Playing a hunch, Tom said to him, "You know what your government does to
rebels and bunglers, Mirov."
The man stiffened and paled. "We have not b-b-bungled!" he stuttered
angrily.
"Shut up, you fool!" their leader shouted.
CHAPTER VI
THE CAISSON CLUE
"Captain Smith" had leaped to his feet, quivering with anger. But it was
too late. His cellmate, by answering to the name of "Mirov," had given
away their nationality!
Tom and Ames exchanged grins of triumph.
"No doubt you recall what happened to Streffan Mirov," Tom went on,
pressing his advantage. "Or should I say the _late_ Streffan Mirov? Our
last report was that he had been tried and condemned by your own
government. Perhaps you can give us news of his fate?"
The wavy-haired prisoner's eyes blazed with hate. "Grin while you can,
Tom Swift! Because of you, my brother Streffan is now serving a long
prison sentence! But I, Dimitri Mirov, will get revenge!"
"You blame Tom Swift because your brother botched his job of claiming
the satellite Nestria by force and fraud?" Ames taunted.
"Our space friends moved that asteroid into orbit around the earth," Tom
added. "We claimed it by right of first landing. Even your own leaders
couldn't agree to Streffan's crazy scheme to destroy everything."
Dimitri Mirov lost all control and burst into a volley of guttural
Brungarian abuse.
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