Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 05 – And His Atomic Earth Blaster

Bud opened one of the cargo hatches a few inches and poked out the muzzle of a tear-gas gun. Drawing a bead on a point near one of the guards, he fired.

As the shell splattered against the wall of the cave, the guard was engulfed in a fuming spray of gas. Then Bud fired at a point near the other man, and he, too, was drenched with a burst of tear gas.

Clawing at their eyes and gasping for air, the Kranjovian sentinels threw down their rifles and came stumbling out of the cave to sprawl headlong in the snow.

“All right, let’s go!” Bud shouted. “But remember-stay out of the line of fire from the cave!”

SHOWDOWN BATTLE 191

Throwing the doors of the cargo hatch wide open, the Americans leaped from the plane, captured the guards, and marched them a safe distance from the scene of action.

Then Bud gave the signal for an all-out attack. Instantly his men began hurling bombs and lobbing tear-gas cartridges into the cave.

In order to fight back, the Kranjovians had to crawl to the entrance. But when they did, they were met by a curtain of stinging, choking gas.

“Only a question of time now,” murmured Dr. Faber, during a lull in the fire.

“Soon the whole cave will be full of gas.”

A few moments later the Kranjovians came running, lurching, and staggering out of their icy fortress with tears streaming down their faces.

As they choked and sputtered, most of them were in no condition to offer any resistance. But a few still showed signs of fight.

One burly, black-bearded Kranjovian tried to batter his way to freedom, but was promptly knocked out by a sledge-hammer blow from Colonel Eagle Friend’s fist.