Tom Swift and His Airship

by Victor Appleton

  Chapter 23

  On To The Camp

  "Well, you sure have got a fine craft here," remarked Sheriff Durkin,as he looked over the airship after Tom and his friends had told oftheir voyage. "It will be quite up-to-date to raid a gang of bankrobbers in a flying machine, but I guess it will be the only way we cancatch those fellows. Now I'll go back to town, and the first thing inthe morning I'll round-up my posse and start it off. The men cansurround the camp, and lay quiet until we arrive in this ship. Then,when we descend on the heads of the scoundrels, right out of the sky,so to speak, my men can close in, and bag them all."

  "That's a good plan," commented Mr. Sharp, "but are you sure these arethe men we want? It's pretty vague, I think, but of course the clue Tomgot is pretty slim; merely the name Shagmon."

  "Well, this is Shagmon," went on the sheriff, "and, as I told youryoung friend, I've been trying for some time to bag the men at thesummer camp. They number quite a few, and if they don't do anythingworse, they run a gambling game there. I'm pretty sure, if the bankrobbers are in this vicinity, they're in that camp. Of course all themen there may not have been engaged in looting the vault, and they maynot all know of it, but it won't do any harm to round-up the wholebunch."

  After a tour of the craft, and waiting to take a little refreshmentwith his new friends, the sheriff left, promising to come as early onthe morrow as possible.

  "Let's go to bed," suggested Mr. Sharp, after a bit. "We've got hardwork ahead of us to-morrow."

  They were up early, and, in the seclusion of the little glade in thewoods, Tom and Mr. Sharp went over every part of the airship.

  The sheriff arrived about nine o'clock, and announced that he hadstarted off through the woods, to surround the camp, twenty-five men.

  "They'll be there at noon," Mr. Durkin said, "and will close in when Igive the signal, which will be two shots fired. I heard just before Icame here that there are some new arrivals at the camp."

  "Maybe those are the men I overheard talking in the office building,"suggested Tom. "They probably came to get their share. Well, we mustswoop down on them before they have time to distribute the money."

  "That's what!" agreed the county official. Mr. Durkin was even moreimpressed by the airship in the daytime than he had been at night. Heexamined every part, and when the time came to start, he was almost asunconcerned as any of the three travelers who had covered many hundredsof miles in the air.

  "This is certainly great!" cried the sheriff, as the airship roseswiftly under the influence of the powerful gas.

  As the craft went higher and higher his enthusiasm grew. He was notthe least afraid, but then Sheriff Durkin was accounted a nervyindividual under all circumstances.

  "Lay her a little off to the left," the officer advised Tom who was atthe steering wheel. "The main camp is right over there. How long beforewe will reach it?"

  "We can get there in about fifteen minutes, if we run at top speed,"answered the lad, his hand on the switch that controlled the motor."Shall we?"

  "No use burning up the air. Besides, my men have hardly had time tosurround the camp. It's in deep woods. If I were you I'd get right overit, and then rise up out of sight so they can't see you. Then, whenit's noon you can go down, I'll fire the signal and the fun willcommence--that is, fun for us, but not so much for those chaps, Ifancy," and the sheriff smiled grimly.

  The sheriff's plan was voted a good one, and, accordingly, the ship,after nearing a spot about over the camp, was sent a mile or two intothe air, hovering as nearly as possible over one spot.

  Shortly before twelve, the sheriff having seen to the weapons hebrought with him, gave the signal to descend. Down shot the Red Clouddropping swiftly when the gas was allowed to escape from the redcontainer, and also urged toward the earth by the deflected rudder.

  "Are you all ready?" cried the sheriff, looking at his watch.

  "All ready," replied Mr. Sharp.

  "Then here goes," went on the officer, drawing his revolver, and firingtwo shots in quick succession.

  Two shots from the woods below answered him. Faster dropped the RedCloud toward the camp of the criminals.