TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC EARTH BLASTER
BY VICTOR APPLETON II
No. 5 in the Tom Swift Jr. series.

From the inside cover:
Furious Antarctic storms and ruthless enemies stalk Tom Swift Jr. and his 
latest atomic invention, the earth blaster, in book number five of this thrilling 
science -adventure series.
When Tom chooses the South Pole as the spot to hunt for molten iron with 
his earth blaster, his closest friends raise their eyebrows. Even Chow Winkler, 
the expedition's genial Texan cook, says, "Brand my thermopile, if the young 
inventor ain't plumb loco!"
First Tom has to convince the skeptics about the value of his earth blaster. 
Preliminary tests prove that it is one of the greatest inventions the world has ever 
known.
When spies of the Kranjovian government learn about the project, it becomes 
a race to see who will reach the South Pole first. Tom risks his life and all the 
funds of Swift Enterprises to launch the expedition. With his pal Bud Barclay, 
Chow, and a group of top-flight technicians, he braves the white fury of the 
Antarctic ice barriers to set up operations. But the Kranjovians seem to have 
beaten him to it!
In the nerve-racking and chill-packed days that follow, the young inventor is 
faced with one of the greatest challenges in his career. The outcome hangs in 
the balance down to the last page of this dynamic story. Read it to see how Tom 
Swift Jr. startles the world when his atomic earth blaster starts the most 
phenomenal gusher known to man!



The Tom Swift Jr. series:
1 Tom Swift and his Flying Lab (1954) 
2 Tom Swift and his Jetmarine (1954) 
3 Tom Swift and his Rocket Ship (1954) 
4 Tom Swift and his Giant Robot (1954) 
5 Tom Swift and his Atomic Earth Blaster (1954) 
6 Tom Swift and his Outpost in Space (1955) 
7 Tom Swift and his Diving Seacopter (1956) 
8 Tom Swift in the Caves of Nuclear Fire (1956) 
9 Tom Swift on the Phantom Satellite (1956) 
10 Tom Swift and his Ultrasonic Cycloplane (1957) 
11 Tom Swift and his Deep-Sea Hydrodome (1958) 
12 Tom Swift in the Race to the Moon (1958) 
13 Tom Swift and his Space Solartron (1958) 
14 Tom Swift and his Electronic Retroscope (1959) 
15 Tom Swift and his Spectromarine Selector (1960) 
16 Tom Swift and the Cosmic Astronauts (1960) 
17 Tom Swift and the Visitor from Planet X (1961) 
18 Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung (1961) 
19 Tom Swift and his Triphibian Atomicar (1962) 
20 Tom Swift and his Megascope Space Prober (1962) 
21 Tom Swift and the Asteroid Pirates (1963) 
22 Tom Swift and his Repelatron Skyway (1963) 
23 Tom Swift and his Aquatomic Tracker (1964) 
24 Tom Swift and his 3D Telejector (1964) 
25 Tom Swift and his Polar-Ray Dynasphere (1965) 
26 Tom Swift and his Sonic Boom Trap (1965) 
27 Tom Swift and his Subocean Geotron (1966) 
28 Tom Swift and the Mystery Comet (1966) 
29 Tom Swift and the Captive Planetoid (1967) 
30 Tom Swift and his G-Force Inverter (1968) 
31 Tom Swift and his Dyna-4 Capsule (1969) 
32 Tom Swift and his Cosmotron Express (1970) 
33 Tom Swift and the Galaxy Ghosts (1971)


ILLUSTRATED BY GRAHAM KAYE
GROSSET & DUNLAP
COPYRIGHT, 1954, BY GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES Of AMERICA


CONTENTS
1 The Mysterious Strangers
2 Atomic Spy
3 Danger Signal
4 A Perilous Experiment
5 The Whispered Clue
6 Bronich Vanishes
7 A Bold Offer
8 A Threat of Revenge
9 Pursuit on the Lake
10 A Crucial Test
11 Sabotage!
12 A Flight to Alaska
13 Dog Trouble
14 A Call from Washington
15 Southward Ho!
16 Lost in the Blizzard
17 Blind Rescue
18 Sneak Raid
19 Disaster Strikes
20 A Whale Charges
21 A Hairbreadth Escape
22 Prisoner of War
23 Showdown Battle
24 A Volcanic Eruption
25 Molten Triumph


ILLUSTRATIONS
The tear-gas guns brought them out of the fortress
It was too late-the damage was done!
"We've hit an aqueduct!" Tom shouted
Tom fought desperately, but resistance was futile
They made a complete circuit of the grounds
The trap door opened freely in response to Tom's push
As they reached the scene, the helicopter hit the ground with a jarring impact 
Tom sprang over the gunwales into Landis' craft
The jolt caused the sled to turn over, throwing Bud against a tree trunk
It was not long before a shower of sparks burst into view
Bud shouted again and again, "You've done it, Tom! You've done it!"
 
 

CHAPTER 1
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS

"Man, look at this earth blaster go to town!" yelled Bud Barclay from the cab 
of a big tractor trailer.
"Speed her up a bit!" urged Tom Swift as he jogged alongside it.
The blond, rangy young scientist and his husky, dark-haired pal were testing 
Tom's latest invention-an atomic-powered earth-digging machine, mounted on a 
platform above the truck's cab. Tom hoped to use his invention for road and 
bridge construction work and for drilling tunnels.
As Bud gunned the engine, the grinding hum of the earth blaster rose to an 
ear-shattering roar.
The machine looked like a gigantic torpedo and was comprised of three main 
parts. Mounted to a heavy swivel base was a long, gleaming steel cylinder which 
could be tilted in any direction. It housed a compact atomic pile to power the 
implement. Ex-
2 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
tending from the cylinder was a narrower shaft, containing transmission 
gears to conduct the power to the nose end of the shaft. This end was armed 
with a pair of revolving steel discs which could chew into the hardest rock.
As the machine bored into the ground, Tom suddenly noticed that Bud was 
swerving to the right.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" he warned.
The young inventor had obtained permission from a farmer to dig on a vacant 
section of partially wooded land adjacent to the right of way for a water conduit. 
Tom had chosen this spot, a quarter of a mile off the highway near Shopton, 
because its rocky formation would provide a better test than the Enterprises' 
loamy ground.
Unknowingly, Bud was now steering toward the water company's right of 
way!
As the huge truck rumbled along, the machine plowed a deep trench in the 
ground. A steady stream of pulverized dirt and rock spewed out of the rear of the 
cylinder into the trailer.
Tom sprinted faster in a frantic effort to catch up with the lurching monster.
"Hold it!" he yelled. "Stop the truck! There's a water conduit over there!"
But the thundering roar of the earth blaster drowned out his voice.
The next moment, Tom heard a loud clash of
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS 3
metal on metal. A split second later a geyser of water shot up one hundred 
feet into the air!
Hastily Bud jammed the truck into reverse and backed away from the 
drenching outburst. But it was too late-the damage was done!
"We've hit an aqueduct!" Tom shouted, as he drew up alongside. "Hand me 
the walkie-talkie!"
In stunned silence, Bud reached back, grabbed the walkie-talkie off the cab 
shelf behind him, and passed it out to Tom. Quickly Tom made radio contact with 
Swift Enterprises.
"We've had an accident," he explained. "Our digging machine broke a 
conduit. Phone the water company right way and get a repair crew out here 
pronto!"
Within five minutes, an emergency crew from the Enterprises plant arrived on 
the scene. It was headed by Hank Sterling, square-jawed chief engineer of the 
Swift patternmaking division and general trouble shooter for the outfit.
By now, however, the geyser had stopped, indicating that the water company 
had either shut off pressure at the pumps or closed a valve somewhere in the 
system.
As Tom pointed out the damage, other vehicles began to pull up at the 
scene-two police cars, several fire trucks, and a number of private cars 
containing curious townspeople.
4 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Won't take long to fix," observed Hank, looking down into the pit. He 
immediately began barking orders to his men, who had already unloaded welding 
equipment and a

THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS 5
section of replacement pipe from the repair truck.
Meanwhile, Tom turned his attention to the police and firemen, who were 
doing their best to keep the crowd in check.
"Think you can handle the situation?" asked the burly chief in charge of the 
fire trucks.
"I'm quite sure we can," Tom said. "Sorry you had to call out all this fire 
equipment."
"Don't worry about that," replied the fire chief. "We always find it's safer to get 
there first and ask questions later."
"Maybe you won't find it's so easy to handle Old Man Greenup," remarked a 
uniformed police ser-
'
6 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
geant. He jerked his thumb toward a long, black limousine which had just 
pulled up a moment before.
Tom saw a man with iron-gray hair climb out of the car. Frowning, he hurried 
toward them with decisive strides.
"Who's he?" Bud asked in a low voice.
"The president of the water company," Tom said quietly, keeping his eyes 
fixed on the newcomer. He knew that he was in for trouble, and hoped he could 
avoid involving his father and Swift Enterprises.
Greenup's face was red with anger.
"So you're the young man who's responsible for this messl" he snapped at 
Tom.
"It was strictly an accident, Mr. Greenup," explained Tom respectfully. "I'm 
sorry if we caused any inconvenience, but it-"
"Inconvenience!" Greenup roared. "Do you realize that was the principal 
transmission line you burst? We had to stop the pumps and shut off water to the 
whole community! Suppose a bad fire broke out. What would the fire department 
do for water? And what about the Shopton Hospital-suppose they need water 
there!"
Sensing trouble, the spectators crowded closer.
"I understand all that, sir," Tom said. "I realize that an accident of this kind 
could lead to a mighty serious situation. But our men will soon have the
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS 7
main repaired, and I can promise you that Swift Enterprises will pay for any 
damage."
"Never mind all that!" Greenup retorted irritably. "How did it happen in the 
first place?"
"It was my new earth-digging machine," explained Tom. "We accidentally 
plowed into the water main."
"So that's itl More of your crazy contraptions!" stormed Greenup. "In my 
opinion, you're a public menace and your father should be haled into court for not 
keeping you under better control!"
Bud Barclay shouldered his way forward. Tom saw that his friend was about 
to blaze back angrily, and put a firm hand on Bud's muscular arm.
"Please keep my father out of this, Mr. Greenup," Tom replied evenly. "If you 
think my inventions haven't benefited anyone, that's your privilege."
"Well, don't think it's your privilege to go around smashing up public 
property!" snapped Greenup.
Hearing Greenup's angry voice, Hank Sterling left the repair crew and 
stepped over.
"We'll have your pipe fixed in half an hour," he said.
Greenup snorted. "It's bad enough even when we don't have to cope with 
trouble like this! The water supply was dangerously low before this happened. 
We need at least fifty percent more capacity, especially during these dry summer 
months."
8 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Tom recalled that a town order recently had been issued banning the 
sprinkling of lawns during the peak hours of the day.
"That's no reason to get sore at us!" Bud declared.
But Greenup had not run out of verbal ammunition. "If it weren't for Swift 
Enterprises and the Swift Construction Company," he said, scowling, "there 
wouldn't be a water shortage!"
"How do you figure that?" Tom challenged.
"In the past few months, the construction plant has boosted water 
consumption between eighty and one hundred thousand gallons a day. By 
adding new workers to the payroll, you've drawn hundreds of new families into 
Shopton."
Bud grinned. "The Chamber of Commerce likes it!"
"Maybe the answer is to bring in more water," Tom suggested quietly.
"We're planning to do that," Greenup said importantly. "We intend to tunnel 
through Pine Hill and tap Silver Lake. But all that takes time. We can't hope to 
have that lake water piped in before next summer."
After a few more grumbling remarks, he wandered off to inspect the work of 
the repair crew. The men, stripped to the waist, were dripping with sweat as they 
labored under the hot August sun.
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS 9
"Say, pal, I'm sorry I got you into all this," Bud apologized, an embarrassed 
look on his face.
"Forget it," Tom replied. "Greenup's been peeved at Swift Enterprises for 
quite a while. He tried to make trouble for Dad at the last meeting of the Town 
Council."
"My hands were so sweaty from excitement that they slipped off the steering 
wheel and the truck got away from me."
"By the way, where did you leave it?" Tom asked.
"Over there by that-" Bud broke off abruptly, a bewildered expression on his 
face. "Holy smoke, it's gone!"
"What!" Tom whirled around in the direction his friend was staring.
"I parked it over there by that tree," Bud faltered, pointing to a spot about fifty 
yards from the place where the main had been broken. "But it's not there now!"
"Someone must have moved it!" Tom exclaimed.
Hastily he questioned the police and firemen, then went over to speak to 
Hank and the repair crew. In the excitement, no one had noticed what happened 
to the truck with the atomic earth-digging machine.
As he rejoined Bud, Tom ran his fingers worriedly through his blond crew cut. 
"Come on," he told his friend. "Let's look for tread marks."
10 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
The two boys easily picked up the trail and followed it for about thirty yards 
toward the highway. Then it vanished on a stretch of hard, sun-baked ground.
"Maybe we can pick out the marks again on the sandy shoulder of the 
highway," Bud suggested. "We know the tread pattern."
"You go ahead and look," Tom ordered. "I'll try the other direction, among the 
trees."
As he ran toward the grove, Tom puzzled over the mysterious disappearance 
of the earth blaster. What was back of it?
Among clumps of coarse grass and weeds, Tom found marks of heavy tires. 
He followed the trail without any thought that danger might lie ahead.
A few moments later the young inventor came in sight of the truck itself. A 
stranger was seated in the cab with a sketch pad resting on the steering wheel. 
Apparently he was making notes and drawings of the earth blaster!
"Hey, you!" shouted Tom angrily. "What's the big idea, stealing our 
machine?"
The stranger looked up with a startled expression, then jerked open the door 
and jumped down on the opposite side of the truck.
He made a dash for the wooded area, but Tom quickly caught up with him 
and grabbed him by the coat collar.
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS
11
As the tall stranger spun around, Tom saw that he was gaunt and hollow-
cheeked. His green eyes glittered with hatred. One hand whipped inside his coat 
and came out again clutching a snub-nosed blue-steel automatic.
Tom had seen the move in time. With his left hand he grabbed the man's 
wrist. The stranger tried desperately to wrench his gun hand free.
For a moment the two struggled furiously. Tom,

12 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
though not so tall as his opponent, had the wiry, muscular strength of a well-
trained American athlete. He twisted the man's wrist farther and farther until he 
gasped in pain and dropped the weapon to the ground.
"Now you're going to tell me what this is all about!" Tom shouted angrily. 
"And then I'm-"
His words were choked off as he was grabbed from behind. Turning his 
head, he saw that his assailants were two rough-looking men.
Tom fought desperately, but resistance was futile. Each man held one of his 
arms tightly.
"What'll we do with him?" one of the captors asked, breathing hard from the 
effort to hold the prisoner still. The other man had clamped one hand over Tom's 
mouth, so that he could not call for help.
"I think I noticed some rope in the truck," replied the gunman in a deep voice 
that had a foreign accent. "Hold him while I get it. Then tie him to that tree."
A moment later he returned with the rope. Tom was shoved back against the 
tree and lashed tightly to the trunk. As one of the men knotted the rope, the other 
gagged the young inventor with a bandanna handkerchief.
"Good! Now let's get out of here!" said the man with the foreign accent.
With his two henchmen at his heels, he ran back to the truck.
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS 13
As Tom watched in helpless fury, they climbed aboard. One of the strong-
arm men took the wheel and gunned the engine into life.
Then, with a clashing of gears, they roared away from the scene, taking 
Tom's amazing, new atomic earth blaster with them!
CHAPTER 2
ATOMIC SPY
TOM WRITHED and twisted to free himself from his bonds. But instead of 
loosening the ropes, his desperate efforts only made them cut more painfully into 
his arms.
Failing in this attempt, Tom concentrated on working the gag out of his 
mouth. By pushing the bandanna with his tongue, he tried to force it out from 
between his teeth. But again his efforts were futile.
Almost three-quarters of an hour after the young inventor had been taken 
prisoner, he heard voices shouting his name. Then came the sound of footsteps 
in the underbrush. A few moments later Tom's heart pounded with relief as Bud 
Barclay sprinted toward him, followed by one of the repair crew.
"For the love of Mike!" Bud exclaimed, as he ripped away the bandanna. 
"What happened to you?"
14
ATOMIC SPY 15
"Get these ropes off me first and I'll tell you later!" said Tom, who was filling 
his lungs with deep breaths of fresh air.
The repair crewman pulled out a jackknife and handed it to Bud. "Here, use 
this," he said. "I'll go tell the others we've found him."
As Bud cut the ropes, he said, "You really had us worried, genius boy! At first 
I figured you were just trekking all over the map, looking for the truck. But after 
we waited half an hour, and you still didn't show up, we decided to organize a 
search party."
"It's a good thing you did. I was nearly choked."
By the time Bud finished unwinding the rope from Tom's legs and arms, the 
other searchers came up in the jeep. Among them were Hank Sterling and 
Harlan Ames, chief security officer at Swift Enterprises.
Tom quickly told them everything that had happened.
"That foreigner you saw taking notes in the truck-" questioned Ames, "what 
did he look like?"
"He was very tall," Tom said. "Must have been over six feet. And he was 
gaunt and lanky. But the queerest thing about him was his eyes."
"Queer in what way?"
"They were light green and sinister-looking." Tom looked grim as he recalled 
the attack. "Boy, I'll never forget the look he gave me when I grabbed him by the 
collar!"
16 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Tom then described the two other assailants, remembering that one man had 
a slight scar over his left eyebrow and that the other wore a fancy stone-studded 
belt buckle.
Harlan Ames reached inside his coat and pulled out a small photo. "See if 
you recognize this picture," he said, handing it to Tom.
"Why, that's the fellow I grabbed!" Tom exclaimed. He glanced at Ames with 
a puzzled expression. "Who is he? And why are you carrying his picture?"
"He's a dangerous foreign agent," said Ames. "This photograph was 
circulated to all law-enforcement agencies by the FBI. They suspect Bronich of 
stealing United States defense secrets for the Kran-jovian government."
"What kind of defense secrets?" Tom asked, concerned about this new 
aspect of the mystery.
"Top atomic secrets," Ames replied.
Bud gave a low whistle. "Tom! No wonder Bronich was so anxious to get the 
low-down on your earth blaster!"
"I still don't get it," Tom admitted ruefully. "It's true that the blaster is powered 
by atomic energy. But there's nothing very secret about that. Every nation on 
earth must know how to construct an atomic pile by this time."
"Maybe so," agreed Ames, "but none of them
ATOMIC SPY 17
knows how to harness atomic energy in the form of an earth-digging machine 
like yours."
"But the earth blaster is for peacetime use," Tom protested. "It's not a 
weapon that could be used for fighting a war."
When Ames pointed out that the blaster might be adapted to military uses, 
Bud added:
"Besides, those rats would steal the tin cup from. a blind man if they figured it 
might help them!"
"I guess you're right," Tom agreed in a troubled voice. "Anyhow, they must 
be up to no good or they wouldn't have taken it."
"The question is, what are we going to do about it?" Bud pondered.
Tom thought for a moment. "How about that break in the water main? Is it 
repaired yet?"
"All fixed," said Hank. "Old Greenup had nothing more to gripe about, so he 
went back to town."
"Thanks, Hank. You and your men return to the plant. The rest of us will try 
to pick up a lead on Bronich and his two henchmen."
Sterling gave a friendly salute and left, as Tom, with the help of Bud and 
Ames, resumed the job of following the tire marks. The prints wound through the 
grove of trees and emerged on the other side, where the ground sloped down to 
a winding dirt road.
"Not much hope of catching them now," mut-
18 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
tered Bud. "They're probably miles away by now."
"Maybe we can still find the earth blaster," Tom said hopefully. "From what 
happened, I don't think they intended to steal it in the first place-they just wanted 
to make sketches of it while we were busy with that broken water main."
"I think you're right," Ames agreed. "They'd never stand a chance of getting 
away with it, once a police alarm was sent out. And they certainly won't find it 
easy to hide something as big as a tractor truck with that machine on it!"
With Bud at the wheel of the company jeep, the three followed the tire tracks 
made by the truck on the dirt road. Two miles farther, near a bend in the Indian 
River, Tom gave an excited cry.
"Look!" he shouted, pointing to the right. Close to the riverbank stood the 
truck and the atomic earth blaster!
Bud slammed on the brakes and the jeep skidded to a halt. In a mad dash 
Tom led his two friends to the riverbank.
"They must have had a boat cached here!" exclaimed Bud. "You can see 
where they shoved it into the water when they made their getaway!"
But Tom was more interested in the earth blaster. He let out an angry groan 
when he saw that the machine had been partly disassembled.
"Anything missing?" Ames asked nervously.
ATOMIC SPY 19
"Yes, the secret activator mechanism!" Tom cried. "The most important part 
of the whole design!"
Bud slammed his fist against one of the heavy truck tires. "Those dirty, 
sneaking thieves!" he raged. "And after all the work you've done on this blaster!"
"Don't worry," Tom said grimly. "They won't get away with this. I'll find 
Bronich and put him behind bars, if it's the last thing I do!"
The others knew that Tom's words were no idle threat. In the adventures, 
Tom Swift and His Flying Lab and Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship, the youthful 
inventor had turned the tables on other foreign agents seeking to harm the free 
world. And in Tom Swift and His Jetmarine, he had brought a gang of modern 
pirates to justice. His most recent adventure, Tom Swift and His Giant Robot, 
concerned the capture of a crazed scientist, bent on destroying Tom's robot and 
his father's atomic energy plant.
Tom drove the earth blaster back to the plant, with Bud and Ames as his 
escort.
"I'll alert the FBI and the police right away," the security chief promised as the 
gate shut behind them.
With the machine safely housed in Tom's experimental laboratory, the two 
boys drove back to a boathouse on Indian River and rented a fast power-
20 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
boat. They cruised up and down the river, scanning every cove and dock for 
Bronich and his men, until darkness fell and they had to give up.
"They made a clean getaway," Tom said, discouraged, as he and Bud 
returned the boat. "I had hoped to tell Dad we caught the rascals."
At home that evening, after giving his father a quick report on the day's 
events, Tom ate a late meal by himself. The rest of the family had finished dinner 
some time earlier.
Rather than sit alone in the dining room, Tom preferred to eat in the big, 
cheerful kitchen of the Swift residence. As his dainty, attractive mother served 
the food she had been keeping warm on the gleaming white kitchen range, his 
seventeen-year-old sister Sandra plied him with questions about the day's 
events.
"Does this mean your earth blaster is ruined?" the blond, blue-eyed girl 
inquired anxiously.
"No, but it will hold us up a bit," said Tom. "It'll take at least a week to build a 
new activator and get our working model back in operation."
As he went on to explain the details, Mrs. Swift smiled at her son proudly. 
Even though most of the time she did not understand the technical aspects of 
Tom's and his father's work, she always listened attentively when they talked 
about it.
After supper Tom rejoined his father. Mr. Swift
ATOMIC SPY 21
was seated in his comfortable private den, a large room on the first floor of 
the house, which opened onto a terrace through French doors.
"Any word yet from Ames about that atomic spy?" Tom asked.
"Not yet. But the State Police and the Coast Guard have joined in the search, 
so it should be only a matter of time."
"I sure would like to find out why that fellow Bronich wants the earth blaster!" 
Tom went on.
As Mr. Swift discussed the matter with his son, his thoughts went back to 
some of the hair-raising adventures he had gone through in connection with his 
own youthful inventions.
Tom had inherited his father's scientific genius and resembled him closely. 
Both had the same keen, deep-set blue eyes, but Tom was the taller of the two.
"By the way," remarked the elder inventor, "Uncle Ned is coming over 
tonight. He wants to talk over plans for manufacturing your earth blaster. He said 
he had some problems to take up concerning our jet plane production, too."
A few minutes later they heard the sound of a car on the graveled side drive.
"That must be Uncle Ned now!" Tom exclaimed, jumping up from his chair. 
"I'll go let him in."
Ned Newton was his father's oldest and most loyal
22 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
friend. He was also the business manager of the Swift Construction 
Company, which had expanded to nationwide importance under his guiding 
hand.
Tom met him at the front door and led him back to Mr. Swift's den. The two 
old friends greeted each other warmly. In the old days, before Tom was born, 
Ned Newton had helped Tom Swift Sr. defeat many dangerous and unscrupulous 
enemies.
When Uncle Ned was seated in a comfortable chair, he turned to the younger 
Swift with a twinkle in his eye. "I hear you had a slight brush with Mr. Greenup."
Tom grimaced. "I just hope it doesn't lead to trouble with the Town Council."
"You let me worry about that," Uncle Ned replied, and added with a chuckle, 
"His bark is worse than his bite. I know-I've handled that old curmudgeon before."
"Just the same, this water problem is getting serious," said Mr. Swift. "If the 
water company doesn't find an answer pretty soon, we may have to curtail 
operations at the plant!"
The two older men and Tom discussed this situation and other production 
problems facing the Swift Construction Company.
"In my opinion," remarked Uncle Ned, "the worst problem facing us is a 
threatened shortage of good iron ore. Without ore, the mills can't produce
ATOMIC SPY 23
steel. And that could lead to a mighty dangerous situation for the whole free 
world!"
"What about the Ungava range up in Labrador?" asked Tom.
"That will help," Uncle Ned admitted. "But it won't supply all the world's needs 
and in time it may peter out just like the Mesabi did." He puffed thoughtfully on 
his pipe, then said, "Tom, can't you figure out a new source of high-grade iron 
ore?"
The young inventor was staring intently off into space. It wasn't the first time 
that he had given thought to this particular problem.
"I can do better than that," he said finally. "I can name you a source of pure 
iron."
"Where?"
"The center of the earth."
Uncle Ned's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Impossible! No one could tap 
that!"
Tom disagreed. An amazing idea had just occurred to him.
"I think I could do it," he said quietly.
CHAPTER 3
DANGER SIGNAL
UNCLE NED and Mr. Swift stared at the young scientist in amazement.
"Are you serious?" Uncle Ned asked.
"Very much so," Tom replied.
"Serious about what?" put in a girl's lively voice.
"Oh, come on in, Sandy. You too, Mother."
Sandra and Mrs. Swift had just finished clearing away Tom's dishes in the 
kitchen and had come to join the others. Instantly Tom drew up a chair for his 
mother, while Sandy perched on the arm of Mr. Swift's chair.
"Tom was just telling us he has an idea for tapping pure iron from the center 
of the earth," Uncle Ned explained. "I must say it seems a little farfetched, even 
from Tom."
"If my brother says it's possible, you can bet on it!" Sandra declared.
24
DANGER SIGNAL 25
"Thanks, Sandy," Tom said, grinning. "I hope I can convince everyone else 
that easily!"
"What is it you have in mind, son?" Mr. Swift inquired.
"Well, to begin with," Tom said, "scientists are agreed that the center of the 
earth is molten iron."
"The entire core of the earth is molten iron, isn't it?" Uncle Ned asked.
"No one knows for sure," Tom replied. "However, my own hunch is that the 
inner core is solid iron, with a layer of molten liquid in between that and the 
earth's outer crust. I base my theory on the shape of the earth and the fact that it 
rotates on a fairly stable axis."
"You may be right," Mr. Swift agreed thoughtfully. "That theory agrees with 
most estimates of heat at the earth's core."
"Anyhow," Tom went on, "it's certain that if we burrow down below the earth's 
crust, we'll strike molten iron."
"Goodness, it sounds as if you'd have to go miles down!" his mother 
exclaimed.
Tom nodded. "That's true. But there's one place where I believe the molten 
iron is much closer to the surface than anywhere else on earth."
"Where's that?" Sandy asked. She was listening eagerly, her chin cupped in 
her hands and her eyes wide with interest.
26 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"At the South Pole," Tom replied.
There was a stir of surprise as the young inventor went on to explain his 
reasons.
"For one thing, it shows up in the ground temperature. You see, up in the 
north polar regions, the soil is covered with a solid layer of permafrost all year 
round. But down south, in the Antarctic, you find spots that are warm and free 
from snow.
"Also, magnetic flux lines enter the earth near the South Pole."
"Those are pretty good arguments," Mr. Swift conceded. "But your mother is 
still right. Even at the South Pole, that molten iron must be several hundred miles 
down. And that would take a lot of digging, even for your atomic earth blaster."
"It would leave quite a pile of dirt, too, I should think," put in Sandra with a 
laugh.
Mr. Swift pulled a small slide rule out of his pocket and did some hasty 
figuring.
"Suppose you dug a pit three feet in diameter," he said. "For every hundred 
miles you went down, you'd haul up enough dirt to cover six square city blocks 
and piled three times as high as the Empire State Building!"
"Golly!" Sandy gasped, and for the first time expressed some doubts about 
her brother's plan.
But Tom had a solution. "We could get around that by changing the design of 
the earth blaster."
DANGER SIGNAL 27
"How?" his father asked.
"Instead of using the atomic energy to grind up the dirt and rocks, we could 
use it to power an electric smelter. This would release gaseous oxygen from the 
melted rock. And the gas in turn would billow up the shaft, carrying the particles 
of ore dust with it, so we wouldn't need a conveyor."
Mr. Swift tugged at his lower lip and nodded thoughtfully. But Uncle Ned 
shook his head.
"Even if your idea is sound, think of the tremendous expense involved. I'm 
afraid we could never finance such a venture."
"I'm sure that the government would help out on the cost," said Tom. 
"Especially if we invite their scientists to go along on the expedition."
"There's one other objection, Tom," his father put in. "Suppose you did strike 
that molten iron. You'd have every government that ever staked a claim at the 
South Pole insisting the ore belonged to them too."
Frowning, Tom got up and paced around the room.
"Well, Dad, that's a question the United States government would have to 
settle. But one thing I'm sure of. No government that hasn't staked a claim at the 
South Pole should be allowed to drill there!"
"You mean like Kranjov, for instance?" asked Sandy.
28 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Right!"
At that moment there was a loud buzz, accompanied by a whining, growling 
sound, as though a pack of watchdogs had suddenly caught a scent of danger.
"The alarm system!" cried Sandy, jumping up from her chair. "Someone must 
be trying to break into the house!"
"You and Mother stay here!" Tom declared.
With the two older men, he made a dash to check on all doors and windows.
The entire house and grounds were surrounded by a magnetic field. Any 
person entering this field automatically set off the alarm system, unless provided 
with some kind of deactivator mechanism.
The Swift family and their friends all wore little neutralizer coils in their wrist 
watches for this purpose. But prowlers or unexpected visitors unknowingly 
always signaled their presence by touching off the alarm.
Next, Tom flicked a switch near the front door and immediately the grounds 
were flooded by the glare of powerful spotlights, arranged to cover every bit of 
the property. Tom had installed them after a previous burglary attempt.
"This should flush anybody hiding in the shrubbery," Tom said, poking 
around the bushes with his father and Uncle Ned. The young inventor found
DANGER SIGNAL
29
several sets of footprints on the grass, but they faded out and led nowhere.
"Let's use the bloodhounds," Mr. Swift said.
The two dogs, Caesar and Brutus, were kept in kennels behind the garden. 
Straining at the leash, under Tom's and his father's control, they made a 
complete circuit of the house and grounds.
But even the bloodhounds failed to locate the intruder. Puzzled and uneasy, 
Tom and the two older men returned to the house. Mrs. Swift and Sandra were 
waiting for them in the den.
"Who was it?" asked Sandra.
"I don't know. He got away," Tom replied in a worried tone of voice.
When they resumed their interrupted conversa-

