“We’ll do it!” Captain Jones said.
“Here comes the plane again!” Tom cried. “The pilot must know his ray hasn’t worked yet.”
“He’ll think so this time!” Captain Jones assured Tom, and barked orders to his men and the Marines in line with Tom’s suggestion.
Meanwhile, Tom asked Bud to move the Sea Dart beyond the stern of the ship, so they might keep a closer watch on the enemy’s procedure. As the plane swooped in again, this time very low, the engines of the freighter quivered, then stopped. Lights went out. Marines and crewmen became silent. In fact, the silence was so prolonged that Bud murmured anxiously: “Maybe the blackout worked this time.”
Tom, too, was tense, wondering what was happening aboard the freighter.
From the starboard the jetmarine’s radar picked up the pirate submarine moving in for the kill.
“Here they come!” Tom said as a brilliant searchlight suddenly focused on the center of the long freighter. The Sea Dart was safely outside the circle of white light.
In the rear of the beams Tom could see several dim figures on the deck of a giant submarine. One of the men began to issue orders.
“Gilson! Croat! Board her!”
162 TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMARINE
The two pirates, one carrying a heavy coiled rope, executed a daring leap from the deck to the swinging rope ladder on the portside and started their climb up the side. Apparently they were so confident about the power of the blackout weapon that they did not even unfasten their gun-holster flaps.
Tom leaped down the hatch, a plan in mind to see what was about to happen on deck. Quickly he ran the extension of the periscope to its full height, which was many feet beyond that which is usually used. Next, he adjusted the television cameras to pick up what was on the sights and threw the picture on the screen. It was clear and well defined.
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