“No! Oh, no!” he cried involuntarily as he gazed around.
The transmitter was completely wrecked! And most of the recording machines had been put out of commission!
Tom stood dumfounded for several seconds, then he sprang into action.
First, he must capture the saboteur. More than likely there was a leak in his security system. One or more of those engineers who had volunteered to work all night was the culprit.
“Working to wreck my project,” Tom decided grimly. “He-or they-thought I’d never find out. The rocket would go off all right and maybe come back, but without any data!”
Carefully Tom Swift wrapped several hacked-up sections of the instruments in a handkerchief so that they could be examined for fingerprints. Finding a 48 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ROCKET SHIP
small hammer, which probably had been used in the fiendish act, he picked it up with a pair of pliers from his trousers pocket.
Holding on with one hand, Tom went slowly down the ladder. When he emerged, he asked the guards for the names of the engineers who had worked during the night. The men had kept no record, but between them they recalled the entire group.
“Tom! What are you doing up at this hour?” a voice behind him asked. Tom turned to see Hank Sterling coming in his direction.
“You’re just the person I need,” Tom said and asked his friend to accompany him to the laboratory.
Once inside the building, Tom blurted out the whole story.
“Was Eskot one of the men who worked there last night?” Hank asked.
“Yes, he was. Why did you mention him?”