30 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
tion, Uncle Ned asked for more details about Tom's plan.
A few minutes later they heard someone tapping on the study window! Mrs. 
Swift gave a startled gasp.
"Take it easy, Mumsy." Tom laughed, hoping to reassure her. But he himself 
felt uneasy as he got up to open the Venetian blind and look out.
The window tapper was Bud Barclay!
Tom gave an inward sigh of relief. "Come around back to the terrace!" he 
shouted. "I'll let you in through the French doors."
"Hope I didn't startle you folks," said Bud, as he entered the room. "It was 
awfully stupid of me, but I forgot to wear my neutralizer wrist watch."
"What! "Tom cried.
Bud looked at his friend in surprise. "Well, for Pete's sake, don't get so 
worked up about it. Anyone can make a mistake!"
"You don't understand," Tom said. "The alarm system didn't go off this time!"
"Huh?" Bud stared. "You mean I didn't set off the alarm, even though I wasn't 
wearing the coil?"
"That's right," said Tom. "And the funny thing is, the alarm did go off about 
twenty minutes ago, but we couldn't find anyone."
"I think perhaps we'd better investigate further," Mr. Swift said, rising.
DANGER SIGNAL 31
This time, Tom took a small wrench from his pocket and held it up close to 
the dial over the front door. The dial was supposed to react to the presence of 
metal and thus reveal any concealed weapons carried by visitors. But the 
fluctuating needle remained perfectly still.
"There's your answer," Tom announced grimly. "The whole alarm system is 
dead!"
CHAPTER 4
A PERILOUS EXPERIMENT
WHAT HAD WRECKED the alarm system? Tom wondered. Was it 
accidental, or a case of deliberate sabotage?
The young inventor ran downstairs to his laboratory workshop in the 
basement and came back a moment later with a kit of electrical tools. Then he 
began to make a complete inspection of the electromagnetic alarm circuits. In a 
few minutes he had the answer.
"It was sabotage, all right! Someone shorted the winding on this solenoid. 
And in my opinion, it was done by a clever technician-someone who knew 
exactly what he was doing!"
"Bronich!" exclaimed Bud.
"Could be." Tom put his tools back in the kit.
32
A PERILOUS EXPERIMENT 33
"Judging by the job he did on the earth blaster, he must be a trained 
engineer. All we have to do now is find him!"
"Which may not be so easy," Uncle Ned observed in a worried voice. "At 
least not tonight. We've already been over the house and grounds."
"We'd better make the rounds again-just to play safe," Mr. Swift said. "And 
we'll use the bloodhounds."
This time, they split up into two teams. Tom and Bud covered half the 
grounds with Caesar, while Mr. Swift and Uncle Ned searched the other half with 
Brutus.
But again they found no intruder. A short time later Uncle Ned and Bud said 
good-night and left. After they had gone, Mr. Swift turned to his son.
"Perhaps it might be wise to repair the alarm system before we turn in. We 
could have a guard sent over from the plant, but I'd feel safer with our own 
system in operation."
"Good idea," Tom agreed. "It's going to take some time, though. When that 
solenoid was shorted, it blew the whole main circuit."
"This time we'll put in a stand-by circuit to take over in case the main system 
fails."
It took Tom and his father most of the night to design and install the new 
system. But finally they were able to snatch a few hours' sleep.
34 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Over a late breakfast the next morning, they talked again about the possibility 
of a South Pole expedition in search of iron.
"I have to fly to Washington today, anyhow," Mr. Swift announced. "While I'm 
there, I'll sound out the authorities about government backing."
"I sure hope that you can sell them on the idea!" Tom said. "In the meantime, 
I'll get back to work on the atomic blaster. I believe I can use my present design 
as the basis for a much more powerful machine to penetrate the earth's crust."
After breakfast father and son drove to Swift Enterprises. Here, in a cluster of 
buildings and airstrips sprawled over a four-mile-square enclosure, their scientific 
ideas were developed.
Tom said good-by to his father at the main gate and hurried to his own 
private laboratory. To get in, he took an electronic key from his pocket, dialed the 
proper wave length, and beamed it at the lock. The door flew open.
The laboratory was equipped for all kinds of experiments. It contained an 
electron microscope, chemical supplies and glassware, a small electric smelter 
for metallurgical work, and a variety of other apparatus.
Seated on a stool in front of his workbench, Tom quickly applied his thoughts 
to the job of altering and improving his original blaster design.
A PERILOUS EXPERIMENT 35
Where to begin?
For one thing, he must adapt the cooling system, invented for his giant robot, 
for use in the earth blaster. This system used a highly paramagnetic fluid which 
was alternately magnetized and demagnetized. The fluid was circulated through 
the vacuum tubes inside the robot and controlled by a thermostat to maintain an 
ideal working temperature of 96.4° Fahrenheit.
A similar system would be needed to protect the instruments in the earth 
blaster from overheating. A hundred miles down, the blaster would have to 
operate at temperatures of several thousand degrees -hot enough to shrivel a 
human being to ashes!
"And speaking of instruments," mused Tom, "she'll need a gyroscope, too." 
He smiled at the thought of what might happen if the machine ever veered off 
course. "It might burrow into some other country's territory and swipe their ore!"
Two hours later, while Tom was busy with his slide rule working out structural 
details of the new blaster, he became aware of voices outside the laboratory 
window.
One voice was that of Bud Barclay, the other Tom recognized as Chow 
Winkler's. Chow was a former chuck-wagon cook from the Texas Panhandle, 
whom Tom and his father had first met while they were engaged in atomic 
research in the Southwest.
36 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Chow had become so attached to the Swifts that he had accompanied them 
back to Shopton and taken over the job of chef on expeditions.
"What's young Tom up to now in that lab o' his?" Chow was asking.
"Why, haven't you heard?" Bud replied. "He's inventing a pair of shoes that 
leave no footprints!"
A moment later Bud and Chow entered the laboratory. The cook was a short, 
bronzed, roly-poly man, with bowlegs and a round head that was rapidly going 
bald. Tom grinned when he saw the brand-new sports shirt that Chow was 
wearing. The chef liked flashy shirts, but this one was even louder and more 
hideous than usual, with large orange sunbursts on a green-and-purple 
background.
"Kinda like this little number, do you?" The ex-cowpoke chuckled proudly. "I 
picked it up fer a song through the latest mail-order catalog."
Preening himself like a peacock, he turned from side to side to show off the 
shirt from all angles. Tom squinted his eyes painfully and peered at the shirt 
through his fingers.
"You'll have to excuse me, Chow, but I can't make it out so well. I left my 
sunglasses home this morning."
Bud roared with laughter, but Chow took the ribbing in his usual good-
natured fashion.
"You know what this hydrophobiated hoss thief
A PERILOUS EXPERIMENT 37
was tellin' me?" he remarked, jerking his thumb in Bud's direction.
"Sounded like something about a pair of boots," replied Tom cautiously.
"You figgerin' out somethin' special in that line?"
"Well, if we make this expedition to the South Pole that we're planning, we'll 
probably have to wear heated boots."
Chow gaped in astonishment. "Well, brand my radarscope!" Then he 
recovered and grinned a bit uncertainly. "Oh, I ketch on. A feller can't leave 
footprints on ice nohow!"
Tom laughed, then said, "Seriously, Chow, this trip will be quite an 
undertaking. You'd better start making a list of the food supplies you'll want to 
take along."
Bud winked. "To add to the stewed whale blubber and penguin soup you'll 
probably be serving us," he said. Bud was referring to Chow's well-known 
weakness for dreaming up exotic dishes of his own concoction.
"You jest leave all that to me, son," the cook said reassuringly. "I reckon I can 
figger out some tasty dishes even fer a place like the South Pole." He then 
inquired how the expedition would travel.
"We'll take the Sky Queen," Tom told him, referring to his first great invention, 
the three-decked Flying Lab. "And probably a couple of cargo planes.
38 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
So you'll have a good galley to cook in and plenty of room for groceries."
After Chow had left for the plant kitchen to prepare lunch for the boys, Tom 
went back to his work on the new earth blaster. Leaving the structural details for 
the time being, the young inventor turned his attention to some chemical 
experiments.
"What cooks, chum?" inquired Bud. "I mean, besides lunch."
Tom was now mixing several chemicals in a large flask.
"I'm trying to find a new plasticizer for asbesta-lon," he explained.
"A new which-icizer?"
"Plasticizer." Tom laughed. "That's something you put into plastics to make 
them tough and pliable."
"What's the matter with the one you have now?" Bud asked. "The plastic 
coating you slapped on the earth blaster seemed like pretty good insulation."
Tom shook his head. "It's all right for insulating the machine against the heat 
of the atomic pile inside. But think what would happen when we get down in 
those frigid temperatures at the South Pole!"
"Well, don't keep me in suspense," Bud pursued. "What would happen?"
"The asbestalon we have now would probably
A PERILOUS EXPERIMENT 39
turn brittle and crack in the extreme cold. So I'm trying to work out some new 
stuff that will be suitable for both high and low temperatures."
Bud watched in silence as Tom stirred the mixture, then added a drop from 
another container.
"What's that?" Bud demanded.
"Boron fluoride etherate."
"Come again?"
"I'm using it as a catalyst to make the chemical reaction come off. It plays no 
part in the reaction itself, but it sort of sparks things for the other ingredients. 
Gives them a chemical hotfoot, you might say."
"Doesn't look to me as if it's doing much good," Bud commented, peering at 
the flask.
"Get your head out of the way," Tom said, "and I'll try a little more."
Holding the bottle at arm's length, he poured a drop or two more into the 
reaction flask.
The contents began to bubble violently. An instant later the flask exploded 
with a loud bang that shook the whole laboratory!
CHAPTER 5
THE WHISPERED CLUE
IT WAS several seconds after the explosion before Tom, dazed and shaken, 
managed to pick himself off the floor.
His face stung and smarted. Groggily, the young inventor brushed one hand 
across his cheek. When he brought it away, it was streaked with blood.
Beside him, Bud was just struggling to his feet. "Roarin" rockets!" he gasped. 
"What hit me?"
"A slight overdose of boron fluoride etherate," Tom said ruefully. "Sorry, pal. I 
should have taken better precautions on that experiment."
At that moment Chow Winkler and Hank Sterling burst into the lab, 
accompanied by several plant workmen.
"Holy smoke!" Hank exclaimed. "What's going on in here?"
40
THE WHISPERED CLUE 41
"The boy genius was just showing me how to use a catalyst to spark a 
chemical reaction," Bud said with a chuckle. "He showed me all right! Then the 
roof fell in!"
"You two young'uns all right?" Chow demanded anxiously.
"Still in one piece," said Tom. "But I guess we could do with a little cleaning 
up."
Instinctively both boys had flung up their hands and arms to protect their 
eyes when the flask exploded. Both had suffered slight cuts from the flying glass, 
and their clothing was splattered with the chemical mixture, but otherwise they 
were uninjured.
Damage to the laboratory was also slight. One shattered windowpane, plus 
some broken test tubes and other minor chemical equipment, seemed to be the 
only items which needed replacing.
After leaving orders to have the debris cleaned up, Tom accompanied Bud to 
the Swift Enterprises infirmary, where their cuts were treated by the company 
nurse. Then they adjourned to the spacious private office in the main building 
which Tom shared with his father.
Tom's half of the office contained a huge modern desk and a large 
workbench which slid in or out of the wall at the push of a button.
Displayed in the room were models of Tom's most
42 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
important inventions, hand tooled by Arvid Hanson, chief modelmaker of 
Swift Enterprises. Among them was a large, perfectly scaled model of the Sky 
Queen, a silver replica of Tom's rocket ship, the Star Spear, resting on three red 
fins with its nose pointing skyward, and a copy of his jetmarine, the Sea Dart, in 
blue plastic. The largest item in the collection was a model of Tom's giant robot.
Over a tasty lunch of soup and sandwiches, which Chow brought them, the 
boys talked about Tom's experiment.
"What happens now?" Bud inquired. "You going to give up on that 
asbestalon?"
Tom shook his head. "Not yet. But in the next experiment I'll use a milder 
catalyst and take a few more precautions."
After lunch they returned to the laboratory. This time, Tom prepared to carry 
out the test behind a safety shield. He also suspended the flask over a quench 
tank into which he could plunge the chemical mixture in case the reaction 
showed signs of getting out of hand.
"You sure this new stuff is milder?" Bud grinned. "Or should I start diving out 
the window right now?"
"It's definitely milder," Tom reassured him. "It's titanium tetrachloride."
Using long-handled tongs, Tom reached past the
THE WHISPERED CLUE 43
safety shield and poured a drop or two of the catalyst into the flask. Gradually 
the chemical mixture began to seethe and bubble.
"Looks as if it's working out all right," commented Bud. "But it sure smells 
terrible!"
Tom waited until he was certain the reaction was completed. Then he poured 
out the contents of the flask, allowed it to cool until it was a rubbery mass, and 
then proceeded to test the substance in several different ways.
Bud looked on with keen interest. "Well?" he asked finally.
The young inventor's face wore a pleased smile. "Bud, I believe this new 
form of asbestalon is all I hoped for and a lot more besides!"
Bud shook his head admiringly. "Chum, I've got to hand it to you. I don't 
know how you do it, but you always come through with the goods!"
Tom added, "Of course we'll have to run some more tests on it in the cold lab 
to make sure it'll stand up under sub-zero temperatures. Then, if it works out 
okay, we can have the chemical division start making it up in quantity."
The door opened and Harlan Ames strode into the room. "Big news!" he 
exclaimed.
"What's up?" Tom asked the security chief.
"I think they've nailed those two thugs working with Bronich-the ones who 
tied you up! The State
44 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Police caught two men today who answer the description! Captain Rock 
wants you to identify them."
"Now we're getting somewhere!" Bud exclaimed. "Let's go."
Fifteen minutes later Police Captain Rock greeted them in his office. "Sit 
down and I'll have the men brought in."
Their wrists handcuffed, the two men entered the room with a husky state 
trooper as guard.
"How about it, Tom?" said Captain Rock. "Are these the men?"
Tom got up from his chair and went over to study the prisoners closely.
"No doubt about it," he announced. "I can identify this fellow by the small scar 
over his left eyebrow. And the other one was wearing the same belt he has on 
now." The belt was unmistakable. It had a large fancy buckle studded with 
colored stones.
"All right, Bank, and you too, Dutt," Captain Rock said. "Start talking. And 
you'd better make it as convincing as your police records!"
"We got nothin' to say," mumbled Bank, the one with the scar.
"Oh, no?" Bud clenched his fists. "Maybe you two would like the same kind of 
a going-over you gave my pal!"
"Take it easy, Bud," Tom said quietly, putting a
THE WHISPERED CLUE 45
restraining hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's true they tied me, but they 
didn't try to rough me up."
The prisoners shot him a grateful glance as the young inventor continued 
speaking.
"Look," he said, "there's no sense in taking the rap for someone else. I'm 
fairly sure the whole thing wasn't your idea, anyhow. So why not tell us who put 
you up to it?"
"Why should we!"
"Because that gunman who stole part of my invention is a foreign agent. If 
you want to cover up for him, you may both end up in prison on charges of 
treason and espionage!"
Captain Rock pounded his desk. "Right, and by the time you birds get out 
you'll have whiskers down to your knees!"
The prisoners looked at each other apprehensively, then back at Tom and 
Captain Rock.
"Okay, you win," growled Bank. "What do you want to know?"
"Who hired you?" asked Tom.
"The guy you were just talkin' about. The one who swiped your truck."
"Where can we find him?"
The man shrugged. "Search me. He wouldn't even tell us his name."
Bank paused and shifted his weight uncomfortably. Dutt stared at the floor.
46 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Come on, speak up!" snapped Captain Rock. "We haven't got all day!"
"Well, there is one thing I can tell you," Bank said. "I heard him gabbin' on the 
phone once. He said he figured on stickin' around till he got the blueprints and 
specifications."
"Whom was he talking to?" asked Ames.
"Don't ask me. Most of the time he was jabberin' away in some foreign lingo I 
couldn't understand."
"That's all you can tell us?" pressed Captain Rock.
"That's all we know."
"Okay, take them back to their cells," the police chief said to the guard.
Just before they were escorted out, Dutt turned to Tom. "Go to 95 Western 
Drive," he said tersely.
"What's there?"
"You'll find out," Dutt said. "That's all I can tell you."
As soon as the prisoners were led away, Captain Rock ordered two of his 
men to Western Drive.
"Wait a minute, Captain," Tom said. "Two uniformed police in a squad car 
might tip off the man we want. Let me take Barclay and Ames to scout the place. 
We'll report back to you."
The captain agreed.
Western Drive was a broad, spacious thoroughfare that wound along the 
shore of Lake Carlopa.
"Boy, I'd sure like to go out today in that new
THE WHISPERED CLUE 47
sailboat of Sandy's!" Bud remarked, gazing at the blue, sparkling waters as 
they drove along.
Harlan Ames was watching the numbers of the houses and apartment 
buildings. Suddenly he exclaimed, "Look! There's the place!"
As Tom swerved to the curb and applied the brakes, both boys gave a gasp 
of astonishment. The building which bore the address of 95 Western Drive was 
the Excelsis Club, a favorite haunt of wealthy sportsmen! Its front faced the street 
and the rear of the property backed onto the lake shore.
"Now what would Bronich be doing in a place like this?" Bud exclaimed. "I 
thought that prisoner was giving us a bum steer!"
"Let's inquire inside," Tom said. "At least we can find out if anyone knows 
him."
As they were getting out of the jeep, a man emerged from a cluster of cars in 
the club's private parking lot and headed toward a side door of the building. Just 
before entering, he turned his head for a glance at the newcomers, and Tom 
caught a brief glimpse of his face.
"That's Bronich!" cried Tom, and made a dash for the side entrance. Bud and 
Ames followed.
The heavy door, marked PRIVATE, had already slammed shut by the time 
they reached it. Tom and his friends pounded on it loudly and rattled the handle 
but got no response.
48 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
The three hurried back around the corner of the building and ran up the 
flagged walk.
Under a striped awning, a towering doorman in a gold-braided uniform stood 
guard at the entrance. As Ames and the boys tried to rush past him, he stuck out 
his right arm to bar the way.
"May I see your cards, please?"
"Hang it all," Ames said impatiently. "We have no cards, but we're here on 
very important business!"
The doorman assumed a frozen, supercilious expression.
"Sorry, sir," he replied firmly, "but my orders are to admit no one to the 
Excelsis Club except regular members!"
CHAPTER 6
BRONICH VANISHES
FUMING WITH IMPATIENCE, Harlan Ames told the doorman who he and 
the boys were, and demanded to see the manager.
"He's not available," the man said icily.
"We're trailing someone who's wanted by the police!" Tom explained. "He's a 
dangerous foreign agent and we saw him enter this club through the side door!"
"Sorry, sir, but I have my orders."
At a nod from Tom, Bud and Ames followed the young inventor in a search of 
some other means of entrance to the club.
"That frozen-faced doorman!" raged Bud, as they circled the building. "We 
should've grabbed him by the seat of the pants and tossed him in the lake!"
"Never mind him," Tom said. "The important
49
50 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
thing right now is to make sure Bronich doesn't get away!"
At the back of the building a door was standing slightly open. From inside 
came a clatter of dishes, and an appetizing smell of food wafted out through a 
whirring ventilator.
"Must be the club kitchen," Bud said. "That's as good a way in as any other!"
Before Tom or Ames could stop him, he went charging inside.
The clatter of dishes stopped for a moment. Then there was an angry babble 
of voices.
A moment later Bud came hurtling out of the kitchen door to land sprawling at 
the feet of his two companions!
In the doorway stood a huge, olive-skinned, mustachioed man in a chef's 
cap. As he poured out a flood of voluble Italian, he waved a rolling pin angrily at 
Bud.
"Next'a time, I won't'a be so gentle!" he finished threateningly. "And you can 
tell'a that to you'a friends, too!"
"Whew!" Bud said, as he picked himself up and dusted off his slacks. "That 
guy belongs on a pro football team! What a blocker he'd make!"
"Looks as if we're out of luck," said Tom, trying hard not to laugh at Bud's 
discomfiture.
"No use wasting any more time," Ames suggested.
BRONICH VANISHES 51
"I'll put in a call to the State Police. While I'm gone, you two stay here and 
keep a sharp lookout for Bronich, in case he tries to leave!"
Nobody had emerged from the building by the time Ames returned, and two 
minutes later the trio saw a police car speed up the street. As it stopped in front 
of the club, the car doors opened and three state troopers stepped out, led by 
Captain Rock, Turning to his men, he said crisply:
"Foster, you take the side door! Let no one leavel Jorgens, you and Brant 
guard the back!"
At sight of the police the doorman's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. 
This time, he opened the door promptly, and Captain Rock entered, followed by 
Tom, Ames, and Bud.
Inside, the club secretary came hurrying forward to greet them. He was a 
bony, hawk-nosed man wearing pince-nez glasses. Tom told him why they were 
there.
"The whole charge is ridiculous!" he snorted in a nasal, high-pitched voice 
when told that a foreign spy had been seen entering the club.
"Mind if we look for ourselves?" Captain Rock said grimly.
From the secretary's expression, it was clear that he did mind. But when the 
police captain produced a warrant, there was nothing he could do but stand 
aside.
52 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Assisted by Harlan Ames and the boys, the police searched the club from top 
to bottom, but they found not the slightest trace of Bronich!
"Well, I'll be a boiled bazooka!" said Bud, scratching his head in puzzlement. 
"We know doggone well Bronich came in here. We saw him with our own eyes!"
"Well, he's not here now," said Captain Rock, "so it looks as if he flew the 
coop."
"But how could he?" argued Tom. "We were watching the place all the time!"
The police captain shrugged. "If he knew you fellows had spotted him, he 
may have sneaked out in disguise-maybe a chauffeur's uniform."
After the troopers had left, Ames was still angry and dissatisfied. But he said 
nothing until he and the boys had driven away in the jeep.
Then, a short distance from the club, he asked Tom to pull over to the curb.
"What's wrong?" Bud asked.
"I have a hunch Bronich is still hiding out at the Excelsis Club."
The security chief climbed out of the jeep.
"I'm going back to do some more investigating," he went on. "I'll keep out of 
sight and see what I can learn. If Bronich thinks we've gone, maybe he'll give 
himself away!"
Tom and Bud drove back to Swift Enterprises. It
BRONICH VANISHES 53
was almost closing time when they entered the gates of the sprawling 
experimental station.
In the main building, Miss Trent, the Swifts' capable and efficient secretary, 
told Tom, "Your father just got back from Washington. He'd like to see you at 
once!"
Tom hurried to their private office.
"That was a quick flight, Dad!" he exclaimed, in response to his father's 
greeting.
"Tom, I have great news!" announced Mr. Swift. "That's why I flew back to 
Shopton immediately. The government officials I talked to are very much 
interested in your proposed expedition to the South Pole."
"Have they given us the go-ahead?"
"They have, indeed; even granted permission for us to explore any part of 
the Antarctic claimed by the United States. And Uncle Sam will also lend us 
funds to help finance the expedition, provided we take along several government 
scientists!"
Tom gave a whoop of delight and pumped his father's arm up and down in a 
handshake of joyful enthusiasm.
"Dad, that's wonderful! Let's start planning for the trip right now!"
Mr. Swift smiled at his son's excitement. He fully shared Tom's reaction to 
the promise of high adventure. But he added a note of caution.
54 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Don't forget this will be a tremendous undertaking. And it all depends on 
your perfecting the new model of your atomic earth blaster!"
Then he pressed the switch of his intercom. "Miss Trent, please phone Mr. 
Newton at the Swift Construction Company. Ask him to come to my office for a 
very important meeting as soon as possible!"
While they waited for Uncle Ned, Tom told his father about the latest 
developments in the case of Bronich and the two hired thugs. He also described 
the progress he had made on the new blaster, including his invention of a new 
form of asbestalon for use at low temperatures.
"Great work, son!" Mr. Swift congratulated him. "At this rate, your new blaster 
may be ready even sooner than we'd expected."
Shortly after that, Uncle Ned arrived at Swift Enterprises, carrying a bulging 
brief case. After greeting him, Tom asked for permission to let Bud Barclay sit in 
on the meeting.
Both men readily agreed, and Bud was sent for immediately. When he 
arrived, all four pulled up chairs around a highly polished mahogany table and 
got down to business.
First, Mr. Swift gave a detailed report of the news from Washington. Bud was 
as wildly enthusiastic as Tom had been. But Uncle Ned reserved judgment until 
he had time to study the details.
BRONICH VANISHES 55
The expedition was discussed from all angles. Tom frankly pointed out the 
hazards they would be facing. Uncle Ned drew up a rough estimate of the total 
cost. Even with government financial backing for the expedition, it would amount 
to a staggering sum!
Uncle Ned and Mr. Swift faced each other soberly across the table. The risk 
was tremendous. But finally they came to a decision. They agreed to undertake 
the South Pole expedition, with the investment of large sums of money from both 
the Swift Construction Company and Swift Enterprises!
"It's only fair to warn you, Tom," Uncle Ned added, "that we're staking 
everything on the hope of success. If your project fails, our firms will be ruined!"
Tom's heart pounded, but he managed to reply calmly, "I'll do my best to 
make sure the expedition succeeds, Uncle Ned!"
Tom realized that success of his venture would necessarily mean the loss of 
the blaster, which would disintegrate upon striking the earth's molten core. But 
this loss would be only a fraction of the value of the endless source of pure iron 
obtained!
Bud brought up the question of clothing. "I suppose we'll all have to go 
around in fur parkas down there," he remarked.
"We'll need more than fur suits," Tom replied.
56 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Any clothing we wear will have to be radiation-proof."
Bud frowned in disbelief and asked, "Won't the atomic pile inside your blaster 
be sheathed in Toma-site?" He referred to the amazing new plastic invented by 
Mr. Swift, which, although very light in weight, absorbed gamma rays more 
effectively than either lead or concrete. Mrs. Swift had named it in honor of both 
father and son.
"Sure," Tom replied, "but suppose we have to tear down the machine for 
repairs. And don't forget that the dirt and rock will be converted into gas by 
atomic energy inside the blaster. Consequently the fumes rising up to the surface 
will be slightly radioactive, too."
Mr. Swift offered a suggestion. "I think the answer to that problem is to have 
your clothing impregnated with Tomasite," he said.
A rapping of knuckles sounded on the office door. In answer to Mr. Swift's 
"Come in!" Chow Winkler waddled into the room, pushing a lunch cart loaded 
with steaming dishes of food. The Texan grinned.
"Seein7 as how you gents are prob'ly gonna be late fer supper at home," he 
explained, "I figgered I'd better rustle you up some grub right here."
With a shock of surprise, the four conferees saw that they had been talking 
much longer than they realized. It was almost half past seven. Outside, daylight 
had faded into dusk.
BRONICH VANISHES 57
"This South Pole trip will be quite a change from Texas, Chow," Uncle Ned 
remarked with a smile, as they all consumed the food hungrily.
"How d'you mean?"
"All the ice and snow you'll have to contend with." He turned to Tom. "How 
cold does it get down there, anyhow?"
"It gets mighty cold," replied the young inventor. "Some places the 
temperature never rises above five degrees even in midsummer. And in winter, it 
drops down to a hundred below zero!"
"Leapin" cactus!" Beneath his heavy tan Chow's face paled, and he gave a 
nervous shudder. "Why, man alive, that's worse'n a blizzard on the open plains! 
Brand my jets, I ain't so sure I wanta go 'long on this ole expedition!"
"Don't worry, Chow." Tom grinned. "We'll have electrical heating units built 
into our suits, with thermostats to regulate the temperature. All you'll have to do is 
set the right temperature on the dial and you can stay as warm as you like, no 
matter how cold it gets outside!"
The Texan chuckled with relief. "Now you're talkin', boy!" But then his face 
became sober again. "Come to think of it, that means I'll have to do all my cookin' 
with gloves on-an' that's somethin' no self-respectin' chuck-wagon cook would be 
caught dead with!"
The phone jangled shrilly.
58 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Tom answered it. "Hello? ... Oh, hi! ... Yes, we're still here at the plant. My 
dad just got back from Washington. . . . What! . . . All right, fine! You stay there, 
and Bud and I will be right over to join you!"
As he put down the phone, his father flashed a quizzical glance.
"That was Harlan Ames," Tom explained. "He thinks he's found a secret exit 
from the Excelsis Club, and wants Bud and me to join him right away!"
Five minutes later the boys were speeding off in Bud's red convertible.
Ames had arranged to meet them on the shore line of Lake Carlopa, just off 
Western Drive, a short distance from the Excelsis Club.
When they reached the meeting place, Bud turned the car off onto the grassy 
strip that ran between the paved roadway and the concrete embankment.
It was now completely dark, but at a shrill whistle from Tom, a light flashed 
from the water's edge- Ames' signal.
The boys clambered over the edge of the embankment and dropped into the 
waiting boat.
"I figured a rowboat would be safer than a motor-boat," Ames explained. 
"Quieter that way. I've greased the oarlocks, too."
BRONICH VANISHES 59
Tom took the rower's seat and Ames shoved off from the concrete wall. As 
they headed toward the Excelsis Club, a rising moon cast a silvery glow across 
the waters of the lake.
"Just where is this secret exit you found?" Tom asked.
"Wait till I show you," said Ames. "If I'm right, it'll explain how Bronich made 
his getaway without being seen!"
A few minutes later the security chief whispered to Tom, "Pull in here!"
The windows of the Excelsis Club were aglow with light, but the shore line 
was shrouded in darkness. Ames snapped on his flashlight and played the beam 
along the embankment. Suddenly he held the beam steady, and Tom gave a 
stifled gasp of surprise. Partly overgrown by vines and creepers, yet clearly 
revealed by the glow of the flashlight, was an opening in the concrete! Four feet 
above the water line a narrow flight of stone steps led upward.
"Let's take a look inside," Tom said excitedly, guiding the craft toward the 
opening.
"Better not leave the boat here," Ames cautioned. "It might give us away."
Tom readily agreed, and Bud added, "I noticed some boat rings a little way 
beyond here. We can tie up to one and then come back here."
After tying up the boat, they crept back along
60 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
the top of the embankment, crouching low to avoid being seen. When they 
reached the stone steps, they descended cautiously.
Once again, Ames snapped on his flashlight. Five steps led downward, then 
the dank stone passageway leveled off for twenty feet. At the end of this, another 
flight of stone steps led upward.
"Come on!" Tom urged.
Softly they made their way up the slippery, moss-grown steps. The stairway 
ended at a trap door above their heads. From the other side of it came a clatter 
of dishes and the sound of voices.
"The club kitchen!" Ames whispered. "Right over us!"
"From the looks of things, the club could be a cover-up for a group of foreign 
agents," remarked Tom, "especially with this passageway in and out of the place. 
A perfect setup for espionage and sabotage agents!"
"With Swift Enterprises as their target!" Bud added.
Suddenly Ames switched off the flashlight, plunging them into darkness.
"Listen!" he hissed. "Someone's coming!"
Bud tensed. "And there's no place to hide!"
CHAPTER 7
A BOLD OFFER
THE NOISE they had heard was that of a boat bumping against the concrete 
wall near the entrance to the passageway. Judging from the sounds that 
followed, whoever was aboard was now debarking.
Tom reached out and grabbed Ames and Bud by the arm.
"Listen!" he whispered. "Just before the light went out, I noticed a recess in 
the left-hand side of the passage. Let's see if it's big enough to hide in!"
Quickly turning to the left, they began groping blindly.
"Here it is!" Tom exclaimed softly. The other two joined him in squeezing into 
the narrow space.
They could hear footsteps now, coming up the stairway. Holding their breath, 
the three friends flattened themselves against the wall.
61
62 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
The newcomer was a man. He was carrying a flashlight, but fortunately he 
aimed it downward at the steps to avoid stumbling. Without seeing Tom and his 
companions, he reached for the trap door.
Tom gave a faint sigh of relief as the man rapped on it several times. A 
moment later it opened, and a ray of light penetrated the darkness. A voice said, 
"Oh, it's you, Podski."
The newcomer asked, "Is Bronich here?"
"No. He phoned to say that he's not coming tonight. He has some business 
to attend to-about Tom Swift."
Tom leaned out of his hiding place to get a view of the speakers. It was 
impossible to see the person in the kitchen. But in the glow of light, Tom clearly 
saw the man who had come through the passageway. He was a short, heavy-set 
individual, partly bald. Tom had never seen him before.
There were a few more remarks in low tones which Tom could not hear. 
Then the man called Podski climbed up into the kitchen, and the trap door closed 
behind him.
The trio emerged from their hiding place and consulted on what to do next.
"If we trail this fellow Podski," Ames said, "he may lead us to other members 
of the gang. Perhaps even to Bronich himself!"
"If we don't want to lose him, we'd better split
A BOLD OFFER 63
up and watch every entrance to the club," Tom said.
"Good idea," agreed the security chief. "Suppose I take the front door. Tom, 
you watch at the side. Bud, you keep an eye on this exit."
The boys agreed to Ames' plan and they took up their posts. Tom crouched 
in a thick mass of shrubbery where he could have a clear view of the side door 
without being seen.
Time went by slowly. Tom felt painfully stiff and cramped. Again and again he 
shifted position to ease the strain on his aching muscles.
Finally the club guests began going home. Cars were driven away from the 
private parking lot. All the lights were turned off inside the building as the last 
employee left. A short time later Ames rejoined Tom.
"Any sign of Podski?" he asked.
When the young inventor said no, they made their way back to the shore line, 
where Bud was standing watch. He, too, had seen no sign of their quarry, and 
Podski's boat was still tied up.
"What happened to that guy?" Bud said impatiently.
"That's what I'd like to know," grumbled the security chief. "Unless he's still in 
there somewhere."
Tom had a sudden idea. "Let's try that trap door. Maybe it's not locked!"

