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

Tom quickly briefed the tower attendant on the mysterious episode, saying, “I want Slim to find that plane. It took a westerly direction. There’s an invention of mine on board that I’d hate to lose.”

“A spook plane!” the operator exclaimed. “I’ll phone Slim at once. Roger.”

A few seconds later Tom hit the ground, somersaulted easily, and collapsed his parachute. Bud came up carrying his folded chute while Tom was radioing directions to the tower for picking them up.

“Of all the weird things!” Bud exclaimed. “First I thought the jet’s controls had been wrecked. But then it pulls out of the spin and flies off!”

“Something was out to get the plane and not us,” Tom replied. “Otherwise, why force us to bail out first?”

“You’re right there. Say, how much of that little episode did you get on film?”

“Only a couple of shots. I wonder if they’ll prove anything.”

“What gets me,” said Bud, “is that crow. Do you think it had anything to do with kidnaping the jet?”

Tom looked thoughtfully into space. “Right now, I don’t see how it could have.”

A short time later a jeep arrived to take the boys to Shopton. They asked Morton, the driver, if any word from Slim Davis had come over the jeep’s short-wave radio.

10 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT ROBOT

“Not a thing,” Morton answered, and no report came during the drive.

When they reached the Enterprises grounds, Tom and Bud went directly to the large private office the young inventor and his father shared. They were amazed to find Mr. Swift there.

“Dad!” Tom exclaimed, rushing up to him. “Good to have you back.”