House pointed to a side compartment. "In the toolroom. You'll find a pair of cable cutters hanging on the bulkhead."

"Release the crew first," Pitt said to Giordino. "We've got to get the ship under way before the hijackers come on board."

Giordino returned in thirty seconds and began feverishly cutting the chain. In the meantime, Pitt had rushed up to the outer deck and made sure the rescue had gone undiscovered. The decks of the pirate ship were still empty. As far as he could determine, they were all still in the mess room licking their chops like hungry hyenas, he thought, in happy anticipation of sending the Deep Encounter and its people to a watery grave.

When he returned, Chief House and his engine room crew were already manning the main control station in preparation for getting the survey ship under way. "This is where I leave you," he said to Burch.

The captain looked blank. Even Giordino turned and stared at Pitt queerly.

"There is a guard in a house on the cliffs above the entrance to the channel. I'm guessing that besides keeping a lookout for intruders, he has enough firepower to stop any ship leaving the lagoon."

"What brought you to that conclusion?" asked Giordino.

"If one didn't know better, you'd think the hijackers were guarding a flower garden against marauding deer. Two men guarding fifty, the rest sitting around like they were on vacation? Not likely. They have to be confident that this ship could never get through to the open sea if the crew somehow managed to regain control. The channel is a good four hundred feet deep in its center. Deep Encounter could easily be sent to the bottom and never be found, while the pirate ship would still have plenty of water under her keel to sail out of the lagoon."

"It's a black night," said Burch. "We might be able to sneak out to sea without the guard spotting us."

"No good," said Pitt. "The minute you get under way, the hijackers

on board their ship will know about it and give chase. They're bound to get wise when the anchor comes up and the engines begin pounding. The first thing they'd do is alert the channel entrance guard. I've got to get there first and remove the threat."

"I'll come with you," Giordino said firmly.

Pitt shook his head. "You're the best man to repel boarders before the ship slips away."

"Horatio at the bridge - that's me."

"You'll never get there in time," said House. "It's a good half mile uphill through the jungle."

Pitt held up his small penlight. "This will light my way. Besides, the hijackers have to have a well-beaten path between here and the guardhouse."

Giordino shook Pitt's hand. "Good luck, pal."

"Same to you."

And then Pitt was gone.