A BOLD OFFER 65
Eagerly they scrambled up to the opening in the concrete ceiling. The trap 
door opened freely in response to Tom's push!
Silently they climbed into the kitchen. The room was shrouded in darkness. 
Ames snapped on his flashlight and played it around. Its beam revealed 
glistening white tile walls, cooking implements, three cooks toves, two long 
wooden tables, and numerous racks of dishes and silverware.
There certainly was no place for anyone to hide.
"Come on," Tom whispered. "Let's try the other rooms."
One by one, they searched every room in the building. But there was no 
trace of Podski or anyone else. He had vanished as completely as Bronich had.
"He must have left by the front or side door just before we started watching," 
Tom said.
Bud groaned. "You mean all this guard duty tonight was a waste of time?"
Tom shrugged. "Can't be helped. I guess the only thing we can do now is 
notify the police."
Using one of the club telephones, Ames called the State Police barracks and 
left a message for Captain Rock, telling him everything that had happened. Then 
the three friends returned by boat to the spot where the red convertible was 
parked, and drove home.
Next morning, Tom continued to work on his
66 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
new blaster. Quickly he mapped out the details for the built-in cooling 
system.
Next, he picked up the telephone and dialed one of the inside numbers at 
Swift Enterprises.
"Have the tractor truck with the experimental blaster driven around to my lab, 
please," he ordered.
When the truck arrived, Tom began making blueprints for the new blaster. 
From time to time, he would refer to the experimental model or remove one of the 
inner parts for close inspection and testing.
After a hasty lunch, the young inventor put in a call to Uncle Ned Newton at 
the Swift Construction Company.
"What's up, Tom?"
"Uncle Ned, how soon can you start building my new blaster at the 
construction plant?"
"Do you have any working drawings for us?"
"Yes, the design is pretty well jelled. I can send over the drawings later this 
afternoon and meet with your engineers tomorrow."
"Fast work, Tom! Glad to hear it. I'll assign a team for the project 
immediately. By the way, what kind of steel will you need?"
"The best. I'll need a high-strength alloy that will stand up at high 
temperatures and have strong resistance to corrosive gases."
"All right," Uncle Ned replied. "I have a batch of chrome-nickel-moly that 
should fill the bill. And
A BOLD OFFER 67
we'll look for those drawings before quitting time today!"
In midafternoon, as Tom was finishing the last of his sketches, Chow Winkler 
dropped in to discuss food supplies needed for the South Pole expedition.
"That sure is a mean-lookin' contraption you got parked outside!" the cook 
added. "Is that what you're diggin' through to China with?"
"Not exactly." Tom grinned. "That's only my experimental model. The blaster 
we take down to the South Pole will be somewhat different."
"How different?"
"Well, look at these drawings. Instead of those digging devices you see 
sticking out of the front end of our experimental model, the new one will have four 
electrodes spaced around the nose and a long guide vane sticking right out of 
the center."
"What's the idea o' them things?" Chow asked.
"Well, you see, the old model just ground up the dirt and rocks mechanically. 
But on my new blaster, these electrodes sticking out in front will melt any rock on 
contact. Then the molten liquid will be drawn in through these intake ports, and 
further smelting will take place inside the machine. The resulting hot gases will jet 
out through these exhaust ports at the rear."
The ex-cowpoke swallowed hard and scratched his head.
"Well, I reckon it's okay if you say so, son," he
68 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
commented, "but it jest looks like some kind o' giant bug to me. An' it sure 
ain't the kind anyone in Texas would want to see crawlin' around out on the 
range!"
Tom burst out laughing.
"You're gonna test this contraption before we get down to that land o' ice 'n' 
snow, ain't you?" the cook went on anxiously.
"I'll tell you a secret, Chow," the young inventor replied. "I'm going to offer to 
dig that tunnel through Pine Hill for the extra water supply Shop-ton needs. Come 
to think of it, I may as well do that right now."
Snatching up the phone, Tom first called his father for approval. Obtaining it, 
he called the water company and asked to speak to Mr. Greenup.
"Well, what is it now?" growled the president.
"Mr. Greenup, you spoke about tunneling through Pine Hill to tap an extra 
supply of water from Silver Lake."
"What about it?"
"I'm willing to undertake that job for you," said Tom. "And what's more, I'll do 
it absolutely free."
"What!" Greenup sounded flabbergasted. Then he added suspiciously, "I 
presume there are some strings attached to your offer?"
"None at all," Tom replied. "It'll give me a chance to put my earth blaster 
through a real work-
ABOLDOFFER 69
out and at the same time benefit the whole community."
Greenup was silent for a moment.
"That's a mighty generous offer," he said finally. "But of course I'll have to 
take it up with the Water Committee of the Town Council before I give you a 
definite answer. Suppose I call you tomorrow morning."
The next day Tom waited eagerly for a reply. Shortly before noon, Greenup 
phoned to say that the committee had voted to accept his offer with thanks.
Tom was jubilant. After lunch he drove to the construction company plant 
where he conferred with the engineers about building the new blaster. Later, he 
stopped at Uncle Ned's office to tell him about the Pine Hill project.
"Do you think that will be safe, in view of the radioactive exhaust gases?" Mr. 
Newton asked.
"I won't use our South Pole blaster to dig the tunnel," replied Tom. "I intend to 
build a special model for this job. It will utilize most of my new design features 
and give me a chance to test them out. But instead of using the electric smelting 
principle to convert the rock into gases, this machine will operate on a 
mechanical grinding principle, just like my first model."
Uncle Ned considered for a few moments.
70 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Okay," he agreed. "The job may help you iron out any bugs in your new 
design, and perhaps suggest other improvements. But no chrome-nickel-moly for 
this model. That stuff's too expensive! You'll have to build the machine with 
regular mild-carbon steel."
Late that afternoon Tom was in his private laboratory at Swift Enterprises 
with Bud Barclay. Work was over for the day, and the two boys were discussing 
the expedition to the Antarctic.
Suddenly an alarm bell clanged.
"The radarscope!" Bud exclaimed. "Wait'll I switch on the set!"
The two boys tensely watched the scope. As the scanner swept around the 
screen, a blip of light showed up in the five-o'clock sector, then began moving 
slowly in toward the center.
"Must be some kind of aircraft," remarked Bud. "But what the dickens is the 
pilot up to?"
"We'll soon find out!" said Tom. "Let's go."
Dashing outside, the boys stared skyward to the southeast.
"There it is!" Tom shouted.
A helicopter was spiraling crazily down!
CHAPTER 8
A THREAT OF REVENGE
THE HELICOPTER was yawing wildly from side to side as it floated 
downward.
"That pilot must be balmy!" Bud exclaimed.
"Maybe he's hurt," said Tom.
The two boys watched in puzzled and anxious concern, realizing they were 
helpless to aid the stricken craft.
"Let's try for a closer look!" Tom cried. He ran back to the laboratory and 
returned a moment later with a pair of field glasses.
"Can you make anything out?" asked Bud, as his friend trained the glasses 
skyward.
"Looks as if something is wrong with the pilot," Tom replied, "but it's hard to 
tell for sure from this angle."
As soon as they could judge the approximate spot
71
72 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
where the ship would land, the boys leaped into a jeep and speeded toward 
it.
Just as they reached the scene, the helicopter hit the ground with a jarring 
impact that almost buckled one of the landing-gear struts. In the the cabin was a 
single occupant, slumped over the controls.
A crash truck already had reached the spot. As the boys rushed to offer 
assistance, plants guards and other employees came running from all directions.
"Is he hurt badly?" Tom asked, as the crash crew lifted the pilot's limp body 
out of the cabin.


