CHAPTER XV
COALS OF FIRE
Tom Swift saw the craft almost as soon as did his chum. It was rather alarge-sized motor boat, quite some distance out from shore, and therewas no other craft near it at this time. From the quick, first view Tomand Ned had of it, they decided that a party of excursionists were on apleasure trip.
But that an accident had happened, and that trouble, if not, indeed,danger, was imminent, was at once apparent to the young inventor andthe other occupant of the swiftly moving airship.
For as Tom shut off his motor, to volplane down, thus reducing allnoise on his craft, they could dimly hear the shouts and calls forhelp, coming from the water craft below them.
"Help! Help!" came the impassioned appeals, floating up to Tom and Ned.
"We're coming!" Tom answered, though it is doubtful if his voice washeard. Sound does not seem to carry downward as well as upward, andthough Tom's craft was making scarcely any noise, save that caused bythe rush of wind through the struts and wires, there was so muchconfusion on the motor boat, to say nothing of the engine which wasgoing, that Tom's encouraging call must have been unheard.
"What are you going to do, Tom?" asked Ned, "You can't land on thewater!"
"I know it; worse luck! If I only had the hydroplane, now, we couldmake a thrilling rescue--land right beside the other boat and take 'emall off. But, as it is, I'll have to land as near as I can and then wewill look for a boat to go out to them in."
Ned saw, now, what Tom's object was. On one shore of the lake was alarge, level field, suitable for a landing place for the craft of theair. At least it looked to be a suitable place, but Tom would beobliged to take a chance on that. This field sloped down to the beachof the lake, and as Ned and his chum came nearer to earth they couldsee several boats on shore, though no persons were near them. Had therebeen, probably they would have gone to the rescue.
Tom cast a rapid look across the sheet of water, to make sure hisservices were really needed. The motor boat was lower in the lake now,and was, undoubtedly, sinking. And no other craft was near enough torender help. Though distant whistles, seeming to come from approachingcraft, told of help on the way.
"Hold fast, Ned!" cried Tom, as they neared the earth. "We may bump!"
But Tom Swift was too skillful a pilot to cause his craft to sustainmuch of a crash. He made an almost perfect "three point landing," andthere would have been no unusual shaking, except for the fact that thefield was a bit bumpy, and the craft more heavily laden than usual.
"Good work, Tom!" cried Ned, as the Lucifer slackened her speed, theyoung inventor having sent her around in a half circle so that she nowfaced the lake. Then Tom and Ned climbed from the cockpit, throwing offgoggles and helmets as they ran to the shore where there were severalrowboats moored.
"And a little old-fashioned naphtha launch! By all that's lucky!" criedTom. "I didn't think they made these any more. If she only works now!"
There was a little dock at this point on the lake, and the boatsappeared to be held at it for hire. But no one was in charge, and Tomand Ned made free with what they found. They considered they had thisright in the emergency.
The naphtha launch was chained and padlocked to the dock, but using anoar Tom burst the chain.
"Get one of the rowboats and fasten it to the back of the launch!" Tomdirected Ned. "I don't believe this craft will hold them all," and henodded toward those aboard the sinking boat--for it was only tooplainly sinking now.
"All right!" voiced Ned. "I'm with you. Can you get that engine towork?"
"She's humming now," announced Tom, as he turned on the naphtha, andthrew in a blazing match to ignite it, this act saving his hand.Naphtha engines are a trifle treacherous.
A few moments later, though not as quickly as a gasoline craft couldhave been gotten under way, Tom was steering the small launch out andaway from the dock, and toward the craft whence came the faint callsfor help. Behind them Tom and Ned towed a large rowboat.
Tom speeded the naphtha craft to its limit, and, fortunately for thosein danger, it was a fast boat. In less time than they had thoughtpossible, the young inventor and his chum were near the boat that wasnow low in the water--so low, in fact, that her rail was all but awash.
"Oh, take us out! Save us!" screamed some of the girls.
"Take it easy now," advised Tom, approaching with care. "We've got roomfor you all. Ned, get back in the rowboat and bring that alongside--onthe other side. We'll take you all in," he added.
"Girls first!" called Ned sternly, as he saw one young fellow about toscramble into the naphtha boat.
"Sure, girls first!" agreed the skipper of the disabled craft. "Hit asubmerged log," he explained to Tom, as the work of rescue proceeded."Stove a hole in the bow, but we stuffed coats and things in, and madeit a slow leak. Kept the engine going as long as we could, but Ithought no one would ever come! Lucky you happened to see us from upthere!"
