Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 03 – And His Rocket Ship

Reaching the truck, Tom decided on a bold move. He would back the flaming truck into the storage area within range of the extinguishers there. Shielding his eyes with his arm, Tom leaped into the cab, and with a prayer, pressed the starter button, slammed the truck into reverse, and roared backward down the road for thirty yards to where the extinguisher nozzles were emitting foaming chemicals.

Soon the flames that had come so close to devastating the island were entirely under control. The

upon the flames that threatened the Star Spear 160 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ROCKET SHIP

rocket remained intact and the supply of the special fuels, to be used for the flight into space, was saved.

Dr. Carman was kept busy for an hour attending to minor burns and treating the stinging eyes of several men. At last all those not on duty for the night retired to their quarters.

In the meantime Tom, Bud, and Hank had rushed back to the rocket ship to see if its sensitive instruments had suffered any damage. A thorough checkup assured them that everything was in perfect working order. The attack had failed!

“It’s mighty lucky you launched the upper defense drones!” Tom’s father remarked as they finished their inspection.

“How many of them did we lose?” Tom asked the control-tower operator.

“Three of the top level and one of the regulars,” the operator replied. “But I hate to think what would have happened if they hadn’t stopped most of the bombs from dropping straight through!”

A few moments later the all-clear signal sounded and again the trucks took up their work. By four a.m. the fueling operation had been completed without further interruption and the weary boys turned in for a few hours’ rest.