"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 10 - And His Ultrasonic Cycloplane" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

steel. On the floor below, there was a bustle of activity. Mechanics swarmed over
the mighty three-decker craft, which filled the entire
RESCUE FLIGHT 29
underground hangar space with its swept-back silver wings.
"Engines all check?" Tom asked the crew chief.
"Not yet, skipper. Couple of burned out units. We should have her all loaded
and ready for takeoff by five o'clock."
"Good work. Buzz me as soon as you're ready, Slim." Tom turned to go when
a loud, gravelly voice came booming down the stairs:
"Gangway, you cowpokes an' buckaroos! Gimme lots o' room now! Here
comes the grub!"
For a moment it looked as though a whole supermarket had grown a pair of
bowlegs and was clumping downstairs under its own power. The legs were clad
in blue denims, stuffed into high-heeled cowboy boots. Above, the rest of the
figure was blocked from view by an enormous carton, loaded high with groceries
and canned foods.
"Gangway, all you waddies! Chuck wagon's comin' down, so-"
"Chow!" Tom let out a yell as he saw one of the man's boots miss a step.
The next instant, cans, bottles, blue denims, boots and all came tumbling and
clattering headlong down the steel stairs!
There was a moment of stunned silence as the echoes died away and the
cans and assorted objects stopped rolling and came to rest. Then a stout,
weather-beaten figure emitted a faint groan and raised itself painfully from the
debris.
"Chow, are you all right?" Tom gasped as he hurried to assist the middle-
aged Westerner.
30
ULTRASONIC CYCLOPLANE
"Don't reckon I'll know till I try standin' up. Here, gimme a hand, son."
Tom slipped a shoulder under one arm while Slim Davis, the crew chief,
supported Chow on

RESCUE FLIGHT
31
the other side. Together, they managed to hoist the bald-headed, roly-poly
man to his feet.
Gingerly Chow Winkler tested his limbs. A former chuck-wagon cook, he had
met the Swifts on one of their trips to the Southwest, and had become so
attached to Tom that he had come East to Shopton. Now private chef for the
Swifts at Enterprises, he accompanied the young inventor on most of his
expeditions.
The Texan grinned wanly. "Left eye feels like I might wind up with a shiner.
Mebbe I better slap on a hunk o' beefsteak jest in case."
"Don't bother, Chow," a mechanic guffawed. "With that shirt you're wearing,
who'll notice your eyes?"

32 ULTRASONIC CYCLOPLANE
Forgetting all about his bruises, Chow turned from side to side to display his
purple and flame-orange cowboy shirt.
"Ain't it a jim-dandy?" he beamed. "I picked up this here lil ole number in San