“What in the name of science are they?” Tom murmured hoarsely.
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Mr. Swift replied. “From the looks of them, they seem to be overgrown earthworms.”
us
114 REPELATRON SKYWAY
“Overgrown is right-they’re more like baby boas!” Tom could hardly believe his eyes.
Suddenly an amazing thought struck him. “Wait a minute, Dad! I just had an idea!”
Tom dashed across the corridor to his private laboratory and called Chow Winkler on the plant intercom. The cook arrived moments later.
“Chow, didn’t you mention something to me about leaving bait here at the lab?” Tom asked.
The roly-poly Texan nodded, looking puzzled at Tom’s question. “Yup, I aim to go fishin’ in Lake Carlopa, so I dug me up some nice juicy night crawlers the other evenin’.
Why, boss?”
“Where did you leave those night crawlers?”
“Well, I come across some cans o’ earth in your storeroom, so I stuck the worms in there to keep ‘em fresh. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
Tom grinned wryly. “Take a look.” He led the way to the storeroom and opened the door.
Chow started as if he had been stung, his eyes bulging at sight of the enormous worms. “Great hoppin’ horned toads!” he gulped. “You mean the-the-these is them?”
“They are-if my hunch is correct,” Tom said.
Mr. Swift looked as baffled as the cook. “What’s your theory, son?” he asked.
“Dad, those cans of earth are the soil samples I brought back from the Ngombian jungle. Did you ever hear of a Professor Welkin Eldreth?”
Mr. Swift rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Eldreth. Hmm. A biologist, wasn’t he?”