OFF FOR INDIA
"Bless my hose reel!" cried Mr. Damon, as the airship took a quick
lurch toward the earth. "Things are always happening to you, Tom Swift!
Your shop on fire! How did it happen?"
"Look!" suddenly cried Ned, before Tom had a chance to answer.
"There's a man running away from the shop, Tom!"
All saw him, and, as the airship rushed downward it could be seen that
he was a fellow dressed in ragged garments, a veritable tramp.
"I guess that fire didn't happen," said Tom significantly. "It was
deliberately set. Oh, if we can only get there before it gains too much
headway!"
"I like to catch that fellow!" exclaimed Koku, shaking his big fist at
the retreating tramp. "I fix him!"
On rushed the airship, and the man who had probably started the fire,
glanced up at it. Tom suddenly turned the lens of his Wizard Camera
toward him. The mechanism inside, which had been stopped, started
clicking again, as the young inventor switched on the electric current.
"What are you doing?" cried Ned, as he guided the airship toward the
shop, whence clouds of smoke were rolling.
"Taking his picture," replied Tom. "It may come in useful for evidence."
But he was not able to get many views of the fellow, for the latter
must have suspected what was going on. He quickly made a dive for the
bushes, and was soon lost to sight. Tom shut off his camera.
"Bless my life preserver!" cried Mr. Damon. "There comes your father,
Tom, and Mrs. Baggert! They've got buckets! They're going to put out
the fire!"
"Why don't they think to use the hose?" cried the young inventor, for
he had his shop equipped with many hose lines, and an electrically
driven pump. "The hose! The hose, dad!" shouted Tom, but it is doubtful
if his father or Mrs. Baggert heard him, for the engine of the airship
was making much noise. However, the two with the buckets looked up, and
waved their hands to those on the Flyer.
"There's Eradicate!" yelled Ned. "He's got the hose all right!" The
colored man was beginning to unreel a line.
"That's what it needs!" exclaimed Tom. "Now there's some chance to save
the shop."
"We'll be there ourselves to take a hand in a few seconds!" cried Mr.
Damon, forgetting to bless anything.
"The scoundrel who started this fire, and those back of him, ought to
be imprisoned for life!" declared Mr. Nestor.
A moment later Ned had landed the airship within a short distance of
the shop. In an instant the occupants of the craft had leaped out, and
Tom, after a hasty glance to see that his valuable camera was safe,
dashed toward the building crying:
"Never mind the pails, dad! Use the hose! there's a nozzle at the back
door. Go around there, and play the water on from that end."
Eradicate, with his line of hose, had disappeared into the shop through
the front door, and the others pressed in after him, heedless of the
dense smoke.
"Is it blazing much, Rad?" cried Tom.
"Can't see no blaze at all, Massa Tom," replied the colored man.
"Dere's a heap of suffin in de middle ob de flo', an' dat's what's
raisin' all de rumpus."
They all saw it a moment later, a smoldering heap of rags and paper on
the concrete floor of the shop. Eradicate turned his hose on it, there
was a hissing sound, a cloud of steam arose, and the fire was
practically out, though much smoke remained.
"Jove! that was a lucky escape!" exclaimed Tom, as he looked around
when the vapor had partly cleared away. "No damage done at all, as far
as I can see. I wonder what the game was? Did you see anything of a
tramp around here?" he asked of his father.
"No, Tom. I have been busy in the house. So has Mrs. Baggert. Suddenly
she called my attention to the smoke coming from the door, and we ran
out."
"I seen it, too," added Eradicate. "I was doin' some whitewashin', an'
I run up as soon as I could."
"We saw the tramp all right, but he got away," said Tom, and he told
how he had taken pictures of him. "I don't believe it would be much use
to look for him now, though."
"Me look," spoke Koku significantly, as he hurried off in the direction
taken by the tramp. He came back later, not having found him.
"What do you think of it, Tom?" asked Ned, when the excitement had
calmed down, and the pile of burned rags had been removed. It was found
that oil and chemicals had been put on them to cause a dense smoke.
"I think it was the work of those fellows who are after my camera,"
replied the young inventor. "They are evidently watching me, and when
they saw us all go off in the airship they thought probably that the
coast was clear."
"But why should they start a fire?"
