"Whoa! Hold it, skipper! I think we have company on the starboard beam!"
Bud jerked his head around in surprise. "You mean the Sea Hound?"
"No, she surfaced," Mel reported. "Can't make this out yet, but it could be another sub."
Bud turned the controls over to Zimby Cox. Then he rushed to the scope and examined the blip. "Seems to be moving away from us on a westerly course. It's about two miles from here."
He donned the hydrophone earset and listened. "It's no seacopter, nor a jetmarine either," he announced presently.
"A Navy sub, maybe?" suggested Zimby.
Bud shrugged1. "Let's find out." He ordered a change of course, hard to the right, and gunned the jets to bring the jetmarine directly on the mystery object's trail.
"It's a sub, all right," he said a short time later, listening again over the hydrophones.
"Pretty close to Fearing Island, isn't it?" put in Mel Flagler. "That's a government-restricted area."
Bud nodded grimly. "But staying just out of sonar range from the base."
The jetmarine closed steadily2 on its quarry3. In a few minutes they were able to make it out dimly through the cabin window, dead ahead.
"That's sure no U.S. Navy sub that I know of," Bud said. "Probably an enemy snooper."
"What if they spot us?" Zimby asked.
Bud chuckled5. "That's the beauty of it, pal6! Don't forget. With this new antidetection gear we're invisible to them. At least as long as they don't run into us or we into them," he added.
"Or unless they have superdetection equipment we don't know about," cautioned Mel Flagler.
As they talked, the unidentified submarine was bearing steadily toward the mainland. Fathometer soundings showed it was on a steep upward slope of the continental7 shelf.
Presently a foaming8 gush9 of bubbles showed that the sub ahead was blowing its tanks. The jetmarine followed as it surfaced and Bud hastily manned the periscope10.
"What're they up to?" Mel asked tensely.
"Don't know yet, but the hatch is opening," Bud reported. Suddenly he gave an excited gasp11. "Jumpin' jets! They're sending out a couple of frogmen!"
Bud's companions were electrified12 by the news.
"Spies!" Zimby exclaimed.
"What do we do now?" piped up Mack Avery, the third man in Bud's crew. "Hadn't we better radio the Coast Guard and the FBI?"
Bud wrenched13 away from the eyepiece. "I have another idea! Any of you fellows game to go with me and capture those spies?"
All three of his companions volunteered eagerly. Bud chose Mel Flagler, then took another sight through the periscope.
"The sub's submerging again," he reported. "That'll give us a clear field. Zimby, you and Mack keep an eye on that baby while we're gone, and be plenty careful she doesn't spot you!"
"Roger! And take this roll of wire to tie up your prisoners."
Hastily Bud and Mel changed into swimming trunks and donned hydrolungs. They went out through the air lock, plunged14 into the bracing15 salt water, and switched on their ion-drive units.
"Can you see 'em?" Mel asked over his mike.
"Not yet. Let's speed up before we lose 'em completely!"
Both pushed their ion drives to capacity, scanning the water ahead in all directions.
"There they are!" Bud exclaimed presently. He pointed16 to two tiny figures, barely visible in the distance.
"Wow! They're sure not wasting any time!" Mel muttered. "Let's step on it, Bud! They'll be ashore17 in a minute!"
A darting18 school of sea bass19 screened the figures briefly20 from view. As the fish flickered21 past, Mel and Bud saw the frogmen breast-stroke up toward the surface and break water.
Bud and Mel followed. Ahead lay a barren stretch of beach, humped with sand dunes22. It was skirted beyond by a thick fringe of trees.
"They certainly picked a perfect spot for a sneak24 landing!" Bud thought. The beach seemed totally deserted25, with no sign of human habitation.
By this time, the frogmen were scrambling26 ashore. Within moments, Bud and Mel were on their heels. The raiders whirled in dismay as they caught the sound of footsteps rushing up behind them through the sand.
Bud and Mel hurled27 themselves forward, each dropping a man with a flying tackle. All four went down in a struggling, kicking tangle29 of arms and legs.
The battle was rough but short. Bud and Mel had the advantage of surprise, and soon pommeled and grappled their foes30 into submission31.
Bud, astride his opponent's chest with knees pinning the man's arms, unlooped from his belt the wire he had brought.
"Here! Take some of this and wire your man's wrists together!" Bud told Mel.
When the frogmen were safely bound, Bud and Mel allowed them to stand up. Neither captive tried to escape.
"Now, my sneaky friends, talk!" Bud snapped. "What kind of a sightseeing trip did you plan?"
The frogmen's jaws32 remained tightly clamped. Both looked flushed and sullen33 as they faced their captors.
"Got their lips zipped, I guess," Mel said disgustedly.
Bud decided34 to try another tack28. "Doesn't matter," he said carelessly. "We know they're pals35 of the Mirovs."
Both men started as if they had been stung. Bud followed up quickly, hoping to prod36 them into some unguarded remark.
"Just as we thought!" he snarled37. "A couple of low-down Brungarian rebels! And up to their usual amateurish38 spy stunts39!"
The raiders' eyes blazed, but they maintained silence. Both, however, kept darting looks of keen interest at the Americans' hydrolung gear.
Just as Bud was wondering how he could get the prisoners to the nearest police headquarters, a jeep came bouncing into view across the sand.
"Hey! Police!" Mel exclaimed with a happy grin.
"We're in luck," Bud said. "They can take these creeps off our hands."
