The main door of the Sky Queen slid open and
148 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
the occupants jumped to the ground, clad in their electrically heated parkas.
There to greet them were Hanson and his two crewmen.
“Let’s see how badly your undercarriage is damaged,” Tom said, after they had clasped hands.
He inspected the jet’s landing gear and called for the necessary replacement parts from the supplies carried aboard the Sky Queen. Then the young inventor embarked on the repair job, with the help of his flight engineer.
It was a lengthy and grueling task, working with gloved hands in the bitter Antarctic cold. But by the time repairs were completed, the fog was lifting rapidly.
Strong winds sweeping up from the Pole helped scatter the last shreds of it toward the Antarctic Ocean.
Before taking off again, all hands gathered in the crew’s quarters of the Sky Queen to eat a hearty, steaming-hot meal prepared by Chow Winkler.
“What now, skipper?” asked Arv Hanson, as the cook cleared away the empty dishes.
“I think I’ve found the right spot for our camp,” replied Tom.
“How? By crystal ball?” Voorhees sneered.
Tom ignored the gibe. “I picked it out partly by studying the map, and partly from what I saw of the terrain before the fog closed in,” he explained.
Hanson followed his skipper up to the pilot’s com-BLIND RESCUE 149
partment where Tom pointed out the exact spot on the chart. Then, leaning close, the engineer said quietly:
“That guy Voorhees is getting to be quite a pain, isn’t he?”
“As a scientist he knows his stuff,” Tom commented with a shrug. “That’s all I care about.”