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“Then you will take the consequences,” the visitor said.
“Mr.er,” Hanson spoke up. He paused, hoping their captor would reveal his identity, but after a long silence on his part, the engineer continued, “There might be something in what you say. But if we’re to talk man to man about it, I really should know how to address you.”
At Hanson’s words Chow blinked in utter astonishment, and the Eurasian looked at the engineer with a piercing stare. The American smiled disarm-ingly, and the other relaxed.
“I said you were smart,” he remarked. “Now you are becoming sensible too.
You will call me Vladimir.”
Hanson coughed to conceal the elation he felt because his scheme was already working successfully.
“Mr. Vladimir,” he said, “what assurance can you give me that I will become rich overnight if I join forces with you?”
“I did not promise overnight results,” the man replied quickly. “There is much work to be done, but the resultsthey will be most satisfactory.”
“But in the meantime I must have money to support my family,” Hanson said.
“There is plenty of money for a very good salary for you,” Vladimir said.
“When we have accomplished our mission, the profits will be divided. Your share should be a large one, if your work”
“When I undertake a job,” Hanson said stiffly, as if the other had offended him, “I give every ounce of
196 TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING LAB
my strength and every minute of my time to it.”
“I am glad to hear that,” the Eurasian remarked.
Chow could stand the situation no longer. Rushing over to Hanson, he shook him until his neck cracked.
“Have you gone plumb loco?” he cried unbelievingly.
“Stand back and don’t interfere!” Vladimir ordered.
Chow let go, but began muttering threats at the engineer. Hanson wanted to wink at the loyal cook to let him know what was going on, but did not dare, for fear of giving away to Vladimir the role he was playing. Completely overcome by the turn of events, Chow dropped into a chair.
“Brand my mule an’ saddle 1” he said and closed his eyes.
The Eurasian suggested that he and Hanson go to some quiet spot in the plane where they might talk undisturbed. This unexpected suggestion was not to the engineer’s liking. Vladimir might have been pretending to believe that Hanson would join the rebels. When they were alone, the ruthless scoundrel might try to force the engineer to reveal certain secret equipment in the Flying Lab or even kill him! Hanson tried a counterproposal.
“Vladimir, is this proposition so secret that even your own men shouldn’t hear it?”
he asked. “We needn’t worry about Chow any longer. He’s in our hands and can’t do any damage.” Going a little closer to the Eurasian, the young man whispered, “I might
CHOW’S DILEMMA 197
even convince Chow that he ought to come over to your side.”
This latter statement seemed to convince the Eurasian. With a look of disdain at the figure slumped in the chair, he said:
“Let us get down to business. First, we will discuss how we can use your fine laboratory for our work.”
Hanson had glanced at his wrist watch. It was nearly four o’clock. Dawn was breaking. Help was due to arrive during the morning. He hoped it would be early.
If he could only keep Vladimir occupied until Rip Hulse came!
“I must do itl” the engineer told himself with finality.
CHAPTER XXV
AN AMAZING DISCOVERY
“WE CAN’T BREAK DOWN this heavy iron gate,” Roberts said to Tom, as they leaned against the barrier to their mountain prison.
“Even if we could, it wouldn’t do us much good,” the young inventor replied.
“Here comes another guard. One move on our part and he’d summon an army of Verano rebels.”
As darkness turned to dawn, a feeling of utter helplessness overcame Roberts and his fellow scientists, but Tom already was beginning to figure on how he could effect an escape. Leaving the others he went back to the room in which they had been imprisoned. Perhaps there was some way to enlarge the tiny opening through which the smoke signals had been sent.
After an investigation Tom was convinced that this was impossible. The rock was like flint and there was not a tool in the place.
198
AN AMAZING DISCOVERY 199
“Our only hope is more smoke signals that will be seen by some friendly pilot who understands them,” Tom decided.
He hunted for some wood but could find none. The scientists had used up their meager supply.
“There must be some solution!” Tom mused. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. “The rocks themselves. There must be carboniferous layers here somewhere and maybe some lichens.”
Excitedly he started a search, beaming his light close to the walls. Various ores showed up, including a tiny vein of uranium. But now that seemed unimportant. And lichens he found which could be used for kindling would do no good without fuel to keep a fire going.
Tom had completely circled the cave, not missing an inch of it, ceiling, floor, and sides, and was about to return to the corridor when something caught his eye. A smile of satisfaction spread over his face.
“Perfect!” he cried.
A thin black streak ran at an upward angle from the floor to the ceiling. Tom whipped out his sturdy penknife and began to scrape. The black substance was almost pure graphite!
The knife worked quickly and efficiently. Handful by handful Tom carried the precious dust to the small crevice ready for use at a moment’s notice. When he had accumulated a good-sized pile, he laid an extra pack of matches he carried on top of the flammable pile of graphite dust and hurried back to his companions. He found them still huddled beside the gate. The campfire outside had long since died
200 TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING LAB
to ashes, and the mountain air was chilly. Tom told the men what he had done.
“If we hear a plane, let’s send up an S O S,” he proposed.
“But what good will that do with the rebels in control?” Roberts asked hopelessly.
“It might be a rescue party hunting for us and bringing the police.”
Another half-hour dragged by. Then hoofbeats could be heard in the distance and presently Pedro Canova came clattering up on a horse and reined in right before the gate. His black eyes looked more evil than before. Peering through the bars, the rebel spotted Tom immediately.
“So! We meet again, eh? The so-smart Junior Tom Swift is not so smart, after all. You thought you had escape for good when you climb through that window long ago! Well, it is a smart man who does not finally get caught in Pedro Canova’s net, no?”
Tom did not reply, but his silence did not discourage Canova, who continued: “If our fire had found its mark on that plane you and your troublesome sister were inbah! We have wasted much time since, due to your meddling!”
Tom gritted his teeth in anger.
“And you were going to keep us from the uranium!” the rebel went on. “It will interest you to know, young Sefior Swift, that even now we are in complete control of the situation.”
He looked past Tom at John Roberts and the other scientists.
AN AMAZING DISCOVERY
201
“So! We meet again, eh?” the rebel sneered
“And since we have found the ore, we will have no need of men who will not do as we say. You become one of us or die!” he shouted, shaking his fist.
The prisoners could only stare at him in amazement. Calming down, Canova went on:
“And what ore! The richest deposit in the world and all for Verano and her ally. It will make her the richest nation in this part of the globe. And wealth means power!”
He looked at the scientists who had worked with Roberts.
202 TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING LAB
“Power, do you hear? We will control your so-called mother country, and now we shall be the stern parent, we of Verano!”
Tom had stopped listening to the man’s boastings. His keen ears had caught another soundthe whir of a helicopter’s blades!
“It’s now or never!” he decided. “If only that pilot is friendly!”
While Canova continued to rant and rave, Tom spoke to Roberts. Fortunately, the rebel was so busy with his promises of the great things in store for Verano that he failed to notice their whispering.
“John, send up some smoke signals. Another SOS!”
“Right!”
Stealthily Roberts inched his way to the back of the narrow passage to the room where the scientists had been imprisoned, while Tom once more occupied Canova’s attention.
“Where is my father?” he demanded.
“Your father, your friend Bud Barclay, and those other twoall of them Verano prisoners!” he exulted. “Every one of them. Never fear, you will see them again soon. They will be brought to this cave.”