Everyone expressed surprise about the symbol which had been added during the night and hidden by a magnetic disk.
“I’ve read,” Tom went on, “that originally the bottles broken against the prows of ships about to be launched contained waters from the seven seas. My symbol represents the seven large stars of the Pleiades, where I hope to fly some day.”
Tom did not reveal any more, and though his listeners were curious, they refrained from asking questions.
“I’ll be very happy to christen your rocket ship, Tom,” his mother said. “What do you want me to do?”
Tom led Mrs. Swift to the platform and showed her the special button she was to touch after the announcer called, “Minus one!” “And I believe,” he added, “that minus one will be at ten o’clock.”
Hearing his name called at this moment, Tom left her and went to speak to the three members of the Rocket Commission. They had come to seal their recording instruments in the nose section. Without these official proofs, Tom’s flight would not be rec-SEALED INSTRUMENTS 165
ognized by the international judges. The head representative, a tall, dignified man, aware that time was short, swung onto the conveyor and zoomed up to the nose section. Hurriedly Mr. Hopkins checked the tiny wires which had been threaded through the recording instruments, and then sealed the ends together through a soft metal slug by means of special pliers. It would now be impossible to open the instruments without detection.
Returning to the ground, Mr. Hopkins said to Tom, “The instruments are set.