Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice, or, the Wreck of the Airship

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER II

  ANDY FOGER'S TRIPLANE

  "Going to look for a valley of gold, eh?" remarked Ned Newton as heand Tom took seats in a little room, fitted up like a den, where theyoung inventor frequently worked out the details of the problemsthat confronted him. "Where is this valley, Tom? Anywhere so I couldhave a chance at it?"

  "It's up in Alaska. Just where I don't know, but Abe Abercrombie,the old miner whom we met when out in Colorado this summer, says hecan find it if we circle around in the airship. So I'm going to takea chance. I'll tell you all about it."

  And, while Tom is doing this, I will take the opportunity to moreformally introduce to my new readers our hero and his friends.

  Tom Swift was an inventor of no little note, in spite of his youth.He lived with his father, Barton Swift, who was also an inventor, onthe outskirts of the village of Shopton, New York State. Tom'smother was dead, and Mrs. Baggert had kept house for him and hisfather since he was a child. Garret Jackson, an expert machinist,was also a member of the household, and as has been explained,Eradicate Sampson, who took that name because, as he said he"eradicate de dirt," was also a sort of retainer. He lived in alittle house on the Swift grounds, and did odd jobs about the place.

  In the first book of the series, entitled "Tom Swift and His MotorCycle," there was related how the lad became possessed of one ofthose speedy machines, after Mr. Wakefield Damon had come to griefon it. Mr. Damon was an eccentric man, who was always blessinghimself, some part of his anatomy, or some of his possessions.

  After many adventures on his motor-cycle, Tom Swift went throughsome surprising happenings with a motor-boat he bought. After thathe built an airship, the RED CLOUD, and later he and his fatherconstructed a submarine, in which they went under the ocean insearch of sunken treasure, enduring many perils and much danger.

  Tom Swift's electric runabout, which he built after returning homefrom the submarine trip, proved to be the speediest car on the road.The experience he acquired in making this machine stood him in goodstead, when (as told in the sixth volume, "Tom Swift and HisWireless Message") the airship in which he, Mr. Damon and a friendof the latter's (who had built the craft) were wrecked on EarthquakeIsland. There Tom was marooned with some refugees from a wreckedsteam yacht, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Nestor, father of a girlof whom Tom thought a great deal.

  With parts from the wrecked electric airship the youth rigged up aplant, and sent wireless messages from the island. The castawaysnearly lost their lives in the earthquake shocks, but a steamer,summoned by Tom's wireless call, arrived in time to save them, justas the island disappeared beneath the sea.

  In the seventh book of the series, entitled "Tom Swift Among theDiamond Makers" there was related the adventures of himself and hisfriends when they tried to solve the mystery of Phantom Mountain.

  Among the castaways of Earthquake Island was a Mr. Barcoe Jenks anda Professor Ralph Parker. Mr. Jenks was a strange man, and claimedto have some valuable diamonds, which he said were made by a gang ofmen hidden in a cave in the Rocky Mountains. Tom did not believethat the diamonds were real, but Mr. Jenks soon proved that theywere.

  He asked Tom to aid him in searching for the cave of the diamondmakers. Mr. Jenks had been there once--in fact, he had been offereda partnership in the diamond-making business, but, after he had paidhis money, he had been drugged, and carried secretly from the cavebefore he had a chance to note its location.

  But he, together with Tom, Mr. Damon and the scientist Mr. Parker,who correctly predicted the destruction of Earthquake Island, setout in the RED CLOUD to find the diamond makers. They did find them,after many hardships, and were captured by the gang. How Tom and hisfriends escaped from the cave, after they had seen diamonds made bya powerful lightning flash, and how they nearly lost their livesfrom the destruction of Phantom Mountain, is fully set down in thebook.

  Sufficient to say now, that, though they had a general idea of howthe precious stones were made, by the power of the lightning, theyoung inventor and his friends were never quite able to accomplishit, and the secret remained a secret. But they had secured somediamonds as they rushed from the cave (Mr. Damon grabbing them up)and these were divided among Tom and the others.

  Just as they were ready to come home in the airship, our friendswere met by an old miner, Abe Abercrombie, who spoke of a valley ofgold in Alaska, which was the story Tom related to Ned Newton, asthe two chums sat in the den of the airship shed.

  "Then you don't know all the details about the gold valley, Tom?"remarked Ned, as the young inventor showed his chum the letter thathad just arrived.

  "No, not all of them. At the time this miner met us I was anxious toget back East, for we had been away so long I knew dad would beworried. But I listened to part of Abe's story, and half promised togo in partnership in this quest for gold. He was to furnishinformation about the hidden valley, and I was to supply theairship. I expect Abe to come along at any time, now, and then I'llhear more particulars."

  "Will you go all the way in the airship?"

  "Well, I hadn't thought of that. I could ship it to the nearestplace by rail, I suppose, and go on from there. That's a detail tobe considered later. I'll talk it over with Abe."

  "Who are going?"

