The next day Kit discovered that Don Karnage had been given the job of finding a crew for the Iron Vulture. He was glad to know that Hacksaw Jack, Ratchet, Gibber, Mad Dog, and Dumptruck were all coming on this trip. Kit heard that the captain and his first mate had called a meeting with Dr. Sinian, Shere Khan, and him as well.

As they sat in the captain's quarters, the sound of knocking was heard at the door. Khan opened the door to welcome in the captain, whose name was Ulysses Feral, and a scrawny cat named Steele.

"I thought we were flying on a secret mission," said Feral, "and now I find out that were going after treasure. The crew knows more than I, and I don't like it at all."

Everyone turned to Mr. Khan, who was looking rather nervous.

"Did you blab about the treasure?" Dr. Sinian asked with a frown. Khan only nodded. She knew that it would be very hard to keep the crew in check if they knew the purpose of the trip was to seek treasure.

Feral spoke up in a commanding tone, "I don't like this crew, and there seems to be more than one man who has talked about this treasure hunt," he said looking at everyone in the room.

Everyone knew that Captain Feral was a man of caution, but was he being too cautious?

"Kit," Captain Feral said, "I need you to hide the map carefully and to keep it a secret—even from me."

All the captain said made sense, but had an air of foreboding. The doctor at once agreed to Feral's suggestion, but Shere Khan took an instant dislike to the captain and only agreed to go along because he wanted to start takeoff peacefully.

All that night the crew were in a great bustle, getting things stowed in their places and bidding farewell to friends and family. Kit wished he could see Baloo before they took off, but couldn't manage it.

It was a little before dawn when Dumptruck blew his pipe to get all the crew on the Iron Vulture's flight deck. As the airship took off from the airport, Karnage began to tell Kit about the Iron Vulture-what kind of fuel it needed, and how fast it could go. It was amazing that he knew so much about this airship, but it also made Kit wonder if there was a secret he was hiding.

Then one of the men came and asked Karnage—whom they called Butcher, since he was the cook—to sing a song. He at once broke out with the words Kit knew so well:

"With a hi hi ho and a hi hi hey. We're hoisting the flag to be free," then the whole crew joined in the song, "we will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go. We are wolves of the sky."

Later that afternoon, Kit was in the kitchen with Karnage. They talked about their families, the kind of ice cream they liked, and planes. There was one question Karnage would not answer however, and it was the identity of the woman in the picture next to his cutting board.

"What are you two doing?" said first mate Steele. "If you're not doing your work then I'll-" Steele stopped and looked at the picture.

"Well, I see that you have a girlfriend, Karnage. She would have to be the dumbest girl around to be with a guy like you," laughed Steele. Kit saw a fierce look in Karnage's eyes as Steele mocked him.

Karnage balled up his fist, pulled it back, and hit Steele with such force that it sent him flying back ten feet. Kit could not believe how strong Karnage was.

"Karnage!" Captain Feral shouted. Karnage slowly turned to face the captain, but he showed no sign of fear.

"It's exactly what it looks like," Karnage said with a grin, as if he knew he would not get into trouble. "I hit your first mate for insulting me and my girl, Lotta."

Captain Feral just looked at Steele, then at Karnage who was now going back to his work. "Just get lunch ready for the crew." Feral said with growl as he left the kitchen, dragging his first mate out by his leg.

That night as Kit lay in bed, he could not stop thinking about the Cunninghams and Baloo. They were probably doing their jobs and hard at work, but he missed them very much. Turning to the other side of the bed, he saw the first mate walk by, but he wasn't alone. Dumptruck and Hacksaw were close behind him.

As Steele got into the elevator that would take him to the flight deck of the Iron Vulture, Dumptruck and Hacksaw got in with him. He looked at the two of them with a nervous smile, not knowing why they were up at this time, but as the elevator drew closer to the flight deck level, Steele saw Hacksaw reach into his vest and pull out a tire iron. His eyes widened with fear as the dingo raised the tire iron to strike.

"Give my regards to Viper," Hacksaw said, as he clubbed Steele, who fell to the elevator floor. Hacksaw clubbed him again. Steele lay motionless, blood dripping from the tire iron and from his head.

When the elevator got to the flight deck, Dumptruck dragged Steele out of the elevator. Then two more crew members cleaned up all the evidence of the murder.

Hacksaw and Dumptruck came to the main control panel that would open the Iron Vulture's beak.

"I think it was about time we finished him," Dumptruck said with a chuckle. "He was starting to get snoopy, and if the captain found out, we would be in big trouble."

"I quite agree that he was snooping into other people's affairs," Hacksaw said. "If he found out that we are pirates, he would have us all locked in the brig."

"Well, at least we can say that he was fun to kill, was he not?" Dumptruck said as he pulled the lever to open the beak of the Iron Vulture.

Both men picked up Steele and threw him out of the Iron Vulture. They planted a suicide letter signed by Steele, so no one would suspect them of murder.

The next morning the crew held a funeral for Steele, but no one seemed to care very much. Soon Kit was back to doing his work, helping Karnage in the kitchen, mopping the floors with Jake and Chance, or checking the cargo for rats.

Whenever he saw Karnage around the crew, it was evident that the man commanded great respect among them. Karnage was always kind to Kit and was always glad when he came to help with the was introduced to Karnage's pet parrot named Ignatius, who took a liking to him. In no time at all, Kit was learning all the ups and downs of the ship, like how to set the locks on the brig, how to use the ship's helm, and how to give commands.

Jake even taught Kit how to air surf. They would glide behind the Iron Vulture for ten or fifteen minutes on the air foil looking at the clouds below. Later they would go with Myra and Hotspur to see a movie, and sometime Kit would just talk with Shere Khan.

One day wile Jake was at the helm, he seemed a little tired.

"Jake, would you like me to steer?" Kit asked.

"Oh no, Kit, you're not old enough to steer an airship," Jake said, turning the ship ten points to the left. "If I let you steer, then I would get in trouble."

"Hey, Kit, would you get me an apple?" Jake asked politely. "I think some fruit would help me stay awake."

As Kit entered the kitchen, Karnage was nowhere to be seen, but he knew where the apples were—in the large barrel in the corner of the kitchen. As Kit reached in for an apple, he pulled out a doll. The doll he knew far too well-it was Molly Cunningham's. Kit peered into the barrel, and saw the owner.

"I guess I'm in trouble," Molly said sadly as she took a bite out of an apple. "Are you going to take me to the captain now?"

Before Kit could say a thing, the two of them heard the voices of Mad Dog and a crewman named Lenny Ringtail. Kit quickly climbed into the barrel with Molly, so he could overhear their conversation. They were talking about how they were tired of taking orders from Captain Feral, when Karnage interrupted them, telling them to be quiet. What Kit heard next would mean the difference between life and death for his friends.