The answer confirmed Tom’s hunch about who the scoundrel was that headed the group. “I see,” he said. “And your chief is Li Ching.”
Tom saw his captors exchange glances of surprise, but no one spoke.
“Don’t worry about talking,” Tom went on needlingly. “We know all about Li Ching’s activities-including the fact that he stole the Sea Charger!”
Tom’s words caused a stir of alarm among the Orientals. They started to chatter among themselves until their leader silenced them.
“Enough, Tom Swift!” he barked. “We shall leave here at once in your new spaceship!” To back up his words, the man jammed the muzzle of his gun into Tom’s midriff.
At least half of the raiders were left behind to guard the outpost. The others embarked in the Cosmic Sailer with Tom, who was given a definite course for the return flight to earth. The leader sat beside him in the copilot’s seat. He watched the navigational instrument dials intently to detect any attempted deviation.
As they plunged into earth’s atmosphere, Tom
174 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
gunned the atomic rockets to slow their descent. The Sailer arced at dizzying speed above the North American continent, then out over the Atlantic. Tom braked still harder as they entered a vast cloud layer. The Oriental leader tuned the radio to a certain frequency and hissed several words into the microphone.
Seconds later, they broke through the cloud barrier and Tom gasped.
“My Sea Charger!”
The stolen ship lay at anchor in the waters below, berthed near the rocky islet which Tom, Bud, and Felix had flown to investigate!