I'm sure of it. He knocked that hole in the side to make it look like an escape. Then he hid in the hole until the skipper and Mac fixed the leak. Now that he's in no danger of drowning, he used that ray gun to put the boys to sleep. We'll meet him at the hatch and fix him up with a little nap. We mustn't use a ray gun on him. Why not? Well, the girl's sub commander is supposed to have our ray guns. And if we use one now, this guy will know we still have them. Good boy, Jerry. You think fast sometimes. All right, now look. We'll sneak up on each side of that companion way. He can't see us till he hits the deck with one foot. We'll let him have it. But his ray gun... Can't put more than one of us to sleep with one shot. And the other one can have him tapped on the air by that time. Okay, Texas. Now, not a sound till we land him. Oh, gee. Phew. But that guy was hard to handle. Oh, Tex. Hey, Tex. You look sleepy, Jerry. Oh, come on. Walk around with me. I'll help you. That ray gun. He just about hit the end of your fingers, but if you try hard, maybe you can walk it off and stay awake. Not yet, but I'll try. Oh, come on, then. Try. Sure. Sure, I'll try. Now, lean on me as heavy as you want to. How did you fix our friend? Well, I didn't have anything to hit him with, but I got a chance to jerk his head against the comb. He'll be quiet for a while. Good boy, Jerry. Is the boat rolling a lot or are my legs just unsteady? Well, the water's beginning to boil around this rail. I'll bet that blamed sub is coming up again. You know, it feels like we've lost sea weight. I shouldn't have noticed that a long time ago. We're not making any way at all. They've dropped our bow anchor. And there goes the nose of the blamed thing. You know, someday that girl's going to tip a boat over, coming up under like a whale. Oh, not that girl. She's too smart. And what she can't do with that submarine isn't worth doing. You know, Jerry, that's the weirdest sight. End of a sub, sticking straight up out of the water and just as steady as a lighthouse. Hey, here comes the commander. I can see her hand coming up on the bow platform. Yeah, and you still insist that girl is a friend of ours? I know she is. Now sit up straight as you can. All right, but I can't see very well, kid. Keep your face pointed toward the noise of her voice. I'll do the talking. What is the meaning of this? Uh-huh. Meaning of what? That boat is becoming harder to move. I should think, Hal, that you would realize the hopelessness of your situation by this time and attempt no foolish moves. Well, we can't help it if your Euclidean prisoner escaped and cut a hole in our boat, can we? Where is the Euclidean guard now? Oh, he's back there at the stern somewhere. And what is he doing? Taking a little nap last time I saw him. Have you nothing to say, Captain Bradford? Well, no, the captain, he's, uh... I understand perfectly. The captain is asleep. He's mighty tired. You haven't forgotten my teaching so quickly, have you, Hal? A ray gun will register on my instruments? Yeah, that's right. Well, you know, what's the matter with Tex, then? That Euclidean we thought was safely tied up in the hole was hiding somewhere in the boat, and he used his ray gun on the engineer and our skipper. And when we tried to catch him, Tex got a little of it, too. What was the size of the gun? Well, one of those little 300 seconds, like we've... You know, like we had once. That is well. And the guard is where now? Well, he got rough with us back there near the engine room hatch, and I had to bump his head on a combing to keep him quiet. You will do well to guard him closely until I deliver you safely to G-47. That man will not hesitate to harm you. No, I suppose you think old G-47 is going to give us a picnic. G-47 will give you what he thinks your case warrants. Is the leak in your boat sufficiently repaired to indicate possibility of successfully towing you to Euclidea? Well, it's stopped leaking, if that's a big enough answer for you. Your attempts to converse with me as an equal are rather futile. Are they not? Maybe so, but I get them said. You have said far too much. I will resume my position under your bow, and the bow anchor will be picked up by the stern magnetic fin. We will reach the island in 1800 seconds. Oh, half an hour, huh? Okay, Skipper, we'll hang on. How are Mrs. Gregory and Joan? They are in my care. That might mean anything. Indeed, it might. Oh, golly, whisker, now this is a fine pickle. A clown and the old Skipper asleep in the hall and Tex sleeping on the rail. Well, if that guard starts up this way, I hope I can handle him. I'll help you, kid. Oh, gee, Tex, are you all right? Well, I have felt better, but I'm waking up a little and I can tell what goes on around me. Well, the sub is going under again, and she'll be picking up our bow anchor any minute. How much time did she say we had before we get to the island? Half hour, why? Well, we might have a chance to plan a little something, but the hope isn't very strong. And that Euclidean back there at the stern won't stay asleep much longer. If there's going to be a 300-second ray gun, he ought to be coming out of it now. That sub just picked up our anchor? Yeah, we're starting to move now. And the commander said only 1800 seconds to Euclidean. Oh, forget the 1800-second stuff, Jerry. Let's talk like white people for the few minutes we have left. What stuff gets me, though? I'm getting so I talk just like those Euclideans. Yeah, not exactly, but... Hey, here comes that Euclidean guard sneaking around the corner of the aft cabin. I can't see very well. Does he got his ray gun? Sure he has. What will he use yours if he crowds us? But that way, he'll find out we have them. He'll find it out anyway if he puts us to sleep and searches us. Jax, wait a minute. I think we're going to be all right. What's going on? The old skipper. He's in his bare feet, sneaking up behind that Euclidean. Has he got a gun? No, but he's got a monkey wrench, and he's going to use it! Oh, boy, what a saw! Did the skipper get him, Jerry? I'll say he got him, and he'll be asleep longer than any of those ray guns we'd be good for. That old skipper can sure use a monkey wrench.
