Free Bolts by Alexander Key

pale narrow streak of daylight.
    â€œStart swimming!” snapped the fox critter. “Any fool can swim if he has to!”
    â€œThen I reckon I ain’t a fool—and I sure ain’t a fish. I’m a tin dawg, and I’d sink like a stone.”
    â€œThat’s too bad,” said the fox critter, quite without feeling. “But this is a hard world, and it’s either sink or swim for all of us. Frankly, I’ve found you very undesirable company, and I’m glad to leave you to the bats.”
    With that, the fox critter plunged into the pool, swam toward the streak of daylight, and soon vanished in the distance.
    Bolts had never felt so hopeless. Then he thought of Bingo, and very carefully eased backward until he could safely raise his tail and turn on his radio.
    â€œOh, Bingo! Bingo!” he called forlornly. “Can you hear me?”
    â€œI hear you!” came Bingo’s happy voice. “Where are you now?”
    â€œAt the end of the line. I can see daylight ahead, but it’s all water between here and there. And since I ain’t a fish or a fox critter—”
    â€œDid you say fox?” Bingo interrupted.
    â€œYup. I been traveling with a sharptongued sourpuss of a fox critter, and he’s swum out.”
    â€œWow!” cried Bingo. “There’s a fox just crawling from the water here. Bolts, you’re closer than I thought! Water won’t hurt you. Shut your mouth, hop in, and start walking.”
    â€œB-but suppose I wet my circuits? Won’t it ruin me?”
    â€œNot if you keep your mouth closed tight. You’re waterproof. Come on!”
    Bolts closed his mouth and plunged in. The pool seemed a mile deep, but presently he was pushing his way along the bottom, half walking, half swimming. A startled trout, marooned here, stared at him goggle-eyed, then flashed away in fright. Bolts struggled on as fast as he could move. Naturally, when he was so anxious to meet Bingo, time did more stretching than ever, and he was sure he had been in the water for hours before he reached a shallow spot. Actually it was only a few minutes later when his head came to the surface in the outer cave where Bingo waited, and his sniffer caught the most wonderful boy scent in the world.
    â€œBingo!” he cried, and leaped out with joyful yips and sprang upon Bingo with his tail wagging. Then, suddenly worried, he said, “Bingo, they shortchanged me at the factory, and I know I ain’t exactly what you wanted. B-but d’you reckon you can sort of put up with me anyway?”
    â€œAw, Bolts,” Bingo said happily, “I couldn’t ask for a better dog, and it doesn’t matter if your brain is trimmed. Boy, oh, boy, I never dreamed you’d be able to talk to animals! Why, it might even be of help on our space trip.”
    Bolts wanted to ask where they were going in space, but all at once there was a buzzing in his head. “Bingo,” he said quickly, “we gotta scram. My built-in instinct says this is a bad place, and my sniffer tells me it belongs to Major Mangler.”

    â€œMajor Mangler!” Bingo stared at the equipment piled in the cave. “Why, this must be his emergency hideout. But, Bolts, he was captured. He won’t come here now.”
    â€œMebbe not, but something’s wrong. We sure better move.”
    â€œBut we can’t leave till we find Claws. He’s our cat.” Bingo explained what had happened.
    â€œI’ll sniff him out,” Bolts said. “You hurry on and watch for the Space Jumper.”
    Bolts raced across the cave, following his sniffer to a dark opening in one corner. Peering upward, he saw Claws’s round green eyes peering down. “Hey, Claws!” he called. “This is Bolts. Come out quick!”
    â€œMeow,” said Claws, in a small purry voice. “It’s nice to meet you, but I see no reason for leaving. Anyway, I’m looking for