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

“You betcha.”

Tom hurried back to Bud and told him they were taking off at once to see what Hein and Johnson were up to in Maine.

“I’ll warm up an amphib,” Bud offered, as his friend went to tell Sterling and Ames of their plans.

“Take it easy,” Ames advised. “If there’s any sign of trouble, call the FBI.

Don’t you get in the middle of it.”

“Okay, Harlan. But before I report these men, I want to be sure that they’re the fellows we’re after.”

Bud had the amphibian ready when Tom came running across the sand to the dock. Tom hopped into the pilot’s seat and they were soon winging north from Fearing Island.

“Who do you think is the big boss of the gang-Hein, or Gray, or Johnson?”

Bud asked.

“None of them. Probably someone we’ve never

64 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ROCKET SHIP

heard of,” Tom replied. “And my hunch is that he’s in the employ of a nation which isn’t entered in the rocket race.”

“But why?”

“We know about the Australian group and the English team, and that a new rocket society in Sweden is building a ship. While we don’t exactly know what their plans are, we’re sure that they are not trying to steal somebody else’s know-how. This gang we’re up against probably hasn’t been able to solve the fuel problem, so they’re out to steal a formula.”

“Suppose they succeeded, Tom,” Bud remarked, “and did get a rocket into free flight. They’d be able to establish a space platform out in the two-hour orbit and rule the world from it.”

“You’re right, Bud,” Tom said soberly. “And what’s more, I believe that’s exactly their objective!”