“Guess Andy hasn’t arrived,” spoke Tom.
“No; very likely he’s found out that something is wrong with his machine, and he isn’t going to risk it.”
But almost as Ned spoke, there sounded cries of excitement from the crowd, and, a little later, something big and white, with many wing-shaped stretches of canvas sticking out from all sides, was seen turning into the big meadow from the broad highway that led to Andy’s house.
“There she is!” cried Ned.
“There’s something, at any rate,” conceded Tom, as he hastened his steps. “It’s a queer-looking aeroplane, though. My! he’s got enough wings to it!”
“Yes, it’s Andy’s sure enough,” went on Ned “There he is in front, giving orders like a major-general, and Sam and Pete are helping him. Let’s get closer.”
They followed the crowd, which was thronging about the airship that Andy Foger had made, Tom had a glimpse of the machine. It was a form of triplane, with three tiers of main wings, and several other sets of planes, some stationary and some capable of being moved. There was no gas-bag feature, but amidships was a small, enclosed cabin, which evidently held the machinery, and was designed to afford living quarters. In some respects the airship was not unlike Tom’s, and the young inventor could see that Andy had copied some of his ideas. But Tom cared little about this.
“Do you think it will go up?” asked Ned.
“It looks to me to be too heavy, and his propellers seem too small,” answered Tom. “He’s got to have a very powerful motor to make all that bulk fly.”
The people were crowding in closer around the airship, for the news that Andy was to attempt a flight had spread about town.
“Now keep back—all of you!” ordered the bully, with a show of anger. “If any one damages my airship I’ll have him arrested! Keep back, now, or I won’t fly!”
“Reminds me of a little kid saying he won’t play if he can’t have his own way,” whispered Ned to Tom.
“Hello, Andy, give us a ride!”
“Going above the clouds?”
“When are you coming back?”
“Bring down a snowstorm!”
“Be careful that you don’t fall!”
These were some of the things shouted at Andy, for he had few friends among the town lads, on account of his mean ways.
“Keep quiet—all of you!” he ordered. “Get back. You might get hurt when I start the motor. I’m going to make a flight soon,” he added proudly. “Sam, you come over here and hold this end. Pete, you go back to the rear. Simpson, you get inside and help me with the motor. Henderson, you get ready to shove when I tell you.”
These last orders were to the two machinists whom Andy had engaged to help him, and the bully gave himself no end of airs and importance as he bustled about.
Tom could not help but admit that Andy’s machine was a big affair. There was a great stretch of wings and planes, several rudders other appliances for which the young inventor could not exactly fathom a use. He did not think the machine would fly far, if at all. But Andy was hurrying here and there, getting the triplane in place on a level stretch of ground, as if he intended to capture some great prize.
“Are you going to tackle him about stealing a copy of that map?” asked Ned.
“I will if I get a chance,” answered Tom, in a low voice.
He got his opportunity a few minutes later. Andy, hurrying here and there, came face to face with the young inventor.
“Hello, Andy,” spoke Tom, good-naturedly. “So you’re going to make a flight, eh?”
“Yes, I am, and I s’pose you came around to see if you could get any ideas; didn’t you?” sneered Andy.
“Of course,” admitted Tom, with an easy laugh. “My airship doesn’t fly, you know, Andy, and I want to see what’s wrong with it.”
There was a laugh in the crowd, at this, for Tom’s success was well known.
“Are you going to Alaska?” suddenly asked Tom, in a low voice, of the bully.
“To Alaska? I—I don’t—I don’t know what you mean?” stammered Andy, as he turned aside.
“Yes, you do know what I mean,” insisted Tom. “And I want to tell you that the map you have won’t be of much use to you. Why, do you think,” he went on, “that Abe would carry the real map around with him that way? It’s easy to make a copy look like an original, Andy, and also very easy to put false distances and directions on a map that may fall into the hands of an enemy.”
The shot told. Andy’s face turned first red and then pale.
“A—a false map!” he stammered. “Wrong directions?”
