"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 02 - And His Jetmarine" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

"Somebody's on the grounds all right," Tom said. "I'm going to let the dogs
out."
A BRAZEN DENIAL 21
He had barely reached the kennels when a scream shattered the stillness of
the night! Tom whirled in his tracks.
"That cry-it came from the house!" he exclaimed worriedly.
CHAPTER 3
A BREAKNECK CHASE
WHO HAD screamed?
Tom raced toward the house. As he drew near it, his father joined him.
Reaching some shrubbery at the side of the house, they stopped short. Sandy
was standing there, speechless, staring at a figure which lay unconscious at her
feet. Mrs. Swift rushed from the house as Tom played his flashlight on the
unconscious form.
Bud Barclay!
Tom knelt to examine his friend. "He has a bad bruise over his right eye.
Looks as though he was slugged."
In a couple of minutes his efforts to revive Bud were rewarded by a faint
groan. The flier blinked, moaned, and struggled to stand. But a moment later he
fell back.
"Take it easy, old man," Tom advised.
After one more attempt, Bud was able to sit up. He grinned weakly.
г2
A BREAKNECK CHASE 23
"I'll be all right as soon as my head clears a bit," he gasped. Then, suddenly
recalling what had happened, he asked, "Did you catch him?"
"Who?" Tom asked quickly. "We didn't see anyone."
"Too bad," Bud said. "As I was coming along this side of the house I saw a
man sneaking around from the back. I waited for him to get closer so I could
tackle him."
"Is that when he hit you?" Sandy asked.
"No, not then. I decided to warn you Swifts. I tossed my penknife through the
magnetic field, knowing it would touch off the alarm in the house and you'd come
to see what was wrong. Then I began to trail him."
"Where to?" Tom asked.
"I shadowed him as he was sneaking toward the house. But he must have
sensed I was behind him. Just as you rushed out and I was about to jump him,
he whirled around and kayoed me. By the way, the man was masked."
"We owe you a million thanks, Bud," Mr. Swift said gratefully. "If you hadn't
come on the scene, the intruder might have stolen some of our top-secret data."
The group went through the French doors into Mr. Swift's den. As Sandy was
offering to get a cold compress for Bud's eye, Tom cried out:
"That Cuban coin! It's gone! So that's what the fellow was after!"
"And he helped himself to your sketch of the sub while he was here," Mr.
Swift pointed out.
24 TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMAR1NE
"It was too rough a sketch, fortunately, to be of much use to anyone," his son
said.
"But how did that man get in?" Mrs. Swift asked. "There wasn't any second
alarm."