THE PIRATES OF SHAN

A RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE STORY

BY JOHN BLAINE

GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK, N. Y.
1958

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Printed in the United States of America

Rick wielded the kris with deadly effect

Contents

CHAPTER I. The Missing Scientists
CHAPTER II. The Hindu Merchant
CHAPTER III. Bagobo Country
CHAPTER IV. The Headman's Secret
CHAPTER V. Trail of the "Sampaguita"
CHAPTER VI. The Man in the Red Fez
CHAPTER VII. News at Zamboanga
CHAPTER VIII. The "Swift Arrow"
CHAPTER IX. The Moro Knives
CHAPTER X. South of Sulu
CHAPTER XI. The Dancing Pirates
CHAPTER XII. Search the Wide Seas
CHAPTER XIII. The Two Datus
CHAPTER XIV. The High Fire
CHAPTER XV. Plan of Attack
CHAPTER XVI. The Black Cliff
CHAPTER XVII. The Radio Link
CHAPTER XVIII. Under Cover of Darkness
CHAPTER XIX. Chahda Sweeps the Sea
CHAPTER XX. The Patrol Takes Over

The Rick Brant Science-Adventure Stories

List of Illustrations

Rick wielded the kris with deadly effect

The warrior shook Rick's hand and smiled

The man's back was tattooed with a strange design

"All hands on deck! Pirates!"

A sudden jerk would attract the guard's attention

Rick braced himself for the shock

THE PIRATES OF SHAN

CHAPTER I

The Missing Scientists

"We'd better do something," Rick Brant stated grimly, "and we'd better do it fast." He picked up a stone and threw it far out into the green waters of the Atlantic, a gesture that did little to relieve his worry and anxiety.

Don Scott, nicknamed Scotty, said soothingly, "I know how you feel. I feel the same way. But don't forget that Dad is just as worried as we are—maybe even more so, because he feels responsible. Besides, I don't think we have long to wait, not with Colonel Rojas here."

Rick knew that his dark-haired pal was right, but inaction, even under ordinary circumstances, made him restless, and now that two staff scientists had mysteriously disappeared, his normal desire to keep things moving swiftly was augmented by fear for their safety.

The Spindrift Scientific Foundation, with headquarters on famed Spindrift Island off the New Jersey coast, was regarded by most people as a typical group of scientists, impersonal and efficient, who sometimes made important discoveries or got involved in scientific adventures. But the picture of the Foundation, given mostly through impersonal scientific publications, was wrong.

The scientific efficiency and purpose of Spindrift could not be denied. But what the public failed to appreciate was that the staff, headed by Rick Brant's