“Yes—on the copy you made of the map you took from Mr. Abercrombie,” went on Tom.
“I—I didn’t make any—Oh, I’m not going to talk to you!” blustered Andy. “Get out of my way! I’m going to fly my airship.”
The bully pushed past Tom, and started toward the triplane. But Tom had found out what he wanted to know. Andy had made a copy of the map. From now on there would be every danger that the bully would make an effort to get to the valley of gold.
But other matters held Andy’s attention now. He wanted to try his airship. With the help of his two cronies, and the machinists, the machine was gone over, oiled up, and finally, after several false starts, the motor was set going.
It made a terrific racket, and the whole machine vibrated as though it would shake apart.
“He hasn’t got if well enough braced,” said Tom to Ned.
“Out of the way, now, everybody!” yelled Andy. “Keep away or you’ll get hurt! I’m going up!”
He climbed into the cabin of the craft, and took his position at the steering-wheel. The speed of the motor, its racket and its stream of sparks increased.
“Let go!” cried Andy to those who were holding his craft.
They released their hold. The triplane moved slowly across the ground, gathered speed, and, then, under the impulse of the powerful propellers, ran rapidly over the meadow.
“Hurrah! There he goes!” cried Sam.
“Yes! Now he’s going to fly,” proudly added Pete Bailey, the other crony of the bully.
“He’d better fly soon, then, or he’ll be in the ditch,” said Tom grimly, for a little, sluggish stream crossed the meadow not far from where Andy had started.
The next instant, thinking he had momentum enough, Andy tilted his elevation plane. The clumsy triplane rose into the air and shot forward.
“There he goes!” cried Sam.
“Hurrah!” yelled the crowd.
Andy had gone up about ten feet, and was making slow progress.
“I guess Tom Swift isn’t the only one in Shopton who can build an airship!” sneered Pete Bailey.
“Look! Look!” yelled Ned. “He’s coming down!”
Sure enough, Andy’s machine had reached the end of her flight. The motor stopped with something between a cough and a wheeze. Down fluttered the aeroplane, like some clumsy bird, down into the ditch, settling on one side, and then coming to rest, tilted over at a sharp angle. Andy was pitched out, but landed on the soft mud, for there had been a thaw. He wasn’t hurt much, evidently, for he soon scrambled to his feet as the crowd surged toward him.
“Well, he flew a little way,” observed Ned, grimly.
“But he came down mighty soon,” added Tom. “I thought he would. His machine is too big and clumsy. I’ve seen enough. Come on, Ned. We’ll get ready to go to Alaska. Andy Foger will never follow us in that machine.”
But Tom was soon to find out how much mistaken he was.
CHAPTER VII
READY FOR THE TRIP
Andy Foger stood looking at his tilted airship. His clothes were covered with mud from the ditch, some of the muck had splashed over his face so that he was a pitiable looking object.
“What’s the matter?” panted Pete Bailey.
“Are you hurt?” asked Sam Snedecker.
The two cronies had hurried to the side of the bully.
“Matter
? Can’t you see what’s the matter?” demanded Andy wrathfully. “The machine came down, that’s what’s the matter! Why didn’t you fellows fix the motor better?” he shouted at the two machinists as they came running up, followed by the crowd.
“Fix it better? The motor was all right,” declared the taller machinist. “Any of them are likely to stop unexpectedly.”
“Well, I didn’t think mine would,” came from Andy. “Now look at my airship! It’s all busted!”
“No, it isn’t hurt much,” said the other man, after critically looking it over. “We can fix it, and you’ll fly yet, Andy.”
“I hope I do, if only to fool Tom Swift,” declared the bully, as he wiped some of the mud from his face. “Come on, now, help me wheel the machine back, and I’ll try it again.”
Andy made another attempt, but this time the machine did not even rise off the ground, and then, amid the jeers of the crowd, the discomfited lad took his aeroplane back to the shed in the rear of his house.
“I’ll fix it yet, and make a long flight,” he declared. “I’ll show Tom Swift he can’t laugh at me!”
“You’ll make a long flight eh?” asked one of the machinists. “Where will you go?”
