CHAPTER XII
IN DEEP WATERS
Mary Nestor, as well as Tom Swift, felt great alarm over the conditionof Mr. Keith. But the nurse, after reviving him, said:
"He is in no special immediate danger. Talking about his troubleoverstrained him, but in the end it may do him good."
"Then will he get well?" asked Mary.
"He may," was the noncommittal answer. "His recovery would be hastened,however, if his mind could be relieved. He keeps worrying about theloss of his papers that proved his share in the Texas oil wells. Untilthey can be given back to him he is bound to suffer mentally, and ofcourse that effects him physically."
"Oh, if we only could do something!" murmured Mary.
"Perhaps we can," said Tom in a low voice. "I've learned somethingthese last few hours. I don't want to promise too much, but I think Ibegin to see how matters lie. There, he's rousing. Speak to him, Mary."
Mr. Keith opened his eyes, and smiled at his niece.
"Did I dream it," he asked in a low voice, "or was there some young manwith you, Mary, my dear, to whom I was telling my troubles about theoil-well papers?"
"You didn't dream it, Uncle," Mary answered. "You were talking to TomSwift. Here he is," and Tom came forward.
"Oh, yes, I remember now," said Mr. Keith passing his hand wearily overhis eyes. "I thought, for a moment, that he had recovered my papers forme. But that was a dream, I'm sure."
"It may not be, Mr. Keith!" exclaimed Tom.
"May not be? What do you mean?"
"I mean," replied the young inventor, "that I am much interested inwhat you have told me. Now that I have proved that the Dixwell Hardleywho is to sail with me is the same one who has treated you so shabbily,I think I understand the truth. I don't want to make a promise that Imay not be able to carry out, but I am going to watch this man whilehe's on the submarine with me."
"Then you are going on with the voyage, Tom?" asked Mary.
"I shall have to," he said. "I have entered into an agreement with thisman and I'm not going to break my contract, no matter what he does. ButI think I know what his game is. Mr. Keith, I'm going to ask you tokeep quiet about this matter until I come back from the treasuresearch. I may then have some news for you."
"I hope you do, young man, I hope you do!" exclaimed the oilcontractor, with more energy than he had previously shown. "It means alot, at my age, to lose a small fortune. If I were well and strong I'dtackle this Dixwell Hardley myself, and make him give up the papers I'msure he has hidden away. He has them, I'm positive."
"Well, he may not have them, but perhaps he knows where they are," saidTom. "And I'm going to make it my business to watch him and see if Ican find out his secret. I won't let him know I've heard from you. I'llapply the old saying of giving him plenty of rope, and I'll watch whathappens.
"Now, Mr. Keith, take care of yourself. Mary and I must be gettingback. Try not to worry, and I'll do my best for you," Tom concluded.
Mary added a few words of comfort and encouragement to her uncle, andthen she and Tom took leave of him, flying back to Shopton in thespeedy Air Scout.
"What are you going to do, Tom?" asked Mary, as he left her at herhome, having told Mr. and Mrs. Nestor his part in the visit to BartonKeith.
"I'm going to start on the submarine voyage tomorrow," was the answerof the young inventor.
"Do you really believe there is a treasure ship?"
"Well, I've satisfied myself that a ship named the Pandora sunk aboutwhere Hardley says it did, and she had some treasure on board. Whetherit's just the kind he has told me it was I don't know. But I'm going tofind out."
"Then you'll be saying goodbye for a long time," observed Mary, ratherwistfully.
"Oh, it may not be for so very long," and Tom tried to speakcheerfully. "I'll bring you back some souvenirs from the bottom of thesea," he added with a laugh.
"Bring me back--yourself!" said Mary in a low voice, and then shehurried away.
By appointment Tom met Mr. Damon and Mr. Hardley at the submarine dockthe next morning. Everything had been made ready for the start,postponed from the day before. Mr. Hardley's estimated share of theexpenses had been deposited in a bank, to be paid over later.
"Well, are we really going this time, or are you going to delay again?"asked the gold seeker, and his voice lacked a pleasant tone.
