Hank Sterling, Enterprises’ blond, rugged chief trouble shooter, came aft from the controls to greet the boys as they were helped aboard.
“Thank goodness we found you!” Hank exclaimed. “Are you both okay?”
Tom heaved a sigh of relief. “We are now, but we sure sweated it out for a while. I keep thinking about that radiophoto and the message ‘Stop Tom Swift.’
They sure did!”
Word of the rescue was radioed to Enterprises as the Queen streaked back to Fearing. Harlan Ames was waiting on the island airfield. He said he would advise Thurston immediately.
“We didn’t notify your family, skipper,” Ames said. “I didn’t want to alarm them until we checked out that SOS signal.”
SOSI 17
“Good. No need to worry them. Harlan, I certainly am disappointed about this delay in our experiment. Conditions were ideal for the crossing. They may change any time.”
Tom and Bud told the full story, revealing how puzzled they were by the whole thing. Then, exhausted, they bunked down in Tom’s laboratory apartment for a sound sleep.
Ames dropped in about ten a.m. as they were settling down to a hearty breakfast. Chow Winkler-the roly-poly Texas range cook who had become the Swifts’ private chef at Enterprises and who accompanied Tom on most of his expeditions-heaped their plates with bacon and eggs and buttered toast.
“Hank has examined all your equipment,” Ames reported.
Tom’s eyes were grim. “Sabotage?”
“Definitely. Some kind of plastic alkali capsules must have been placed in the batteries to slow down the power and finally cut it off.”