“They’d think YOU were stuck up; eh, Rad? Stuck up in the air!”
“Dat’s right, Massa Tom. Ha! Ha! I suah am stuck up in de air! Ha! Ha!”
By this time Tom had guided the machine away from the village, and they were flying over the fields, some distance from his house. The colored man was beginning to enjoy his experience very much.
Suddenly, just as Tom was trying to get a bit more speed out of the motor, the machine stopped. The cessation of the racket was almost as startling as a loud explosion would have been.
“Just my luck!” cried Tom.
“What’s de matter?” asked Eradicate, anxiously.
“Motor’s stalled,” replied the young inventor.
“An’, by golly, we’s falling!” yelled the colored man.
Naturally, with the stopping of the propeller, there was no further straight, forward motion to the monoplane, and, following the law of nature, it began to drop toward the earth on a slant.
“We’s fallin’! We’ll be killed!” yelled the negro.
“It’s all right, I’ll just vol-plane back to earth,” spoke Tom, calmly. “I’ve often done it before, higher up than this. Sit still, Rad, I’m volplaning back to the ground.”
“An’ I’ll JUMP back to de ground; dat’s what I’ll do. I ain’t goin’ t’ wait until I falls, no sah! An’ I ain’t gwine t’ do none ob dat ball-playin’ yo’ speak ob, Massa Swift. It’s no time t’ play ball when yo’ life am in danger. I’se gwine t’ jump.”
“Sit still!” cried Tom, for the colored man was about to spring from his seat. “There’s no danger! I didn’t say anything about playing ball. I said I’d VOL-PLANE back to the earth. We’ll be there shortly. I’ll take you down safe. Sit still, Rad!”
He spoke so earnestly that the fears of his colored passenger were quelled. With a quick motion Tom threw up the head planes, to check the downward sweep. The Butterfly shot forward on a gradual slant. Repeating this maneuver several times, the young inventor finally brought his machine to within a short distance of the earth, and, also, considerably nearer his own home.
“I wonder if we can make it?” he murmured, measuring the distance with his eye. “I think so. I’ll shoot her up a bit and then let her down on a long slant. Then, with another upward tilt, I ought to fetch it.”
The monoplane tilted upward. Eradicate gave a cry of terror. It was stilled at a look from Tom. Once more the air machine glided forward. Then came another long dip, another upward glide and the Butterfly came gently to earth almost on the very spot whence it had flown upward a few minutes before.
Eradicate gave one mad spring from his seat, almost before the bicycle wheels had ceased revolving, as Tom jammed on the earth-brake.
“Here, where are you going, Rad?” cried the lad.
“Whar am I goin’? I’se goin’ t’ see if mah mule Boomerang am safe. He’s de only kind ob an airship I wants arter dis!” and the colored man disappeared into the shack whence came a loud “hee-haw!”
“Oh, pshaw! Wait a minute, Rad. I’ll soon have the motor fixed, and we’ll make another try. I’ll take you over to Mr. Damon’s with me.”
“No, sah, Massa Tom. Yo’ don’t catch dis coon in any mo’ airships. Mah mule am good enough fo’ me!” shouted Eradicate from the safe harbor of the mule’s stable.
Tom laughed, and turned to inspect the motor. As he was looking it over, to locate the trouble, the door of the house opened and a pleasant-faced woman stepped out.
“Oh, Tom,” she called. “I looked for you a moment ago, and you weren’t here!”
“No, Mrs. Baggert,” Tom replied, waving his hand in greeting to the housekeeper, “Rad and I just came back—quite suddenly—sooner than we expected to. Why? Did you want me?”
“Here’s a letter that came for you,” she went on.
Tom tore open the envelope, and rapidly scanned the contents of the missive.
“Hello!” he ejaculated half aloud. “It’s from Abe Abercrombie, that miner I met when we were after the diamond-makers! He says he is on his way east to get ready to start on the quest for the Alaskan valley of gold, in the caves of ice. I had almost forgotten that I promised to make the attempt in the big airship. How did this letter come, Mrs. Baggert?” he asked.
