“Can't we get some of the diamonds?” cried Mr. Damon, as he raced along
behind Tom. “Now's our chance. Those fellows have all gone!” The odd man
made a grab for something as he ran.
“It's as much as our lives are worth,” declared the young inventor. “We
dare not stop! Come on!”
“I'd like to investigate some of the machinery,” spoke Mr. Jenks, “but I
wouldn't stop, even for that.”
“The storm is too dangerous,” called Bill Renshaw. “I can show you a
shorter way out than the one those fellows have taken. Follow me.”
“No way can be too short,” said Mr. Parker, solemnly. “This mountain
will go to pieces shortly, I think!”
Tom shuddered. He remembered how narrow had been their escape when
Earthquake Island sank into the sea. And that some terrific upheaval was
now imminent might be judged from the awful reports that sounded more
plainly as the adventurers raced toward the opening of the cave. It was
like the bombardment of some doomed city.
Mr. Jenks and Tom cast one longing look behind at the complicated and
expensive machinery that had been installed in the cave by the diamond
makers. They had abandoned it, and in it lay the secret of making
precious gems. But there was no time to stop now, and investigate.
“This way,” urged Bill Renshaw. “We'll soon be out.”
“But won't it be dangerous to go outside?” asked Mr. Damon. “Shan't we
be struck by lightning? There is some protection in here.”
“None at all,” said Mr. Parker, quickly. “This mountain is a natural
lightning rod. To stay here in this cave will be sure death when the
storm gets directly over it. And that will be very soon. We must get
on insulated ground. Is there any part of this mountain that does not
contain iron ore?” the scientist asked of the former spirit.
“Yes; the way out by which we are going lands on a dirt hill.”
“That's good; then we may be saved.”
On they ran. They had no lanterns, but the blue light of the
electricity, as it leaped from point to point inside the cave, where
there were outcroppings of iron ore, made the place bright enough to
see.
“Here we are!” cried Bill Renshaw at length. “Here's the way out!”
Making a sudden turn in the winding passage he showed the adventurers
a small opening in the side of the crag. In an instant they had passed
through, and found themselves in daylight once more. The sudden glare
almost blinded them, for, though the sky was overcast by clouds, from
which jagged tongues of lightning played, the outside was much lighter
than the dark cave.
“I should say it was a storm!” cried Tom Swift. “See, it is striking
every minute, and all around us!”
In fact, lightning bolts were falling on every side of the adventurers.
Every time the balls of fire struck, they burst open great stones,
or seared a livid scar on the face of some cliff. As for Tom and the
others, they stood on a dry dirt hill, in which, fortunately, there was
no iron ore. To this fact they undoubtedly owed their lives, though
had there been rain, to moisten the ground and make the earth a good
conductor of electricity, they probably would have been badly shocked.
But the electrical outburst was not accompanied by rain.
Tom looked up. He saw a compact mass of cloud moving toward the summit
of the mountain on the slope of which they stood. From this cloud there
played shafts of reddish-green fire.
“Look!” called the young inventor to Mr. Parker. The instant the latter
saw the cloud, he cried:
“We must get away from here by all means! That is the center of the
storm. As soon as it gets over the mountain, where that lightning rod
is, all the electrical fluid will be discharged in one bolt at the
mountain, and it will be destroyed! We must run, but keep on the dirt
places! Run for your lives!”
They needed no second warning. Turning, they fled down the steep side of
the mountain, slipping and stumbling, but taking care not to step on any
iron ore. Behind them flashed the lightning bolts.
Suddenly there was a most awful crash. It seemed as if the end of the
world had come, and the ear drums of Tom and his companion almost burst
with the fearful report. The concussion knocked them down, and they lay
stunned for a moment.
Following the terrible report there was a low, rumbling sound. Hardly
knowing whether he was dead or alive, Tom opened his eyes and looked
about him. What he saw caused him to cry out in terror.
The whole mountain seemed bathed in fire. Great blue, red and green
flashes played around it. Then the towering cliff seemed to melt and
crumble up, and the great peak, the top of it containing the diamond
makers' cave, from which they had fled but a few minutes before, the
entire summit was toppled over into the valley on the other side, and in
the direction opposite to that where the adventurers stood.
Then came a profound silence, and the lightning ceased. The storm was
over, and only the rattle of stones and boulders, as they came to rest
in the valley below, reached the ears of our friends.
“Phantom Mountain has been destroyed, just as I said it would be,” spoke
Mr. Parker, solemnly. Once more he had prophesied correctly.
