Tom Swift and His Deep Sea Hydrodome Read Online Free PDF Page B

at the steady upsurge of gas. "Look at the speed of their ascent!" Dr. Clisby murmured in awe. "Nothing like the other stream! And now that I see it, I feel certain it’s helium, Tom, just as you and your father said."
    "You’ll have to make sure, Dr. Clisby," Tom responded with a slight twinkle in his eye. "We want no more, er, disputes. There’s a Fat Man suit waiting for you."
    "Ah, yes. Well…" He glanced in the direction of his more youthful assistant.
    "Not a problem, Arthur," laughed Bob Anchor. After some quick instruction, Anchor and Tom went out and captured fresh samples of the rushing bubbles. Back aboard, Tom invited the scientists to make an immediate preliminary analysis with the portable test equipment they had brought with them. The two chemists eagerly repeated their earlier analysis with their chemical and spectrometric apparatus. When they finished, the visitors’ faces were tense with excitement.
    "Incredible!" gasped Dr. Clisby. "This is almost one hundred percent pure helium!"
    Bob Anchor ripped off his protective apron and said jubilantly, "The Swifts were right all along!" He added soberly, "Can you and your father ever forgive us for our suspicions, Tom?"
    "You had good reason," Tom replied. "What I find unforgivable—and mysterious—is the moving of that line-anchor. It couldn’t possibly have happened by accident."
    "But who could have been responsible?" asked Dr. Clisby. "Does Swift Enterprises have enemies?"
    Bud threw Clisby a sourly ironic look. "Is the ocean wet?"
    "Well," said Clisby, "perhaps we ought to set that issue aside for the present. I must confess that I’m less interested in the practical applications of this discovery than in its genesis. Some very peculiar geochemistry must be occurring beneath this mountain, producing gas pockets in wide variety. Normally, of course, geolithic helium deposits are associated with radioactive decomposition…"
    "Yet we’ve detected no sign of radiation," noted Tom thoughtfully. "Not so far, at least. Something may turn up in further exploratory operations."
    "You mean to start with a preliminary survey?" Dr. Clisby asked.
    Smiling, Tom shook his head negatively. "Why wait? We know something ’s down there! I’d like to start the main drilling immediately, using my atomic earth blaster."
    "Great!" exclaimed Dr. Clisby, and Bob Anchor nodded. Both men were familiar with Tom’s earth blaster, the remarkable tunneling machine which he had invented to tap a new source of iron at the South Pole. "However," the senior chemist went on, "what about capping the flow if the drilling proves successful?"
    "I’ve thought of that," Tom replied. "My gadget must be strong enough to stand up against a geyser. Last evening I had Arvid Hanson, my chief modelmaker, put together a prototype of a special well-capping device that I’ve come up with. Here’s the principle."
    Pulling out a pencil, he made a quick sketch of his arrangement. Both government chemists gave admiring approval.
    "If a chemist’s point of view is of any relevance, your device should work perfectly!" said Dr. Clisby. "Well, I’m certainly in favor of commencing as soon as possible to find out the extent and depth of these wells. I shall so indicate in my report to Assistant Secretary Bronson. Of course the expedition must be kept secret until the United States has staked an official claim."
    "So far, no one outside Swift Enterprises and the Bureau of Mines knows about the discovery," Tom assured him. "And we’ll keep it that way!"
    Tom turned, about to direct Bud to bring the seacopter to the surface. He stopped himself in mid-breath. "Hmm!"
    "What, skipper?" asked Bud.
    "Just looking at the automatic spectrometer readout, pal." The young inventor flicked a couple switches on the control board, and used a dial to adjust the display. "Bob—Dr. Clisby—I know you’re familiar with the Swift Spectroscope. Take a look at this."
    The chemists approached, gazing intently at the