CHAPTER XXV
FREEDOM
For a moment there was silence, following Tom's wild cry and the noiseof the thunderclap. Then, as other, though less loud reverberations ofthe storm continued to sound, the captives awoke to a realization ofwhat had happened. They had been partially stunned, and were almost asin a dream.
"Are--are we all right?" stammered Ned.
"Bless my soul! What has happened?" cried Mr. Damon.
"We've been struck by lightning!" Tom repeated. "I don't know whetherwe're all right or not."
"We seem to be falling!" exclaimed Lieutenant Marbury.
"If the whole gas bag isn't ripped to pieces we're lucky," commentedJerry Mound.
Indeed, it was evident that the Mars was sinking rapidly. To all therecame the sensation of riding in an elevator in a skyscraper and beingdropped a score of stories.
Then, as they stood there in the darkness, illuminated only by flashesfrom the lightning outside the window, waiting for an unknown fate, TomSwift uttered a cry of delight.
"We've stopped falling!" he cried. "The automatic gas machine ispumping. Part of the gas bag was punctured, but the unbrokencompartments hold!"
"If part of the gas leaked out I don't see why it wasn't all set onfire and exploded," observed Captain Warner.
"It's a non-burnable gas," Tom quickly explained. "But come on. Thismay be our very chance. There seems to be something going on that maybe in our favor."
Indeed the captives could hear confused cries and the running to andfro of many feet.
He made for the sawed panel, and, in another instant, had burst out andwas through it, out into the passageway between the after and amidshipcabins. His companions followed him.
They looked into the rear cabin, or motor compartment, and a scene ofconfusion met their gaze. Two of the foreign men who had seized theship lay stretched out on the floor near the humming machinery, whichhad been left to run itself. A look in the other direction, toward themain cabin, showed a group of the foreign spies bending over the inertbody of La Foy, the Frenchman, stretched out on a couch.
"What has happened?" cried Ned. "What does it all mean?'
"The lightning!" exclaimed Tom. "The bolt that struck the ship hasknocked out some of our enemies! Now is the time to attack them!"
The Mars seemed to have passed completely through a narrow storm belt.She was now in a quiet atmosphere, though behind her could be seen thefitful play of lightning, and there could be heard the distant rumbleof thunder.
"Come on!" cried Tom. "We must act quickly, while they are demoralized!Come on!"
His friends needed no further urging. Jerry Mound and the machinistrushed to the engine-room, to look after any of the enemy that might bethere, while Tom, Ned and the others ran into the middle cabin.
"Grab 'em! Tie 'em up!" cried Tom, for they had no weapons with whichto make an attack.
But none were needed. So stunned were the foreigners by the lightningbolt, which had miraculously passed our friends, and so unnerved by thestriking down of La Foy, their leader, that they seemed like men halfasleep. Before they could offer any resistance they were bound with thesame ropes that had held our friends in bondage. That is, all but thebig Frenchman himself. He seemed beyond the need of binding.
Mound, the engineer, and his assistant, came hurrying in from themotor-room, followed by Koku.
"We found him chained up," Jerry explained, as the big giant, freedfrom his captivity, rubbed his chafed wrists.
"Are there any of the foreigners back there?'
"Only those two knocked out by the lightning," the engineer explained."We've made them secure. I see you've got things here in shape."
"Yes," replied Tom. "And now to see where we are, and to get back home.Whew! But this has been a time! Koku, what happened to you?"
"They no let anything happen. I be in chains all the while," the giantanswered. "Jump on me before I can do anything!"
"Well, you're out, now, and I think we'll have you stand guard overthese men. The tables are turned, Koku."
The bound ones were carried to the same prison whence our friends hadescaped, but their bonds were not taken off, and Koku was put in theplace with them. By this time La Foy and the two other stricken menshowed signs of returning life. They had only been stunned.
The young inventor and his friends, once more in possession of theirairship, lost little time in planning to return. They found that thespies were all expert aeronauts, and had kept a careful chart of theirlocation. They were then halfway across the Atlantic, and in a shorttime longer would probably have been in some foreign country. But Tomturned the Mars about.
The craft had only been slightly damaged by the lightning bolt, thoughthree of the gas bag compartments were torn, The others sufficed,however, to make the ship sufficiently buoyant.
When morning came Tom and his friends had matters running almost assmoothly as before their capture.