For a few minutes the adventurers hardly knew what to say. They arose
awkwardly from the ground where the shock had tossed them. Then Tom
remarked, as calmly as possible:
“Well, it's all over. I guess we may as well get back to our airship.”
“What became of Munson and the others?” asked Mr. Damon.
Mr. Jenks pointed to the trail, far below. The figures of some men,
running madly, could be seen.
“There they go,” he said; “I fancy we have seen the last of them.” And
they had, for some time at least.
There was little use lingering any longer on Phantom Mountain--indeed
little of it was left on which to remain. Looking back toward the place
where the cave had been, Tom and the others started forward again.
The diamond-making machinery had all been destroyed. So, also, had the
finished diamonds stored in the cavern and the large supply which had
probably been made by the last terrific crash. No one would ever have
them now. Tom and Mr. Jenks felt a sense of disappointment, but they
were glad to have escaped with their lives. They sought their former
camp, but the tent and all their food was buried under tons of earth and
rocks.
Three days later, after rather severe hardships, they were near the
place where they had left the Red Cloud. They had suffered cold and
hunger, for they had no food supplies, and, had it not been that Bill
Renshaw knew the haunts of some game, of which they managed to snare
some, they would have fared badly, for they had left their guns in the
cave.
“Well, there are the trees behind which I hope my airship is hidden,”
announced Tom, as they came to the spot. “Good old Red Cloud! Maybe we
won't do some eating when we get aboard, eh?”
“Bless my appetite! but we certainly will!” cried Mr. Damon.
“There's somebody walking around the place,” spoke Mr. Jenks.
“I hope it's no one who has damaged the ship,” came from Tom,
apprehensively. He broke into a run, and soon confronted an aged miner,
who seemed to have established a rude sort of camp near the airship.
“Is anything the matter?” asked Tom, breathlessly. “Is my airship all
right?”
“I guess she's all right, stranger,” was the reply. “I don't know much
about these contraptions, but I haven't touched her. I knowed she was an
airship, for I've seen pictures of 'em, and I've been waiting until the
owner came along.”
“Why?” asked Tom, wonderingly.
“Because I've got a proposition to make to you,” went on the miner, who
said his name was Abe Abercrombie. “I've been a miner for a good many
years, and I'm just back from Alaska, prospecting around here. I haven't
had any luck, but I know of a gold mine in Alaska that will make us all
rich. Only it needs an airship to get to it, and I've been figuring how
to hire one. Then I comes along, and I sees this big one, and I makes up
my mind to stay here until the owners come back. That's what I've done.
Now, if I prove that I'm telling the truth, will you go to Alaska--to
the valley of gold with me?”
“I don't know,” answered Tom, to whom the proposition was rather sudden.
“We've just had some pretty startling adventures, and we're almost
starved. Wait until we get something to eat, and we'll talk. Come aboard
the Red Cloud,” and the lad led the way to his craft which was in as
good condition as when he left it to go to the diamond cave. Later he
listened to the miner's story.
Tom Swift did go to the valley of gold in Alaska, and what happened to
him and his companions there will be told of in the next volume of this
series, to be called “Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice; or, the Wreck of
the Airship.”
It did not take our friends long, after they had eaten a hearty meal,
to generate some fresh gas, and start the Red Cloud on her homeward way.
Tom wanted to take Bill Renshaw with him, but the old man said he would
rather remain among the mountains where he had been born. So, after
paying him well for his services, they said good-by to him. Abercrombie,
the miner, also remained behind, but promised to call and see Tom in a
few months.
“Well, we didn't make any money out of this trip,” observed Mr. Jenks,
rather dubiously, as they were nearing Shopton, after an uneventful
trip. “I guess I owe you considerable, Tom Swift. I promised to get you
a lot of diamonds, but all I have are those I had from my first visit to
the cave.”
“Oh, that's all right,” spoke Tom, easily. “The experience was worth all
the trip cost.”
“Speaking of diamonds, look here!” exclaimed Mr. Damon, suddenly, and he
pulled out a double handful.
“Where did you get them?” cried the others in astonishment.
“I grabbed them up, as we ran from the cave,” said the eccentric man;
“but, bless my gaiters! I forgot all about them until you spoke. We'll
share them.”
These diamonds, some of which were large, proved very valuable, though
the total sum was far below what Mr. Jenks hoped to make when he started
on the remarkable trip. Tom gave Mary Nestor a very fine stone, and it
was set in a ring, instead of a pin, this time.
On their arrival in Shopton, where Mr. Swift, the housekeeper, Mr.