A THREAT OF REVENGE 73
"Doesn't seem to be hurt at all," replied one of the men. "Maybe the jolt 
knocked him cold."
By the time he was carried into the plant infirmary on a stretcher, the pilot 
showed signs of reviving. As they laid him on a cot, his eyes fluttered open.
He was a pale-faced, slightly built man in his early twenties. Tom did not 
recognize him as any local flier of his acquaintance.
After examining the pilot, the company doctor

74 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
announced that he had suffered no broken bones or other injuries.
"What happened?" Tom asked the airman. "You gave us quite a scare."
"Sorry," he replied shakily. "I guess I must have blacked out at the controls. I-
I was just flying along and next thing I knew they were carrying me in here on a 
stretcher."
"What is your name?"
"Landis-Jerry Landis." The man started to get up. "Well, I-I may as well be on 
my way."
The doctor suggested that he rest for a while. "Since you blacked out once 
this afternoon, I certainly wouldn't advise going up again so soon- especially 
when you have no copilot."
But Landis refused to remain in the infirmary. "I'll leave the copter here, if you 
don't mind, and send for it tomorrow morning," he said to Tom. Turning to the 
doctor, he added, "If you'll have the nurse call a taxi for me, I won't trouble you 
any further." A few minutes later Landis rode oE.
Early the next morning Tom and Bud drove out to Pine Hill to look over the 
site of the proposed digging operations. A crew of surveyors already was busy, 
lining up the route that the tunnel would follow to Silver Lake.
"Looks as if you've got quite a job on your hands, chum!" Bud said.
A THREAT OF REVENGE 75
"It'll probably mean plenty of headaches," agreed Tom, "but think what an 
experience it'll be! I can hardly wait to get started!"
Suddenly a loud, angry voice burst out:
"Which one of you two is Tom Swift?"
Startled, the boys turned to look at the speaker, who had come up behind 
them. He was a burly, red-faced individual in a rumpled tan suit and a Panama 
hat. A half-chewed cigar protruded from one corner of his mouth.
"Well, speak up! I asked which one of you cubs is Tom Swift?"
"I'm Tom Swift," the inventor replied coolly. "What can I do for you?"
"Do for me?" roared the stranger. "You've done enough as it is, you meddling 
young fool! Is it true you've offered to drive that tunnel through Pine Hill for 
nothing?"
"That's right."
The stranger's eyes narrowed and he shook a ham-like fist in Tom's face. "By 
thunder, I oughta whale the tar out of you right here and now!"
Bud Barclay's jaw jutted out in a surge of anger at the man's hectoring 
manner and insulting words.
"Watch where you wave that fist of yours, mister," he said, "or someone may 
shove it down your throat -and it might just be me!"
76 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
From the way he stepped forward and doubled up his fists, it was clear that 
Bud meant business. With his husky shoulders and muscular arms he was more 
than a match for the blustering stranger, but Tom quickly interposed.
"I'll handle this, Bud." Turning to the stranger, he said, "Just who are you?"
"Picken-that's who I am! Charles Picken, head of the Picken Engineering 
Company. We had this tunnel job all wrapped up before you came along, and 
now you've cheated us out of a half-million-dollar contract!"
"Tom Swift never cheated you or anyone else out of anything!" declared Bud 
angrily. "The Water Committee was mighty grateful for Tom's offer, and so is 
every other civic-minded person in this town!"
Tom said quietly, "I have my own reasons for taking on this project. Besides, 
Shopton needs water badly, and I'm quite sure I can drive this tunnel much faster 
than you could possibly handle the job."
"That's what you think!" Picken sneered. "But I'll see to it that you never do 
complete this tunnel! Take it from me, you're in for trouble!" He turned away and 
strode down the hill.
"Tom, that guy is spoiling for a fight," muttered Bud. "I still think we should 
have settled this right here and now. He was certainly asking for it!"
"That wouldn't solve anything, Bud. Let him go."
A THREAT OF REVENGE 77
Nevertheless, when they returned to Swift Enterprises later that morning, 
Bud made it a point to report the threat to Harlan Ames.
"I've heard of Picken," said the security chief. "He has a bad reputation all 
over the state for using unscrupulous tactics against business competitors. We'll 
keep an eye on him!"
In his private laboratory, Tom continued work on the South Pole blaster. A 
new idea had occurred to him for improving the efficiency of the power converter. 
This was the equipment which harnessed the energy of the atomic pile to smelt 
and vaporize the rocky ore.
Using a slide rule, Tom quickly worked out a number of equations. His 
mental calculations had been right. By changing gear ratios in the power-
conversion equipment, he should be able to make the blaster operate at 
anywhere from twenty-five to fifty percent higher speeds than he had first 
planned.
He decided to make the necessary changes in the blueprints at once. Getting 
up from his lab stool, Tom went to the shelf where he had left his copies of the 
drawings, but they were not there.
"Guess I must have locked them in the cabinet last night," he decided.
With his electronic key, he beamed open the lock of the cabinet and riffled 
through the contents. The blueprints were not there, either.
78 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Quickly he went to the phone and dialed Bud at the underground hangar.
"Bud, do you recall seeing the blueprints for the South Pole blaster when you 
came to my lab this morning, just before we went out to Pine Hill?"
"No, I don't think so," replied Bud slowly. "Why? Is anything wrong?"
"I hope not," Tom said in a worried voice. "But I seem to have mislaid them."
"I'll come over and help you hunt," his chum offered.
"Okay," Tom replied, and after hanging up, searched all the shelves but did 
not find the blueprints.
Next, he telephoned Miss Trent.
"I can't find the blueprints for the new South Pole blaster," he explained. 
"Please look in the office and see if you can find them in my desk or any of the 
file cabinets. Try Dad's desk, too."
"Do you want to hold on while I look?" asked the secretary.
"No, take your time and search carefully. If you find the drawings, call me 
right back."
Without waiting for her report, he contacted the maintenance department and 
talked to the janitor who had cleaned up his office the night before. But the 
janitor, too, had no recollection of having seen the blueprints.
A THREAT OF REVENGE 79
Just as Tom was hanging up the phone, Bud walked into the lab.
"Any luck?" he inquired.
"Not so far."
Anxiously the two boys proceeded to give every drawer and storage 
compartment in the lab a thorough going-over. But they had found no trace of the 
blueprints by the time Miss Trent called back to report that her search had been a 
vain one.
As he put the phone down, Tom turned to his friend with a grim expression.
"Bud, I'm afraid those plans have been stolenl"
CHAPTER 9
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE
TOM AND BUD faced each other in dismayed silence. Tom was the first to 
speak.
"We'd better report the theft of the blueprints to Harlan Ames pronto!"
"Right!"
Five minutes later the boys entered Ames' office in the security building. The 
chief listened gravely to Tom's story about the theft of the plans.
"Any idea who might have taken them?" he asked.
"Lots of ideas but no proof."
"Well, how many people had an opportunity to steal them?"
Before Tom could reply, Bud Barclay snapped his fingers.
"I'll bet I know who's back of this! That bull-headed contractor we tangled with 
this morning- Charles Picken!"
80
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE 81
Tom disagreed. "I doubt that Picken is responsible," he said. "If the thief is an 
outsider, he must have worn a gadget similar to our electronic amulets to avoid 
being detected by the radarscope. Only a well-trained scientist could devise such 
a thing."
"In other words, someone like Bronich-or maybe Podski," put in Ames.
Tom nodded gloomily.
The electronic amulets were devices worn in the form of a bracelet by all 
workmen and visitors who had business inside the grounds of Swift Enterprises. 
The purpose was to trap radar impulses and thus keep the reflections from 
showing up as blips of light on the radar screen.
"I may be wrong," went on Tom, "but I have a hunch the thief was a 
stowaway in that copter."
"Too late to check up now," said Ames. "Landis called for his ship early this 
morning and flew it away personally."
Tom drove his right fist angrily into the palm of his left hand. "What a fool I 
was not to suspect him right from the first! It was a perfect setup!"
"You mean he was only faking unconsciousness?" asked Bud.
"Of course. The thief probably remained hidden inside the copter till we took 
Landis to the infirmary. Then he sneaked out and grabbed the blueprints while 
the door to my lab was standing open. After
82 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
that, all he had to do was lie low and wait for Landis to fly him out again this 
morning!"
"Sounds as if you've hit the nail right on the head, chum," agreed Bud. 
"Which means our job now is to find Landis."
"If he has a pilot's license, we may be able to trace him through the CAA," 
said Ames. "I'll give them a call right now."
While Ames was talking to the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the two boys 
returned to Tom's laboratory, where Chow Winkler served them lunch. Shortly 
after two o'clock, Ames called back.
Jerry Landis, he reported, was a licensed helicopter pilot. His credentials 
were all in order, although his present address was unknown. The police had 
been alerted to watch out for him, but so far neither Landis nor his helicopter had 
been found.
"Here's something else that may interest you," concluded Ames. "Our friend 
Landis is also a member of the Excelsis Club!"
Just as Tom was passing the news along to Bud, Sandy and her friend 
Phyllis Newton walked into the laboratory. Phyllis, a pretty girl with long dark hair 
and laughing brown eyes, was the daughter of Uncle Ned Newton.
"Well, are you two all set to go?" asked Sandy gaily.
"Go where?" said Bud.
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE 83
"Why, Tom, didn't you tell him?" Sandy turned to her brother with a puzzled 
frown.
"Gosh, Sandy, I've been so busy that it slipped my mind!"
Bud looked from brother to sister. "Well, don't keep it a secret. What's this all 
about?"
"Sandy cooked up a double date for us," explained Tom. "We were all 
supposed to go sailing on the lake this afternoon in the Mary Nestor."
The Mary Nestor was Sandy's sleek new sailboat, named in honor of Mrs. 
Swift.
"I want to try it out for speed," she said, turning to Bud. "You see, the final 
yacht club race of the season is next Saturday, and this'll be my last chance for a 
trial run before the race."
"Wonderful!" Bud exclaimed. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The dark-haired young flier, whose parents lived in San Francisco, loved all 
forms of outdoor sports but was especially fond of sailing.
Tom, however, held back. "I'm sorry, gang, but I have a million things to do! 
I'm afraid I'll have to beg off this time."
The girls let out a wail of protest.
"Tom, you can't let us down like this, after Phyl and I have been counting on 
you!" Sandy protested. She hastily pulled a copy of the racing announcement out 
of her shoulder bag and added:
84 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Just look at all the people who've signed up for the race! We won't stand a 
chance against competition like that unless you figure out the angles for us!"
At that moment Tom whistled sharply. He had been idly scanning the entry 
list.
"Bud! Look!"
"What's the matter?"
"Landis-Jerry Landis! His name is down here on the list of entrants!"
Bud bent over Tom's shoulder to see for himself. "Well, I'll be a jumpin' jet 
jockey!"
In reply to the girls' puzzled queries, Tom told them about Landis' helicopter 
descent and the subsequent theft of the blaster plans.
"If this Mr. Landis was in on the crime, you certainly should come with us," 
said Phyl. "You might find him sailing on the lake."
"Hey, that's an idea!" exclaimed Bud.
"Smart girl, Phyl." Tom smiled admiringly. "Okay, you've sold me. Let's go!"
In Bud's convertible, the four young people were soon on their way to the 
Shopton Yacht Club on Lake Carlopa.
The Mary Nestor was moored in the club's boat basin. She was a graceful 
craft with a gleaming hull and sleek lines.
As they hoisted sail and got under way, Tom set-
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE 85
tied himself in the cockpit and prepared *o scan the lake with his field 
glasses.
It was a perfect day for sailing, with a hot sun sparkling down on the water, 
and a brisk, spanking breeze. The lake was dotted with sailboats, skimming 
across the blue, like graceful white sea birds.
As Bud handled the tiller, Tom, with his glasses, studied the occupants of 
every craft that came into view.
Suddenly he lowered the field glasses and turned to Bud.
"See if you can overhaul that boat I'm pointing to. She keeps pulling away 
from us every time we get within viewing distance, and the man at the tiller 
avoids looking in our direction."
Without seeming to have any particular objective in mind, Bud attempted to 
overtake the boat Tom had indicated. But whenever the Mary Nestor showed 
signs of closing in, the other boat would quickly sail out of range.
"That must be Landis, all right," agreed Bud.
"Whoever he is, he certainly doesn't seem anxious for a meeting," 
commented Phyl.
The two boats now were engaged in an open chase. Like the Mary Nestor, 
the other boat was a fast sailer. The man at the helm was evidently heading for a 
public dock, some distance from the yacht dub.
86 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
The Mary Nestor, however, had the wind on the beam. Under Bud's skillful 
handling, she came within close range of the other boat. The man at the helm 
was Jerry Landis! As the boats drew alongside, Tom sprang over the gunwales 
into Landis' craft.
Landis put up a brief resistance. But he obviously had no desire to fight with 
Tom, because sullenly he allowed his adversary to sail the boat back to the yacht 
basin as Bud and the girls followed.
A few minutes later Tom faced Landis on shore. "All right, let's have it!" he 
demanded grimly. "Who paid you to fake that accidental landing yesterday at 
Swift Enterprises?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" snarled Landis.
"Look!" said Tom, grabbing him by the front of his jersey. "I wouldn't want to 
hit you but don't crowd your luck!"
Tom had no intention of harming Landis, but the threat alone had an instant 
effect. The pilot seemed to break down completely. Covering his face with his 
hands, he poured out the whole story.
"It wasn't my fault! It was Bronich-Ivor Bronich -he made me do it!"
"What do you mean, he made you do it?" Tom asked coldly.
"I owed him money-lots of money! He could have ruined me! But he said he'd 
cancel the debt if I would fly him into your experimental station. I