“Never mind,” answered Andy, with a knowing wink. “I’ve got a plan up my sleeve—my father and I are going to do something that will astonish everybody in Shopton,” and then Andy, with many nods and winks, went into the shed, where he began giving orders about the airship. He wanted the motor changed, and one of the machinists made some suggestions about the planes, which, he said, would give better results.
As for Tom and Ned, they strolled away, satisfied that in Andy Foger they would not have a very dangerous rival, as far as airships were concerned.
Tom thought matters over during the next few days. He was now satisfied that Andy had a copy of the map, and, as far as he could see, there was no way of getting it from him, for he could not prove to the satisfaction of the legal authorities that the bully actually had it.
“We’ll just have to take a chance, that’s all,” decided the young inventor in talking matters over with his father, Ned, and Abe Abercrombie. “If Andy and some of his crowd trail after us, we’ll just have to run away from them and get to the valley first.”
“If they do get there, they won’t find it very easy traveling I reckon,” remarked Abe. “They’ll get all they want of the caves of ice. But hadn’t we better get a hustle on ourselves, Tom?”
“Yes, we will soon start now. I have the Red Cloud all packed up for shipment to Seattle. We will send it on ahead, and then follow, for it will take some time to get there, even though it’s going by fast freight.”
“What about Mr. Damon?” asked Ned. “When is he coming?”
“There’s no telling,” responded Tom. “He may be on hand any minute, and, again, he may only show up just as we are starting. I haven’t heard from him in the last day or two.”
At that moment there was a knock on the private office in the aeroplane shed, where Tom, Ned and Abe Abercrombie were talking.
“Who’s there?” asked Tom.
“It’s me,” answered a voice recognizable as that of the colored man Eradicate.
“What is it, Rad?” asked Tom.
“Why I jest thought I’d tell you dat de blessin’ man am comin’ down de road.”
“The blessing man?” repeated Tom. “Oh, you mean Mr. Damon.”
“Yais, sah, dat’s jest who I done mean. An’ dere’s anodder gen’man wif him.”
“Mr. Parker, I expect,” spoke Tom. “Well, tell them to come in here, Rad.”
“Yais, sah. Dey’s comin’ up de path now, so dey is.”
The next moment Tom and the others heard a voice saying:
“Why, bless my necktie! The Red Cloud is gone!” Mr. Damon had peered into the shed, and had not seen the airship, for Tom had it packed up. “I wonder if Tom Swift has gone away? Bless my top-knot, Mr. Parker, I hope we’re not too late!”
“Indeed I hope not,” added the scientist. “I wish to make a study of the caves of ice. I think perhaps they may be working south, and, in time, this part of the country may be covered deep under a frozen blanket.”
“Cheerful, isn’t he, Ned?” asked Tom, with a smile. Then, going to the door of the shed he called out: “Here we are, Mr. Damon. Glad to see you, Mr. Parker.” This last wasn’t exactly true, but Tom wanted to be polite.
“Bless my collar button, Tom! But what has become of the airship?” asked Mr. Damon, as he looked about the shed, and saw only a number of boxes and crates.
“Taken apart, and packed up, ready for the trip to the valley of gold and the caves of ice,” replied the young inventor, and then he briefly told of their plans.
“Well, that’s a good idea,” declared the eccentric man. “Mr. Parker and I are ready to go whenever you are, Tom.”
“Then we’ll start very soon. I will get all our supplies in Seattle. Now, to discuss details,” and, after Mr. Parker and Mr. Damon had been made acquainted with the old miner, who told his story in brief, they began a discussion of the prospective trip.
Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker took up their residence in Tom’s house, and while the eccentric man busied himself in helping our hero, Ned and Abe Abercrombie in getting ready for the trip to Alaska, the gloomy scientist went about making “observations” as he called them, with a view to predicting what might happen in the near future.
He was particularly anxious to get up north, among the caves of ice, and, several times he repeated his statement that he believed the mass of ice in Alaska was working down toward the south. But no one paid much attention to him, though Tom recalled, not without a little shudder, that Mr. Parker had correctly predicted the destruction of Earthquake Island, and also the landslide on Phantom Mountain.