“By special delivery. The messenger brought it a few minutes ago.”
“Then we may see Abe any day now. Guess I’d better be looking over the Red Cloud to see if it’s in shape for a trip to the Arctic regions.”
Tom’s attention for the moment was taken off his little monoplane, and his memory went back to the strange scenes in which he and his friends had recently played a part, in searching for the cave of the diamond-makers on Phantom Mountain. He recalled the promise he had made to the old miner.
“I wonder if he expects us to start for Alaska with winter coming on?” thought Tom.
His musings were suddenly interrupted by the entrance into the yard, surrounding the aeroplane shed, of a lad about his own age.
“Hello, Ned Newton!” called Tom, heartily.
“Hello, yourself,” responded Ned. “I’ve got a day off from the bank, and I thought I’d come over and see you. Say, have you heard the latest?”
“No. What is it?”
“Andy Foger is building an airship.”
“Andy Foger building an airship?”
“Yes, he says it will beat yours.”
“Humph! It will, eh? Well, Andy can do as he pleases as long as he doesn’t bother me. I won’t be around here much longer, anyhow.”
“Why not, Tom?”
“Because I soon expect to start for the far north on a strange quest. Come on in the shed, and I’ll tell you about it. We’re going to try to locate a valley of gold, and I guess Andy Foger won’t follow me there, even if he does build an airship.”
Tom and his chum started toward the shed, the young inventor still holding the letter that was to play such an important part in his life within the next few months. And, had he only known it, the building of Andy Foger’s airship was destined to be fraught with much danger to our hero.
CHAPTER II
ANDY FOGER’S TRIPLANE
“Going to look for a valley of gold, eh?” remarked Ned Newton as he and Tom took seats in a little room, fitted up like a den, where the young inventor frequently worked out the details of the problems that confronted him. “Where is this valley, Tom? Anywhere so I could have a chance at it?”
“It’s up in Alaska. Just where I don’t know, but Abe Abercrombie, the old miner whom we met when out in Colorado this summer, says he can find it if we circle around in the airship. So I’m going to take a chance. I’ll tell you all about it.”
And, while Tom is doing this, I will take the opportunity to more formally introduce to my new readers our hero and his friends.
Tom Swift was an inventor of no little note, in spite of his youth. He lived with his father, Barton Swift, who was also an inventor, on the outskirts of the village of Shopton, New York State. Tom’s mother was dead, and Mrs. Baggert had kept house for him and his father since he was a child. Garret Jackson, an expert machinist, was also a member of the household, and as has been explained, Eradicate Sampson, who took that name because, as he said he “eradicate de dirt,” was also a sort of retainer. He lived in a little house on the Swift grounds, and did odd jobs about the place.
In the first book of the series, entitled “Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle,” there was related how the lad became possessed of one of those speedy machines, after Mr. Wakefield Damon had come to grief on it. Mr. Damon was an eccentric man, who was always blessing himself, some part of his anatomy, or some of his possessions.
After many adventures on his motor-cycle, Tom Swift went through some surprising happenings with a motor-boat be bought. After that he built an airship, the Red Cloud, and later he and his father constructed a submarine, in which they went under the ocean in search of sunken treasure, enduring many perils and much danger.
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p; Tom Swift’s electric runabout, which he built after returning home from the submarine trip, proved to be the speediest car on the road. The experience he acquired in making this machine stood him in good stead, when (as told in the sixth volume, “Tom Swift and His Wireless Message”) the airship in which he, Mr. Damon and a friend of the latter’s (who had built the craft) were wrecked on Earthquake Island. There Tom was marooned with some refugees from a wrecked steam yacht, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Nestor, father of a girl of whom Tom thought a great deal.
With parts from the wrecked electric airship the youth rigged up a plant, and sent wireless messages from the island. The castaways nearly lost their lives in the earthquake shocks, but a steamer, summoned by Tom’s wireless call, arrived in time to save them, just as the island disappeared beneath the sea.
In the seventh book of the series, entitled “Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers” there was related the adventures of himself and his friends when they tried to solve the mystery of Phantom Mountain.
