Arv Hanson, however, clutched Tom’s arm. 122
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“Wait a while, skipper,” he begged. “That call may be a trick. If your dad and Ted were captured by some enemy, they wouldn’t be released without some good reason.”
“What do you mean?” Tom asked impatiently.
“If we go zooming off to the moon now, we may be heading right into a trap!”
Chow looked worried. “Brand my biscuits, Arv may be right, boss,” the cook opined. “Them space rustlers didn’t plan that kidnapin’ just for a joke. Mebbe they’re fixin’ to bushwhack us!”
“But what about Dad’s and Ted’s oxygen supply?” Tom protested. “If they are stranded up there, it may give out!”
Arv’s face was flushed and uneasy. “I know how you must feel, Tom, but let’s find out what Hor-ton thinks. Check with Harlan Ames too.”
When Ken Horton was informed of the radio message, he suggested that Tom wait until Mr. Swift and Ted made contact again. Ames, too, when reached at Enterprises, agreed with this advice.
“That call sounds fishy to me, Tom,” he said. “Why did they stop so abruptly and not respond to your signal? And another thing, would their suit radios have range enough to transmit their voices from the moon?”
“I’m not sure, Harlan,” Tom pondered. “It would depend on various conditions, but you may have a point there. Guess we’d better wait.”
Harassed by fears and doubts, the young inventor found it hard to hold his impatience in
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check. To be prepared for any emergency, Tom ordered the Challenger stocked at once with all supplies and equipment needed for a moon expedition.