"Your father is on the line, skipper!"
The scientist was calling from the receiver-computer headquarters at
Enterprises. "Exman has reported a quake pulse will be sent in seven
minutes--at 21.36 G.M.T."
"I'm ready, Dad," Tom said, then asked for various technical details
before hanging up.
He passed the word to the crew and glanced at his watch. A hasty,
last-moment inspection was carried out, every man checking certain
details of the setup.
Soon the pulsemakers began ticking inside the dual-control spheres as
they picked up the frequency signal by radio. Tom studied the gauge
dials.
Tension mounted rapidly among the waiting group. The same thought was
throbbing through every mind:
_Was the nation on the brink of a terrible disaster? Or would Tom
Swift's invention safeguard the threatened area?_
As the deadline approached, Tom pushed a button. The mighty hydraulic
drivers throbbed into action, sending out their pulse waves across the
continent!
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.
Pages:
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130