Among the castaways of Earthquake Island was a Mr. Barcoe Jenks and a Professor Ralph Parker. Mr. Jenks was a strange man, and claimed to have some valuable diamonds, which he said were made by a gang of men hidden in a cave in the Rocky Mountains. Tom did not believe that the diamonds were real, but Mr. Jenks soon proved that they were.
He asked Tom to aid him in searching for the cave of the diamond makers. Mr. Jenks had been there once—in fact, he had been offered a partnership in the diamond-making business, but, after he had paid his money, he had been drugged, and carried secretly from the cave before he had a chance to note its location.
But he, together with Tom, Mr. Damon and the scientist Mr. Parker, who correctly predicted the destruction of Earthquake Island, set out in the Red Cloud to find the diamond makers. They did find them, after many hardships, and were captured by the gang. How Tom and his friends escaped from the cave, after they had seen diamonds made by a powerful lightning flash, and how they nearly lost their lives from the destruction of Phantom Mountain, is fully set down in the book.
Sufficient to say now, that, though they had a general idea of how the precious stones were made, by the power of the lightning, the young inventor and his friends were never quite able to accomplish it, and the secret remained a secret. But they had secured some diamonds as they rushed from the cave (Mr. Damon grabbing them up) and these were divided among Tom and the others.
Just as they were ready to come home in the airship, our friends were met by an old miner, Abe Abercrombie, who spoke of a valley of gold in Alaska, which was the story Tom related to Ned Newton, as the two chums sat in the den of the airship shed.
“Then you don’t know all the details about the gold valley, Tom?” remarked Ned, as the young inventor showed his chum the letter that had just arrived.
“No, not all of them. At the time this miner met us I was anxious to get back East, for we had been away so long I knew dad would be worried. But I listened to part of Abe’s story, and half promised to go in partnership in this quest for gold. He was to furnish information about the hidden valley, and I was to supply the airship. I expect Abe to come along at any time, now, and then I’ll hear more particulars.”
“Will you go all the way in the airship?”
“Well, I hadn’t thought of that. I could ship it to the nearest place by rail, I suppose, and go on from there. That’s a detail to be considered later. I’ll talk it over with Abe.”
“Who are going?”
“I don’t know that even. I suppose Mr. Damon would feel slighted if I left him out. And perhaps Mr. Parker, that gloomy scientist, who is always predicting terrible accidents, will be glad to go along. Then Abe may have some friend he wants to take.”
“By Jinks! But you certainly do have swell times, Tom Swift!” exclaimed Ned Newton, enviously. “I wish I could go and have a try at that valley of gold!”
“Why don’t you come along, Ned?”
“Do you really mean it?”
“Of course.”
“But I don’t believe I could get away from the bank.”
“Oh, dad and Mr. Damon could fix that. They’re directors, you know. Come along, I’d be delighted to have you. Will you?”
“I’ll think about it. Jinks! But I sure would like to go. Do you think you can find the valley?”
“Well, there’s no telling. We generally do succeed in finding what we go after, even if we didn’t get the diamond secret. I’m anxious to have Abe come, now, though until I got his letter I had almost forgotten about my promise to him. But, say, what’s this you told me about Andy Foger making an airship?”
“It’s true, though I haven’t seen it. Jake Porter was telling me about it. Andy’s built a big shed in his yard, and he and some cronies of his, including Pete Bailey and Sam Snedecker, are working in there night and day. They’ve hired a couple of machinists, too. Mr. Foger is putting up the cash, I guess. Say, that was quite a scare you gave Andy on your monoplane, one day.”
“Yes, the big bully! and I’d like to scare him worse. But say, do you know I’d like to get a look at his airship. I wonder what sort of a craft it is?”
“We can see it easily enough.”
“How?”
“Why, the back part of the shed where he and the others are working is close to our fence. There are some holes in our fence and if you come there, maybe you can look in.”
“I can’t see through the side of the shed, though.”
“Yes, you can.”
“How?”
