“Wow!” Tom exclaimed and whistled.
The test proved that they were on a rock base, suitable for drilling. By measuring the time lapse between blast and echo, Tom found that the thickness of the ice and snow was three hundred feet.
As Tom and the crew electrician were dismantling the geophone connections, the radioman from the Sky Queen ran up to them.
“Just picked up a message from Bud Barclay!” he reported. “The other two cargo jets are on their way!”
Tom gave a whoop of triumph. “It means that the government has okayed the expedition, after all!” Turning to the radioman, he asked, “Did you tell them our position?”
BLIND RESCUE 151
“Yes, sir. Hanson gave full instructions for getting here.”
“Great!” Tom said enthusiastically. “The expedition is on!”
Before unloading either ship, however, Tom decided to make a reconnaissance flight and check on the area where they had sighted the huskies.
The Sky Queen took off, swooping low over the icy wastes, but there was no sign of any living thing.
Just as Tom turned the plane around and was about to head back, Blake shouted, “Down there!” He pointed. “I can see something dark moving against the snow!”
Instantly Tom snatched up his own binoculars, but he got only a fleeting view before the dark object disappeared. It looked like a husky.
“It was a dog, all right!” Blake insisted. “I’m sure of that!”
Tom agreed. “Looks as if Bronich and his gang have holed in and one of their huskies broke loose momentarily.”
Just then the intercom buzzed and the radioman informed Tom that his father was calling from Shopton. The young inventor flipped a switch to cut in on the shortwave radio circuit.