Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER XXII

  A DANGEROUS COMMISSION

  "Look at that smoke!" yelled Ned, as he sent the airship about in agreat circle on the backward trail.

  "And there's plenty of blaze, too," added Tom. "See the flames eatingaway! This stuff is as dry as tinder for there hasn't been any rain formonths."

  "Much hot!" was the comment of the giant, when he felt the warm wind ofthe fire.

  "Bless my fountain pen!" gasped Mr. Damon, as he looked down into thejungle. "See all those animals!"

  The trail was now thick with deer, and many small beasts, the names ofwhich Tom did not know. On either side could be heard larger brutes,crashing their way forward to escape the fire behind them.

  "Oh, if you only had your camera now!" cried Ned. "You could get awonderful picture, Tom."

  "What's the use of wishing for it. Those Englishmen have it, and--"

  "Maybe they're using it!" interrupted Ned. "No, I don't think theywould know how to work it. Do you see anything of them, Ned?"

  "Not a sight. But they'll surely have to come back, just as you said,unless they got ahead of the fire. They can't go on, and it would bemadness to get off the trail in a jungle like this."

  "I don't believe they could have gotten ahead of the fire," spoke Tom."They couldn't travel fast enough for that, and see how broad the blazeis."

  They were now higher up, well out of the heat and smoke of theconflagration, and they could see that it extended for many miles alongthe trail, and for a mile or so on either side of it.

  "We're far enough in advance, now, to go down a bit, I guess," saidTom, a little later. "I want to get a good view of the path, and Ican't do that from up here. I have an idea that--"

  Tom did not finish, for as the airship approached nearer the ground, hecaught up a pair of binoculars, and focussed them on something on thetrail below.

  "What is it?" cried Ned, startled by something in his chum's manner.

  "It's them! The Englishmen!" cried Tom. "See, they are racing backalong the trail. Their porters have deserted them. But they have mycamera! I can see it! I'm going down, and get it! Ned, stand by thewheel, and make a quick landing. Then we'll go up again!"

  Tom handed the glasses to his chum, and Ned quickly verified the younginventor's statement. There were the two rascally Englishmen. The firewas still some distance in the rear, but was coming on rapidly. Therewere no animals to be seen, for they had probably gone off on a sidetrail, or had slunk deeper into the jungle. Above the distant roar ofthe blaze sounded the throb of the airship's motor. The Englishmenheard it, and looked up. Then, suddenly, they motioned to Tom todescend.

  "That's what I'm going to do," he said aloud, but of course they couldnot hear him.

  "They're waiting for us!" cried Ned. "I wonder why?" for the rascalshad come to a halt, setting down the packs they carried on the trail.One of the things they had was undoubtedly Tom's camera.

  "They probably want us to save their lives," said Tom. "They know theycan't out-run this fire. They've given up! We have them now!"

  "Are you going to save them?" asked Mr. Damon.

  "Of course. I wouldn't let my worst enemy run the chances of danger inthat terrible blaze. I'd save them even if they had smashed my camera.I'll go down, and get them, and take them back to the native village,but that's as far as I will carry them. They'll have to get away asbest they can, after that."

  It was the work of but a few minutes to lower the airship to the trail.Fortunately it widened a bit at this point, or Tom could never havegotten his craft down through the trees.

  "Hand up that camera!" ordered our hero curtly, when he had stoppednear the Englishmen.

  "Yes, my dear chap," spoke the tall Britisher, "but will you oblige us,by taking us--"

  "Hand up the camera first!" sharply ordered Tom again.

  They passed it to him.

  "I know we treated you beastly mean," went on Kenneth, "but, my dearchap--"

  "Get aboard," was all Tom said, and when the rascals, with fearfulglances back into the burning jungle, did so, our hero sent his crafthigh into the air again.

  "Where are you taking us, my dear chap?" asked the tall rascal.

  "Don't 'dear chap' me!" retorted Tom. "I don't want to talk to you. I'mgoing to drop you at the native village."

  "But that will burn!" cried the Englishman.

  "The wind is changing," was our hero's answer. "The fire won't get tothe village. You'll be safe. Have you damaged my camera?" he asked ashe began to examine it, while Ned managed the ship.

  "No, my dear chap. You mustn't think too hard of us. We were both downon our luck, and a chap offered us a big sum to get on your trail, andsecure the camera. He said you had filched it from him, and that he hada right to it. Understand, we wouldn't have taken it had we known--"

  "Don't talk to me!" interrupted Tom, as he saw that his apparatus hadnot been damaged. "The man who hired you was a rascal--that's all I'llsay. Put on a little more speed, Ned. I want to get rid of these 'dearchaps' and take some pictures of the jungle fire."

  As Tom had said, the wind had changed, and was blowing the flames awayoff to one side, so that the native village would be in no danger. Itwas soon reached, and the Africans were surprised to see Tom's airshipback again. But he did not stay long, descending only to let theEnglishmen alight. They pleaded to be taken to the coast, making allsorts of promises, and stating that, had they known that Turbot andEckert (for whom they admitted they had acted) were not telling thetruth, they never would have taken Tom's camera.

  "Don't leave us here!" they pleaded.

  "I wouldn't have you on board my airship another minute for a fortune!"declared Tom, as he signalled to Ned to start the motor. Then the Flyerascended on high, leaving the plotters and started back for the fire,of which Tom got a series of fine moving pictures.

  A week later our friends were in Paris, having made a quick trip, onwhich little of incident occurred, though Tom managed to get quite anumber of good views on the way.

  He found a message awaiting him, from Mr. Period.

  "Well, where to now?" asked Ned, as his chum read the cablegram.

  "Great Scott!" cried our hero. "Talk about hair-raising jobs, thiscertainly is the limit!"

  "Why, what's the matter?"

  "I've got to get some moving pictures of a volcano in action," was theanswer. "Say, if I'd known what sort of things 'Spotty' wanted, I'dnever have consented to take this trip. A volcano in action, and maybean earthquake on the side! This is certainly going some!"