Jackson and Eradicate Sampson were much alarmed for Tom's safety, an
attempt was made to manufacture diamonds, using a powerful electric
current instead of lightning. But it was not a success, and so Mr. Jenks
concluded to give up his search for the secret which was lost on Phantom
Mountain.
And now we will take leave of Tom Swift, to meet him again soon in other
adventures he is destined to have in the caves of ice and the valley of
gold.
THE END
THE TOM SWIFT SERIES
By VICTOR APPLETON
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
Or Fun and Adventure on the Road
TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
Or The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
Or The Speediest Car on the Road
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
Or The Castaways of Earthquake Island
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
Or The Secret of Phantom Mountain
TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
Or The wreck of the Airship
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
Or The Quickest Flight on Record
TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
Or Daring Adventures In Elephant Land
TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
Or Marvelous Adventures Underground
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
Or seeking the Platinum Treasure
TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
Or A Daring Escape by Airship
TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
Or The Perils of Moving Picture Taking
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
Or On the Border for Uncle Sam
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
Or The Longest Shots on Record
TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
Or The Picture that Saved a Fortune
TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
Or The Naval Terror of the Seas
TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
Or The Hidden City of the Andes
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS SERIES
By VICTOR APPLETON
In these stories we follow the adventures of three boys, who,
after purchasing at auction the contents of a moving picture
house, open a theatre of their own. Their many trials and
tribulations, leading up to the final success of their venture,
make very entertaining stories.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' FIRST VENTURE
Or Opening a Photo Playhouse in Fairlands.
The adventures of Frank, Randy and Pep in running a Motion
Picture show. They had trials and tribulations but finally
succeed.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT SEASIDE PARK
Or The Rival Photo Theatres of the Boardwalk.
Their success at Fairlands encourages the boys to open their
show at Seaside Park, where they have exciting adventures--also a
profitable season.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS ON BROADWAY
Or The Mystery of the Missing Cash Box.
Backed by a rich western friend the chums established a photo
playhouse in the great metropolis, where new adventures await
them.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' OUTDOOR EXHIBITION
Or The Film that Solved a Mystery.
This time the playhouse was in a big summer park. How a
film that was shown gave a clew to an important mystery
is interestingly related.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' NEW IDEA
Or The First Educational Photo Playhouse.
In this book the scene is shifted to Boston, and there is
intense rivalry in the establishment of photo playhouses of
educational value.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS AT THE FAIR
Or The Greatest Film Ever Exhibited.
The chums go to San Francisco, where they have some trials
but finally meet with great success.
THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS' WAR SPECTACLE
Or The Film that Won the Prize.
Through being of service to the writer of a great scenario, the
chums are enabled to produce it and win a prize.
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH SERIES
By GRAHAM B. FORBES
Never was there a cleaner, brighter, more manly boy than Frank
Allen, the hero of this series of boys tales, and never was there
a better crowd of lads to associate with than the students of the
School. All boys will read these stories with deep interest. The
rivalry between the towns along the river was of the keenest, and
plots and counterplots to win the champions, at baseball, at
football, at boat racing, at track athletics, and at ice hockey,
were without number. Any lad reading one volume of this series
will surely want the others.
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH
Or The All Around Rivals of the School
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE DIAMOND
Or Winning Out by Pluck
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE RIVER
Or The Boat Race Plot that Failed
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE GRIDIRON
Or The Struggle for the Silver Cup
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH ON THE ICE
Or Out for the Hockey Championship
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH IN TRACK ATHLETICS
Or A Long Run that Won
THE BOYS OF COLUMBIA HIGH IN WINTER SPORTS
Or Stirring Doings on Skates and Iceboats
12mo. Illustrated. Handsomely bound in cloth, with cover design
and wrappers in colors.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS SERIES
By CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN
The outdoor chums are four wide-awake lads, Sons of wealthy men
of a small city located on a lake. The boys love outdoor life,
and are greatly interested in hunting, fishing, and picture
taking. They have motor cycles, motor boats, canoes, etc., and
during their vacations go everywhere and have all sorts of
thrilling adventures. The stories give full directions for
camping out, how to fish, how to hunt wild animals and prepare
the skins for stuffing, how to manage a canoe, how to swim, etc.
Full of the spirit of outdoor life.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS
Or The First Tour of the Rod, Gun and Camera Club.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE LAKE
Or Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE FOREST
Or Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE GULF
Or Rescuing the Lost Balloonists.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AFTER BIG GAME
Or Perilous Adventures in the Wilderness.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON A HOUSEBOAT
Or The Rivals of the Mississippi.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE BIG WOODS
Or The Rival Hunters at Lumber Run.
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AT CABIN POINT
Or The Golden Cup Mystery.