  "I don't know that even. I suppose Mr. Damon would feel slighted ifI left him out. And perhaps Mr. Parker, that gloomy scientist, whois always predicting terrible accidents, will be glad to go along.Then Abe may have some friend he wants to take."

  "By Jinks! But you certainly do have swell times, Tom Swift!"exclaimed Ned Newton, enviously. "I wish I could go and have a tryat that valley of gold!"

  "Why don't you come along, Ned?"

  "Do you really mean it?"

  "Of course."

  "But I don't believe I could get away from the bank."

  "Oh, dad and Mr. Damon could fix that. They're directors, you know.Come along, I'd be delighted to have you. Will you?"

  "I'll think about it. Jinks! But I sure would like to go. Do youthink you can find the valley?"

  "Well, there's no telling. We generally do succeed in finding whatwe go after, even if we didn't get the diamond secret. I'm anxiousto have Abe come, now, though until I got his letter I had almostforgotten about my promise to him. But, say, what's this you told meabout Andy Foger making an airship?"

  "It's true, though I haven't seen it. Jake Porter was telling meabout it. Andy's built a big shed in his yard, and he and somecronies of his, including Pete Bailey and Sam Snedecker, are workingin there night and day. They've hired a couple of machinists, too.Mr. Foger is putting up the cash, I guess. Say, that was quite ascare you gave Andy on your monoplane, one day."

  "Yes, the big bully! and I'd like to scare him worse. But say, doyou know I'd like to get a look at his airship. I wonder what sortof a craft it is?"

  "We can see it easily enough."

  "How?"

  "Why, the back part of the shed where he and the others are workingis close to our fence. There are some holes in our fence and if youcome there, maybe you can look in."

  "I can't see through the side of the shed, though."

  "Yes, you can."

  "How?"

  "Why, there's a big window, for light, in the back part of it. Ihappened to notice it the other day. I didn't look in, because Iwasn't much interested, but I saw that one could peer over the topof our fence right into the shop where Andy is working. Want to tryit?"

  Tom hesitated a moment.

  "Well, it seems rather an odd thing to do," he said. "But I wouldlike to see what sort of a flying machine Andy is making, just formy own satisfaction. He may be infringing on some of my patents, andif he is, I'll stop him. Once or twice he's been sneaking around myshed here. I don't believe in sneaking, but I know he wouldn't letme in if I asked him, so I guess it's the only way. I'll go withyou, Ned."

  "All right. We'll see if we can get a glimpse of Andy's queershebang through the window."

  The two chums left Tom's shop, and were soo
n in the yard of NedNewton's house. As he had said, the big shed in Andy's premises cameclose up to the fence, and there was a window through which onemight gaze. The casement did not appear to be curtained.

  "I'll get a ladder so we can climb up to the top of the fence, andlook over," spoke Ned, as he and Tom went out into the yard back ofhis house. The fence was high up on an embankment.

  A little later Tom and his chum were gazing into the shop windowfrom the ladder.

  "Why, it's a triplane--a big triplane!" he exclaimed.

  "What's a triplane?" asked Ned, who didn't have much time to studythe different types of airships.

  "It's one that has three sets of planes, one above the other. Abiplane has two sets of planes, and a monoplane only one. Triplanesare larger, and, as far as I've been able to learn, not assatisfactory as either the biplanes or monoplanes. But that's notsaying Andy's won't be a success. They certainly are busy in there,though! Andy is flying around like a hen scratching for her littlechickens!"

  "See anything of his cronies?"

  "Yes, Pete and Sam are hammering away. There are a couple of men,too."

  "Yes, the machinists. Oh, I guess Andy expects great things from hisairship."

  "Have you heard what he's going to do with it, Ned? Make flights forpleasure, or exhibit it?"

  "No, I haven't heard. Look out, Tom, the ladder is slipping!"

  As Ned spoke this warning, the window of the airship shed, throughwhich they were looking, was suddenly raised. The ugly face of AndyFoger peered out. He caught sight of Tom and Ned.

  "Get away from there, you spies!" he yelled. "Get away from there,Tom Swift! You're trying to steal some of my ideas! Get away or I'llmake you. Sam, bring me my gun! Pete, go tell my father to comehere! I'll show Ned Newton and Tom Swift they can't bother me!"

  Andy was dancing about in a rage. His two cronies crowded behind himto the window just as the ladder on which Tom and Ned were standingslipped along the fence.

  "Jump, Ned!" yelled Tom Swift, as he leaped away to escape beingentangled in the rungs.

  The young inventor came to the ground with a jar that shook him upconsiderably, while Ned, who had grasped the top board of the fence,remained hanging there by his hands, his feet dangling in the air.

  "Whack his fingers, Andy!" yelled Pete Bailey. "Get a long stick andwhack Ned's fingers! That will make him drop off!"

  Tom Swift heard, and labored desperately to raise the ladder toenable Ned to get down, for his chum seemed to be afraid to drop.