Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 04 – And His Giant Robot

As Tom was about to give up hope, an S O S crackled in over the Swift wave band. The call was from Slim Davis. He was down a hundred miles to the southwest of Tom’s present position.

“There’s a prisoner-” he began. Then the sound faded and Tom could not rouse the sender.

“It’s Slim! He has a prisoner!” Tom shouted to his friends in the Sky Queen.

As the Flying Lab flew to the rescue, speculation ran high as to who it might be.

The cargo plane was sighted in a pasture several miles from a small farming community. This time there were no men or trucks surrounding it. Slim waved Tom on and the Flying Lab glided in without using the lifters.

“We were too fast for the stowaway,” Slim told Tom. “He surprised the copilot and me from behind and rapped Jack with a monkey wrench. But when he swung at me I banked the plane and he hit the instrument panel instead. It crippled us and we were forced to land.”

T82 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT ROBOT

“Where’s the stowaway and who is he?” Tom asked eagerly.

“He wouldn’t give his name. I tied him up and we called the local police from a farmhouse. They haven’t come yet.”

Slim led the Swift group to the cargo compartment. Lacking rope, he had bound the intruder with wire. The man’s hair, mussed in the scufflle, had fallen forward, revealing a jagged scalp scar.

“Flash Ludens!” Tom exclaimed as the man glared at him.

Bud chortled gleefully. “So the Briggin gang is running out of top men!” he taunted.

The bank robber glowered. “Just what are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to play foxy with us, Flash,” Tom replied. “Slick Steck has already confessed. We know all about your gang’s setup.”