“I … I’ve been chased!” he explained. “Th-the men may still be lurking outside!”
The excited baying of the Swifts’ two bloodhounds, Caesar and Brutus, from their kennels behind the garden had already alerted Tom’s suspicions. Without waiting further, he and Bud dashed outside. But a quick circuit of the grounds with the two dogs soon convinced them that Felix Wong’s pursuers had already fled.
When the two boys returned to the house, Felix began his story. He had been dining that evening with friends at a Chinese restaurant in Shopton called Mandarin Gardens. During dinner he had overheard a group of four Chinese speaking in hushed tones in Cantonese dialect.
“They mentioned the name ‘Tom Quickly’ and a little later ‘the Sea Dog,’”
Felix continued. “I was sure they were talking about you, Tom, and probably referring to the Sea Charger.”
70 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
The young inventor nodded intently. “That figures. What happened next?”
“I was afraid those men would hear me if I phoned Mr. Ames, so I decided to get him and bring him back for a look at the four men,” Felix went on. “But they must have guessed that I’d overheard them when I excused myself from my friends and left the restaurant.”
It was not long before Felix realized that he was being followed by two of the men. The engineer had abruptly changed course, hoping to throw off his pursuers. Instead, a glance over his shoulder told him one of the men had drawn a gun. Felix had then dashed for his life toward the Swift home, which seemed his nearest point of safety.