DEEP SEA DIVING
Swiftly the masked man took a bunch of keys from Tom's pocket. With a
directness that indicated familiarity with the place, he went straight
to the rug covering the entrance to the secret vault. Throwing this
aside, he unlocked the trap door and quietly raised it. The
combination lock, which gave warning if tampered with, had not been set
for the night.
[Illustration: He Unlocked the Trap Door]
Now the intruder very carefully draped the rug over the door in such a
way that it would spread itself as before when the trap should be closed
from below. Two minutes later Tom was alone in the office, which
appeared exactly as it had before he was rendered unconscious. Yet there
crouched in the vault a hidden spy whose purpose was as sinister as his
appearance.
[Illustration: He Draped the Rug Over the Door]
"Mist' Swift, Massa Tom ain' come back fum de office yit," announced Rad
Sampson as he placed the elderly inventor's nightly glass of hot milk on
the library table. "I wuz jest up t' his room to ax him suffin' an' he
wuzn't dar."
"Well, I guess the boy is working a bit late tonight. But you sound a
trifle anxious, Eradicate. Do you think anything is wrong?"
"Uh--Oh, no suh. No suh," mumbled the old Negro. "I jest wondered ef
yo'd seen him. Good night, suh! Good night!"
[Illustration: "Massa Tom Ain' Back Fum de Office."]
"Good night, Rad."
"Mustn't worry ole Mist' Swift," the servant muttered to himself as he
shuffled back to the kitchen. "But Massa Tom tole me hisself he gwine t'
baid early 'cause he gotta git up befo' sunrise.
"Look hyah, Koku," he went on when he got to the kitchen. "Quit stuffin'
dat 'ar pie an' go out an' see ef Massa Tom all right. He ought t' have
bin in de house long sence. I'se skeered mebbe some villains mought've
cotched him!"
[Illustration: "See Ef Massa Tom All Right."]
"Whoo!" growled the giant, jumping up so quickly that his big,
specially-built chair crashed over. "Where um war-club? Me fixum!"
"Doan make sich a racket, yo' big lummox! Yo' want to skeer ol' Mist'
Swift? Heah, take mah rollin'-pin."
Clutching the rolling pin as a "war-club," Koku started through the
darkness toward Tom's private laboratory. Following him at a discreet
distance came old Rad Sampson, who had armed himself with a big
butcher knife.
[Illustration: Rad Followed]
"Dar's a light in de office, big boy," whispered the Negro. "Be keerful,
now!"
The giant merely grunted, crept up to the window and peered within. His
great height enabled him to do so easily. "Come," he said finally,
turning toward the door. "We go in."
"Whut de matter?" demanded Eradicate, struggling to keep up with his
companion. "Am suffin' wrong? Mah goodness!" he cried a moment later
in the office. "Po' Massa Tom done been killed! Look at him a-layin'
dere!"
[Illustration: The Giant Peered in the Window]
"Him no dead!" rumbled Koku, leaning over his master. "Him heart still
beatum. Him need fresh air." Gently he picked Tom up and carried him
outside.
"I'll git a doctah!" exclaimed the old colored man. "Dey's a phone in
heah."
[Illustration: "Him No Dead!" Rumbled Koku]
Before the physician could be reached, the beneficial effects of the
cool night air had brought the young inventor back to consciousness. At
first he could not recall what had happened and was not a little
astonished to find himself lying on the grass.
"What in the world is the matter, Koku?" he demanded, pressing his hand
to his aching head. "What am I doing out here?"
"Master out, get knockum," said the giant. "We find you on desk. Rad
callum medicine man now."
[Illustration: "What Am I Doing Here?"]
"A doctor? No, I'm all right. Tell him to cancel the call." Tom
managed to struggle to his feet. "I remember now! Some kind of gas must
have been used on me. But I must see to the office. Maybe I've been
robbed."
Leaning heavily on the giant's arm, Tom walked as fast as he could into
the laboratory. At first glance everything seemed to be in order, and to
his relief he found the vault was locked.
[Illustration: The Vault Was Locked]
The young inventor did not know that a key was missing from his ring,
nor, as he twirled the dial of the combination-lock, did he realize that
a slender lever had been severed from below, thus rendering useless the
intricate mechanism.
"Who done dis to you', Massa Tom?" asked Rad.
"Wish I knew. Anyhow, there's been no damage done except to me! My
head's splitting, so I must get to bed. Koku, stay on guard here from
now on until I return from Cuba. And get several of the men to relieve
you. Another thing: I don't want either of you to mention this affair to
anyone. Dad would hear about it and worry."
[Illustration: "Koku, Stay on Guard Here."]
"If I catchum fella I breakum in little bits!" cried Koku fiercely. He
shook the rolling-pin vigorously. "Better him stay 'way fum me!"
Tom awoke the next morning little the worse for his experience. Thanks
to a rugged constitution, he had been able to throw off the ill effects
of the poisonous fumes which had overcome him.
[Illustration: "Better Him Stay 'Way Fum Me!"]
"I can't make it out, Ned," he said as the boys stood watching the
mechanics warm up the engines of the big seaplane. "Nothing is missing.
Whoever did the job didn't even rob me, and I had a good deal of cash in
my wallet."
"Maybe nobody made an attempt on you or your property at all, Tom," Ned
remarked slowly.
"What d'you mean? I certainly was knocked out!"
"Oh, I know that. But couldn't some sort of gas have seeped into your
office from your adjoining laboratory? A bottle of acid might have
cracked, or--"
[Illustration: The Mechanics Warmed up the Engines]
"Nothing like that happened. I'm positive, because the same thought
struck me. I made a careful inspection this morning. Everything was in
perfect order."
"It certainly is strange," said Ned. "It looks as if some enemy is
camping on your trail, Tom!"
"He'll have a hard time picking up that same trail in a few minutes,"
chuckled the inventor. "Here come Captain Britten and Dad. I guess we
can take off soon."
[Illustration: "A Bottle of Acid Might Have Cracked."]
"So your sea-goin' air-yacht is ready to cast off, is she?" asked the
old diver. "Well, when ye haul in the gangplank, so to speak, I'll be
aboard!"
"Take care of yourself, son," said Barton Swift, shaking Tom's hand. "I
hope you will be successful in your attempt."
"Good-bye, Dad. And thanks."
"Doan git et up by no sharks or allygators!" cautioned Rad.
[Illustration: "Take Care of Yourself, Son."]
The mechanics had finished their work and were seen climbing down from
the fuselage. The passengers took their places in the roomy cabin while
Tom seated himself behind the controls.
After running a critical eye over the score of instruments he reached
for the throttle and clutched the wheel tighter. The intermittent
coughing of the powerful motors changed to a deafening roar, and the
huge ship lumbered off down the long field, gathering speed every
second.
[Illustration: Tom Sat Behind the Controls]
"We're off!" cried Ned, waving at the already distant figures left
behind.
"And we'll bring home the meteorite!" muttered Tom to himself as the
"Winged Arrow" glided smoothly toward the clouds lining the southern
horizon. "For I'm going to make the most wonderful telescope the world
has ever known!"
[Illustration: "We're off!" Cried Ned]