"Yes," assented Tom shortly. He and Ned were too busy to talk much, asthey were aiding in getting some hysterical girls and young women intothe two sound craft. And when the last of the picnic party had beentaken off, the boat with a hole in it gave a sudden lurch, there was agurgling, bubbling sound, and she sank quickly.
Tom and Ned had anticipated this, however, and had their craft well outof the way of the suction.
"You'll all have to sit quiet," Tom warned his passengers as he tookNed's boat, with her load, in tow. "I've got about all the law allowsme to carry," he added grimly.
"Oh, what ever would we have done without you?" half sobbed one girl.
"I guess you could have managed to swim ashore," Tom answered, notwanting to make too much of his effort.
Then more rescue boats came up, but those in the naphtha craft, andNed's smaller one, refused to be transferred, and remained with ourfriends until safely landed at the dock.
Receiving the half-hysterical thanks of the party, and leaving them toexplain matters to the owner of the borrowed boats, Ned and Tom wentback to the Lucifer, and were soon aloft again.
"Pretty slick act, Tom," remarked Ned.
"Oh, it's all in the day's work," was the answer. He had all butperfected his big fire-extinguishing aeroplane, and was contemplatingmeans by which he could give a demonstration to the fire department ofsome big city, when Mr. Baxter asked to see Tom one day. There was alook on the face of the chemist that caused Tom to exclaim with a gooddeal of concern:
"What's the matter?"
"Only the same old trouble," was the discouraged answer. "I can't geton the track of my lost secret formulae. If I had Field and Mellinghere now I--I'd--"
He did not finish his threat, but the look on his face was enough toshow his righteous anger.
"I wish we could do something to those fellows!" exclaimed Tomenergetically. "If we only had some direct evidence against them!"
"I've got evidence enough--in my own mind!" declared Mr. Baxter.
"Unfortunately that doesn't do in law," returned Tom. "But now that Ihave this airship firefighter craft so nearly finished, I can devotemore time to your troubles, Mr. Baxter."
"Oh, I don't want you bothered over my troubles," said the chemist."You have enough of your own. But I'm at my wit's end what to do next."
"If it is money matters," began Tom.
"It's partly that, yes," said the other, in a low voice. "If I hadthose dye formulae, I'd be a rich man."
"Well, let me help you temporarily," begged Tom. And the upshot of thetalk was that he engaged Mr. Baxter to do certain research work in theSwift laboratories until such time as the chemist could perfect certainother inventions on which he was working.
In return for his kindness to a fellow laborer, Tom received from Mr.Baxter some valuable hints about fire-extinguishing chemicals, onehint, alone, serving to bring about a curious situation.
It was several days after the accident to the motor boat from which theyoung inventor and Ned Newton had rescued the party of pleasure seekersthat Tom was visite
d by Mr. Damon, who drove over in his car.
"Have you anything special to do, Tom?" asked the eccentric man. "Ifyou haven't I wish you'd take a ride with me. Not for mere pleasure!Bless my excursion ticket, don't think that, Tom!" cried his friendquickly.
"I know better than to ask you out for a pleasure jaunt. But I havebecome interested in a certain candy-making machine that a man over inNewmarket is anxious to sell me a share in, and I'd like to get youropinion. Can you run over?"
"Yes," Tom answered. "As it happens I am going to Newmarket myself."
"Oh, I forgot about Mary Nestor being there!" laughed Mr. Damon. "Slydog, Tom! Sly dog!" and he nudged the youth in the ribs.
"It isn't altogether Mary. Though I am going to see her," Tom admitted."It has to do with a little apparatus I am getting up. I can captureseveral birds in the same auto, so I'll go along."
This pleased Mr. Damon, and he and Tom were soon speeding over theroad. It was just outside Newmarket that they saw an automobile stalledat the foot of a hill which they topped. It needed but a glance to showthat there was serious trouble. As Mr. Damon's car went down the slopetwo men could be seen leaping from the other machine. And, as they didso, flames burst out of the rear of the stalled machine.
"Fire! Fire!" cried Mr. Damon, rather needlessly it would seem, as anyone could see the blaze.
"Another chance!" exclaimed Tom, reaching down between his feet for awrapped object he had placed in Mr. Damon's car. "It's Field andMelling!" he cried. "The two men who boasted of having put it over onMr. Baxter. Their car is blazing. Here's where I get a chance to heapcoals of fire on their heads!"
Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters; Or, Battling with Flames from the Air Page 15
