“What’s the verdict, skipper?” Bud asked.
“It’s the purest sample of iron I’ve ever seen!” reported Tom excitedly.
The other men crowded around, clapping the young inventor on the back and congratulating him.
“Well, I didn’t bankrupt Swift Enterprises, after all.” Tom grinned. “But, brother, things sure had me worried for a while!”
Then he hurried off to the radio cave to report the outcome of the expedition to his father.
Mr. Swift was jubilant on hearing of his son’s triumph.
“Tom, this is a stupendous scientific achievement! At a single stroke, you’ve added a whole new treasure house of iron to the world’s resources! I almost hate to think what that’ll mean when we hand out word to the press. Among other things, you’ll be swamped with newsreel and television cameramen when the Sky Queen lands back here at Shopton!
“But hurry home, son, because we’ve all missed you! And besides”-he added with a chuckle-“I still need your help in figuring out that message from our space friends!”
MOLTEN TRIUMPH 209
After Tom signed off, Bud asked jokingly:
“Well, now that you’ve got all this iron, what are you going to do with it?”
Tom grinned, but considered the matter thoughtfully.
“Well, to begin with, I think Uncle Sam will allow us to tap just enough for Swift Enterprises to cover the cost of the expedition. After that, I believe the best plan will be to set up a world commission, with members from every nation, to control this new resource.”
“You mean, let them decide how much every country will get and how much they should pay for it?”