"I don't know, but probably to create a lot of smoke, and excitement,
so that they could search, and not be detected. Maybe the fellow after
he found that the camera was gone, wanted to draw those in the house
out to the shop, so he could have a clear field to search in my room
for any drawings that would give him a clew as to how my machine works.
They certainly did not want to burn the shop, for that pile of rags
could have smoldered all day on the concrete floor, without doing any
harm. Robbery was the motive, I think."
"The police ought to be notified," declared Mr. Nestor. "Develop those
pictures, Tom, and I'll take the matter up with the police. Maybe they
can identify the tramp from the photographs."
But this proved impossible. Tom had secured several good films, not
only in the first views he took, giving the spectators the impression
that they were going up in an airship, but also those showing the shop
on fire, and the tramp running away, were very plain.
The police made a search for the incendiary, but of course did not find
him. Mr. Period came to Shopton, and declared it was his belief that
his rivals, Turbot and Eckert, had had a hand in the matter. But it was
only a suspicion, though Tom himself believed the same thing. Still
nothing could be accomplished.
"The thing to do, now that the camera works all right, is for you to
hit the trail for India at once," suggested the picture man. "They
won't follow you there. Get me some pictures of the Durbar, of
elephants being captured, of tiger fights, anything exciting."
"I'll do my--" began Tom.
"Wait, I'm not through," interrupted the excitable man. "Then go get
some volcanoes, earthquakes--anything that you think would be
interesting. I'll keep in touch with you, and cable occasionally. Get
all the films you can. When will you start?"
"I can leave inside of two weeks," replied Tom.
"Then do it, and, meanwhile, be on your guard."
It was found that a few changes were needed on the camera, and some
adjustments to the airship. Another trial flight was made, and some
excellent pictures taken. Then Tom and his friends prepared to take the
airship apart, and pack it for shipment to Calcutta. It was to go on
the same steamer as themselves, and of course the Wizard Camera would
accompany Tom. He took along many rolls of films, enough, he thought,
for many views. He was also to send back to Mr. Period from time to
time, the exposed rolls of film, so they could be developed, and
printed in the United States, as Tom would not have very good
facilities for this on the airship, and to reproduce them there was
almost out of the question. Still he did fit up a small dark room
aboard the Flyer, where he could develop pictures if he wished.
There was much to be done, but hard work accomplished it, and finally
the party was ready to start for India. Tom said good-bye to Mary
Nestor, of course, and her father accompanied our hero from the Nestor
house to the Swift homestead, where the start was to take place.
Eradicate bade his master a tearful good-bye, and there was moisture in
the eyes of Mr. Swift, as he shook hands with his son.
"Take care of yourself, Tom," he said. "Don't run too many risks. This
moving picture taking isn't as easy as it sounds. It's more than just
pointing your camera at things. Write if you get a chance, or send me a
message."
Tom promised, and then bade farewell to Mrs. Baggert. All were
assembled, Koku, Mr. Damon, who blessed everything he saw, and some
things he did not, Ned, Mr. Nestor and Tom. The five were to go by
train to New York, there to go aboard the steamer.
Their journey to the metropolis was uneventful. Mr. Period met them at
the steamship dock, after Tom had seen to it that the baggage, and the
parts of the airship were safely aboard.
"I wish I were going along!" exclaimed the picture man. "It's going to
be a great trip. But I can't spare the time. I'm the busiest man in the
world. I lose about a thousand dollars just coming down to see you off,
but it's a good investment. I don't mind it. Now, Tom, good luck, and
don't forget, I want exciting views."
"I'll try--" began our hero.
"Wait, I know what you're going to say!" interrupted Mr. Period.
"You'll do it, of course. Well, I must be going. I will-- Great
Scott!" and Mr. Period interrupted himself. "He has the nerve to come
here!"
"Who?" asked Tom.
"Wilson Turbot, the rascal! He's trying to balk me at the last minute,
I believe. I'm going to see what he means!" and with this, the excited
Mr. Period rushed down the gangplank, toward the man at whom he had
pointed--one of the men who had tried to buy Tom's picture taking
camera.
A moment later the steamer's whistle blew, the last belated passenger
rushed up the gangplank, it was drawn in, and the vessel began to move
away from the dock. Tom and his friends were on their way to India, and
the last glimpse they had of Mr. Period was as he was chasing along the
pier, after Mr. Turbot.