Jim West walks up to the Mermaid Tavern, unlocks the door and goes in. He asks for Marquis Philippe de la Mer and is shown to a table. A puffer fish start talking and a mermaid fires a blow dart into Jim's neck. He wakes up on board a ship just in time to see a flaming dragon charging it. As the ship blows up, he's blown clear, still holding a lady's compact. Back in the train, Lt. Keighley has a little bit of trouble believing Jim's story. Admiral Farragut is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco on the USS Virginia. As Keighley leaves, Artie arrives and announces that the Mermaid Tavern had disappeared. Jim and Artie discuss the dragon when Artie notices that if you connect the gems on the compact, they form a sea serpent. On the way out to find the owner of the compact, Artie tosses Jim an explosive, magnetic silver dollar. After searching a while, Jim and Artie finally find a nautical pawn shop. The owner, Captain Pratt offer first $5000 and later $15,000 for the compact. Instead, Jim and Artie ask for a meeting with the collector. They go back to the Mermaid, which somehow has moved to Grant Street. (If a walking luggage trunk shows up, I'm leaving.) While Jim and Artie wait at the same table as before, King Neptune throws his trident at them. They catch it in the table and a fight breaks out. After the fight, they head back to the pawn shop. Artie waits outside while Jim searches the place. Jim finds the body of Pratt hanging from the ceiling. A trapdoor opens under Jim, who falls, is attacked by more sailors and is knocked out.
After ten minutes, Artie enters the shop and doesn't find Jim. He heads back to Grant Street only to find the Mermaid has turned into Maude's Dress Shop. (Great-Aunt Maude, when did you start you own business?) Jim wakes up tied to a bed. Marquis Philippe introduces himself and pulls a switch which moves the bed so Jim is in a standing position (such a *thought-provoking* position). Artie tries to convince Lt. Keighley to keep Admiral Farragut off the Virginia. Marquis Philippe tells Jim he wants to set up his own country in the Pacific Ocean. He wants Jim to do the negotiations after he blows up Farragut and the Virginia. Philippe turns on a force field and leaves. A knife shoots out of Jim's sleeve and he starts cutting the rope. Artie walks down the street, followed by two sailors. He ducks into an alleyway and a drunk sailor walks out. The sailor goes into the pawn shop and gets surrounded by sailors. Jim finishes untying himself. He throws the knife through the force field, turning it off. Two sailors rush in, Jim pushes them into the room and grabs the knife. This turns the force field back on and the sailors are vaporized. Oops. Jim fights his way downstairs and makes it to the door where he finds the Marquis waiting for him. The Marquis escorts him into the next room, where he shows Jim the dragon. Artie is brought in and hands Dominique the compact. Artie and Jim are tied up. Dominique is sent to the Virginia. Artie and Jim realize that the compact is a homing device. Dominique tells Keighley that Jim wants him to sail the Virginia to Fisherman's Point (guess where the Marquis' house is?).
Jim unties Artie with his boot knife and Artie frees Jim. On their way out, one of them steps on a loose board and turns on the force field. After a brief scuffle, they separate. Artie heads for the Virginia to save Admiral Farragut and Jim goes to capture Philippe. Philippe captures Jim, instead. Keighley recognizes Dominique's compact and Dominique pulls a gun on him. Artie arrives just in time to go stand with Keighley. Philippe has his sailors remove Jim's coat and vest, so that Jim won't be able to use any of his gadgets to escape. Unfortunately, they leave the shirt. The dragon is filled with gunpowder, turned on, armed, closed up, set in the water and launched. While Philippe and the sailors are distracted, Jim breaks loose. During the fight, the force field is turned on and Philippe is tossed into it. Jim jumps into the water and chases the dragon. Dominique watches the dragon approach the ship, sets off a small bomb and leaves. Artie smashes the compact, but the dragon keeps coming. Jim sticks the silver dollar to the dragon and it blows up.
Suffering from a cold, Artie is sitting with his feet in a bucket of water while preparing a speech on the use of sub-water missiles. Jim leaves on a date and Artie drops an explosive into the bucket.
The Ratings Are:
Artie disguises: one star Jim fights: eleven stars Redheads three stars Shirtlessness: three stars Kissing: one stars Explosions: four stars Total: twenty-three stars
Jim and Dominique
The Dragon