It had been a few hours since the strange apparition of the giant black bird had shocked Bartles and Culp into a stony silence, and they were beginning to somewhat regain their usual aplomb when what should appear in the gloom ahead but an abandoned jeep, sitting forlornly on the sand.

"Shut her down!" snapped Morgue. He peered about in all directions in the silence that followed. No sign of the jeep's former occupants anywhere.

"Bartles, check out the jeep. Culp, you and I will take a look around the perimeter."

Bartles grunted and began ransaking the meager contents of the dead jeep. A suitcase of clothing and personal items. An issue of Primate Magazine...

Meanwhile Morgue and Culp had found some tracks, leading due north.

"Two men," said Culp. "No...a man and..."

"A chimp!" snarled Morgan. "I knew it. Their jeep has broken down and they're heading for Woop Woop on foot." He licked his lips. "This is good. We'll run them down and offer them a ride...for a price."

Culp grinned. "When do I get to shoot the fecking chimp?"

"When I say so...and not one moment sooner..." Morgan's words were interrupted by the throaty sound of a jeep revving up!

"What the hell?" Morgan and Culp spun around and were confronted by a blinding flash of automatic fire from the darkness, the heavy beat of a Thompson submachine gun, the famous Chicago Piano. They hit the dirt as the 50 cal slugs whistled over them.

By the time they came up for air, and too late to even squeeze off a shot in return, the jeep, their jeep, had vanished into the darkness.

Morgan swore viciously. They rushed back to the derelict jeep, there to find Bartles lying unconscious with a bump on his head.

Chongo and Jimmy were cruising merrily northward. "We be in Woop Woop by dawn," said Jimmy, grinning ear to ear.

"Good stuff," said Chongo. "Too bad I hadda leave the magazine behind, though. Oh well, Detective Morgan needs a little light readin' material and this'll be a change of pace for him, maybe take that sour look off his ugly face. Now, what the hell would he be doin' in Australia? I sure gotta wonder about that..."