88 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
knew it was against regulations, but-well, I didn't see any serious harm in it."
"Of course not," growled Bud sarcastically. "All he wanted to do was steal the 
plans of Tom's new invention!"
"I didn't know what he was up to!" whined Lan-dis. "I swear I didn't! He told 
me he just wanted to test a new anti-radar device he'd invented. And I figured he 
couldn't do any harm with all the guards and gadgets you've got around that 
place. It wasn't till I flew him out this morning that I realized that he had stolen the 
blueprints he was carrying."
"Then what happened?"
"He told me to keep my mouth shut and stop worrying, because he was 
leaving the country to try an experiment. And when I asked him where, he just 
laughed and said maybe as far as the South Pole!"
"The South Pole!" Bud exclaimed.
Tom gave his friend a warning look and Bud changed the subject.
"How soon was Bronich going to start?" he asked Landis.
"He didn't tell me."
It was a grim-faced Tom who reported the matter to Harlan Ames later that 
afternoon at Swift Enterprises.
"What did you do with Landis?" inquired the security chief.
PURSUIT ON THE LAKE 89
"Took him to police headquarters, but said we wouldn't press charges. 
However, they're going to hold him for further questioning."
In the days that followed, Ames worked diligently to locate Bronich, but the 
foreign agent seemed to have disappeared. Tom, in the meantime, redrew his 
blueprints and speeded up work on his two new blasters to a feverish rate. One 
morning in their private office, the young inventor and his father were discussing 
the progress being made on the models.
"Here's a sketch of the launching platform I've designed for the South Pole 
blaster," Tom said, spreading out a blueprint on his father's desk.
The structure was composed of girders and I beams, and looked somewhat 
like an upside-down rocket-launching platform. Rails were provided to guide the 
machine on its take-off.
Mr. Swift studied the drawing carefully.
"I believe this will do the trick, all right, son," he commented. "Of course your 
machine will only have room for a bare minimum of sheathing around the atomic 
pile, and that will make things much more difficult. It means the launching will 
have to be done by remote control to make sure you and the others are exposed 
as little as possible to dangerous radiation."
Tom nodded thoughtfully. "I've already provided for that, Dad." He went on to 
describe the remote-
90 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
control system by which he planned to operate the machine.
"By the way, Tom," added Mr. Swift, "I have something here to show you-
something which may come as quite a surprise!"
CHAPTER 10
A CRUCIAL TEST
AS TOM LOOKED ON, puzzled, his father beamed open the top desk drawer 
and drew out a piece of paper which was covered with strange mathematical 
symbols.
Tom pounced on it with a cry of excitement.
"Dad! Another message from our space friends?"
"Right, son. It was picked up by one of our oscilloscopes at the rocket lab on 
Fearing Island."
The first such message had been sent by a black, meteorlike missile from 
outer space, which had landed with pinpoint precision on the grounds of the Swift 
Enterprises experimental station.
Later messages had been received while Tom was conducting the first 
successful rocket flights. Some of these messages had saved Tom and Bud from 
deadly peril while they were rocketing on an orbital course around the earth.
91
92 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Have you translated this new one yet, Dad?" asked Tom.
"Not completely. I thought we might work on it together, if you can spare the 
time. I have a hunch it's an answer to that request we transmitted for information 
about their bodily structure."
The beings who sent the messages-possibly Martians-had mastered 
interplanetary travel but needed help in solving the problem of how to penetrate 
the earth's dense atmosphere.
As Tom pulled up a chair alongside his father's desk, the older man 
produced two small booklets. One of them he handed to Tom.
These booklets were copies of a space dictionary, in which Mr. Swift had 
compiled the meaning of all the symbols they had so far been able to translate. It 
greatly speeded up the job of decoding new messages.
For nearly an hour, father and son pored over the latest communication. 
Working industriously, each one covered numerous sheets of paper with 
mathematical calculations in his attempt to translate the message.
Finally they paused and looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
"Any luck, son?" asked Mr. Swift. ^
"I'm not sure. It-well, it doesn't seem right. How about you?"
A CRUCIAL TEST 93
"The nearest I can make out is that their bodies are covered with armorlike 
segments, and they move by crawling along the ground."
Tom groaned and looked at his own results. "Now I know something's 
wrong!"
"Why? How do you make it out?"
"According to my version, they communicate with each other by mental 
telepathy, and each one has two heads!"
Once again, father and son stared at each other in silent bafflement. Then 
both roared with laughter!
"Well, you're right about one thing, son," said Mr. Swift when his laughter had 
subsided to a chuckle. "There certainly must be something wrong with our 
translations!"
"What I don't understand is how the dickens we came out so differently?"
"I'm afraid it's these new symbols-the ones we haven't received before. They 
must drastically alter the meaning of the other symbols. But how? That's a 
problem that will take plenty of brainwork."
"Guess it'll have to wait till this South Pole expedition is over," said Tom. With 
a rueful smile, he crumpled up the papers he had been writing on and tossed 
them into the wastebasket.
A week later the three government scientists who had been assigned to 
accompany the expedition arrived at Swift Enterprises. They had been invited
94 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
to observe the atomic earth blaster on its first real test-the digging of the Pine 
Hill tunnel.
In the absence of Mr. Swift, who was away on business at the Citadel, the 
Swifts' atomic energy plant, Tom and Bud acted as a greeting committee for the 
three visitors.
The oldest member of the trio was Dr. Anton Faber, a world-famous 
zoologist. He was a tall, slender, gray-haired man, with keen, steel-gray eyes 
peering out through thick-lensed glasses.
"Allow me to introduce my two companions," he said, after shaking hands 
with Tom and Bud. "On my right is Daryl Blake, a brilliant young botanist who 
was most eager to volunteer for this trip."
Blake, a husky, red-haired chap with a grinning, freckled face, promptly stuck 
out his hand and gave each of the boys a warm handclasp.
"Thanks for the orchids, Doc. But it really is true about my being all het up 
over this assignment. I'm anxious to experiment with some of those Antarctic 
plants I've read about."
"I didn't even know they had plants at the South Pole," said Bud.
"Yes, indeed," replied Blake, "and mighty interesting ones, too. Some of them 
are no bigger than a pinhead because they have only a few hours of sunlight 
every year in which to grow."
Dr. Faber interrupted with a smile. "Tut-tut, my
A CRUCIAL TEST 95
dear chap. If you get started on your favorite subject, we may all be standing 
here till midnight. And I have yet to introduce the third member of our party-Mr. 
Harold Voorhees."
Voorhees was an electrical engineer who specialized in thermal 
measurements. A big, handsome, powerfully built fellow, with blond hair and 
light-blue eyes, he had a smug, self-satisfied air which caused Bud to take an 
instant dislike to him.
"Rather young to be engaged in this type of work, aren't you?" he said, 
smiling at the boys in a patronizing manner.
Bud leaned forward mischievously, pulling one ear forward, and drawled, 
"Tell you what, Hal, old man. Maybe you'd like to take a look and see if we're dry 
behind the ears yet."
Voorhees' smile faded abruptly. "I'm afraid that remains to be seen. 
Incidentally, I would prefer not to be called Hal. It's a nickname I've never cared 
for."
To smooth over the awkward moment, Tom suggested that they have lunch 
immediately, then visit the Swift Construction Company plant for a look at the 
nearly completed blasters.
"This one," he announced later that afternoon, as they examined the huge 
machines, "is the model I plan to use for digging the tunnel. Unlike the other one 
which you just saw, this will operate me-
96 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
chanically rather than by smelting and vaporizing the rock."
Voorhees was scrutinizing the section in which the small atomic pile would 
later be installed.
"I can tell you right now that you're way off the beam on this part," he scoffed. 
"The thickness of these heat-transfer walls is entirely inadequate. Of course the 
correct design depends on certain ther-modynamic formulas with which you 
probably aren't familiar."
"Are these the ones you mean?" asked Tom quietly, pulling out a notebook 
and rapidly jotting down a number of formulas.
With a startled look, Voorhees glanced at them and admitted grudgingly that 
they were indeed the ones he had been referring to.
"Perhaps we'd better check them right now," suggested Tom. "If I have made 
a mistake, I certainly want to clear it up as soon as possible."
Using pocket slide rules and a handbook of tables borrowed from one of the 
company engineers, Tom and Voorhees proceeded to work out the formulas.
Tom was the first to finish. A few minutes later Voorhees also completed his 
calculations. As he compared his answer with Tom's, his face flushed a dull red.
"Well-hmm-I-uh-seem to have spoken too soon. Your figures seem to be 
quite correct, after all."
A CRUCIAL TEST 97
Bud clapped Voorhees on the back and laughed. "Sorry, Hal old boy, but 
even the greatest minds sometimes have an off day!"
As Dr. Faber coughed loudly, and Daryl Blake turned away to hide a smile, 
Voorhees glared at Bud furiously.
Three days later, the "cheap steel" blaster was ready to operate. The hour 
had arrived for the crucial test at Pine Hill.
The news that Tom Swift's new invention would begin tunneling at nine 
o'clock that morning had been blazoned across the front page of the Shopton 
Evening Bulletin the night before. It had also been announced on all radio and 
television newscasts.
As a result, the area around Pine Hill was so crowded with people that the 
police had to be called to hold back the spectators.
All three of the government scientists-Dr. Faber, Blake, and Voorhees-were 
on hand to watch the proceedings. Tom showed them a blueprint of the proposed 
tunnel layout.
"The blaster will start from here," he explained, "operating at a downward 
slope of twenty degrees. Then the machine will level off and continue on a 
straight course to the center of the hill. After which, we repeat the same 
operations on the other side of the hill, with the two tunnels joining in the middle."
"How about those long sections of metal tubing?"
98 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
asked Blake, pointing to several rows of big tubes neatly stacked for use. 
"What are they for?"
"As the blaster digs into the hill, those sections of tubing will be connected, 
one by one, to form a single, long, flexible tube," replied the young inventor. "And 
the ground-up dirt and rock will be blown out through it."
A picked crew of workmen from Swift Enterprises was standing by, waiting 
for operations to begin. The blaster itself was poised against the hillside with 
several sections of tubing already hooked on.
About twenty yards from the blaster, on level ground, was Tom's remote-
control shack, mounted on a movable dolly.
As Tom walked to the shack and climbed inside, his heart was hammering 
with excitement. He knew that everything depended on the outcome of today's 
test.
Through the window of the control shack, Tom looked at the foreman of the 
work crew and received an "All Clear" signal in reply.
Taking a deep breath, Tom turned on the starter switch, then pushed down a 
lever. Instantly the blaster roared into life with a thunderous whine. As the nose 
end of the machine bit deep into the hillside, a stream of pulverized dirt and rock 
began to spurt out the rear end of the tube.
A CRUCIAL TEST 99
Realizing that the long-needed tunnel was at last under way, the crowd broke 
into a wave of spontaneous cheers and applause. But the noise could scarcely 
be heard above the din of the blaster.
In a matter of seconds, the machine had burrowed half its length into the 
hillside on a downward slant.
Suddenly an explosion shook the hillside. The earth blaster and tons of dirt 
were blown back toward Tom's control shack!
CHAPTER 1 1
SABOTAGE!
SCREAMS AND CRIES arose from the spectators as rocks and dirt pelted 
down on them. Tom's shack was deluged by the debris. The crippled blaster 
stopped inches from it!
Tom, white-faced and shaken, leaped outside. Angry shouts greeted him on 
all sides.
"That crazy machine might have killed every one of us!" bellowed a fat, 
middle-aged man.
And a woman screamed, "It's a public danger! The police should arrest him!"
Gritting his teeth, Tom tried to ignore the angry remarks. While Bud 
summoned an ambulance, he proceeded to give first aid to all who needed it, 
with the help of Dr. Faber and Daryl Blake. Fortunately, the injuries amounted to 
no more than slight cuts and bruises.
100
SABOTAGE! 101
After the victims had been taken care of, Tom turned to the sergeant in 
charge of the police detail.
"Would you please have your men clear this area? I'd like to make a 
complete investigation of what happened."
"That's pretty obvious, isn't it?" put in Voorhees. "Your blaster was improperly 
designed, just as I suspected all along. When it hit bedrock, it couldn't penetrate 
any farther. So the result was a power blowback."
The police sergeant seemed impressed with this line of reasoning. But Tom 
shook his head. "I'm quite sure that the accident was not the fault of the blaster."
"Meaning what?" Voorhees asked.
"Meaning someone set a contact bomb to ruin our work here, and perhaps 
blow me up at the same time!"
"Sounds like that guy Picken to me," commented Bud.
"Could be," Tom said. "We'll have him investigated just to play safe. But I 
think this job was planned by Bronich. By making the blaster look worthless, he 
may hope to have the government call off our South Pole expedition."
Anton Faber nodded thoughtfully. The gray-haired scientist and his two 
associates had already been told about Bronich's activities.
102 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"This certainly bears all the earmarks of sabotage," he agreed. "Your blaster 
is badly crushed."
A few minutes later Harlan Ames roared up to the scene in a car with four 
plant guards. After listening to a hasty account of the accident, he ordered his 
men to fan out over the area and search for clues. Then he and Tom forced their 
way into the mouth of the tunnel.
With the light of a powerful electric lantern, they examined the forward wall 
where the blaster had stopped digging. There were unmistakable signs of an 
explosion.
As the young inventor and his security chief emerged from the tunnel mouth, 
one of the plant guards came up to show them several bomb fragments.
"Found 'em scattered among the debris," he explained.
That afternoon, when the Shopton Evening Bulletin hit the streets with an 
extra, it carried a full account of the bomb fragments. By releasing the details, 
Tom hoped to relieve people's minds.
But his troubles were not yet over. Far from soothing public worry, the bomb 
story seemed to awaken even greater fears.
All through the rest of the afternoon, Swift Enterprises, the Swift Construction 
Company, and the newspaper itself were swamped with phone calls and 
telegrams from indignant citizens.
SABOTAGE! 103
The burden of their complaints was always the same: Don't let Tom Swift 
carry out any more of his crazy experiments on public property!
When the young inventor arrived home that night, he felt drained of energy. 
Hardly had he sunk down in an easy chair when the telephone jangled.
"You leave this one to me," his sister Sandy called from the telephone 
alcove. "If it's someone being nasty, I'll bite his head off!"
A moment later she approached her brother with a surprised and slightly 
uneasy look on her face.
"Tom, it's the mayor! He wants to speak to you."
Tom walked to the telephone and took the receiver. "Yes, sir?"
"Tom, I'm afraid this situation is getting out of hand!" Mayor Drummond 
sounded worried and harassed. "The public outcry is so bad that half the Town 
Council wants to call off the whole project."
Tom protested. "But the machine wasn't at fault. The bomb fragments prove 
that. It was obviously a case of sabotage!"
"That's just the trouble! Some people think that more bombs may have been 
planted!"
Tom stiffened with a sudden shock of alarm. This was a possibility that had 
not occurred to him.
"Tell everyone we'll take immediate precautions," he promised. "And I'll 
report back at once if there's any further sign of danger!"
Calling Harlan Ames, he ordered plant security
104 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
men to guard the digging area at all times. Then he contacted Hank Sterling 
and told him to organize a crew of technicians, armed with mine detectors.
"Drive them out to Pine Hill on a company truck. I'll be waiting for you there."
When Hank and his men arrived, Tom issued crisp orders. "I want every inch 
of the hillside within a hundred-yard radius of the digging area combed with those 
detectors!"
"We'll do it pronto," Hank agreed.
The men were assigned to various spots at the proposed entrance and on 
the mountainside. They began work at once. The onlookers watched anxiously 
as the searchers moved about the area.
In less than an hour, Hank reported the area free of danger.
"Fine!" said Tom. "Now let's try the other side of the hill." The site of the 
opposite entrance to the proposed tunnel has been cleariy marked by the 
surveyors. Tom waited tensely as the crew fanned out with their electronic 
detectors.
Suddenly one of the men called. Tom and Hank ran to his side. Transferring 
the earphones to his own head, Tom heard a loud buzzing noise. It meant metal 
was nearby. A bomb? he wondered.
"All right, clear everyone away from here," ordered the young inventor.
Hank gripped his shoulder. "Listen, Tom, these
SABOTAGE] 105
contact bombs are mighty tricky. Some go off on a hair trigger. Why not call 
the FBI and leave this job to a professional bomb-disposal squad?"
Tom shook his head stubbornly. "That bomb spells danger every second it 
stays there. Besides, calling in someone else would just be passing the buck. 
This is my project, so it's up to me to take the risks!"
Tom bent over the suspected spot, and working with a featherlight touch, 
began brushing away the dirt. Finally a piece of black metal came into view.
"It's a bomb, all right!" he muttered grimly.
Tom's forehead was beaded with perspiration. Holding his breath, he 
proceeded to disarm the fuse. Hank Sterling and his men were watching tensely 
from a safe distance. An audible sigh of relief rose from the group when they saw 
that Tom now had deactivated the bomb. This was followed by a ringing cheer.
As Hank rushed forward to congratulate him, Tom sagged limply.
"Nice work, Tom!" cried the blond, square-jawed engineer, throwing an arm 
around the young inventor's shoulders.
When he arrived home Tom called Mayor Drum-mond. He expected that the 
official would be greatly relieved to hear that the digging area was
106 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
now completely safe. But again he was in for an unpleasant surprise.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Tom," said Mayor Drummond, "but certain members 
of the council have forced a showdown. We're taking a vote tomorrow morning 
on whether or not to halt your project!"
CHAPTER 12
A FLIGHT TO ALASKA
TENSELY AWAITING the outcome of the council's vote, a group of friends 
gathered in Tom's office the next morning.
"If those chowderheads decide to stop you from digging," Bud growled, "the 
public ought to make them scratch out that tunnel themselves-with spoons and 
nail files!"
Tom, in spite of his anxiety, gave a wry smile but said nothing.
By eleven o'clock there was still no word from Town Hall. Another fifteen 
minutes went by, then another.
"Brand my thermopile! What's keepin' them sidewinders?" exclaimed Chow 
nervously.
"Must be a close fight," Hank Sterling remarked, "which makes me hopeful."
107
108 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
A few minutes before twelve, the phone rang. Everyone jumped but Tom. 
The young inventor's face was grim and expressionless as he took the call.
"Hello? . . . Oh, yes, Mayor Drummond. . . . They did, eh? Well, thanks very 
much for your support. . . . Sure thing. . . . Good-by, sir."
There was dead silence as Tom hung up the phone. For a moment he 
rubbed his hand over his eyes, and his shoulders seemed to droop.
Finally Bud spoke. "Thumbs down?"
To everybody's surprise, Tom looked up with a grin of relief.
"Thumbs up, pal! They just voted to let us continue digging!"
With the sudden release of tension, everyone began laughing and talking at 
once, as they gathered around to clap Tom on the back and offer 
congratulations. But Tom knew the real test was just beginning.
Within twenty-four hours, the bomb damage to the blaster had been repaired, 
and the digging was resumed. This time, there were few spectators on hand. And 
the ones who did appear were tight-lipped and unfriendly.
Results of the first day's work, nevertheless, were highly encouraging, and by 
the end of a full week of operations, the mid-point of the tunnel had been 
reached.
a flight to alaska 109
Now the tide of public opinion in Shopton began to turn in Tom's favor. As 
work continued on the opposite half of the tube, more and more onlookers were 
showing up every morning.
On the day scheduled for the final break-through, a civic ceremony was 
staged at Pine Hill. On hand were the mayor and the rest of the Town Council.
With Tom at the controls, the blaster plowed through the last few yards of 
earth separating the two halves of the tunnel.
The moment the nose of the machine l/roke through the last remaining 
barrier, a red light flashed outside the control shack and an alarm bell started 
ringing. Elated, Tom smiled as the crowd went wild, shouting and clapping their 
approval.
Mayor Drummond capped the climax with a brief speech praising the young 
scientist and his achievements. Again the crowd burst into wild applause.
Chow Winkler, however, looked on sourly. He had not forgotten that only a 
short time ago many of these same people had been calling his beloved young 
boss a public menace.
Now that the first cut was completed, and a shaft had been driven all the way 
through the hill, work progressed rapidly in widening the tunnel to full size. Then 
a construction gang moved in to line the tunnel with steel and concrete.
About a week after the ceremony at Pine Hill,
110 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Tom held a meeting in his private office with Blake, Faber, and Voorhees, to 
talk over final plans for the South Pole expedition. Bud was also present.
"You realize, I hope," said Voorhees in a condescending voice, "that we 
senior scientists must take along a good deal of equipment. And as 
representatives of the Federal government, our things will have top priority over 
all other cargo. Now then, how will this equipment be transported?"
Tom exchanged an amused glance with Bud before answering.
"I'm sure there'll be ample cargo space on our planes, Mr. Voorhees. But I'm 
glad you brought up the matter. I suggest that you give me a complete list of your 
equipment as soon as possible, so we can start making our stowage plans."
"Blake and I have our equipment all boxed and ready," Dr. Faber announced 
quietly. "Here is a list of everything we're taking. I trust there will still be room for 
your atomic earth blaster."
His gray eyes twinkled behind their thick-lensed spectacles. Tom grinned as 
he realized that this distinguished scientist considered Voorhees something of a 
stuffed shirt-just as he and Bud did!
"By the way, Doctor," said the young inventor, "perhaps you and your friends 
would like to see the layout of our Flying Lab-the Sky Queen."
"Delighted!" Faber murmured.
A FLIGHT TO ALASKA 111
Leading his guests to the underground hangar, Tom beamed open the sliding 
steel door with his electronic key. They followed him down a flight of steps. On 
the hangar floor below stood a great silver airplane with rakish, swept-back 
wings.
The Sky Queen had already carried Tom and his friends on a number of 
amazing adventures.
Atomic-powered, the huge ship was a flying laboratory, equipped with all the 
latest scientific instruments. Normally it carried a small jet plane called the 
Kangaroo Kub, as well as the Skeeter, a jet-lifted helicopter.
The laboratory area was located amidships on the second deck of the plane. 
Both soundproof and air-conditioned, it was divided into a number of cubicles. 
Each compartment was equipped for some special field of scientific study.
"How do you like it?" Tom asked Daryl Blake, as he showed him the botany 
compartment.
The red-haired, freckle-faced scientist stared in amazement at the 
microscopes, the plant-growing tanks, the well-stocked shelves of chemical 
nutrients for hydroponic experiments, and all the other numerous items of 
equipment.
"Why, it's out of this world!" he exclaimed. "With a setup like this, I'll be able 
to do anything in the Antarctic that I can do in my own lab in Washington!"
112 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Dr. Faber was equally thrilled by the zoology lab.
"This plane is a scientist's dream come true!" he declared.
"Since it has these compartments set up for your types of work, I believe you 
two may as well fly with me on the Sky Queen," Tom told them. He also decided 
that Voorhees would ride with Bud Barclay on one of the jet cargo planes.
Bud groaned when Tom informed him of this decision later that afternoon.
"Oh, for Pete's sake! You mean I'm stuck with that pompous windbag all the 
way from here to the South Pole?"
"Relax, chum!" The young inventor smiled. "At jet speed, the flight won't take 
long. By the way, your plane will be equipped with two sets of landing wheels."
Bud looked puzzled. "How come?"
"One will be your regular landing gear, and the other will be a special set of 
wheels armed with metal spikes for landing on ice. The plane will also carry ski 
runners for landing or taking off on snow."
"Have you figured out how many planes to take on the expedition?"
"Four altogether, I think. Besides the Sky Queen and the craft you fly, there 
will be two more jet cargo planes. I'm putting you in charge of those, as well as 
your own ship."
A FLIGHT TO ALASKA 113
Tom went on to explain that the cargo jets would carry the extra clothing and 
food supplies; machines for carving out an ice dome to house the men; other 
tools of various kinds; an air conditioner for warming and ventilating the ice cave; 
tractors and snowmobiles; and last but not least, an extra blaster.
"What's that for?" inquired Bud.
"Safety precaution. There's always a chance the main blaster may be 
crushed or pinned by a sudden shift in the earth's crust. Or the shaft might be 
blocked off. Either way, we'd be stymied without a spare machine on hand."
"I see what you mean," said Bud. "Speaking of the main blaster, I suppose 
you'll carry that in the Sky Queen?"
"Right. Also the helicopter. But I think we'll leave the Kangaroo Kub behind 
on this trip."
Bud drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the desk before resuming the 
conversation.
"You know, skipper, I've been wondering if it might not be smart to take along 
some huskies and dog sleds on this expedition. They could take us anywhere-
places we couldn't go even in a snowmobile. And dogs never stall or freeze up 
on you, as engines sometimes do."
Tom nodded. "An excellent idea, Bud. Of course, if we did take dog teams 
along, we'd have to transport them in a sort of flying kennel."
114 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Bud approved of this idea, and begged to be given the job of flying such a 
plane. After discussing the matter for a while, Tom agreed to this arrangement.
It was also decided to fly to Alaska the following day to purchase huskies and 
sleds.
"We can take Sandy and Phyl along, and make it a day's outing," Tom 
suggested.
"Now you're talking like a real genius, pal! Let's give the girls a call this very 
minute!"
At nine o'clock the next morning the Sky Queen was rolled from the 
underground hangar. When it was ready for take-off, Tom, Bud, and the girls 
climbed aboard the mammoth silver plane.
Tom gunned the nuclear engines into life. A moment later, as he poured 
power into the jet lifters, the huge ship rose into the air.
Sandy and Phyl sat up front in the pilot's compartment with the boys.
"Where in Alaska do you plan to buy your huskies?" asked Phyl as they 
streaked across the continent at a speed faster than sound.
"From an Indian named Colonel George Eagle Friend," replied Tom.
"Goodness, that's quite a name!"
"He's quite a man, from what Dad tells me. Colonel Friend has a wonderful 
war record, and now he makes a business of breeding sled dogs. He and Dad 
are old friends."
A FLIGHT TO ALASKA 115
At noontime Tom set the huge plane down on the airfield at Fairbanks, 
Alaska. It was strange to feel the bite of winter in the air when they stepped from 
the plane.
The foursome ate lunch at a local restaurant, then took a taxi to the kennels, 
which were located a short distance from town.
Colonel Eagle Friend, a full-blooded Alaskan Indian, greeted them with 
delight. He was a splendid figure of a man, tall and straight as an arrow, with a 
shock of blue-black hair and twinkling black eyes.
"Klahowya! Welcome to Alaska! I'm only sorry that Tom Senior didn't come 
with you!"
When they were comfortably seated inside his rambling log bungalow, Tom 
told him the reason for their visit.
"We'd like to buy a good dog team and all the necessary equipment. You 
see, we're planning an expedition to the South Pole."
The colonel's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Another one, eh?"
Tom was puzzled. "What do you mean? This will be the first trip to the South 
Pole we've ever made."
"What I meant was, I just sold an outfit to another fellow who's going there," 
the Indian explained. "Maybe you know him."
CHAPTER 13
DOG TROUBLE
"WHAT'S HIS NAME?" Tom asked, startled by the news.
"He called himself Smith," the Indian replied, "but I doubt that's his real name 
because he had a heavy accent."
"Bronich, I'll bet!" Bud groaned, as Tom quickly gave Colonel Eagle Friend a 
description of the subversive Kranjovian.
"That's the man," the Indian said. "Your description fits him perfectly. I take it 
you've crossed his trail before!"
"Most of the time, he's been crossing ours!" Bud declared. "That secret 
invention he was boasting about really belongs to Tom. Bronich stole the plans 
for it from Swift Enterprises!"
"He's actually a secret agent of the Kranjovian
116
DOG TROUBLE 117
government," Tom added, "wanted by the FBI for espionage and on several 
other counts. Now it looks as if he's trying to beat us to the South Pole!"
The young inventor told the colonel about his atomic earth blaster and his 
plans for tapping iron from the center of the earth.
"Well, at least I can outfit you with a good team of huskies," said the Indian. 
"I'll give you the best dogs in my kennel."
Slipping on their coats again, the boys and girls accompanied their host out 
to the back of his cabin, where the huskies were kept in wire-enclosed runs.
At Colonel Eagle Friend's approach, the dogs set up a loud, eager barking, 
jumping up against the wire and wagging their tails frantically. They were of 
various sizes and mostly black, white, or wolf gray in color. All had slant eyes and 
a thick ruff of fur around their necks, as well as curling, bushy tails.
"How big a team do you want?" inquired the colonel, turning to the boys.
"What do you advise?" replied Tom.
The Indian thought for a moment. "Well, nine dogs are enough even for the 
heaviest loads. But I'll give you two more dogs for spares. Then, if you like, you 
can split them into two smaller teams for light hauling."
Opening a gate, he went into one of the runs and brought out a small, wiry 
husky with a mask of
118 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
silver-white fur around the eyes and muzzle, outlined by blackish fur on the 
head and ears.
"This is Klootch," he announced. "She'll be your lead dog."
"I thought lead dogs were supposed to be big and powerful," Bud said.
"It's more important to have one that's smart and fast. And Klootch is all of 
that. She's a Siberian husky."
So that the boys might accustom themselves to handling a dog team, 
Colonel Eagle Friend hitched up two outfits-one for Tom and one for Bud.
As the boys mounted the sled runners and grasped the handle bars, he 
called, "All set?"
"Sure." Bud grinned. "But how do you start these rigs?"
"Like this," replied the Indian. With a crack of his long rawhide whip, he 
shouted, "Mush!" Instantly the dogs strained against the harness and the sleds 
glided away.
"Hey, this is almost as much fun as riding a jet!" yelled Bud. "Let's make it a 
race, chum!"
"You're on, driver!"
Picking up the whips from their sleds, the boys cracked them in the air and 
shouted words of encouragement to their teams.
The dogs put on speed, stretching their legs farther and faster with every 
stride. Soon the sleds
DOG TROUBLE 119
seemed to be flying over the snow! Cheeks red from the stinging wintry air, 
the boys laughed and yelled back and forth.
Neither was aware that the huskies were gradually getting out of hand. The 
sleds carried no loads, and the dogs sensed the inexperience of their drivers.
Soon they came to a dip in the terrain, where a high, steep hillside sloped 
down to a frozen creek bed.
"Look out, Bud!" Tom shouted. "Whoa! Whoa, you huskies!"
Tom had suddenly realized that the teams were running away.
Bud, too, tried frantically to stop his team. But the dogs paid no heed. At 
headlong speed, they went racing down the slope.
A moment later one of Bud's sled runners hit a boulder. The jarring jolt 
caused the sled to turn over, throwing Bud against a nearby tree trunk!
Rocketing down the hill at breakneck speed, Tom, too, lost his footing on the 
sled runners. As his legs spun out from under him, his hands slipped from the 
bars. Over and over he hurtled down the icy hillside!
At the bottom, he lay dazed for a minute or two before struggling painfully to 
his feet. Halfway up the hillside, Bud was sprawled, motionless, at the foot of a 
tree. Just as Tom reached his friend and
120 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
began to chafe his wrists, another dog team came into view. The colonel was 
riding the sled. He halted his dogs on the brow of the hill, and jumping from the 
runners, hurried toward the boys. When he saw that Bud's forehead bore a dark 
bruise, he said:
"I was afraid this might happen when I saw you start racing. That's why I 
followed."
Bud soon revived and grinned sheepishly at his own plight. "Looks as if 
huskies are even trickier to handle than a jet!" he muttered.
"Especially on loops and wing overs," remarked the Indian, as the corners of 
his mouth twitched in a faint smile.
After the dog breeder had recovered the runaway teams, the boys drove 
them carefully back to the cabin.

DOG TROUBLE
121
As Tom and Bud were washing up and treating their scrapes and bruises 
with antiseptic, Bud remarked, "Doggone, that old Eagle Eye is a real swell Joe. I 
wish he could come with us on the expedition!"
"Great minds run in the same channel!" Tom grinned. "I was just wishing the 
same thing. Why don't we ask him?"
Over a tasty snack which Mrs. Eagle Friend prepared for her guests before 
their departure, Tom

