Late the next afternoon Tom returned to the mainland to confer with his
father. Mr. Swift reviewed the expedition plans with approval.
"Suppose we call Admiral Walter now and set a time for the Navy to move
out of the missile area, so you can take over," his father said.
Tom agreed, and his father placed the long-distance call to Washington.
Moments later, Admiral Walter came on the line. Mr. Swift talked to him
briefly, then turned the phone over to Tom, who described his
preparations for the missile hunt. A time schedule of operations and
communications was quickly laid out.
The admiral was amazed to learn that Bud Barclay was already patrolling
the area. "Our ships haven't seen or heard him!" the officer exclaimed.
Suddenly Admiral Walter broke off. "Hold it, please, Tom! A code call is
just coming in!"
His voice was grave as he returned to the Swifts' line. "That message
was from your friend, Bud Barclay," Admiral Walter reported. "It looks
as if our enemy has found the missile!"
"Oh, no!" Tom groaned.
CHAPTER XIX
FLASH FROM THE DEPTHS
Tom was stunned by the news. "There's no chance of a mistake?"
"Judge for yourself," Admiral Walter replied. He read the message:
HAVE JUST SIGHTED ENEMY CRAFT DREDGING OUT METAL OBJECT
Tom repeated the information to his father.
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