TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
or
Battling with Flames from the Air
By
VICTOR APPLETON
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I A BAD PLACE FOR A FIRE
II NO USE OF LIVING!
III TOM'S NEW IDEA
IV AN EXPERIMENT
V THE EXPLOSION
VI TOM IS WORRIED
VII A FORCED LANDING
VIII STRANGE TALK
IX SUSPICIONS
X ANOTHER ATTEMPT
XI THE BLAZING TREE
XII TOM IS LONESOME
XIII A SUCCESSFUL TEST
XIV OUT OF THE CLOUDS
XV COALS OF FIRE
XVI VIOLENT THREATS
XVII A TOWN BLAZE
XVIII FINISHING TOUCHES
XIX ON THE TRAIL
XX A HEAVY LOAD
XXI THE LIGHT IN THE SKY
XXII TRAPPED
XXIII TO THE RESCUE
XXIV A STRANGE DISCOVERY
XXV THE LIGHT OF DAY
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
CHAPTER I
A BAD PLACE FOR A FIRE
"Impossible, Ned! It can't be as much as that!"
"Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the adding
machines. I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.
There are the figures. They say figures don't lie, though it doesn't
follow that the opposite is true, for those who do not stick closely to
the truth do, sometimes, figure. But there you have it; your financial
statement for the year," and Ned Newton, business manager for Tom
Swift, the talented young inventor, shoved a mass of papers across the
table to his friend and chum, as well as employer.
"It doesn't seem possible, Ned, that we have made as much as that this
past year. And this, as I understand it, doesn't include what was taken
from the wreck of the Pandora?"
Tom Swift looked questioningly at Ned Newton, who shook his head in
answer.
"You really didn't get anything to speak of out of your undersea
search, Tom," replied the young financial manager, "so I didn't include
it. But there's enough without that."
"I should say so!" exclaimed Tom. "Whew!" he whistled, "I didn't think
I was worth that much."
"Well, you've earned it, every cent, with the inventions of yourself
and your father."
"And I might add that we wouldn't have half we earn if it wasn't for
the shrewd way you look after us, Ned," said Tom, with a warm smile at
his friend. "I appreciate the way you manage our affairs; for, though I
have had some pretty good luck with my searchlight, wizard camera, war
tank and other contraptions, I never would have been able to save any
of the money they brought in if it hadn't been for you."
"Well, that's what I'm here for," remarked Ned modestly.
"I appreciate that," began Tom Swift. "And I want to say, Ned--"
But Tom did not say what he had started to. He broke off suddenly, and
seemed to be listening to some sound outside the room of his home where
he and his financial and business manager were going over the year's
statement and accounting.
Ned, too, in spite of the fact that he had been busy going over
figures, adding up long columns, checking statements, and giving the
results to Tom, had been aware, in the last five minutes, of an
ever-growing tumult in the street. At first it had been no more than
the passage along the thoroughfare of an unusual number of pedestrians.
Ned had accounted for it at first by the theory that some moving
picture theater had finished the first performance and the people were
hurrying home.
But after he had finished his financial labors and had handed Tom the
first of a series of statements to look over, the young financial
expert began to realize that there was no moving picture house near
Tom's home. Consequently the passing throngs could not be accounted for
in that way.
Yet the tumult of feet grew in the highway outside. Ned had begun to
wonder if there had been an attempted burglary, a fight, or something
like that, calling for police action, which had gathered an unusual
throng that warm, spring evening.
And then had come Tom's interruption of himself when he broke off in
the middle of a sentence to listen intently.
"What is it?" asked Ned.
"I thought I heard Rad or Koku moving around out there," murmured Tom.
"It may be that my father is not feeling well and wants to speak to me
or that some one may have telephoned. I told them not to disturb me
while you and I were going over the accounts. But if it is something of
importance--"
Again Tom paused, for distinctly now in addition to the ever-increasing
sounds in the streets could be heard a shuffling and talking in the
hall just outside the door.
"G'wan 'way from heah now!" cried the voice of a colored man.
"It is Rad!" exclaimed Tom, meaning thereby Eradicate Sampson, an aged
but faithful colored servant. And then the voice of Rad, as he was most
often called, went on with:
"G'wan 'way! I'll tell Massa Tom!"
"Me tell! Big thing! Best for big man tell!" broke in another voice; a
deep, booming voice that could only proceed from a powerfully built man.
"Koku!" exclaimed Tom, with a half comical look at Ned. "He and Rad are
at it again!"
Koku was a giant, literally, and he had attached himself to Tom when
the latter had made one of many perilous trips. So eager were Eradicate
and Koku to serve the young inventor that frequently there were more or
less good-natured clashes between them to see who would have the honor.
The discussion and scuffle in the hall at length grew so insistent that
Tom, fearing the aged colored man might accidentally be hurt by the
giant Koku, opened the door. There stood the two, each endeavoring to
push away the other that the victor might, it appeared, knock on the
door. Of course Rad was no match for Koku, but the giant, mindful of
his great strength, was not using all of it.
"Here! what does this mean?" cried Tom, rather more sternly than he
really meant. He had to pretend to be stern at times with his old
colored helper and the impulsive and powerful giant. "What are you
cutting up for outside my door when I told you I must be quiet with Mr.