122 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
broached the question. In reply, the Indian said:
"I've been hoping you'd ask me ever since I heard about the expedition. But, 
of course, before I give you an answer, I'll have to talk this over with my wife."
For several minutes, Colonel and Mrs. Eagle Friend conversed in their native 
Indian dialect. Finally the colonel turned to Tom with a smile.
"She says all right, provided I keep myself bundled up nice and warm!"
Everyone laughed, and Sandy added, "I think it's wonderful that you're going 
along on the expedition, Colonel Eagle Friend! Now I feel better about the boys 
going, too, because I'm sure you'll keep an eye on them!"
After leaving instructions with his wife for the care and feeding of the huskies, 
the Indian drove his four young companions to the airport. They rode in a rickety 
old sedan with a huge trailer hitched in back, carrying the eleven dogs and 
equipment selected for the expedition.
At sight of the Sky Queen, the Indian muttered in awe, "Skookum kallakalla!"
"Come again?" Bud said, blinking.
"In the Chinook tongue that means mighty bird," explained the colonel. "And 
never have I seen a plane which more deserved the title!"
Tom showed him the cargo stowage space on the
DOG TROUBLE 123
first deck, then, with Sandy and Phyllis, he went topside to contact Shopton 
via short-wave radio.
"What do you plan on doing with the dogs?" Bud asked the colonel. "Just turn 
'em loose here in this cargo compartment?"
The Indian shook his head. "They'd be at each other's throats the moment 
you did so. I think the safest plan will be to partition them off in separate stalls."
With lumber which he had brought along in the trailer, he proceeded to put 
together some crude wooden stalls, one for each dog. With Bud helping him, the 
job was quickly completed.
Meanwhile, Tom had made radio contact with his father back at Swift 
Enterprises. He told him of Bronich's visit to Colonel Eagle Friend, and the spy's 
boast about mining ore at the South Pole.
"Looks as if we'll have to move fast, Dad, if we don't want Bronich to beat us 
to the punch. How are things coming at the plant?"
"Good shape, son. Hank Sterling says the main blaster should be ready for 
testing tomorrow."
"Swell, Dad! That's great news! In the meantime, how about contacting 
Washington for final clearance?"
Mr. Swift promised to do so immediately, and Tom signed off. A short time 
later the huge plane headed back to Shopton.
124 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
As darkness fell over the continent, the Sky Queen streaked across western 
Canada, through the star-studded night skies.
Colonel Eagle Friend was seated in the pilot's compartment with the young 
people.
"Hope you won't mind my calling you Eagle Eye," remarked Bud.
"Not at all," chuckled the Indian. "My full name is a bit long."
Just then Phyl said, "Hey! Sounds as if something's going on down in the 
cargo space!"
Tom snapped an intercom switch. Instantly the loud-speaker blared out a 
bloodcurdling noise of dogs howling, yapping, and snarling!
The Indian leaped up. "The huskies!" he exclaimed. "At least one of them 
must have broken loose-maybe more! Dogs sometimes go berserk in planes and 
kill anything in sight!"
CHAPTER 14
A CALL FROM WASHINGTON
THE UPROAR of the angry huskies was deafening! Quickly Colonel Eagle 
Friend scrambled down the steel-runged ladder leading to the first deck.
Tom snapped off the intercom and set the ship on automatic pilot. Then he 
and the others hurried to join the Indian outside the cargo compartment.
"Good night!" shuddered Sandy, putting her hands to her ears. "It sounds as 
if the dogs are killing one another!"
The colonel, who also was a trained veterinarian, was taking something out 
of his medical kit.
"What are you going to do?" Bud asked.
"Those are fine dogs," Eagle Friend replied. "I don't want to shoot any of 
them unless I have to. So I'll try this first." He held up a can of chloroform so they 
could read the label, then loosened the cap.
125
126 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Now open the door to the cargo space," he ordered.
As Tom did so, the Indian quickly removed the cap and tossed the open can 
in among the wrangling huskies.
Instantly Tom bolted the door and almost at once the clamor of the dogs 
began to die down. Soon it ceased completely.
"I'll go in now and attend to them," said the Indian. "But first, I advise you 
young people to go back to the pilot's compartment. When I open this door, the 
smell of chloroform will just about knock you over!"
"Don't worry," Tom said, smiling. "The exhaust fans of our air-conditioning 
system will take care of that. If you think the dogs are unconscious, I'll air the ship 
out now."
When the Indian nodded, the young inventor turned a knob on the control 
panel. Instantly the ventilator fans hummed, forcing the bad air from the Sky 
Queen.
"All right, I think it's safe now," the Indian announced. Accompanied by Tom 
and Bud, he made his way into the cargo compartment. Most of the dogs were 
still sleeping; some were partly conscious. Three were gashed and bleeding from 
the fangs of the half-crazed husky that had broken into the other stalls.
The Indian dressed their wounds and made them
A CALL FROM WASHINGTON 12?
comfortable, murmuring reassuring words to them in native dialect as he 
worked.
"How long will they stay groggy?" Tom asked.
"Another couple of hours at least. In any case, they're all securely tied now, 
so I think there's nothing more to worry about."
It was past midnight when they arrived back at Shopton. The air seemed 
warm and muggy after the bracing climate of Alaska.
"I'm afraid the change of climate may be pretty hard on the dogs," said the 
colonel with a worried look.
"Tell you what," said Tom. "We have plenty of room in our low-temperature 
lab at Enterprises. It's as big as an airplane hangar. Why not arrange kennels for 
them in there?"
The Indian approved of this idea. When the plane landed, he transported the 
wobbly huskies to the low-temperature laboratory. Tom's workmen hastily built 
kennels for the animals and set up comfortable quarters for the Alaskan to watch 
them.
The next day, Tom's improved atomic drill was moved from the Swift 
Construction Company plant to a huge shed on the grounds of Swift Enterprises. 
Here the pile was installed and the finishing touches put on the borer.
Now, under Hank Sterling's watchful eye, the blaster was raised off the 
ground by powerful chain
128 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
hoists and dollies slipped underneath. Then the whole assembly was pulled 
out of the shed by a big, rubber-tired tractor and hauled to the testing ground.
"So yo're finally gonna test out this here monster bug, eh?" asked Chow, as 
he watched the preparations.
"That's right," Tom said. "Keep your fingers crossed and let's hope she 
comes through with flying colors."
"Son, I'll do more'n that. I'll keep everythin' crossed, includin' my eyes!"
A crane lifted the blaster off the dollies and eased it into position on the 
launching platform. Elaborate precautions had been taken to guard against 
dangerous radiation. The platform was surrounded by Tomasite shields, and a 
special blower duct had been set up to draw off the hot gases.
Mr. Swift, Blake, Voorhees, and Dr. Faber were on hand for the test, as well 
as numerous plant employees. They watched in silence as Tom climbed into the 
remote-control booth.
Trying to remain calm, Tom snapped on the main switch, then started 
feeding power into the machine.
At first there was a smooth, steady whine as the blaster plowed downward 
into the earth. But a moment later came a thunderous, ear-shattering roar like a 
thousand pneumatic hammers ripping into
A CALL FROM WASHINGTON 129
concrete! Under the impact, the control booth and the surrounding ground 
began to vibrate and shudder!
Quickly Tom shut off the blaster and climbed out of the booth to find out what 
was wrong.
"Well, what now?" inquired Voorhees smugly. "Another contact bomb?"
Bud gave him a withering look.
Tom consulted with his father.
"I believe we'd better remove the blaster and examine the shaft," the elder 
inventor suggested.
Tom donned a safety suit and climbed down into the shaft to make the 
examination. When he returned to the surface and pulled off his plastic 
headgear, he was smiling.
"Did you find the cause?" Mr. Swift asked.
"There's a shelf of basaltic bedrock down there we never knew about. The 
rock transmits vibrations in all directions. No wonder we got shaken up when the 
blaster bit into it!"
The earth blaster was now replaced in position, and boring resumed until the 
shaft was three or four yards deeper. Although the vibration continued, there was 
no doubt that the blaster itself was operating perfectly!
Congratulations greeted Tom from all sides as he turned off the motor and 
stepped from the control booth.
"Bud, I'm ready to start packing for the Antarctic,
130 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
right now!" announced the young inventor triumphantly.
Later that afternoon, Miss Trent summoned him to the main building to take a 
phone call from Senator Rives at Washington. Tom lifted the receiver. "Hello?"
"Tom," the senator said, "I'm afraid I have bad news for you. You'll have to 
call off your South Pole trip!"
CHAPTER 15
SOUTHWARD HO!
THE SHOCKING NEWS that his polar expedition might be called off stunned 
Tom. "But, Senator Rives," he said, "the government promised financial support 
and gave us full clearance for the expedition!"
"I know that, Tom. As senator from your state, I supported your father's 
proposal and helped win official backing for the idea."
"Then why the sudden reversal?"
"No use trying to explain over the phone. I suggest that you come to 
Washington. Then I can show you just what we're up against."
Mr. Swift shared his son's keen disappointment and wished him success on 
his trip to the capital. Early the next morning Tom boarded a company jet, and a 
short time later set the ship down at the
131
132 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Washington airport. From there, he taxied to the Senate Office Building. A 
secretary ushered him into Senator Rives' private office.
The senator, a portly, gray-haired man, rose to shake hands and invited the 
young inventor to sit down.
"Before you say anything," he began, "take a look at this stack of letters and 
telegrams." With a tap of his hand, the senator indicated a mass of 
correspondence piled on one corner of his desk.
Tom glanced through a few of them. Every one was an urgently worded 
demand that the government call off any plans for deep-digging operations at the 
South Pole!
"No use reading the rest of them," said Senator Rives. "They're all the same. 
The people who sent those complaints are afraid your plans to tap the earth's 
core may cause volcanoes-tidal waves- even the end of the world!"
"That's ridiculous!" Tom protested.
"The government doesn't think so."
"What do you mean?"
"The same authorities who first granted permission," Senator Rives went on, 
"now want the expedition delayed. They say they want time to study the matter 
further."
Tom groaned in despair. "Isn't there anything we can do-any way we can 
change their minds?"
SOUTHWARD HO! 133
The senator shook his head gloomily. "I'm afraid not. The authorities are 
fearful of angering the public."
Tom frowned, giving the problem intense thought. Finally he said, "Senator, 
have you ever heard of Dr. Roy MacGregor?"
"Scientist of some kind, isn't he?"
"Yes," Tom said. "Probably the foremost meteorologist in the country. He 
also happens to be a close friend of my father's. Suppose he were to come along 
with us on the expedition. He could keep in constant touch with seismological 
stations all over the world. And if anyone reported the slightest sign of trouble 
due to our operations, we'd stop drilling at once."
The senator got up from his desk and paced around the room. "Well, Tom, 
it's a good idea," he said. "I'll talk it over with the authorities and see if they'll 
change their minds."
"Thanks, Senator Rives!" Tom exclaimed, as they shook hands. After he left 
the Senate Office Building, he went directly to the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, where both he and his father were known. He asked to see an 
agent with whom he had had many previous contacts.
"What brings you to Washington, Tom?" inquired the FBI man when the 
young inventor was seated in his office.
134 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Tom described his plans to drill for iron at the South Pole, and told how the 
expedition was now being balked by a flood of public protests. He also 
mentioned the activities of Ivor Bronich.
"I have a hunch," Tom went on, "that a lot of those complaints may have 
been inspired either by Bronich himself or other Kranjovian agents. By getting the 
United States government to call off our expedition, they hope to have a free 
hand in grabbing that ore for themselves."
The FBI man nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time they've pulled that kind of 
stunt. Subversive organizations often try to influence Congressmen and other 
government officials by high-pressure mail campaigns."
"If I gave you a list of the people who sent those letters and telegrams," said 
Tom, "would you have your local agents check them for me?"
"Glad to. But it'll take several days."
Tom thanked him, then stopped at a nearby hotel, where he called Senator 
Rives' office and asked the secretary to send the FBI the list of names. Next, he 
made a long-distance call to Grandyke University, where Dr. Roy MacGregor did 
research in meteorology. Tom told the scientist about his South Pole plans and 
asked him to join the expedition. Dr. MacGregor accepted the offer with 
enthusiasm.
"By the way," the meteorologist added, "there's a
SOUTHWARD HO! 135
government seismologist right there in Washington who recently returned 
from the Antarctic. His name is Dorset. I understand he made a cruise down 
there on a Navy cutter, checking up on volcanic disturbances and earthquake 
tremors. Why not have a talk with him? He's now employed by the National 
Bureau of Standards."
"Fine!" Tom said. "I'll go see him at once."
He took a taxi and was soon in conference with the man. Dorset was 
interested to hear of Tom's plans and proved helpful. He even suggested a good 
spot for a base camp.
"In my opinion, your best bet is somewhere along the foot of these 
mountains," the seismologist said, pointing to an area on the map west of the 
great Ross ice barrier. "I flew over this territory in a Navy plane while studying the 
Mount Erebus volcano."
"Thanks. I'll look it over," Tom said, adding, "An ice-free lake has been 
reported somewhere among those mountains, hasn't it?"
"Right," Dorset replied. "That may be a sign your molten iron is particularly 
close to the surface in that vicinity. I'd say it should be a good area to 
investigate."
Tom thanked Mr. Dorset for the valuable information that he had given him, 
then hurried to the airport, where he took off in his jet. But as Tom streaked 
toward Shopton, he chafed at the delay in
136 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
his plans. Every day lost meant an added advantage for Bronich and the 
Kranjovians! By the time he reached home, Tom had come to a decision. At a 
meeting with his father and Uncle Ned in the Enterprises office, Tom said:
"I'd like to go on ahead in the Sky Queen to survey a site for our main camp."
"What about the rest of the expedition?" Mr. Swift asked.
"It can follow later, Dad," Tom said, "if and when Senator Rives gets new 
permission from the government."
As the two older men exchanged glances, the young inventor's jaw set 
determinedly. "Dad, this is a gamble we've got to take! If we don't, we stand to 
lose to Bronich!"
"Okay, son, you have my permission," Mr. Swift said, smiling.
"Second the motion," Uncle Ned added. "And good luck to you."
The following day, all hands worked furiously in making final preparations for 
the take-off. The Sky Queen was checked and double-checked from nose to tail. 
The main blaster and other equipment were also carefully inspected. Then the 
job of loading the great ship began.
Tom decided that one of the new atomic jet cargo planes should accompany 
him, piloted by Arvid
SOUTHWARD HO! 137
Hanson, Enterprises' expert modelmaker who was also a trained flier.
On board the Sky Queen, Tom would carry Blake, Faber, Voorhees, Chow, 
and a crew of five technicians. Two other crewmen would fly with Ar-vid Hanson.
That evening a farewell party was held at the Swift home, attended by Bud 
and the Newtons. There were gay decorations and rousing songs. But there was 
an underlying note of sadness.
"Do you think you can be home by Christmas, son?" Mrs. Swift asked, trying 
hard to keep her voice cheerful.
"I'm afraid not, Mother," Tom replied. "But you can be sure of one thing-I'll 
come back just as fast as I can!"
Tom had arranged to have Sandy buy Christmas presents both for relatives 
and friends-particularly Phyllis Newton. And he had commissioned Bud to buy a 
present for Sandy before leaving for the South Pole.
Early the next morning the Sky Queen was elevated from the underground 
hangar and readied for flight. Tom's family, accompanied by Phyl and Bud, stood 
by to watch the take-off.
"Sure wish I was going with you!" said Bud wistfully, as they shook hands.
''Don't worry, flyboy, you'll soon be joining us.
138 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
And on your way down, take good care of the pooches!"
Tom waved a last good-by from the pilot's compartment of the Sky Queen as 
the nuclear engines roared into life. With a blast of power from the jet lifters, the 
great silver ship soared up into the blue.
Traveling through the skies at fourteen hundred miles an hour, Tom watched 
cities, jungles, and mountains unfold below, then broad stretches of ocean. Ten 
hours later he caught his first glimpse of the vast and perilous south polar land!
The sky was gray and foggy, and the sea looked the color of lead. But the 
awe-inspiring spectacle of rugged, towering mountain peaks more than made up 
for the gloomy atmosphere.
The shores were edged with pack ice. As Tom and his companions watched 
through powerful binoculars, they made out numerous flocks of penguins, as well 
as several spouting whales.
Soon they were crossing the Ross Sea, one of the two great gateways to the 
interior of the Antarctic. Southward, toward the Pole, the sea was bounded by the 
huge and glittering Ross Barrier.
At the western end of the Barrier, they sighted a volcanic peak emitting 
plumes of smoke. Tom recognized this as Mount Erebus, and from there on 
checked his charts frequently for the position recommended by Dorset as a good 
base.
SOUTHWARD HO! 139
As the Sky Queen drew close to the location, Daryl Blake cried out, "Look! 
Huskies!"
Using his own binoculars, Tom scanned the whiteness below and quickly 
spotted a string of sled dogs! Banking sharply, he swooped down for closer 
scrutiny.
Suddenly his view was blanked out by a pelting blizzard. The plane 
shuddered violently as winds of tornado velocity spun it around!
CHAPTER 16
LOST IN THE BLIZZARD
THE JOLTING SHOCK knocked some of the crew down. Others were 
slammed against the plane's bulkheads.
With nerveless skill, Tom fought the controls and righted the ship in a slow 
roll. But the giant plane continued to yaw and pitch violently in the blasting winds.
"For the love of Mike, what happened?" Voorhees gasped as he struggled to 
regain his balance.
"Polar blizzard," Tom replied tersely. "We ran smack into the teeth of it-or it 
ran into us!"
Watching the instrument dials carefully, Tom poured atomic power into the jet 
lifters. Instantly the great ship roared skyward, up through the inky gloom of the 
storm clouds, then leveled off high above the overcast.
140
LOST IN THE BLIZZARD 141
Hanson's jet, which had dogged their trail all the way from the States, was 
nowhere in sight.
Tom flipped the intercom switch and spoke to the radioman.
"Still in touch with Hanson?"
"Yes, sir. We lost contact for a while when the blow first hit, but now their 
signal's coming through fine."
"Good! Stay tuned to their frequency and try to maintain contact till we get 
through this blizzard."
"Roger!"
For the next few hours, Tom flew back and forth over a radius of several 
hundred miles, seeking a break in the overcast through which to come down. But 
the storm seemed to be blanketing the entire polar area.
Time hung heavy, and the restlessness and impatience of the Sky Queen's 
passengers increased hour by hour. The sun moved in the sky, but remained in 
sight at all times, providing the travelers with a continuous glow of weak, watery 
light, even though it was now past midnight!
"Blast my infrared cookstove!" grumbled the usually good-natured Chow. 
"We coulda come by way o' Texas an' stopped off to see the big Panhandle 
Rodeo in all the time we're wastin' hunkerin' 'round up here!"
It was shortly after two in the morning when the
142 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
radioman notified Tom that he had lost contact with Hanson's plane.
"How long since you last heard their signal?" inquired the young inventor.
"About fifteen minutes ago. They seemed to conk out all of a sudden."
"Okay, keep trying and let me know the minute you pick up anything."
Again Tom began combing the polar sky. This time, he flew a definite search 
pattern, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hanson's cargo jet. But there was no sign of 
the missing plane.
Finally the storm abated, and the overcast showed signs of clearing. Easing 
off on the jet lifters, Tom maneuvered the ship cautiously downward through the 
billowing cloud masses. As the rugged snow-scape of the Antarctic continent 
gradually came into view below them, the great craft slowly settled, until it came 
to rest on the ice with a gentle bump.
Tom breathed a sigh of relief. His crew also was glad the trip was over. 
Exhausted from lack of sleep, most of them tumbled into their bunks to snatch a 
few hours of much-needed rest.
Since there had been no darkness, there was no daybreak to signal the 
coming of morning. Time had to be judged solely by the clock. At eight Tom put 
in a radio call to Shopton. Soon his father's voice came back by short wave.
LOST IN THE BLIZZARD 143
"Great to hear from you, son! Did you have a successful flight?"
Tom described the blizzard they had been through, and told how they had 
lost contact with Arvid Hanson.
"I've been wondering if you might have picked up his signal back at 
Shopton?"
"Not so far," replied Mr. Swift. "But I'll keep a radio operator on the job at all 
times, in case he does try to get through."
"How about Senator Rives?" Tom asked. "Any news yet from Washington?"
"No, nothing from that quarter, either," his father replied. "And I might add 
that I've still had no luck translating that message from our space friends. The 
more I work at it, the more puzzling it grows!"
After transmitting several messages for various other members of the crew, 
Tom signed off and turned the set over to his regular radioman. Just as he was 
about to descend to the galley for breakfast, the radio operator gave an excited 
cry.
"Hey, skipper!"
Tom wheeled around instantly and was back at the operator's side in two 
quick strides.
"Hanson?"
"Yeah, it's Arv, all right! But the signal's weak."
Slipping on the extra earphones, Tom listened anxiously while the operator 
tried to coax stronger
144 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
reception from the set. Gradually Hanson's voice came through more clearly.
"Arv!" shouted Tom. "You're safe! But what the dickens happened?"
"Slight accident," replied the modelmaker. "We located a break in the storm 
around two o'clock this morning and tried to come down. But the overcast made 
landing in the snow pretty tricky-there were no shadows to outline the shape of 
things below."
"Did you crack up?"
"Not exactly. But we bellied right across the top of a snow-covered mountain 
and got hung up. That damaged the undercarriage, and when we finally did get 
loose, the plane slid down the slope out of control,"
"Where are you now?"
"At the foot of the mountain, near open water."
"The Ross Sea?"
"Right. I think I've fixed our position pretty close."
Hanson proceeded to give Tom his approximate latitude and longitude on the 
chart.
"All right. We'll try to make it there as soon as possible and give you a hand!"
Dashing back to the pilot's compartment, Tom gunned the atomic engines for 
a take-off. Then, feeding a steady surge of power to the jet lifters, he guided the 
ship skyward and streaked off across the Antarctic wastes on the rescue mission!
CHAPTER 17
BLIND RESCUE
AS TOM'S Sky Queen raced to the rescue of the crippled cargo plane, a 
dense fog began drifting down from the north.
"It's getting thicker every minute," commented Dr. Faber, who was seated 
beside Tom.
"I'd better switch on the radar," Tom said. "This is a real pea-souper."
Daryl Blake stepped into the compartment. "Think you can find Hanson?" he 
asked.
"I hope so," Tom replied. "We have his position. But we'll have to get there 
on instruments if this fog continues."
Tom divided his attention between the altimeter and the radarscope. The 
plane was skirting a jagged range of mountains, and he knew that an error in 
judgment could spell quick disaster. Suddenly he hauled up the nose of the plane 
and jerked open the throttle.
145
146 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
The upward swoosh took Faber and Blake by surprise. As they clawed for 
balance, they saw that Tom's face was blanched.
"What was it-a traffic cop or a tall building?" quipped Blake, trying to make 
his voice sound casual.
"Almost clipped a peak," Tom replied, swallowing hard. To avoid further risk, 
he continued his steep climb for several thousand feet. Then he throttled down 
the horizontal power, so that the ship nosed through the fog at a snail's pace.
Tom snapped on the intercom and spoke to the radioman. "We're almost 
there, I think. Tell Hanson to listen for the sound of our engines. Soon as he 
hears us, ask him to shoot up a couple of signal flares for a landing marker."
"Roger!"
BLIND RESCUE
147
It was not long before a shower of sparks burst into view about a hundred 
yards to starboard. A moment later came another.
"Okay! We've got the spot!" Tom spoke into the mike.
Banking sharply, he wheeled the plane around to the position indicated, then 
shut off all horizontal power. For a moment the ship hung suspended in the fog, 
like a gigantic toy in a frosted shopwindow.
As Tom eased off the jet lifters, the plane began to sink earthward, settling 
on a snow-covered rock shelf of ground.
The main door of the Sky Queen slid open and

