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navigator. He clenched the empty pipe in his teeth and hummed to himself as he picked up a pair of dividers and calmly began to lay in the final leg of the voyage, the leg that might—just might, Driscoll thought—lead to an unknown and mysterious island. To Kong.

5
    SOMEWHERE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
MARCH 11, 1933
    â€œDon’t look down, now.”
    â€œI won’t,” Ann gasped, clinging to the rungs with desperate strength. Why had she asked Jack to take her up here? She swallowed hard and took another step up, and another.
    Above her, Driscoll pushed up the floor plate of the crow’s nest and clambered through. A moment later he bent back down, extending an arm. “That’s a girl. Come on. Not much farther now. Don’t give up on me.”
    â€œWho’s giving up?” Ann demanded. She pulled herself up another two rungs, and then his brown hand closed over her slender wrist firmly, deliberately. He raised her up as if she weighed no more than a bag of potatoes, and then he kicked the trapdoor closed and set her down.
    Ann gasped as she swayed to the roll of the Wanderer . The peeling, sunbaked deck lay far below, and all around the ship sparkled a glorious expanse of ocean. Ann pushed her golden hair back over her ears, enjoying the cooling breeze. Beside her, Driscoll wiped his damp forehead and beamed his approval. “Looks good. You ought to wear it back like that.”
    Ann didn’t reply. She felt lost in the circle of intense blue ocean, with a clear blue sky overhead. The ship’s wake was a white V etched onto the face of the sea, and its motion, noticeable on the deck, was far greater at this height. Ann didn’t feel the least touch of seasickness, though. It was exhilarating, almost like flying. She turned in a complete circle and wound up facing forward, facing more or less south. The one interruption in the blank horizon lay in that direction, a low, fleecy cloud lying right on the surface, or so it seemed.
    â€œThis is wonderful,” Ann said, reaching for Jack’s hand. “Why didn’t you bring me up here before? I feel like an explorer.”
    Jack squeezed her hand. “Well, let’s see. If an explorer is someone who gets there first, I guess you are. You’re the first woman ever to set foot up here.”
    â€œAnd we’re going to an island where no one else has ever gone,” Ann replied thoughtfully. “It’s exciting. When should we get there?”
    Jack studied her face solemnly, his expression unreadable. At last he gave her an indulgent smile. “If there really is any such place, we ought to find it by tomorrow at this time. We’re certainly no more than twenty-four hours away from the position Denham gave the captain.”
    Ann looked down at the deck. “Carl’s really worked up about it. There he is, pacing back and forth again. I don’t think he went to bed at all last night.”
    Jack slipped an arm around her waist. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’m kind of worked up myself.”
    She leaned against him and glanced sideways at his suntanned face. “You? Why, you said you don’t even believe there is an island!”
    â€œI hope there isn’t,” Jack muttered.
    Ann laughed. “And you’re the one who ran away from home to find a life of adventure! I’d be ashamed of myself, Jack!”
    Driscoll took his arm from around her and grasped her shoulders. “Don’t you know why I’m worked up? It’s not because of any fool island, but because of you, Ann. Denham’s blind to risks. What will he expect you to do?”
    Ann gazed into his brown eyes and raised a hand to give his cheek a gentle touch. “After what he’s done for me, I’ll do whatever he says. You’re sweet to worry, Jack, but you know you wouldn’t really want me to do anything else.”
    Driscoll shook her very gently. “Yes I would,