When Hank and his men arrived, Tom issued crisp orders. “I want every inch of the hillside within a hundred-yard radius of the digging area combed with those detectors!”
“We’ll do it pronto,” Hank agreed.
The men were assigned to various spots at the proposed entrance and on the mountainside. They began work at once. The onlookers watched anxiously as the searchers moved about the area.
In less than an hour, Hank reported the area free of danger.
“Fine!” said Tom. “Now let’s try the other side of the hill.” The site of the opposite entrance to the proposed tunnel has been cleariy marked by the surveyors. Tom waited tensely as the crew fanned out with their electronic detectors.
Suddenly one of the men called. Tom and Hank ran to his side. Transferring the earphones to his own head, Tom heard a loud buzzing noise. It meant metal was nearby. A bomb? he wondered.
“All right, clear everyone away from here,” ordered the young inventor.
Hank gripped his shoulder. “Listen, Tom, these SABOTAGE] 105
contact bombs are mighty tricky. Some go off on a hair trigger. Why not call the FBI and leave this job to a professional bomb-disposal squad?”
Tom shook his head stubbornly. “That bomb spells danger every second it stays there. Besides, calling in someone else would just be passing the buck.
This is my project, so it’s up to me to take the risks!”
Tom bent over the suspected spot, and working with a featherlight touch, began brushing away the dirt. Finally a piece of black metal came into view.
“It’s a bomb, all right!” he muttered grimly.