148 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
the occupants jumped to the ground, clad in their electrically heated parkas. 
There to greet them were Hanson and his two crewmen.
"Let's see how badly your undercarriage is damaged," Tom said, after they 
had clasped hands.
He inspected the jet's landing gear and called for the necessary replacement 
parts from the supplies carried aboard the Sky Queen. Then the young inventor 
embarked on the repair job, with the help of his flight engineer.
It was a lengthy and grueling task, working with gloved hands in the bitter 
Antarctic cold. But by the time repairs were completed, the fog was lifting rapidly. 
Strong winds sweeping up from the Pole helped scatter the last shreds of it 
toward the Antarctic Ocean.
Before taking off again, all hands gathered in the crew's quarters of the Sky 
Queen to eat a hearty, steaming-hot meal prepared by Chow Winkler.
"What now, skipper?" asked Arv Hanson, as the cook cleared away the 
empty dishes.
"I think I've found the right spot for our camp," replied Tom.
"How? By crystal ball?" Voorhees sneered.
Tom ignored the gibe. "I picked it out partly by studying the map, and partly 
from what I saw of the terrain before the fog closed in," he explained.
Hanson followed his skipper up to the pilot's com-
BLIND RESCUE 149
partment where Tom pointed out the exact spot on the chart. Then, leaning 
close, the engineer said quietly:
"That guy Voorhees is getting to be quite a pain, isn't he?"
"As a scientist he knows his stuff," Tom commented with a shrug. "That's all I 
care about."
When Hanson's ship was ready, he signaled Tom. The Sky Queen took off 
first, to lead the way, followed by the cargo jet. Once they were air-borne, Chow 
made his way up to the pilot's compartment, where Blake and Dr. Faber had 
joined Tom.
"Got tired slingin' pans down in the galley," he told his young boss, "so I 
figgered I'd come up here an' see what you hombres was up to."
"We're trying to figure out a riddle," Blake said, giving Tom a wink. "Chow, 
there's one place on earth where you'd face north, no matter what direction you 
turned. Do you know where that is?"
The likable cook scratched his head as Tom grinned. "I'd say deep in the 
heart o' Texas!"
Everyone laughed heartily and Blake said, "No. Right here at the South 
Pole!"
"You mean every direction is up? That's more'n I kin take, podners! I'm going 
back to my pots an' pans."
Not long afterward, the two planes landed at the spot which Tom had chosen 
for the campsite. Geo-
150 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
phones were immediately set up for a depth sounding. While an electric 
detonator was being hooked up to set off a charge of dynamite planted beneath 
the snow, Chow strolled over to watch the proceedings.
"What in thunderation you doin' now, son?" he asked Tom.
"I want to find out what's under all this ice and snow," the young inventor 
explained. "If the ice is resting on solid rock, we'll get only one echo from the 
dynamite blast. But if we're over water, we'll get two."
"Oh, I get it," Chow said importantly. "One if by land an' two if by sea!"
"Wow!" Tom exclaimed and whistled.
The test proved that they were on a rock base, suitable for drilling. By 
measuring the time lapse between blast and echo, Tom found that the thickness 
of the ice and snow was three hundred feet.
As Tom and the crew electrician were dismantling the geophone 
connections, the radioman from the Sky Queen ran up to them.
"Just picked up a message from Bud Barclay!" he reported. "The other two 
cargo jets are on their way!"
Tom gave a whoop of triumph. "It means that the government has okayed 
the expedition, after all!" Turning to the radioman, he asked, "Did you tell them 
our position?"
BLIND RESCUE 151
"Yes, sir. Hanson gave full instructions for getting here."
"Great!" Tom said enthusiastically. "The expedition is on!"
Before unloading either ship, however, Tom decided to make a 
reconnaissance flight and check on the area where they had sighted the huskies. 
The Sky Queen took off, swooping low over the icy wastes, but there was no sign 
of any living thing.
Just as Tom turned the plane around and was about to head back, Blake 
shouted, "Down there!" He pointed. "I can see something dark moving against 
the snow!"
Instantly Tom snatched up his own binoculars, but he got only a fleeting view 
before the dark object disappeared. It looked like a husky.
"It was a dog, all right!" Blake insisted. "I'm sure of that!"
Tom agreed. "Looks as if Bronich and his gang have holed in and one of 
their huskies broke loose momentarily."
Just then the intercom buzzed and the radioman informed Tom that his father 
was calling from Shopton. The young inventor flipped a switch to cut in on the 
short-wave radio circuit.
"Hi, Dad!" he exclaimed as his father's voice came through. "How's 
everything?"
"First rate. Just thought you might like to hear about that FBI report."
152 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"You bet I would!"
"Your hunch was right, son. Many of the people who sent in that flood of 
complaints turned out to be known subversives. That's why the government gave 
the green light for your expedition!"
Tom told him about the radio message from Bud, and about finding Bronich's 
campsite. He also suggested that his father contact the foreign government 
which claimed ownership of that area, and tell them a Kranjovian agent had 
established a base there.
"It's too late to keep Bronich from using our blueprints," Tom concluded, "but 
maybe we can stop him from drilling!"
Shortly after father and son had signed off, the Sky Queen landed at the 
American camp. Several hours later the two cargo jets arrived from the States. 
Bud was piloting the one which carried Colonel Eagle Friend and the dogs, while 
Hank Sterling was at the controls of the other, accompanied by Dr. MacGregor, a 
slight, sandy-haired man with a trim mustache and an air of quiet competence.
Tom immediately put all hands to work building a series of mammoth ice 
caves lined with asbestalon for housing the planes, stores, and equipment.
With the men divided into shifts, work continued around the clock. Twenty-
four hours after Bud's arrival, the job was nearly completed. Chow was just
BLIND RESCUE 153
about to serve a hot meal to the off-going shift when an excited crewman ran 
up to Tom, shouting:
"There's a plane coming! I just picked it up on the radar! Looks like a heavy 
bomber!"
All work stopped as the men came dashing up to hear the news. Bud looked 
at Tom in dismay.
"Bronich!" he gasped.
There was no time for speculation. Tom already had assigned each crewman 
to a special post in case of emergencies. Now he barked an order:
"All hands to stations! Stand by to repel attack!"
CHAPTER 18
SNEAK RAID
AS THE MEN RACED to their emergency posts, they heard the drone of the 
approaching plane. An instant later the strange ship arrowed down out of the 
brooding gray skies. It was a jet bomber!
As the plane swooped low over the camp, the bomb-bay doors flashed open 
and a shiny object plunged earthward.
"A bomb!" Chow cried out. Shutting his eyes tight, he clamped both hands 
over his ears. But the expected blast never came. The shiny object merely 
plummeted into the snow.
Then the enemy plane zoomed upward and whined away over the 
mountains.
Tom waited a full two minutes to make sure the plane would not return. Then 
he emerged from his snow-cave laboratory, shouting and fanning his arms back 
and forth in a signal of "All clear!"
154
SNEAK RAID 155
Everyone made a dash toward the object in the snow. But Tom warned them 
back until he had time to inspect it and make sure that it contained no booby trap 
or delayed explosive.
He soon discovered that the shiny object was merely a tin can, weighted with 
rocks and containing a written message. The others gathered around as Tom 
read it aloud:
tom swift:
the u.s. has no right in this part of the antarctic. abandon your base at once 
or we will attack!
Angry murmurs arose from the crewmen. Chow exploded with indignation. 
"Why, them jet-propelled polecats!" he raged. "Sounds like they're fixin' to start a 
war at the South Pole!"
"If they want trouble, they can have it," said Tom grimly. "But first we'll call 
their bluff."
The young inventor hastily wrote out a message, then passed it around for 
the others to read. It said:
to ivor bronich and the kranjovian
invaders:
we are here to stay. i warn you that
if you bother us, or make use of the
invention which you stole from me,
you will answer to the united
states government.
tom swift jr.
156 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"And just how do you plan to deliver this message, may I ask?" inquired 
Voorhees with scorn in his voice.
"The same way they delivered theirs-by plane."
"Let me take it!" Bud demanded eagerly.
"It's all yours!" Tom agreed.
Quickly one of the cargo jets was rolled out of its ice-dome hangar, and the 
young flier took off. Tom and the others gathered in the radio shack to maintain 
contact with Bud during the flight.
The minutes ticked by slowly as they waited. Finally Bud's voice came 
crackling over the loudspeaker.
"Barclay to American base. . . . Now approaching enemy camp. . . . They're 
scurrying around like crazy down there! . . . Guess they didn't expect an answer 
so soon. . . . Their bomber in plain sight on the ground. . . . Looks as if it just 
landed a few moments ago."
The listeners heard Bud chuckle to himself. Then he added, "Man, what I 
wouldn't give for a hatchful of bombs right now-even one little teeny one!"
Tom grabbed the mike. "Remember what I told you, Bud! Don't go asking for 
trouble!"
"You're the boss, skipper!" There was a brief silence, then Bud's voice came 
through again, "Message on target! . . . Over!"
When Bud returned and circled in for a perfect landing, the men swarmed 
around to congratulate
SNEAK RAID 157
him as he climbed out of the cargo jet. There were questions and laughter, 
and jokes cracked at the expense of the startled Kranjovians.
Tom, however, was already thinking about his next move. He spoke to Bud, 
Arv Hanson, and Hank Sterling. "From now on, we'd better take no chances. 
We'll keep a man on the radarscope at all times, and make a reconnaissance 
flight every few hours. We four are the only pilots in the group, so we'll rotate the 
flights among us."
An air of tension settled over the camp as work continued in building and 
organizing the base. Twenty-four hours went by. Still there was no sign of a 
return visit from the Kranjovians.
"Apparently Bremen's threat was just what I had suspected-a bluff!" Tom 
mused. Nevertheless, he was worried, realizing that he was engaged in a deadly 
race with a ruthless opponent.
Redoubling his efforts, Tom worked at a furious pace. Besides taking his turn 
on the regular patrol flights, he hurried back and forth, supervising the work of the 
entire expedition.
"Son, don't you think you'd better slack down a bit?" Chow said. "After all, 
you ain't the only cow-poke on this range."
"I can't slow down," Tom replied. "Not till we strike that molten iron and make 
sure Bronich can't ruin our plans!"
With the expedition snugly housed against the
158 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Antarctic cold, Tom next turned his attention to the job of preparing for the 
drilling. As the first step, he called the entire crew of technicians into his snow-
cave laboratory, which was to serve as the central control post for his atomic 
earth blaster.
"Here's what our operating layout will look like," he announced, pointing to a 
large wall chart. "There'll be three listening posts set up around the pit dug by the 
blaster. The posts will be located, like the points of a triangle, about five miles 
apart."
"What's the purpose of the listening posts?" asked Bud.
Tom explained that sonic vibrators on the atomic earth blaster would send 
out vibrations, which, in turn, would be picked up by listening devices at each 
post.
"The data collected by these listening devices," Tom explained, "will be fed to 
this electronic brain here in my lab. The brain will then figure out the exact 
position of the blaster inside the earth at any given time."
Chow, who was standing behind the group of technicians, listened with a 
strained, intense look. Suddenly he spoke up, "Tom," he said, "suppose that 
there giant bug goes loco an' starts borin' off in the wrong direction. How you 
gonna ride herd on the doggone thing?"
"Good question," Tom replied, smiling. "This
SNEAK RAID 159
gadget here will do the trick." He pointed to a device near the electronic 
brain. "It's a sonic vibrator, like the ones on the blaster. Only this one will send 
instructions down to the blaster instead of pulsing signals up to us."
With a wise look, Chow nodded approval.
Tom said that the job of setting up the listening posts would begin 
immediately. The necessary building material and equipment would be hauled to 
each location by dog team and snowmobile.
A short time later the first team of technicians set out from the base. In the 
lead was the snowmobile, plowing a trail through the crusted snow with its blunt 
nose and wide caterpillar treads. Behind came the dog-team freight sled, guided 
by Colonel Eagle Friend and loaded down with additional supplies and 
equipment.
Work went ahead rapidly on the three listening posts. In the one nearest the 
digging site, Voor-hees installed special temperature recorders. These would 
pick up readings from delicate thermal-measuring devices inside the blaster, and 
thus show the earth's temperature at every point as the blaster went down 
deeper and deeper.
Before launching the blaster, Tom double-checked his depth soundings. He 
wanted to make sure how soon he could expect to hit solid rock.
Just as the geophones were being connected, a si-
160 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
ten screeched. This was the alarm signal from the radarman.
"It's another air raid!" Blake shouted, as all hands made a dash for their 
emergency stations.
A moment later the same jet bomber that had buzzed the camp before came 
roaring down out of the skies. But again it passed over harmlessly-this time 
without even dropping a message.
Puzzled and somewhat worried, Tom gave the all-clear signal for his aides to 
return to work. They had hardly resumed their tasks, however, when once again 
the siren shrieked.
Dropping their tools, the men started to run for cover. But there was no time 
to reach safety. A blurred object streaked across the sky and headed directly for 
the camp.
"A guided missile!" Bud yelled. "It's going to hit us!"
CHAPTER 19
DISASTER STRIKES
A SPLIT SECOND LATER the missile struck-^ a clean hit on the ice cave 
housing the spare blaster!
A deafening explosion rocked the area and the ice cave flew apart in a burst 
of smoke and flame! Metal fragments were sprayed over the entire camp.
Furious and sickened by the sudden blow, Tom could hardly speak. He stood 
clenching his fists and gritting his teeth as he fought to master the feelings of 
rage and despair that swept over him.
With the spare blaster gone, everything hinged on the successful operation 
of the single atomic drill. If this blaster were pinned or crushed while digging the 
shaft, the entire expedition would be a failure. Swift Enterprises and the Swift 
Construction Company would be ruined!
161
162 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"What will we do now?" asked Dr. Faber gravely, as Tom's men gathered 
around.
"Give those Kranjovians a taste of their own medicine!" Tom turned to his 
flight crewmen. "Roll the Sky Queen out of her hangar and get her ready for 
immediate take-off!"
The men were exultant at the news that Tom was about to strike back at the 
enemy. Colonel Eagle Friend and some of the others begged for a chance to 
accompany him on the flight. But Tom decided to limit his crew to one man-his 
husky copilot, Bud Barclay.
As the great silver ship streaked through the polar sky en route to the enemy 
camp, Tom's nerves were calm and steady.
"Coming on target!" shouted Bud. Far below, they could see the antlike forms 
of men. The tail end of the enemy's jet bomber was just disappearing inside its 
own ice-dome hangar.
Jamming the stick forward, Tom sent the Sky Queen into a screaming dive. 
As the mammoth ship plunged earthward like a silver thunderbolt, the 
Kranjovians scattered in wild panic.
"We've scared 'em. Now we'll melt 'em," Tom said, guiding the plane out of 
the dive and soaring skyward.
Reducing the forward thrust, Tom cut loose with a full blast of power from the 
jet lifters, raking the
DISASTER STRIKES 163
camp from one end to the other! The heat plowed a deep furrow in the snow, 
melting and crumpling the roofs of several ice-cave dwellings.
But this time the Kranjovians were ready. Throwing the camouflage off their 
gun placements, they brought the long, deadly muzzles of their ack-ack batteries 
wheeling into action.
As the great ship zoomed over the camp, the guns began to spit and the air 
blossomed with a hail of shells. But even though many whizzed perilously close 
to the Sky Queen, not one of the shells exploded!
Bud was beside himself with glee as he peered down at the enemy gunners 
through binoculars.
"You should see 'em, Tom!" he said. "They're going crazy! They can't figure 
out why the proximity fuses on the shells aren't going off!"
"Wonderful stuff, this Tomasite!" The young inventor chuckled. The special 
plastic coating completely covered the Sky Queen and insulated it from magnetic 
effects.
On the next run, the Kranjovians tried again to down the avenging plane. 
Again they failed completely.
"Once more for good luck!" Tom said, as he brought the ship around for a 
final run over the target. This time, the enemy gunners gave up in despair and 
scattered for cover.
164 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Brother, I'll bet you scared those guys out of a year's growth!" gasped Bud, 
weak with laughter, as the Sky Queen roared up and away from the Kran-jovian 
camp.
But both Tom and Bud knew that a single scare, however effective, would not 
long deter the efforts of Bronich and his henchmen to wipe out the Swift 
expedition. As soon as the boys arrived back at camp, Tom called a meeting to 
report what had happened. All except Voorhees cheered Tom's success, after 
which Bud broached the idea of invading the enemy base and overpowering the 
Kranjovians.
"Until we put them out of action, once and for all," the copilot said, "we can 
never rest easy! At any time they may launch another sneak attack!"
Tom disagreed, warning of the danger of a possible global war as the result. 
It was finally decided to wait until word arrived from Mr. Swift as to whether or not 
Bronich had a right to operate in that part of the Antarctic. Meanwhile, Tom laid 
out further defense plans, then resumed his job of checking depth soundings. 
The geophones were set up and a charge of dynamite was touched off deep 
beneath the snow.
An amplifying recording device photographed the sound waves of the 
explosion as they were picked up over the geophones. As he studied the results 
Tom frowned, then a look of dismay crossed his face.
"Something wrong, chum?" Bud asked.
DISASTER STRIKES 165
"Plenty! According to our previous soundings, we were based on solid rock. 
Now we're getting a double echo-which means we're over water."
"Impossible!" Bud insisted.
Quickly Tom checked several other points about the camp. The government 
scientists and several of the crewmen gathered around to watch. In every case, 
the test showed the same results!
"I don't get it," said Bud with a puzzled look. "If your first soundings showed 
rock, how could it change to water?"
"Very simple, I'm afraid," Tom replied. "The ice on which our camp is resting 
must have shifted during the last few days."
"You're right, Tom," Dr. Faber agreed. "That means we're now on a floating 
ice shelf which could break apart at any moment!"
Disheartened, the members of the expedition looked at each other until Bud 
spoke again.
"What's our next move?" he asked.
"Looks as if we'll have to move southward, nearer the Pole, perhaps along 
the foot of the Queen Maud Mountains. Then we can be sure of drilling into solid 
rock."
Voorhees' lip curled in a sneer.
"Don't you think it's about time you started facing the facts?" he inquired with 
a nasty edge to his voice.
Tom eyed him coolly. "Such as?"
166 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Such as the fact that you've bungled this expedition from the word go!"
Bud shoved his way forward to stand face to face with Voorhees. "Maybe 
you'd like to back up that statement, Hal," he suggested, knowing the nickname 
would irritate Voorhees. "Tell us exactly how Tom has bungled this expedition."
"I should think that would be obvious, even to you," Voorhees jeered. "While 
we've been wasting valuable time setting up a base here-on a site, by the way, 
which was chosen personally by young Mr. Swift-Bronich has probably picked 
the ideal spot for drilling!"
"And of course you could have handled things much better?" Bud 
challenged.
"I certainly couldn't have handled them any worse!"
"Then try handling this!"
Bud's fist shot out in a punch that sent Voorhees sprawling in the snow!
CHAPTER 20
A WHALE CHARGES
THE KNOCKDOWN infuriated Voorhees. Crimson with rage, he picked 
himself up and charged.
Bud met him with a jarring left to the jaw, followed by a hard right to the pit of 
the stomach. Voorhees' knees buckled, but he quickly recovered. A moment later 
the opponents were trading punches wildly in a toe-to-toe slugging match, 
hindered greatly by their heavy clothing.
The clash had caught Tom by surprise. But before any serious harm could be 
done, he flung himself between the fighters and pushed them apart.
"Now shake hands-both of you!" Tom ordered. "And don't give me any 
argument. We've got too big a job ahead of us to waste any energy brawling!"
The commanding ring in his voice produced
167
168 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
instant results. Somewhat shamefacedly, Bud and Voorhees shook hands.
"Perhaps it would be better to move after all," Voorhees conceded sullenly. 
"My own thermal measurements will be more stable if they're made on solid 
rock."
During the next two days, Tom scouted a large area to the south, taking 
numerous soundings with the geophones. Finally he found what seemed to be an 
ideal spot for drilling.
In the days that followed, everyone worked steadily at the job of shifting the 
base camp and setting up new listening posts.
The last link in the preparations, prior to launching the blaster, was the 
digging of an enormous artificial "lake" in the ice. Then the lake would be 
drained, in order to provide an immense cup in which to capture the molten iron 
as it spouted up from the earth. Tom summoned the crewmen to his laboratory to 
explain this operation.
"I'll melt the ice with the jet lifters of the Sky Queen," he told them. "The water 
will then be pumped off rapidly through a large hose."
Tom gave orders for the hose to be lashed down with wire cables and the 
nozzle to be fixed in position with powerful clamps.
Immediately after lunch, Tom and Bud took off in the Sky Queen. Tom 
brought the big plane over
A WHALE CHARGES 169
the area marked out for the pool and glided to an altitude of only a few 
hundred feet.
Then, throttling down on the horizontal power, he began circling slowly 
around and around while the jet lifters poured a steady stream of heat into the 
snow.
Soon the artificial lake was gushing with melted snow. As the pumps picked 
up suction, the hose suddenly came to life. It swelled and stiffened, violent blasts 
of water shooting out the nozzle. Gradually, the lake was drained.
Upon returning to camp just before supper, Tom learned that the sonic 
devices for transmitting signals back and forth between the blaster and the 
listening posts were not working properly.
The engineers, however, told him that they had located the cause of the 
trouble and would have the mechanisms in good working order within forty-eight 
hours.
On the basis of this report, Tom decided to plan on launching the blaster in 
three days. Before going to bed, he strolled over to the radio shack to contact his 
father and find out if Bronich had permission to operate in the area.
The radioman was now using a code machine to scramble and unscramble 
messages, as a precaution against the Kranjovians learning their plans.
This time, however, as he beamed a call signal to
170 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Shopton, the speaker could pick up nothing but violent, blasting static. After 
repeated attempts to get through, the radioman finally gave up.
"Must be some violent electrical storms going on between here and the 
States," he reported.
"Either that, or Bronich is jamming our signals!" returned Tom grimly. As he 
made his way back to his snow-cave laboratory, he met Daryl Blake and Dr. 
Faber. Blake, excited as a schoolboy, invited Tom to the botany lab on the Sky 
Queen.
"Now, my friends," announced the red-haired scientist as Tom and Dr. Faber 
followed him into his workshop, "feast your eyes on this!"
With the air of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Blake produced two 
exhibits of lichens-a small clinging plant found at the South Pole. One specimen 
was frozen solidly in ice, the other was growing luxuriantly under the rays of a 
sun lamp.
Next, he pointed out a display of ivy and mountain pinks-some quick-frozen 
and some flourishing in a tray "garden."
Tom and Faber looked on fascinated as Blake continued:
"This will revolutionize horticulture and the study of plant growth! From now 
on, seedlings and small plants can be frozen and shipped anywhere in the 
world!"
"Right!" Tom exclaimed. "And not only that-
A WHALE CHARGES 171
the treatment would kill off any harmful insect life that might be carried 
along."
Dr. Faber's eyes danced. "Think of it!" He chuckled. "A deep freezer in every 
florist's shop!"
When Blake had finished showing his exhibit, Tom congratulated the botanist 
on his success. As the three left the laboratory, Dr. Faber said, "I was wondering 
if you'd care to accompany me tomorrow on a short field trip to study the 
Antarctic wildlife? I'm particularly interested in making some observations on the 
behavior of penguins and whales."
"Fine!" agreed Tom, who was in the mood for some recreation. "We'll take 
the pontoon plane."
This was a light and useful little amphibian craft which he had substituted for 
the jet-lifted helicopter just before leaving Shopton.
After an eight-hour sleep and a good breakfast, Tom and Dr. Faber took off. 
At first the sky was clear and the mountain ridges cast blue-black shadows in the 
snow. Everything stood out in sharply chiseled detail. On the exposed cliff faces, 
red and green lichens mingled with white and gray patches against the blackish 
rock, creating a colorful effect.
But gradually the sky became overcast. Earth and sky seemed to meet in a 
ghostly, shadowless white universe with no horizons. Tom headed for the Bay of 
Whales, a watery indentation in the great Ross Barrier.
172 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
On a snow field at the edge of the water, where they sighted a large school 
of Adelie penguins, Tom came down for a landing.
The friendly, frolicking birds seemed absolutely fearless and quickly came 
waddling over to inspect the visitors. With their white breasts, shiny black coats, 
and flippers, they looked like funny little gentlemen in evening clothes.
Dr. Faber made notes and took photographs while Torn watched some of the 
penguins playing a game. A group would gather around a snow hill and watch 
solemnly while one climbed to the top. He would stand staring out to sea for a 
while, then another would climb up and push him off.
The newcomer, too, would stand gazing off into the distance until another 
penguin pushed him off. One by one, they took turns being "king of the castle."
Finally one of the penguins began picking up small pebbles in his beak and 
bringing them over to drop at Tom's feet.
"He seems to have taken quite a shine to you." Dr. Faber chuckled. "That's a 
sign of penguin approval. Incidentally, that's how a gentleman penguin woos the 
lady of his choice."
"Good night!" Tom grinned. "Let's get out of here before he tries to kiss me!"
They took off, this time cruising over the open
A WHALE CHARGES 173
water hoping to sight a whale. The bay was studded with drift ice and floating 
icebergs. Unlike the northern variety, these Antarctic bergs were long and flat, 
some extending for two miles in length.
At Dr. Faber's suggestion, Tom brought the plane down on the water so they 
could observe some of the seals which were sliding on the ice. As Tom 
maneuvered the craft skillfully alongside several of the creatures, the elder 
scientist gave a sudden cry of alarm. Tom looked in the direction he was 
pointing, then gasped.
From behind a nearby iceberg, a mammoth whale had reared its enormous 
head and was charging directly toward them!
CHAPTER 21
A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE
AS THE WHALE bore down on them, Tom opened the throttle wide, shooting 
the plane across the choppy gray-green waters of the bay.
In order to get close to the seals, Tom had maneuvered into an area littered 
with drift ice. Now his course was blocked by numerous floating white chunks.
Kicking the rudder hard, the inventor veered to the left and headed for open 
water, as Dr. Faber cried out:
"It's a blue whale-the biggest kind there is!" Excitedly he pulled out his pen 
and notebook and started writing.
Just at that moment, the whale spouted, then plunged below the surface and 
disappeared.
The plane was skimming along, nearing open warn
A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE 175
ter now, with a clear path ahead for a take-off. A stiff breeze was whipping 
the waves into whitecaps.
Suddenly, with a loud splash, the whale surfaced again, fifty feet directly 
ahead, rearing and arcing its body.
Tom gasped, "It must be a hundred feet long!"
"And weigh more than a hundred tons!" added Dr. Faber, scribbling notes 
furiously.
Tom gunned the engines to pick up speed for the take-off. Would they make 
it, or hit the whale? Tom pulled back on the stick. The pontoons cleared the water 
and the craft was air-borne! They had missed the whale's back by a scant three 
feet!
Not until they were soaring safely above the bay did the two explorers 
exchange glances and let out deep sighs of relief.
"Magnificent, the way you kept your head and steered us out of danger, 
Tom!" Dr. Faber congratulated him.
"I was too scared to do anything else!" the young inventor confessed ruefully. 
"You're the one who was really fearless, the way you kept taking notes."
The scientist's steel-gray eyes twinkled. "The truth is," he explained, "I had to 
go on writing to keep from panicking. But now look at me!"
He held out his hand and Tom saw that it was shaking like a leaf. With the 
sudden release of tension, both Tom and Dr. Faber burst into laughter.
176 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
On the flight back to camp, they passed numerous birds of the Antarctic. 
Several times Tom swooped low so Dr. Faber could examine flocks of skua gulls 
and snowy petrels.
As the plane regained altitude, the elder scientist noticed that Tom looked 
worried. "Anything wrong?" he inquired.
"I seem to be a bit off course," Tom replied. He circled left, then headed back 
in the direction from which they had just come. Once more he circled.
"Are we lost?" Dr. Faber asked calmly.
"I'm afraid we are. According to my computations, we should be just about 
over the camp. But there's no sign of it."
"Any chance of a mistake?"
"I don't think so. But wait a minute." Hastily Tom checked his navigation 
figures, then shook his head.
"No, the figures are okay," he added, "unless my instruments are way off. Of 
course, they may have been affected by terrestrial magnetism. And with this 
overcast, there's no hope of getting a sun sight."
Nothing was visible below but a vast expanse of white wilderness. Tom tried 
to line up his position on the chart by referring to some mountain peaks to the 
southward. But the mountains were so poorly mapped that it was impossible to 
get a definite fix. The young inventor paled as a horrible thought
A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE 177
struck him. "A flash blizzard!" he gasped. "One may have struck the camp 
while we were gone and covered everything!"
With mounting worry, Tom and Dr. Faber scanned the terrain with their 
glasses. Just when hope seemed to ebb, two figures emerged from the snowy 
vastness and waved.
"Where did they come from?" Dr. Faber asked, astonished.
Tom eased the plane down lower for a closer look through the binoculars, 
then gave a shout of relief. "They're Bud and Hanson!"
Minutes later, he landed the plane and taxied to a halt near several great 
sastrugi-wind-blown drifts of snow. Bud and Hanson ran up to greet them.
"For Pete's sake, what happened to the camp?" asked Tom anxiously. In 
reply, Bud stuck his arm into one of the big snowdrifts, then tugged upward, 
displaying a corner of tarpaulin covered with snow.
"There's your answer, chum," Bud said. "Stick your head under that tarp and 
you'll find the lab. Every other building on the base is camouflaged the same 
way."
"Great idea," Tom said, "but you might have told a fellow about it."
"I didn't have time," Bud said, "on account of the attack."
"Another one?"
178 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"And how! Sent their jet bomber over again. The pilot dropped a stick of 
bombs on us. Luckily, they all landed off the target, so no one was hurt."
Hanson spoke up. "Tom, we figured it would be wise to camouflage the 
camp, in case the plane came back."
While Tom was talking with Bud and Hanson, the other members of the 
expedition emerged from their hiding places in the camouflage snowdrifts. They 
gathered around to add their own angry remarks to the report of the Kranjovian 
bombing attack.
"I was so doggone mad," Bud stormed, "that I almost took off in the Sky 
Queen and blasted 'em from here to the North Pole! But Hal Voorhees and some 
of the others persuaded me to wait for you."
"I'm glad you did," said Tom thoughtfully. "It looks as if it's time to take 
definite action. This situation has gone far enough!"
Quickly he ordered the Sky Queen to be hauled out of its hangar. Soon the 
great ship was streaking toward the enemy base. Tom was seated at the 
controls, with Bud Barclay in the copilot's seat beside him.
As they came in sight of the Kranjovian base, they saw a cluster of men 
swarming around something at the southern edge of the camp.
"What's going on down there?" Bud said.
A HAIRBREADTH ESCAPE 179
"We'll soon find out," Tom replied. Easing off the jet lifters, he sent the Sky 
Queen swooping down over the heads of the Kranjovians. As they scattered, Bud 
gave an excited cry:
"Look! They're launching an earth blaster!"
CHAPTER 22
PRISONER OF WAR
"JUMPIN" JETS! The Kranjovians have an earth blaster too!" Bud shouted.
"It's almost identical to mine," Tom said, looking down at a steel-girdered 
platform. On it the inventor saw a long, gleaming cylinder with protruding 
electrodes at the nose! The machine was poised for launching!
"Those sneak thieves must have made it from your blueprints!" Bud 
exclaimed. "Let's go down there right now and blast the daylights out of "em!"
The young inventor shook his head thoughtfully as he circled above the 
camp. "No, I'm afraid that's not the answer," he said. "Suppose Bronich is 
operating with permission from the country which claims this part of the Antarctic. 
If we destroy his camp, that country might consider it an act of war."
180
PRISONER OF WAR 181
"But where does that leave us?" Bud grumbled.
Tom thought for a moment. "I'll try to get through to Shopton and see if Dad 
has any information for us yet. Then we can decide what to do."
As Bud took over the controls, Tom stepped aft to the radio compartment and 
switched on the shortwave transmitter. As soon as the set was warmed up, he 
began beaming a code signal to Shopton. The only result was loud, sputtering 
static.
Bud flashed Tom a questioning look as the young inventor resumed his seat 
in the pilot's compartment.
"Any luck?"
"No. Sounds as if they're still jamming the air waves."
"Okay. So what happens now, jet boy?"
"The only thing left is to try to arrange a truce and talk with Bronich in 
person." Tom strode to the radio cabin and returned about fifteen minutes later.
"What's the deal?" the copilot asked.
"Bronich agrees," Tom said tersely. "Let's take her down."
Like a great silver bird, the Sky Queen swooped for a landing in the snow. As 
Tom unbuckled his seat belt and prepared to leave the plane, Bud moved to 
accompany him. But Tom motioned him back.
182 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"You'd better stay here, pal. There may be trouble. I want you to keep the 
plane ready for an instant take-off, in case Bronich decides not to respect the 
truce."
Bud watched uneasily through the window of the pilot's compartment as his 
friend emerged from the plane and advanced toward the Kranjovians. Clad in 
heavy furs, they were drawn together in a group to meet him. The men were 
rough-looking and unshaven. At the head of the group was a tall, gaunt figure in 
a black bearskin parka. Tom recognized him instantly as Ivor Bronich.
"Well, what is it you want?" snarled the Kranjo-vian spy in his thick accent.
"I want to keep you out of trouble if I can," Tom said.
"Trouble? Ha! It is you who are in trouble, my friend, not I," Bronich said, 
laughing.
Tom ignored the gibe. "I don't believe you have any right to be operating 
here," Tom said, but added quickly, "However, if you do have, why can't we go 
about our experiments peacefully?"
The young inventor was mentally sparring for time. The longer he could delay 
Bronich from using the usurped earth blaster, the better were the chances of 
having the subversives captured.
"You ask for peace?" Bronich stormed. "You who have stolen the earth 
blaster from Kranjovia?"
PRISONER OF WAR 183
Anger surged through Tom. "Who stole what?"
"You stole our idea," Bronich said. "Kranjovian engineers developed this ten 
years ago!"
"Why didn't you make use of it?"
"We were improving on it for our glorious country," Bronich replied.
"Your facts are slightly inaccurate," Tom said, trying hard to control his 
temper. "You stole the blueprints from me."
At this Bronich turned to view his cohorts, an ugly sneer on his face. Pointing 
to Tom, he shouted:
"Liar!"
Impulsively Tom lashed out and hit the spy hard on the mouth, cutting his 
lower lip. But before he could land another blow, the Kranjovians had 
overpowered him.
"You will live to regret this!" Bronich hissed.
In the cabin of the Sky Queen, Bud had seen everything that happened and 
he realized that by himself it was hopeless to try to free Tom from the enemy.
"But maybe there's another way!" Bud muttered. He gave a blast of power to 
the jet lifters and the Sky Queen zoomed up, then soared away as though fleeing 
from the Kranjovian camp.
Suddenly he banked the plane sharply and sent it roaring back straight at the 
enemy! He was hoping to catch Bronich and his men by surprise. But the
184 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Kranjovian agent had spotted Bud's maneuver. Before Bud could let go with 
a searing blast from the jet lifters, Bronich's men had dragged Tom straight into 
the path of the oncoming plane.
They were using the young inventor as a human shield! Bud fumed with 
helpless rage. But there was nothing he could do except shut off the jet lifters 
and wing harmlessly over the heads of the enemy. He refused to give up, 
however. Again and again, he made lightning passes at the Kranjovians, coming 
at them from every direction.
But each time Bronich's men thwarted Bud's attack by shoving Tom directly 
in his line of fire.
Finally the copilot realized there was only one way to save his friend and that 
was to get help. Roaring upward in a steep climb, he sent the Sky Queen 
streaking homeward toward the American camp.
Watching the great plane disappear in the distance, Bronich broke into loud, 
snorting laughter.
"So! Your friend runs away, like typical Yankee dog, with his tail between his 
legs!" Bronich turned mockingly to Tom. "And now, since you violated our truce, 
you will stay and become one of us!"
"If you think I'm going to help you, you've got another think coming!" Tom 
said defiantly.
Bronich sneered, "Never fear, my young friend. We Kranjovians have many 
ways to bend a man to our will. If and when the time comes that we should need 
your scientific help in operating this so-called
PRISONER OF WAR 185
earth blaster, I assure you that you will render assistance gladly."
Tom glared at him. "Then you admit it's a copy oŁ my machine?"
"Of course! Why not? I see no further need for evasion." Bronich chuckled. "I 
will also admit something more. We were planning to destroy your American 
base tomorrow. But, in view of the present turn of events, why should we delay? I 
will give orders for the bombing planes and rockets to be launched at once!"
Although sick with horror at the impending peril, Tom was thinking fast. As 
Bronich began barking out commands to his men, the young inventor suddenly 
spoke up.
"Wait a minute! Let's see your blaster in operation. How do I know this whole 
setup isn't just a big bluff?"
Bronich considered for a moment, eying Tom narrowly. Finally he said, "Very 
well. We shall start the machine and you may watch. Meanwhile, my men will be 
attacking and destroying your friends!"
All the time, Tom had been studying the setup. Somehow he must warn his 
friends! As he walked toward the launching platform with Bronich and the crew, 
he was thinking:
"The controls-if I can just get at the controls, maybe I can foul up the blaster 
and upset the camp long enough to make a getaway!"
CHAPTER 23
SHOWDOWN BATTLE
AS BUD LANDED the Sky Queen at the American camp, the scientists and 
crewmen swarmed out of their ice caves to hear what had happened. When the 
copilot climbed out of the plane alone, they realized that something was wrong.
"Where's Tom?" shouted Arvid Hanson anxiously.
When Bud told them the bad news, the men became fighting mad.
"Them sneakin' double-dyed polecats!" stormed Chow Winkler. "We oughta 
rope an' hog-tie every last one of 'em an' feed 'em to the whales!"
"They'll get what's coming to them!" vowed Hank Sterling. "Right now, it's 
Tom we must worry about!"
"We'd better move fast," Bud said. "Let's all go in the Sky Queen. We can 
force them to release Tom
186
SHOWDOWN BATTLE 187
by threatening to wipe out their base if they refuse!"
By common consent, Bud took charge of the preparations, with Hank Sterling 
as second in command. A supply of tear-gas guns and tear-gas bombs-the only 
weapons ever carried by a Swift expedition- were lugged out of one of the ice 
caves and loaded on board the plane.
Just as the men were being mustered and organized, the radioman came 
running up. "There's a call coming through from Shopton!" he reported. "I think 
it's Mr. Swift Sr."
"I'll take it," said Bud. But he dreaded the thought of breaking the news about 
Tom's capture.
In the communications cave he waited as the radioman fed the signal into the 
unscrambling device. Soon the voice of Tom's father came over the speaker:
"Good news, son! I've contacted the foreign government which claims the 
part of the Antarctic where Bronich has set up his base. They've given him no 
permission to tap the mineral resources of their territory! They're now sending 
planes and men to take the necessary police action. But, in the meantime, they 
request that you folks do all you can to stop him! . . . Over."
At the last moment Bud could not bear to burden the elder scientist with 
worry over his son's plight. He spoke into the mike:
"American base to Shopton. . . . This is Bud
188 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Barclay speaking. . . . Tom's not here just now, Mr. Swift, but I'll get your 
message to him as soon as possible!"
Bud signed off and hurried back to the Sky Queen, where his "troops" were 
waiting to embark. He was reporting the news from Shopton when the shrill 
whine of the air-raid siren sounded over the camp!
The men scattered for cover. Seconds later the jet bomber came swooping 
down. But there was no attack. Instead of bombs, another weighted tin can was 
dropped from the plane. Bud ran to pluck out the message and read it aloud:
TO THE AMERICAN EXPEDITION: WE ARE HOLDING TOM SWIFT AS A 
HOSTAGE. DO NOT TRY TO ATTACK OUR CAMP OR HE
WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!
The men's faces showed dismay. Even Bud was nonplused for a moment by 
the unexpected threat. But a surge of anger and indignation quickly stiffened his 
resolve.
"We can't let them bluff us this way! Tom's in danger whether we attack or 
not! And it's a cinch they'll never let him go free unless we rescue him!"
"Yo're dad-blamed right they won't!" Chow Winkler chimed in. "There's only 
one kind o' language them hoot owls understand, an' it's time we started talkin' 
it!"
SHOWDOWN BATTLE 189
Most of the men were quickly won over to this point of view. But Voorhees 
objected.
"You're asking us to take full responsibility for whatever happens to Tom 
Swift. If an armed force is on its way here by plane, why not wait and let them 
handle the situation?"
Bud glared at him. "That's about what I expected from you, Hal!"
The argument flared back and forth, with two or three of the crewmen 
supporting Voorhees. Finally a compromise was reached. Voorhees' group 
agreed to stay and guard the camp, while Bud led the assault force to rescue 
Tom.
Presently the Sky Queen took off on its dangerous mission. When they came 
in sight of the Kranjovian camp, it was plain that the enemy was prepared for an 
attack. Two gun crews were on guard against intruders. Otherwise, there was no 
one in sight.
As the Sky Queen swooped down, the Kranjovian gunners sent up a hail of 
flack. But as before, the shells glanced harmlessly past the Sky Queen and failed 
to explode.
Bud opened up with the jet lifters and raked the camp from end to end with 
blasts of flame. Realizing their own weapons were useless, the enemy gunners 
fled in panic, disappearing into a large ice cave.
"Must be their main fort," observed Hank Sterling.
190 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"Why not fly over it and blast it to a puddle!" Daryl Blake suggested.
"Tom may be in there," Bud snapped tensely. "We'll have to attack on the 
ground and try to drive them out into the open!"
Landing the plane, Bud taxied the big ship up close to the cave entrance. A 
rifle barrel protruding at each corner showed the presence of armed sentries.
"What now, general?" asked Arv Hanson. "Do we pile out?"
"Not yet. First we'll take care of those guards!"
Under Hank Sterling's direction, tear-gas weapons and gas masks were 
issued to all hands. Meanwhile, the guards, sensing that an attack was being 
readied, started firing nervously at the plane.
Bud opened one of the cargo hatches a few inches and poked out the 
muzzle of a tear-gas gun. Drawing a bead on a point near one of the guards, he 
fired.
As the shell splattered against the wall of the cave, the guard was engulfed in 
a fuming spray of gas. Then Bud fired at a point near the other man, and he, too, 
was drenched with a burst of tear gas.
Clawing at their eyes and gasping for air, the Kranjovian sentinels threw 
down their rifles and came stumbling out of the cave to sprawl headlong in the 
snow.
"All right, let's go!" Bud shouted. "But remember-stay out of the line of fire 
from the cave!"
SHOWDOWN BATTLE 191
Throwing the doors of the cargo hatch wide open, the Americans leaped from 
the plane, captured the guards, and marched them a safe distance from the 
scene of action.
Then Bud gave the signal for an all-out attack. Instantly his men began 
hurling bombs and lobbing tear-gas cartridges into the cave.
In order to fight back, the Kranjovians had to crawl to the entrance. But when 
they did, they were met by a curtain of stinging, choking gas.
"Only a question of time now," murmured Dr. Faber, during a lull in the fire. 
"Soon the whole cave will be full of gas."
A few moments later the Kranjovians came running, lurching, and staggering 
out of their icy fortress with tears streaming down their faces.
As they choked and sputtered, most of them were in no condition to offer any 
resistance. But a few still showed signs of fight.
One burly, black-bearded Kranjovian tried to batter his way to freedom, but 
was promptly knocked out by a sledge-hammer blow from Colonel Eagle Friend's 
fist.
Firing wildly with an automatic pistol, Bronich tried to shoot his way clear. But 
as soon as the gun was empty, Bud went after him.
Grabbing Bronich by the hood of his parka, Bud swung him around. The 
treacherous spy dropped his gun and jerked out a knife. Before he could use
192 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
it, however, Bud staggered him with a smashing right to the jaw, kicked the 
knife out of his hand, and dragged him back to where the other prisoners were 
lined up.
Arvid Hanson greeted Bud with an anxious cry. "Tom's not in the cave!"
"What!"
Shoving Bronich toward Hank Sterling to be handcuffed, Bud readjusted his 
gas mask and plunged into the cave. Hanson was right-Tom was nowhere inside!
When Bud emerged, he ordered a search made of all the other caves on the 
base. There was no trace of the young inventor anywhere!
Angrily Bud began firing questions at the prisoners. But they merely stared 
back in sullen silence and refused to say a word about Tom's fate.
The Americans looked at each other in grim despair, afraid to voice the 
thought that was uppermost in all their minds.
Had Tom Swift been killed?
CHAPTER 24
A VOLCANIC ERUPTION
"COME ON, let's snap out of it!" Bud shouted. "Tom must be around here 
somewhere!"
"Why, brand my snowshoes, o' course he is!" asserted Chow gruffly. "Don't 
you figger a smart buck-eroo like Tom knows how to take care o' himself?"
"Wait a minute!" Bud cried. "I just had an idea!" He asked if anyone had 
noticed a sled or huskies anywhere around the Kranjovians' camp. No one had.
"Don't you see?" he went on. "We know they had a team, 'cause that's how 
Tom spotted the camp to begin with. But now the dogs are gone. So that means 
either Tom made a getaway in the sled, or else one of Bronich's men must have 
carried him off on it!"
"It figures, all right," agreed Hank Sterling cautiously. "But how do we find 
him?"
193
194 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTEk
Hastily Bud formulated plans for a search party. He himself would set out in 
Bronich's snowmobile, accompanied by Blake and Dr. Faber. Meanwhile, Hank 
Sterling would go aloft in the Sky Queen, with Chow and Colonel Eagle Friend as 
spotters, and scout the whole surrounding area. The other members of the party 
would stay behind to guard the prisoners.
Twenty mintues later, as Bud and his companions were plowing along 
through the mountain foothills, Hank Sterling's voice crackled over the walkie-
talkie:
"I think I've found him! There's a sled and dog team heading toward our 
camp! Keep your eyes peeled for the Sky Queen and I'll point you in the right 
direction!"
Gunning the snowmobile at top speed and following Hank's radioed 
instructions, Bud finally overtook the driver of the sled.
It was Tom Swift!
"Genius boy!" yelled Bud, as they pounded each other joyfully. Dr. Faber, 
Blake, and Bud quickly brought Tom up to date on all the news, and described 
the capture of the Kranjovians.
"Great!" Tom exclaimed. "Now there's nothing more to hold us back! We'll put 
our earth blaster to work immediately."
"Wait a minute, Tom," put in Blake. "You still haven't told us how you 
escaped!"
A VOLCANIC ERUPTION 195
"It was simple," Tom said, grinning. "I broke away from the guards, ran into 
their control cave, and deactivated their blaster just when Bronich was all set to 
launch it. In the confusion that followed I borrowed their dogs and cleared out!"
Bud shook his head in mock dejection. "Next time you get captured," he said, 
"we'll rescue the villains and let you thumb a ride home by yourself!"
On the way back to the Kranjovian camp, Tom realized that he could not 
begin his own digging operations until all his men were free from guard duty. He 
decided to remain at the enemy base till the prisoners were picked up.
While waiting, Tom quizzed several of the Kranjovian crewmen who were 
now willing to co-operate. One of them turned out to be Podski, Bronich's right-
hand man. He supplied the answers to a number of the young inventor's 
questions. Podski exonerated the Excelsis Club, but confessed that the 
headwaiter, a Kranjovian, had discovered the lakeside passageway and had 
arranged for the spy ring to meet secretly at the club.
He revealed that the Kranjovian transmitter had been jamming the air waves, 
just as Tom had suspected. Also, that it was Bronich who had sabotaged the 
alarm system at the Swift home-and that same night had overheard Tom's whole 
discussion about tapping iron at the South Polel
196 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Bronich, it turned out, was also responsible for placing the bombs in the 
tunnel through Pine Hill.
"So that clears Picken completely," Tom remarked to Bud.
At last, almost twenty-four hours after Tom's rescue, a flight of military planes 
arrived from the country which claimed the territory invaded by Bronich.
The officer in charge, Colonel Jardin, was immediately taken to the cave 
where the sullen prisoners were being held.
"It appears that you gentlemen already have the situation well in hand," he 
remarked. "Allow me to express my country's gratitude for what you have done. 
In due course, our government will also render its official thanks."
As the planes took off and soared homeward again, with Bronich and his 
henchmen on board, Tom heaved a sigh of relief.
"Oh, brother, am I glad to see the last of those Kranjovians!" he declared.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish, if you ask me!" muttered Chow. "Now let's all 
hotfoot it back to our own camp 'fore them reindeers start gallopin' over the 
place!"
"Reindeers?" said Tom. "You're a little mixed up, Chow. There are no 
reindeer at the South Pole."
"That's what you think, son." The cook chuckled.
A VOLCANIC ERUPTION 197
"In case you ain't looked at the calendar lately, tonight's Christmas Eve!"
The next day there was a huge feast in the ice-cave mess hall at the 
American camp, which the men had decorated with green and red streamers and 
a papier-mache Christmas tree.
Chow had outdone himself as chef. There was roast cold-storage turkey with 
chestnut dressing, cranberry sauce, and all the other trimmings. To top it all off, 
Chow brought on a huge, steaming plum pudding with hard sauce.
After all hands had stuffed themselves till they could hardly move, they joined 
in singing "Silent Night," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and other Christmas 
carols.
But the best part of all was yet to come.
The radioman had rigged up a special short-wave hookup in the mess hall. 
Back in America, the friends and relatives of all the crew were standing by to 
wish them Merry Christmas!
Among the last voices to come on were those of Mr. and Mrs. Swift, who sent 
their good wishes to the boys and everyone else. "And now the girls have 
something to say," added Tom's mother.
"Good night! I sure hope Sandy remembered to get something nice for Phyl," 
Tom whispered to Bud.
"Oh, Tom!" Phyl's voice came over the loud-
198 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
speaker. "The wrist watch you gave me is simply beautiful! I never realized 
you had such wonderful taste!"
"Well-uh-I thought you might like it," stammered Tom, as Bud chuckled softly.
By way of thanks, Phyl blew him a kiss into the mike, and Sandy did the 
same for Bud, after thanking him for the silver bracelet and earrings he had given 
her.
Then the boys opened their own presents, which Tom's family had sent 
along on Bud's cargo jet.
The following morning everyone rose early for the history-making event-the 
launching of the atomic earth blaster.
Tom had installed the drill's controls in one of the listening posts about two 
hundred yards from the launching platform. Set up in an ice cave, this was also 
the station to be used by Harold Voorhees for his thermal-measuring devices.
Fifty feet farther away, the other members of the expedition gathered in the 
snow to watch the proceedings through binoculars.
Equipped with earphones, Tom called for a last-minute report from the 
technical crew.
"Ready number one!" came a voice from the first listening post.
"Ready number two!"
"Ready number three!" said Voorhees.
A VOLCANIC ERUPTION 199
"Ready seismology!" reported Dr. MacGregor, who was stationed in the radio 
cave to maintain contact with seismological and weather stations all over the 
world.
Tensely, Tom began to count over the mike:
"X minus five, four, three, two, one!"
Then he pushed a button and pulled down a lever. The earth blaster whined 
into action!
The young inventor glued his eye to a telescope trained on the launching 
platform atop a scaffold as high as a three-story building. As he watched, the 
blaster rapidly pierced the ice below and disappeared from view.
Moments later, reports began to come in from the listening posts. The blaster 
was working perfectly!
Voorhees put out his hand impulsively.
"Congratulations, Tom! Guess I've caused a lot of hard feeling because I 
lacked faith in your ability. But now my hat's off to you!"
Tom smiled as he shook hands with the blond scientist.
"Forget it. We've all been working under a strain, but now let's hope our 
troubles are over!"
As if in mockery of Tom's words, there was a sudden loud rumbling. The ice 
cave shook, and the ground seemed to quiver beneath them!
Tom's face went pale as he grabbed the control levers.
200 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"I'm afraid we've hit a fault!" he cried.
Quickly he changed the operating direction of the blaster. But the rumbling 
continued!
Just then, Voorhees pointed out through the open doorway and gave a shout 
of alarm:
"Look!"
From the higher ground not far from the camp, small geysers of steam were 
rising. The next moment, the top of a nearby hill exploded, becoming a volcano 
of terrifying fury!
CHAPTER 25
MOLTEN TRIUMPH
TRANSFIXED WITH HORROR, Tom and Voorhees stared at the volcano. 
Then they rushed from the listening post for a wider view of the catastrophe.
A column of smoke and gases billowed upward from the top of the cone, as 
red-hot cinders rained down in all directions! At the same time, the volcano 
spewed surge after surge of molten black lava, which came rolling down the 
hillside!
Striking the ice, the lava turned it instantly into hissing steam. Mingled with 
the acrid volcanic gases, this made the air almost unbreathable.
"Break out the gas masks!" Tom yelled to Bud Barclay. "Make sure every 
man gets one and wears itl"
"What do we do now, skipper?" demanded Arvid
201
202 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Hanson tautly. "Seems to me as if that lava will bury the camp!"
Tom looked over the area, then shook his head. "I don't think so, Arv. I 
believe that formation of ice hummocks will deflect the stuff so the flow skirts our 
camp."
Tom's prediction was greeted with open doubts. Several of the men had fled 
from the camp in search of safer ground.
Without stopping to argue, Tom hurried back up the slope.
"Hey! Where in tarnation you goin', son?" Chow yelled after him.
"To call the listening posts!" Tom shouted back over his shoulder. In the 
control cave, he quickly made contact with Stations One and Two. In each case, 
the technicians reported that the outlook appeared safe so far, and that they 
planned to remain at their posts unless the situation changed.
When Tom returned, his men were huddled in an awe-struck group, watching 
the flood of boiling black lava creep closer and closer.
"Sure hope you know what you're talking about, blaster boy!" Bud muttered 
anxiously.
At first the terrifying ebony flood channeled itself around the camp. But 
suddenly part of the main stream branched off and forced a path through the
MOLTEN TRIUMPH 203
hummocks. Roiling and boiling, it surged straight down toward the camp!
The men started to scatter in all directions, but Tom's voice stopped them in 
their tracks.
"Wait! It's slowing down! I think we're safe!"
The heat of the lava was so great now that it was melting deep puddles in the 
ice. The fuming black mass gradually sank down and buried itself in the gouges, 
leaving pools of hardened lava all over the landscape.
As the tide of lava subsided, Chow Winkler pulled down his gas mask and 
mopped his brow.
"Brand my galluses! Watchin' that stuff roll down on us is like fallin' off your 
bronco right smack in front o' a buffalo stampede!"
"The danger's over for the time being, but this may not be the last of it," 
warned Tom. "There could be another eruption!"
Several fearful hours crept by as everyone waited and watched for signs of 
another upheaval. Dr. Mac-Gregor, who had stuck to his post, reported there was 
no news of disturbances from any other part of the globe.
Finally Tom started back up the slope to the control cave to communicate 
again with the other listening posts. But part way up, he stopped and slapped his 
forehead with a groan of dismay.
204 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
"What's wrong?" exclaimed Bud, who was walking beside him.
"The blaster! I forgot to shut it off!"
"Holy smoke! By this time, it must be halfway to China!"
Breaking into a run, the boys dashed up to the control station. Inside the 
cave, Tom grabbed the signal tape that was steadily issuing from the electronic 
brain, and began to scan the loops and reels that had already fallen on the floor.
"Bud!" he shouted triumphantly. "The blaster's working perfectly! It's down 
five miles now!"
Pulling on the earphones, Tom established contact with Stations One and 
Two. The technical crews were still on the job. Then he sent Bud back to the 
camp again to recall Voorhees to his post.
All thought of the volcano was forgotten as Tom focused his attention on the 
progress of the blaster. Watching the dials carefully, he made occasional slight 
adjustments of the controls from time to time, as the electronic brain reeled out a 
steady record of the drill's progress.
Meanwhile, Voorhees was keeping check on the rising heat measurements 
as the blaster bored deeper and deeper into the earth.
Working in eight-hour shifts around the clock, Tom and his men kept track of 
the blaster as it dug deeper and deeper and deeper into the earth.
MOLTEN TRIUMPH 205
Five days later, Voorhees announced, "Two thousand degrees Fahrenheit, 
Tom!"
"Wow!" gasped Bud. "How deep is the blaster now, genius boy?"
"It's down over two hundred miles!" replied Tom.
A feeling of tension spread through the camp as the men gathered around 
the control post.
Suddenly Bud, who was standing in the open doorway, cried out, "Look! 
There she blows!"
No binoculars nor telescope was needed to see the white-hot geyser of 
molten iron that shot straight up in the air from the open shaft!
Tom's heart was hammering wildly. The sudden climax to his long months of 
work and planning left him dizzy and breathless with excitement. Above the 
cheers and clamor of the men, he could hear Bud shouting again and again:
"You've done it, Tom! You've done it!"
The gushing jet of molten iron made a white-hot arc as it plunged down into 
the hollowed-out artificial lake.
"What I wanna know is how d' you turn the stuff off, after you've got 
enough?" asked Chow in an awe-stricken voice.
"It ought to stop in a few minutes of its own accord," explained Tom. "As the 
metal cools, it'll seal off the hole made by the blaster, by forming a plug of solid 
iron."
206 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
But the flow seemed endless, and the level of metal inside the lake kept 
rising rapidly.
For a time there was fear that Tom's calculations about the time might be 
wrong-that the outpour
7