"What's going on here?" said one, who was wearing a sergeant41's stripes. The jeep had the words BEACH PATROL stenciled42 on it in white paint.
"We just nailed these two Brungarian frogmen," Bud explained. "A sub put them ashore—probably as spies or saboteurs. They won't talk to us, but maybe you can pump them at headquarters."
The startled sergeant turned a cold eye on the two prisoners. "Got anything to say for yourselves?" When neither answered, he unholstered his revolver and covered them. "Better take off those wires and put bracelets43 on them, Mike," he told his fellow officer.
The frogmen were handcuffed with cool efficiency and bundled into the jeep. Meanwhile, the sergeant turned back to Bud and Mel.
"You fellows come along too," he ordered.
"But we haven't got time," Bud protested. "Our own sub's waiting right offshore44 and we want to tail the sub that brought those guys here! We're from the Swift rocket base."
"Any identification?" the sergeant asked.
"How could we have in this getup?" Mel retorted.
"That's what I thought. So get moving," the sergeant barked.
Reluctantly, Bud and Mel hopped onto the running board and clung to the bouncing jeep as it sped to the nearby town of Sandbank. At headquarters they were questioned by the local police chief.
"If you'll call Swift Enterprises at Shopton, sir, Mr. Swift—or Harlan Ames of the plant security department—will vouch45 for us," Bud said.
The chief picked up the telephone and soon had Mr. Swift on the line. After speaking to him briefly, he passed the phone to Bud so the scientist could identify his voice.
"That's Bud Barclay, all right. He's one of our most trusted employees," Mr. Swift told the chief after hearing Bud's story.
The officer promised to release Mel and Bud at once. Before doing so, however, he took them into the adjoining office where the two frogmen were being questioned.
"Any luck?" the chief asked the sergeant.
Sergeant Gryce shook his head in disgust. "Not much. They did admit they came in a sub, but they claim it didn't wait to pick them up."
The police chief shot a few questions of his own at the men, but they answered either in curt46 monosyllables or not at all.
"Look, sir," Bud put in, "if they're telling the truth about their sub not waiting, our jetmarine may have chased it. That means Mel and I are stranded47 here. Could you have your men wait for us on the beach till we find out?"
"Gladly," the chief replied. "You two have done a fine day's work."
After the prisoners had been locked up to be handed over to the FBI, the two Beach Patrol officers drove Bud and Mel back to the area where they had landed. Just as the jeep turned down the dirt road leading to the shore, Bud's keen eyes spotted48 a lurking49 figure in the distance.
"Stop, please!" Bud said, tapping the driver on the shoulder.
As the jeep halted, Bud pointed toward the beach. A man was crouching50 behind a sand dune23, with a large fish basket beside him. The sergeant, puzzled, took out a pair of binoculars51 to study the situation. Fortunately, the jeep was still screened by trees, and the crouching man evidently did not realize he had been seen.
"What's in the basket?" Bud asked. "Could it be clothes?"
"Sure looks like it," the sergeant said, passing over the binoculars.
After a brief look, Bud explained the hunch52 that had occurred to him. "I'll bet that guy's waiting with clothes for the frogmen. He probably got here late and doesn't realize they've been nabbed!"
"Well, he'll soon find out," the police driver said grimly. He was about to start up the jeep when Bud stopped him again.
"Wait! You have no proof that's what he's here for," Bud pointed out.
The pilot suggested that the police keep out of sight while he and Mel approached the man in their swimming gear. "If that stranger takes the bait, we'll really have the goods on him!" Bud concluded.
Bud and Mel circled widely through the trees, took a quick dip in the water, then approached along the beach as if they had just landed and were searching for someone.
To their delight, the man rose from behind the sand dune and hailed them. Bud and Mel hurried over to him.
"You have clothes for us?" Bud asked. "We just came ashore from the sub!"
"Yeah, right here," the man said in English with no trace of an accent. "Thought I'd missed you."
"Thanks, pal—that's all we want to know!"
The man gaped53 in comic dismay as Bud pounced54 on him and pinned him to the ground. Moments later, the two police officers rushed up and handcuffed him.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" the man stammered55. "I ain't done nothing. Just got a phone call this morning, offering me fifty bucks56 to bring two sets of clothes down to the beach at five o'clock for a couple of divers57."
"Tell that to the FBI!" snapped the sergeant.
When the officers had departed with their new prisoner, Bud and Mel, both grinning, dived into the surf and headed out to sea.
In a few minutes they were sure they were at the right spot to meet the jetmarine. But it was gone!
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1
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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7
continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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periscope
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| n. 潜望镜 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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12
electrified
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| v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋 | |
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13
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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14
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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15
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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18
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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19
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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20
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
dunes
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| 沙丘( dune的名词复数 ) | |
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23
dune
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| n.(由风吹积而成的)沙丘 | |
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24
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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25
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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26
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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27
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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28
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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29
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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30
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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31
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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32
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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33
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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34
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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35
pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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36
prod
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| vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励 | |
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37
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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38
amateurish
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| n.业余爱好的，不熟练的 | |
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39
stunts
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| n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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40
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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41
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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42
stenciled
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| v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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44
offshore
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| adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面 | |
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45
vouch
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| v.担保；断定；n.被担保者 | |
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46
curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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47
stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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48
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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49
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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50
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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51
binoculars
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| n.双筒望远镜 | |
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52
hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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53
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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54
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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55
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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57
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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