“What’s that for?” inquired Bud.
“Safety precaution. There’s always a chance the main blaster may be crushed or pinned by a sudden shift in the earth’s crust. Or the shaft might be blocked off. Either way, we’d be stymied without a spare machine on hand.”
“I see what you mean,” said Bud. “Speaking of the main blaster, I suppose you’ll carry that in the Sky Queen?”
“Right. Also the helicopter. But I think we’ll leave the Kangaroo Kub behind on this trip.”
Bud drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the desk before resuming the conversation.
“You know, skipper, I’ve been wondering if it might not be smart to take along some huskies and dog sleds on this expedition. They could take us anywhere-places we couldn’t go even in a snowmobile. And dogs never stall or freeze up on you, as engines sometimes do.”
Tom nodded. “An excellent idea, Bud. Of course, if we did take dog teams along, we’d have to transport them in a sort of flying kennel.”
114 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Bud approved of this idea, and begged to be given the job of flying such a plane. After discussing the matter for a while, Tom agreed to this arrangement.
It was also decided to fly to Alaska the following day to purchase huskies and sleds.
“We can take Sandy and Phyl along, and make it a day’s outing,” Tom suggested.
“Now you’re talking like a real genius, pal! Let’s give the girls a call this very minute!”
At nine o’clock the next morning the Sky Queen was rolled from the underground hangar. When it was ready for take-off, Tom, Bud, and the girls climbed aboard the mammoth silver plane.
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