Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 16 – And the Cosmic Astronauts

Tom darted off in pursuit. Bud and the watchman followed. A second later they saw a man dart from behind a gondola car, then sprint off across the tracks.

He was evidently heading for the darkest section of the yard.

Tom and Bud raced after him, the elderly watchman bringing up the rear. A wild chase followed.

“There he goes!” Bud yelled suddenly.

Tom caught a fleeting glimpse of the man, silhouetted for an instant as he dashed across a lighted section of track. But the darkness swallowed him up again almost immediately.

The next moment, Tom’s toe caught on a rail and he stumbled to the ground.

As he got to his feet, he saw a shadowy figure slip between two boxcars.

“This way, Bud!” Tom cried.

The watchman was now somewhere far behind, as the two boys hastily scrambled over a coupling. But there was no one in sight on the other side of the string of cars.

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The boys paused and looked around. A second later Bud clutched Tom’s arm and whispered, “He’s sneaking under the carsl”

Again he and Tom raced in pursuit. A scuffling noise guided them toward their quarry. But the fugitive must have realized that he had been spotted. He crawled out again on the opposite side of the cars, and doubled back the same way he had come. Bud made a tremendous leap over a coupling, and Tom followed.

For the next few moments the boys had the fleeing figure in clear view, dead ahead. Bud closed on

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him rapidly. But as his hand reached out for the man’s jacket, Bud’s foot caught between two rails and he almost went sprawling. Only his grip on the jacket saved him. But the man slipped his arms neatly out of the sleeves and continued his headlong flight.