Tom Swift and His Air Scout; Or, Uncle Sam's Mastery of the Sky

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER VI

  MAKING PLANS

  Tom Swift had drawn pencil and paper from his pocket, and, as he andMr. Damon were sitting on the steps of one of the shops, the younginventor was about to demonstrate by a drawing part of his new project,when the interruption came in the shape of one of the men who had, anhour before, made a business offer to Tom.

  "Excuse me," went on Mr. Peton Gale, "but Mr. Ware and I got to talkingit over on our way to the station--the matter of having you in ourcompany, Mr. Swift--and we concluded that it was worth twenty-fivethousand dollars a year for us to have you. So I came back--"

  "It isn't of the slightest use, Mr. Gale, I assure you," said Tom, abit heatedly, for he did not like the persistency of this man, nor didhe like his coming on the factory grounds unannounced and in thissecret manner. "I told you I could not accept your offer. It is notaltogether a matter of money. My word was final."

  "Oh very well, if you put it that way," said Mr. Gale stiffly, "ofcourse there is nothing more to say. But I thought perhaps you did notconsider we had offered you enough and--"

  "Your offer is fair enough from a financial standpoint," said Tom; "butI simply cannot accept it. I have other plans. Jackson!" he called toone of his mechanics who was passing, "kindly see Mr. Gale to the gate,and then let me know how it was any one came in here without a permit."

  "Yes, sir," said the mechanic, as he stood significantly waiting.

  "There was no one at the gate when I came in," said Mr. Gale, and hismanner was antagonizing. "I wanted to speak to you--to ask you toreconsider your offer--so I came back."

  "It is against the rules to admit strangers to the shop grounds," saidTom. "Good-day!"

  The president of the Universal Flying Machine Company did not respond,but there was a look on his face as he turned away that, had Tom seenit, might have caused him some uneasiness. But he did not see. Instead,he resumed his talk with Mr. Damon.

  "Tom, your idea is most interesting," declared the eccentric man. "Ihope you will be able to work it out!"

  "I'm going to try," said the young inventor. "I hope that man--Mr.Gale--didn't hear anything of what I was saying. He sneaked up on usbefore I was aware any one was near but ourselves."

  "I don't imagine he heard very much, Tom," said Mr. Damon. "He may haveheard you mention a silent motor--"

  "That's just what I wish he hadn't heard," broke in Tom. "That's thegerm of the idea, and once it becomes known that I am working on that--Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk," and he smiled at thehomely proverb. "I'll have to work in secret, once I've started."

  "Do you think the government would use it, Tom?" asked his friend.

  "I should think it would be glad to. Consider what a wonderful partairships are playing in the present war. It really is a struggle to seewhich will be the master of the sky--the Allies or the Germans--and, upto recently, the Huns had the advantage. Then the Allies, recognizinghow vital it was, began to forge ahead, and now Uncle Sam with histroops under General Pershing is leading everything, or will leadshortly. We have been a bit slow with our aircraft production, but nowwe are booming along. Uncle Sam will soon have the mastery of the sky."

  "I hope so," sighed Mr. Damon. "We must beat the Germans!"

  Briefly, Tom spoke of what Pershing's men were doing with theiraeroplanes in France, and mention was made of what the French andBritish had done prior to the entrance of the United States into theWorld War.

  "While we were yet neutral, Americans had made gallant names forthemselves flying for France, and with my silent motor they ought to dobetter," declared Tom.

  "Is silence its chief recommendation?" asked Mr. Damon.

  "Yes," replied Tom. "Or rather, it will be when I have it perfected.Aeroplane motors now are about as compact and speedy as they can bemade. It is only the terrific noise that is a handicap. It is ahandicap to the pilots and observers in the craft, as they cannotcommunicate except through a special speaking tube, and this is notalways satisfactory or sure. Then, too, the noise of an airshipproclaims its approach to the enemy, sometimes long before it can beseen.

  "With a silent motor all this would be done away with. With my newcraft, in case I can perfect it, the enemy's lines can be approached assilently as the Indians used to approach the log cabins of the whitesettlers. That will be its great advantage--not that conversation canbe more easily carried on, for that is, after all, an unimportantdetail. But to approach the enemy's lines in the silence of the nightwould be a distinct gain."

  "I believe it would, Tom!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "And I should think,too, that Uncle Sam would be glad to get such a motor," he added.

  "Well, he'll have one to take if he wants it, if I can make my plans asuccess," declared Tom. "That is, unless those other fellows get aheadof me."

  "What other fellows?" asked Mr. Damon.

  "Gale, Ware and their crowd," was the answer. "I fancy they areprovoked because I wouldn't agree to work for them, and now, that Galeoverheard--as he must have--what I propose working on, they may trythat game themselves."

  "You mean try to turn out a silent motor?"

  "Yes. It would be a big feather in their cap for their company, so far,hasn't been very successful on government orders. That's why they cameto me, I guess."

  "I shouldn't be surprised, Tom," conceded Mr. Damon. "Since thegovernment accepted your giant cannon and your great searchlight, youhave come into greater prominence than ever before. And those twothings are a wonderful success."

  "Yes," admitted Tom, modestly enough, "the big electric light seems tohave been of some benefit on the European battle front, and though theyhaven't been able to make and transport as many of my giant cannons asI'd like to see over there, it is progressing, I understand."

  And this is true. For the details of these two inventions of TomSwift's I refer my readers to the books bearing those titles.Sufficient to state here that the government was using these twoinventions, and there had been no necessity for commandeering themeither, since Tom had freely offered them at the declaration of warwith Germany.

  "Well, since I can't help you with my 'Whizzer,'" said Mr. Damon, witha smile, "let me do what I can toward your silent motor, Tom. What areyou going to call it?"

  "Oh, I don't know--hadn't thought of a name. I guess 'Air Scout' wouldbe as good as any. That's what it will be--a machine for silentlyscouting in the air. And now to get down to brass tacks, as the poetsays, I believe I will--"

  "Gentleman to see you, Mr. Swift," interrupted Jackson.

  "Bless my penwiper!" cried Mr. Damon. "More visitors! I hope it isn'tGale or Ware come back to see what they can spy on!"