MOLTEN TRIUMPH
207
might continue indefinitely. But in twenty-five minutes the gush of molten iron 
dwindled and finally stopped, as though it had been choked off by the turning of a 
giant throttle.
208 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC BLASTER
Grabbing a long-handled ladle, Tom hurried to the lake to skim off some of 
the top layer of the tons of metal that had not yet completely congealed.
Then he rushed to his laboratory to analyze the sample.
"What's the verdict, skipper?" Bud asked.
"It's the purest sample of iron I've ever seen!" reported Tom excitedly.
The other men crowded around, clapping the young inventor on the back and 
congratulating him.
"Well, I didn't bankrupt Swift Enterprises, after all." Tom grinned. "But, 
brother, things sure had me worried for a while!"
Then he hurried off to the radio cave to report the outcome of the expedition 
to his father.
Mr. Swift was jubilant on hearing of his son's triumph.
"Tom, this is a stupendous scientific achievement! At a single stroke, you've 
added a whole new treasure house of iron to the world's resources! I almost hate 
to think what that'll mean when we hand out word to the press. Among other 
things, you'll be swamped with newsreel and television cameramen when the Sky 
Queen lands back here at Shopton!
"But hurry home, son, because we've all missed you! And besides"-he added 
with a chuckle-"I still need your help in figuring out that message from our space 
friends!"
MOLTEN TRIUMPH 209
After Tom signed off, Bud asked jokingly:
"Well, now that you've got all this iron, what are you going to do with it?"
Tom grinned, but considered the matter thoughtfully.
"Well, to begin with, I think Uncle Sam will allow us to tap just enough for 
Swift Enterprises to cover the cost of the expedition. After that, I believe the best 
plan will be to set up a world commission, with members from every nation, to 
control this new resource."
"You mean, let them decide how much every country will get and how much 
they should pay for it?"
"Right. After all, this molten iron is drawn off from under the whole earth's 
crust, so it should belong to the whole world-even though we just tapped it down 
here at the South Pole."
"Good deal," approved Bud admiringly.
At that moment Chow poked his head in the doorway and swung a dinner 
bell back and forth as he hollered:
"Soup's on, you two! And don't you go losin' your appetite, Tom, jest 'cause 
you struck it rich!"
The young inventor laughed. "No danger of that!"
As the boys headed for the mess hall, Bud asked, "What's our next objective, 
chum, after we wind up here? I'm still waiting for that interplanetary trip you and 
your dad keep talking about, to visit your space friends. How about that-from the 
South Pole to Mars!"
"Quite a jump, all right." Tom chuckled.
At this moment the young inventor was so thrilled with his present discovery 
that he did not let his mind wander far from it. But soon he was to become 
involved in another stirring project-Tom Swift and His Outpost in Space.
"Come on, let's celebrate!" Bud urged Tom. "Chow has a feast ready and I'm 
starved!"


THE END
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ATOMIC EARTH BLASTER
BY VICTOR APPLETON II
No. 5 in the Tom Swift Jr. series.