"You know Bud's high
spirits, skipper," he said. "He may have taken off on some crazy lark."
"Sure! A whale hunt, maybe!" Arv Hanson wisecracked, trying to lighten
the gloom.
Tom forced a grin, but he remained heavy-hearted as they neared the
base. His only hope now was that a radio message from the jetmarine
might have been picked up while they were gone.
As soon as the seacopter was moored, Tom leaped ashore. The crewmen on
the docks had no news to report, so Tom piled into a jeep with Arv and
sped off to the Fearing communications center. Hank remained aboard the
_Sea Hound_ to secure all gear.
Churning along the graveled road, Tom and Arv passed the launching area.
Huge, needle-nosed cargo rockets and the mighty spaceship _Titan_ loomed
against the sky. Tom's moon-voyaging _Challenger_ and his more recent
space craft the _Cosmic Sailer_ were also based there.
"Going to alert the Navy for a search?" Arv inquired as they reached the
communications building.
Tom nodded and braked the jeep to a screeching halt. "Coast Guard too.
They can pass the word to commercial shipping to be on the lookout."
A telephone rang as he hurried into the office.
"For you," the clerk said, looking up at Tom. "Nice timing!"
Tom grabbed the phone. His face widened into a grin. "Bud! You seagoing
jet stream! What happened?"
Arv grinned, too, in relief.
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