“Why, there’s a big window, for light, in the back part of it. I happened to notice it the other day. I didn’t look in, because I wasn’t much interested, but I saw that one could peer over the top of our fence right into the shop where Andy is working. Want to try it?”
Tom hesitated a moment.
“Well, it seems rather an odd thing to do,” he said. “But I would like to see what sort of a flying machine Andy is making, just for my own satisfaction. He may be infringing on some of my patents, and if he is, I’ll stop him. Once or twice he’s been sneaking around my shed here. I don’t believe in sneaking, but I know he wouldn’t let me in if I asked him, so I guess it’s the only way. I’ll go with you, Ned.”
“All right. We’ll see if we can get a glimpse of Andy’s queer shebang through the window.”
The two chums left Tom’s shop, and were soon in the yard of Ned Newton’s house. As he had said, the big shed in Andy’s premises came close up to the fence, and there was a window through which one might gaze. The casement did not appear to be curtained.
“I’ll get a ladder so we can climb up to the top of the fence, and look over,” spoke Ned, as he and Tom went out into the yard back of his house. The fence was high up on an embankment.
A little later Tom and his chum were gazing into the shop window from the ladder.
“Why, it’s a triplane—a big triplane!” he exclaimed.
“What’s a triplane?” asked Ned, who didn’t have much time to study the different types of airships.
“It’s one that has three sets of planes, one above the other. A biplane has two sets of planes, and a monoplane only one. Triplanes are larger, and, as far as I’ve been able to learn, not as satisfactory as either the biplanes or monoplanes. But that’s not saying Andy’s won’t be a success. They certainly are busy in there, though! Andy is flying around like a hen scratching for her little chickens!”
“See anything of his cronies?”
“Yes, Pete and Sam are hammering away. There are a couple of men, too.”
“Yes, the machinists. Oh, I guess Andy expects great things from his airship.”
“Have you heard what he’s going to do with it, Ned? Make flights for pleasure, or exhibit it?”
“No, I haven’t heard. Look out, Tom, the ladder is slipping!”
As Ned spoke this warning, the window of the airship shed, through which they were looking, was suddenly raised. The ugly face of Andy Foger peered out. He caug
ht sight of Tom and Ned.
“Get away from there, you spies!” he yelled. “Get away from there, Tom Swift! You’re trying to steal some of my ideas! Get away or I’ll make you. Sam, bring me my gun! Pete, go tell my father to come here! I’ll show Ned Newton and Tom Swift they can’t bother me!”
Andy was dancing about in a rage. His two cronies crowded behind him to the window just as the ladder on which Tom and Ned were standing slipped along the fence.
“Jump, Ned!” yelled Tom Swift, as he leaped away to escape being entangled in the rungs.
The young inventor came to the ground with a jar that shook him up considerably, while Ned, who had grasped the top board of the fence, remained hanging there by his hands, his feet dangling in the air.
“Whack his fingers, Andy!” yelled Pete Bailey. “Get a long stick and whack Ned’s fingers! That will make him drop off!”
Tom Swift heard, and labored desperately to raise the ladder to enable Ned to get down, for his chum seemed to be afraid to drop.
CHAPTER III
ABE IS DECEIVED
Raising a ladder alone is rather an awkward job. Tom found this so when he tried to aid his friend Ned. But, being a muscular lad, the young inventor did finally succeed in getting the ladder up against the fence where the bank clerk could reach it.
Whack! Down upon the top board came a stick wielded by Andy Foger from the rear window of his shop.
“Wow!” cried Ned, for the blow had been close to his fingers. “Hurry up with that ladder, Tom.”
“There it is! But why don’t you drop?”
“Too far. I can’t reach the ladder now!”
“Yes, you can. Stretch a bit!”
“Whack!” Once more the stick descended on the fence, this time still closer to Ned’s clinging hands.
“Hit him good, Andy!” cried Sam Snedecker, “Give me a shot at him!”
“I will not. I want to attend to him myself. You go tell my father, and he’ll have Tom Swift arrested for trying to sneak in and get some of my airship ideas!”
The Tom Swift Megapack Page 90