CHAPTER XVIII
EARTHQUAKE ISLAND
NOW came the hardest part of all for Tom and his companions-waiting to learn if the shock deflectors had succeeded in blotting out the enemy quake wave.
No one spoke. As the silence deepened inside the cave, the suspense became almost unbearable. Minutes passed.
“When will we know, skipper?” a crewman ventured at last.
“Soon, I hope,” Tom replied tersely.
But the waiting seemed endless. Bud’s eyes met Tom’s. The flier grinned and held up crossed fingers, just as Tom had done to Mike Burrows the previous evening. Tom managed a feeble grin in response.
Suddenly the telephone shrilled, shattering the silence of the cave. Tom snatched it from the radioman’s hands.
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156 THE VISITOR FROM PLANET X
“Tom Swift here! … Yes? … Thank heavens! I guess we can all be grateful, Dr. Miles!”
“Providence protected us, I’m sure, Tom,” the seismologist replied at the other end of the line. “But in this instance it worked through Tom Swift’s Quakelizors! The Bona Fide plant and the surrounding area never even felt the tremor -your quake deflectors worked perfectly!”
There was no need to tell the others. Tom’s words on the telephone and the grin on his face told the story. A spontaneous volley of cheers echoed through the cave as he hung up. Then the crew crowded around to slap Tom on the back and shake his hand.
“I hope the whole country learns what you’ve done, Tom,” Mike Burrows said.
“If it doesn’t, I’ll be the first to spread the word as soon as the secrecy lid’s taken off!”