Newton?"
"No can be quiet!" declared the giant. "Too much noise in street--big
crowds--much big!"
He spoke an English of his own, did Koku.
"What are the crowds doing?" asked Ned. "I thought we'd been hearing an
ever increasing tumult, Tom," he said to the young inventor.
"Big crowds--'um go to see big--"
"Heah! Let me tell Massa Tom!" pleaded Rad. Poor Rad! He was getting
old and could not perform the services that once he had so readily and
efficiently done. Now he was eager to help Tom in such small measure as
carrying him a message. So it was with a feeling of sadness that Tom
heard the old man say again, pleadingly:
"Let me tell him, Koku! I know all 'bout it! Let me tell Massa Tom whut
it am, an'--"
"Well, go ahead and tell me!" burst out Tom, with a good-natured laugh.
"Don't keep me in suspense. If there's anything going on--"
He did not finish the sentence. It was evident that something of moment
was going on, for the crowds in the street were now running instead of
walking, and voices could be heard calling back and forth such
exclamations as:
"Where is it?"
"Must be a big one."
"And with this wind it'll be worse!"
Tom glanced at Ned and then at the two servants.
"Has anything happened?" asked the young inventor.
"Dey's a big fire, Massa Tom!" exploded Rad.
"Heap big blaze!" added Koku.
At the same time, out in the street high and clear, the cry rang out:
"Fire! Fire!"
"Is it any of our buildings?" exclaimed Tom, in his excitement catching
hold of the giant's arm.
"No, it's quite a way off, on de odder side of town," answered the
colored man. "But we t'ought we'd better come an' tell yo', an'--"
"Yes! Yes! I'm glad you did, Rad. It was perfectly right for you to
tell me! I wish you'd done it sooner, though! Come on, Ned! Let's go to
the blaze! We can finish looking over the figures another time. Is my
father all right, Rad?"
"Yes, suh, Massa Tom, he's done sleepin' good."
"Then don't disturb him. Mr. Newton and I will go to the fire. I'm
glad it isn't here," and Tom looked from a side window out on many
shops that were not a great distance from the house; shops where he and
his father had perfected many inventions.
The buildings had grown up around the old Swift homestead, which, now
that so much industry surrounded it, was not the most pleasant place to
live in. Tom and his father only made this their stopping place in
winter. In the summer they dwelt in a quiet cottage far removed from
the scenes of their industry.
"We'll take the electric runabout, Ned," remarked Tom, as he caught up
a hat from the rack, an example followed by his friend. Together the
young inventor and the financial manager hurried out to the garage,
where Tom soon had in operation a small electric automobile, that, more
than once, had proved its claim to being the "speediest car on the
road."
As they turned out of the driveway into the street they became aware of
great crowds making their way toward a glow of sinister red light
showing in the eastern sky.
"Some blaze!" exclaimed Tom, as he turned on more power.
"You said it!" ejaculated Ned. "Must be a general alarm," he added, as
they caught the sound from the next street of additional apparatus
hurrying to the fire.
"Well, I'm glad it isn't on our side of town," remarked Tom, as he
looked back at the peaceful gloom surrounding and covering his own home
and work buildings.
"Where do you reckon it is?" asked Ned, as they sped onward.
"Hard to say," remarked the young inventor, as he steered to one side
to pass a powerful imported automobile which, however, did not have the
speed of the electric runabout. "A fire at night is always deceiving as
to direction. But we can locate it when we get to the top of the hill."
Shopton, the suburb of the town where Tom lived, was named so because
of the many shops that had been erected by the industry of the young
inventor and his father. In fact the town was named Shopton though of
late there had been an effort to change the name of the strictly
residential section, which lay over the hill toward the river.
Tom's car shot up the slope with scarcely any slackening of speed, and,
as he passed a group of men and boys running onward, Tom shouted:
"Where is it?"
"The fireworks factory!" was the answer.
"Fireworks factory!" cried Ned. "Bad place for a fire!"
"I should say so!" exclaimed Tom.
The chums had become gradually aware of the gale that was blowing, and,
as they reached the summit of the hill and caught sight of the burning
factory, they saw the flames being swept far out from it and toward a
collection of houses on the other side of a vacant lot that separated
the fireworks industrial plant from the dwellings. As Tom Swift
glimpsed the fire, noted its proportions and the fierceness of the
flames, and saw which way the wind was blowing them, he turned on the
power to the utmost.
"What are you doing, Tom?" yelled Ned.
"I'm going down there!" cried Tom. "That place is likely to explode any
minute!"
"Then why go closer?" gasped Ned, for his breath was almost taken away
by the speed of the car, and he had to hold his hat to keep it from
blowing away. "Why don't you play safe?"
"Don't you understand?" shouted Tom in his chum's ear. "The wind is
blowing the fire right toward those houses! Mary Nestor lives in one of
them!"
"Oh--Mary Nestor!" exclaimed Ned. Then he understood--Mary and Tom were
engaged to be married.
"They may be all right," Tom went on. "I can't be sure from this
distance. Or they may be in danger. It's a bad fire and--"
His voice was blotted out in the roar of an explosion which seemed to
hurl back the electric runabout and bring it to a momentary stop.