The prisoners had no chance to escape, and, indeed, they seemed to havebeen broken in spirit. La Foy was no longer the insolent, mockingFrenchman that he had been, and the two chief foreign engineers seemedto have lost some of their reason when the lightning struck them.
"But it was a mighty lucky and narrow escape for us," said Ned, as heand Tom sat in the pilot-house the second day of the return trip.
"That's right," agreed his chum.
Once again they were above the earth, and, desiring to get rid as soonas possible of the presence of the spies, a landing was made near NewYork City, and the government authorities communicated with. CaptainWarner and Lieutenant Marbury took charge of the prisoners, with someSecret Service men, and the foreigners were soon safely locked up.
"And now what are you going to do, Tom?" asked Ned, when, once more,they had the airship to themselves.
"I'm going back to Shopton, fix up the gas bag, and give her anothergovernment trial," was the answer.
And, in due time, this was done. Tom added some improvements to theaircraft, making it better than ever, and when she was given the testrequired by the government, she was an unqualified success, and therights to the Mars were purchased for a large sum. In sailing, and inthe matter of guns and bombs, Tom's craft answered every test.
"So you see I was right, after all, Dad," the young inventor said, wheninformed that he had succeeded. "We can shoot off even bigger guns thanI thought from the deck of the Mars."
"Yes, Tom," replied the aged inventor, "I admit I was wrong."
Tom's aerial warship was even a bigger success than he had dared tohope. Once the government men fully understood how to run it, in whichTom played a prominent part in giving instructions, they put the Marsto a severe test. She was taken out over the ocean, and her gunstrained on an obsolete battleship. Her bombs and projectiles blew thecraft to pieces.
"The Mars will be the naval terror of the seas in any future war,"predicted Captain Warner.
The Secret Service men succeeded in unearthing all the details of theplot against Tom. His life, at times, had been in danger, but at thelast minute the man detailed to harm him lost his nerve.
It was Tom's enemies who had set on fire the red shed, and who latertried to destroy the ship by putting a corrosive acid in one of thepropellers. That plot, though, was not wholly successful. Then came thetime when one of the spies hid on board, and dropped the copper bar onthe motor, short-circuiting it. But for the storage-battery that schememight have wrought fearful damage. The spy who had stowed himself awayon the craft escaped at night by the connivance of one of Tom's corruptemployees.
The foreign spies were tried and found guilty, receiving meritedpunishment. Of course the governments to which they belonged disclaimedany part in the seizure of Tom's aerial warship.
It came out at the trial that one of Tom's most trusted employees hadproved a traitor, and had the night before the test, allowed theforeign spies to secrete themselves on board, to rush out at anopportune time to overpower our hero and his friends. But luck was withTom
at the end.
"Well, what are you going to tackle next, Tom?" asked Ned, one dayabout a month after these exciting experiences.
"I don't know," was the slow answer. "I think a self-swinging hammock,under an apple tree, with a never-emptying pitcher of ice-cold lemonadewould be about the thing."
"Good, Tom! And, if you'll invent that, I'll share it with you."
"Well, come on, let's begin now," laughed Tom. "I need a vacation,anyhow."
But it is very much to be doubted if Tom Swift, even on a vacation,could refrain from trying to invent something, either in the line ofairships, water, or land craft. And so, until he again comes to thefront with something new, we will take leave of him.
THE TOM SWIFT SERIES
By VICTOR APPLETON
These spirited tales convey in a realistic way, the wonderful advancesin land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are impressed upon thememory and their reading is productive only of good.
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS SERIES
BY VICTOR APPLETON
Moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in thisline of books the reader is given a full description of how the filmsare made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick picturesto satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life inthe Wild West, among the cowboys and Indians, thrilling rescues alongthe seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savagebeasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land ofearthquakes. The volumes teem with adventures and will be foundinteresting from first chapter to last.
THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE WEST THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE COAST THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN THE JUNGLE THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS IN EARTHQUAKE LAND THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AND THE FLOOD THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT PANAMA THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS UNDER THE SEA THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON THE WAR FRONT THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON FRENCH BATTLEFIELDS MOVING PICTURE BOYS FIRST SHOWHOUSE MOVING PICTURE BOYS AT SEASIDE PARK MOVING PICTURE BOYS ON BROADWAY THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS OUTDOOR EXHIBITION THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS NEW IDEA
Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship; Or, The Naval Terror of the Seas Page 25