The airship was finally sent off, being forwarded to Seattle in sections, where it could easily be put together. The matter of Andy Foger having a duplicate map of the valley of gold was discussed, but it was agreed that nothing could be done about it. So Tom and the others devoted all their energies to getting in shape for their prospective journey.
Mr. Swift was invited to go, but declined on the ground that he had several inventions to perfect, nor could Mr. Jackson go, as he was needed to help his employer. So Tom, Ned, Mr. Damon, Mr. Parker and Abe Abercrombie made up the party. Tom arranged to send wireless messages to his father from the airship once they were started off toward the valley of gold, and over the frozen north.
One evening, when Tom had been to pay a last visit to Mary Nestor, as he was coming past the Foger premises he saw a number of large vans, loaded with big packing cases coming out of the banker’s yard.
“Hum! I wonder if they’re moving?” mused our hero. “If they are they’re taking a queer time for it.” He paused a moment to look at the procession of vans. As he did so he heard the voice of Andy Foger.
“Now, I want you men to be careful of everything!” the bully called out arrogantly. “If you break anything I’ll sue you for damages!”
“Oh, that cub makes me sick!” exclaimed one of the drivers as he came opposite Tom.
“What are you moving—eggs, that you have to be so careful?” asked the young inventor, in a low voice.
“Eggs? No! But it might just as well be,” was the growling answer. “He’s shipping an airship, all taken to pieces, and he has nervous prostration for fear it will be broken. I don’t believe the old thing’s any good, anyhow.”
“An airship—Andy Foger sending away his airship?” gasped Tom. “Where to?”
“Some place in Alaska,” was the startling reply. “Pitka or Sitka, or some such place like that. It’s all in these boxes, G’lang there!” this to his horses.
“Andy sending his airship to Alaska!” murmured Tom in dismay. “Then he surely is going to make a try for that valley of gold!”
He turned away, while the snarling voice of the bully rang out on the night, urging the drivers to be very car
eful of the boxes and crates on their trucks.
CHAPTER VIII
A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
Tom Swift hardly knew what to think. He had scarcely believed, in spite of the fact that he was sure Andy had a copy of the map, that the bully would actually make an effort to go to the valley of gold.
“And in that airship of his, too,” mused Tom. “Well, there’s one consolation, I don’t believe he’ll go far in that, though it does sail better than when he made his first attempt. Well, if he’s going to try to beat us, it’s a good thing I know it We can be prepared for him, now.”
Tom, after watching the big vans for a few minutes, turned and kept on toward his home.
There was more than surprise on the part of Mr. Damon and the others when Tom told his news. There was alarm, for there was a feeling that Mr. Foger and his son might adopt unscrupulous tricks.
“But what can we do?” asked Mr. Swift.
“Whitewash him!” exclaimed Eradicate Sampson, who had overheard part of the conversation. “Dat’s what I’d do t’ him an’ his father, too! Dat’s what I would! Fust I’d let mah mule Boomerang kick him a bit, an’ den, when he was all mussed up, I’d whitewash him!” That was the colored man’s favorite method of dealing with enemies, but, of course, he could not always carry it out.
However, after considering the matter from all sides, it was decided that nothing could be done for the present.
“Let them go,” said Tom, “I don’t believe they’ll ever find the valley of gold. I fancy I threw a scare into Andy, talking as I did about the map.”
“Well, even if the Fogers do get the gold,” said Mr. Parker calmly, “they cannot take away the caves of ice, and it is in them that I am most interested. I want to prove some of my new theories.”
“And we need the gold,” said Tom, in a low voice; “don’t we, Abe?”
“That’s what we do, Tom,” answered the old miner.
Preparations were now practically completed for their trip to Seattle by rail. Tom made some inquiries in the next few days regarding the Fogers, but only learned that the father and son had left town, after superintending the shipment of their airship.
The Tom Swift Megapack Page 93