The Pirates of Shan: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story

The exchange of rifleshots lasted only a few moments without causing casualties to either side. Scotty had fired more in warning than to score a hit. The Spindrifters had taken...

The Celebes Sea was dark, with a low swell but no chop. There was just enough wind to fill the vinta's sail, which suited Rick. At this stage in the proceedings he was more conc...

"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 th...

On the following morning Major Paulo Lacson joined the Spindrifters for breakfast at the hotel. The young officer answered questions about the region for an hour, but Rick refra...

"Everything normal, Hobart. The lookout is settling down now. He's one of the regulars. He relaxes completely as a sleeping cat, but he's wide awake. Don't let his appearance de...

The _Swift Arrow_ rode at anchor in the gathering dusk, inside a snug bay formed by a U-shaped island of the Kinapusan Group. The island was very small, and uninhabited. It was...

There was an atmosphere of rising excitement on the _Swift Arrow_. Rick felt it, and knew the others did, too. Little by little they were narrowing the search. With only a few i...

The famous tropical port of Zamboanga lived up to its reputation as an exotic place. As the taxi carried the Spindrifters from the airport past the waterfront area, Rick saw bri...

Heavy seas broke against the rocky base of the island. Rick surveyed the cove they had chosen with some misgiving. The vinta wouldn't be safe if tied to shore. The breaking surf...

Dawn was showing its first pale light in the east when Rick and Scotty tied the vinta at the stern of the _Swift Arrow_ and climbed aboard. Hobart Zircon and Chahda greeted them...

The _Swift Arrow_ moved slowly through the darkness toward the Tawi Tawi Group. Chahda was at the helm, while Rick, Scotty, and Zircon held a council of war in the cabin. The Hi...

Rick walked to the bow as the _Swift Arrow_ approached the harbor of Jolo in the early-morning hours. He used Shannon's long glass to inspect some curious-looking houses to the...

Thirty-six hours later, after a grueling transcontinental--trans-Pacific flight with only the briefest of stops to change planes, Rick, Scotty, and Zircon were in Manila. Their...

By ten o'clock on the following morning Rick and his friends were jouncing along a twisting, bumpy road into the foothills of Mindanao. They had risen with the dawn and taken Ph...

Colonel Felix Rojas of the Philippines Constabulary paced the deck of the _Swift Arrow_ while he listened to the story related by the Spindrifters. Next to the MTB was a gunboat...

José Santos' boatyard was not large, but to Rick it seemed as though the Filipino boatman had a sample of every kind of craft from a rowboat to a Chinese junk.

A crowd of Filipinos, including several Moros, was attracted by the brief fight. A few departed in a hurry after one look at the captive's bared back. The rest remained at a dis...

The _Swift Arrow_ rounded the western end of Jolo and headed south toward the Tapul islands. On the south side of the group was the island of Siasi where Zircon planned to top o...

The boys crossed the street, crept past several houses, and gained the safety of the cornfield. Slowly, so that rustling leaves and stalks would not give them away, they crossed...

The PAL plane droned westward, over the incredible swamps of the Pulangi River, toward Cotabato. Rick watched the sweltering marshland unfold below and caught glimpses of the wi...