“You think the pirates may be operating with a 6 TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMARINE
sub?” Mr. Swift questioned. “I thought a plane was involved.”
“I believe it’s a combination,” Tom replied. “A blackout ray is sent by their pilot from a plane, then the pirates board the ship from a sub and loot it.”
“Quite a system,” Mr. Swift reflected, “and devised by men who won’t be easy to capture.”
“Dad, suppose I warm up the Sky Queen while you phone Mother and the office where we’re going,” Tom suggested.
“All right, son.”
Twenty minutes later the huge atomic-powered, jet-lifted craft took off from the Enterprises’ private airfield. The plane sped toward the Caribbean area. An hour later the search was on-high over the ocean one minute, then so low the Sky Queen was barely above the waves. It did not miss an inch of the territory on which a lifeboat from the Nantic might be bobbing.
“I guess we must admit defeat, Tom,” Mr. Swift announced finally. “Turn her toward home and let’s hope that Ned is still alive.”
Not a word was spoken on the return trip until the Sky Queen was being berthed at four o’clock. Then Tom spoke.
“I feel sure Uncle Ned’s being held a prisoner by those pirates, Dad. With my atomic sub I could beat them at their own game.”
“You certainly could, Tom,” his father agreed. “I feel more hopeful about rescuing Ned already!”
They drove back to Tom’s new combination office WING-TIP ESCAPE 7
and laboratory. Tom’s friend Bud Barclay, who had just returned from a month’s flying trip, was draped over the arm of a comfortable leather chair, waiting for them.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149