The chief engineer nodded. He sniffed the air like a hunting dog after a scent. “Take a deep breath, everyone, then hold it!”
Steve thought his lungs would burst, but finally Dr. Harding let them take another deep breath. By the time they had taken one more, the car had reached the main cavern. As it rolled to a stop, Dr. Harding jumped down and ran over to the car operator.
Steve saw a door slide down and close off the tunnel where they had come out. Then the little man gave a deep sigh and took off his black-rimmed glasses to wipe them.
Sue and Steve watched Bud hopefully. He was standing more steadily on Sue’s finger now.
“I think he’ll be all right,” the chief engineer said. “We sure owe Bud a lot for warning us the way he did. Something must have happened to the warning machine. It was supposed to set off a siren.”
“If it weren’t for Bud we might have been overcome before we could have gotten out of there!” Mr. Shannon added.
“You’re so right!” Dr. Harding said. “The men will go back in there in gas masks to find the leak and see what’s wrong with the warning machine.”
“We’re plenty lucky!” Steve sighed, his spine still prickly from their narrow escape.
Sue kissed the budgy. “You’re a hero, Bud,” she told him, “and we love you!”
Bud blinked lazily. Then as if to show that he was all right again, he squawked, “Rocket away!”