"Oh, we're going this time!" exclaimed Tom. "And I hope everything turnsout the way I want it to," he added meaningly.
"We'll find the treasure on the ship all right, if we can find theship," said Mr. Hardley. "That part is your job, Mr. Swift."
"And I'll find her if she's where you say she went down," answered Tom."Now then, as soon as Ned comes we'll start."
Ned Newton had been intrusted with some last-moment messages, but hearrived a little later, and hurried on board the M. N. 1 which lay ather dock, just afloat.
"All aboard!" called Tom, when he saw his financial manager coming downthe pier. "We're ready to start now."
"Bless my fountain pen!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "but we ought to dosomething, Tom--sing a song, make a speech or something, oughtn't we?"
"We'll sing a song of victory when we come back," replied Tom, with alaugh. "Everything all right at home, Ned?" he asked, for his chum hadjust come on from Shopton.
"Yes; your father sent his regards, but he told me to make a lastappeal to you to install a gyroscope rudder."
"It's too late for that now," said Tom. "He attaches, I think, too muchimportance to that device. I shan't need it with the improvements Ihave made to the craft. Get aboard!"
Ned climbed down the hatchway, which, however, was not closed, as itwas decided to navigate the craft on the surface until it was necessaryto submerge her because of too rough water, or when the vicinity of thewreck was reached.
"Though we will go down to the bottom when we get to the Atlantic forthe purpose of testing her in deep water," decided Tom. "Most of thetime we'll steam on the surface, for we'll save our batteries that way,and it's more comfortable breathing natural air."
So, with part of her deck above the surface, the M. N. 1 began hervoyage, sent on her way by the cheers of the small force of Tom'sworkmen at the submarine plant. The general public was not admitted,for the object of the quest was kept secret from all save thoseimmediately interested.
"Rad, him be plenty mad he not come," said Koku to Tom, as the giantmoved about the cabin, putting things to rights.
"Well, don't start crowing over him until we get back," warned theyoung inventor. "He may have the laugh on us."
"Rad no laugh," declared Koku. "Rad him too mad dat I come on trip."
"A submarine voyage is no place for old, faithful Eradicate," murmuredTom. "He's better off looking after my father."
The first part of the trip was without incident of moment. No mishapattended the voyage of the M. N. 1 down the river, out into the bay,and so on to the great Atlantic.
Fairly good time was made, as there was no particular object inspeeding, and on the second day after leaving the dock Tom gave ordersfor the hatch to be closed, the deck cleared, and everything made tightand fast.
"What's up?" asked Ned, hearing the instructions passed around.
"We're approaching deep water," was the answer. "I'm going to submerge."
A little later, by means of her diving rudders, aided also by thetanks, the M. N. 1 began to sink. Down, down, down she went.
"Now I'll be able to show you some pretty sights, Mr. Hardley," saidTom, as he and his friends entered the forward compartment, while thesteel shutters were rolled back from the heavy glass windows. "We'll bein deep waters presently."
Ten minutes later the depth gauge showed that they were down aboutthree hundred feet, and that is pretty deep for a submarine. But Tom'sboat was capable of even greater depths than that.
At first there was nothing much to observe save the opal-tinted waterilluminated by the powerful lights of the submarine. Small, andevidently frightened, fish darted to an
d fro, but there was nothingespecially to attract the attention of Tom and his friends, who hadmade much more sensational trips than this under water.
Mr. Hardley, however, was fascinated, and kept close to the observationwindows.
"Are there any wrecks around here?" he asked Tom.
"Possibly," was the answer. "Though they do not contain any treasure, Iimagine--brick schooners or cargo boats would be about all."
The submarine went deeper, plowing her way through the Atlantic at adepth of more than three hundred and fifty feet, for Tom wanted tosubject her to a good test.
Suddenly Mr. Hardley, who was now alone at the window on the port side,uttered a cry of alarm.
"Look! Look!" he fairly shouted. "We're surrounded by a school ofsharks! What monsters! Are we in danger?"
Tom Swift and His Undersea Search; Or, the Treasure on the Floor of the Atlantic Page 12