Chapter Two
Finishing the Submarine
"What's the matter?" cried Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper, hurrying infrom the kitchen, where she was washing the dishes. "Have you seen someof those scoundrels who robbed you, Mr. Swift? If you have, the policedown here ought to--"
"No, it's nothing like that," explained Mr. Swift. "Tom has merelydiscovered in the paper an account of a sunken treasure ship, and hewants us to go after it, down under the ocean."
"Oh, dear! Some more of Captain Kidd's hidden hoard, I suppose?"ventured the housekeeper. "Don't you bother with it, Mr. Swift. I had acousin once, and he got set in the notion that he knew where thatpirate's treasure was. He spent all the money he had and all he couldborrow digging for it, and he never found a penny. Don't waste yourtime on such foolishness. It's bad enough to be building airships andsubmarines without going after treasure." Mrs. Baggert spoke with thefreedom of an old friend rather than a hired housekeeper, but she hadbeen in the family ever since Tom's mother died, when he was a baby,and she had many privileges.
"Oh, this isn't any of Kidd's treasure," Tom assured her. "If we getit, Mrs. Baggert, I'll buy you a diamond ring."
"Humph!" she exclaimed, as Tom began to hug her in boyish fashion. "Iguess I'll have to buy all the diamond rings I want, if I have todepend on your treasure for them," and she went back to the kitchen.
"Well," went on Mr. Swift after a pause, "if we are going into thetreasure-hunting business, Tom, we'll have to get right to work. In thefirst place, we must find out more about this ship, and just where itwas sunk."
"I can do that part," said Mr. Sharp. "I know some sea captains, andthey can put me on the track of locating the exact spot. In fact, itmight not be a bad idea to take an expert navigator with us. I canmanage in the air all right, but I confess that working out a locationunder water is beyond me."
"Yes, an old sea captain wouldn't be a bad idea, by any means,"conceded Mr. Swift. "Well, if you'll attend to that detail, Mr. Sharp,Tom, Mr. Jackson and I will finish the submarine. Most of the work isdone, however, and it only remains to install the engine and motors.Now, in regard to the negative and positive electric plates, I'd likeyour opinion, Tom."
For Tom Swift was an inventor, second in ability only to his father,and his advice was often sought by his parent on matters of electricalconstruction, for the lad had made a specialty of that branch ofscience.
While father and son were deep in a discussion of the apparatus of thesubmarine, there will be an opportunity to make the reader a littlebetter acquainted with them. Those of you who have read the previousvolumes of this series do not need to be told who Tom Swift is. Others,however, may be glad to have a proper introduction to him.
Tom Swift lived with his father, Barton Swift, in the village ofShopton, New York. The Swift home was on the outskirts of the town, andthe large house was surrounded by a number of machine shops, in whichfather and son, aided by Garret Jackson, the engineer, did theirexperimental and constructive work. Their house was not far from LakeCarlopa, a fairly large body of water, on which Tom often speeded hismotor-boat.
In the first volume of this series, entitled "Tom Swift and HisMotor-Cycle," it was told how he became acquainted with Mr. WakefieldDamon, who suffered an accident while riding one of the speedymachines. The accident disgusted Mr. Damon with motor-cycles, and Tomsecured it for a low price. He had many adventures on it, chief amongwhich was being knocked senseless and robbed of a valuable patent modelbelonging to his father, which he was taking to Albany. The attack wascommitted by a gang known as the Happy Harry gang, who were acting atthe instigation of a syndicate of rich men, who wanted to securecontrol of a certain patent turbine engine which Mr. Swift had invented.
Tom set out in pursuit of the thieves, after recovering from theirattack, and had a strenuous time before he located them.
In the second volume, entitled "Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat," therewas related our hero's adventures in a fine craft which was recoveredfrom the thieves and sold at auction. There was a mystery connectedwith the boat, and for a long time Tom could not solve it. He wasaided, however, by his chum, Ned Newton, who worked in the ShoptonBank, and also by Mr. Damon and Eradicate Sampson, an aged coloredwhitewasher, who formed quite an attachment for Tom.
In his motor-boat Tom had more than one race with Andy Foger, a richlad of Shopton, who was a sort of bully. He had red hair and squintyeyes, and was as mean in character as he was in looks. He and hiscronies, Sam Snedecker and Pete Bailey, made trouble for Tom, chieflybecause Tom managed to beat Andy twice in boat races.
It was while in his motor-boat, Arrow, that Tom formed the acquaintanceof John Sharp, a veteran balloonist. While coming down Lake Carlopa onthe way to the Swift home, which had been entered by thieves, Tom, hisfather and Ned Newton, saw a balloon on fire over the lake. Hangingfrom a trapeze on it was Mr. Sharp, who had made an ascension from afair ground. By hard work on the part of Tom and his friends theaeronaut was saved, and took up his residence with the Swifts.
His advent was most auspicious, for Tom and his father were thenengaged in perfecting an airship, and Mr. Sharp was able to lend themhis skill, so that the craft was soon constructed.
In the third volume, called "Tom Swift and His Airship," there was setdown the doings of the young inventor, Mr. Sharp and Mr. Damon on atrip above the clouds. They undertook it merely for pleasure, but theyencountered considerable danger, before they completed it, for theynearly fell into a blazing forest once, and were later fired at by acrowd of excited people. This last act was to effect their capture, forthey were taken for a gang of bank robbers, and this was due directlyto Andy Foger.
The morning after Tom and his friends started on their trip in the air,the Shopton Bank was found to have been looted of seventy-five thousanddollars. Andy Foger at once told the police that Tom Swift had takenthe money, and when asked how he knew this, he said he had seen Tomhanging around the bank the night before the vault was burst open, andthat the young inventor had some burglar tools in his possession.Warrants were at once sworn out for Tom and Mr. Damon, who was alsoaccused of being one of the robbers, and a reward of five thousanddollars was offered.
Tom, Mr. Damon and Mr. Sharp sailed on, all unaware of this, and unableto account for being fired upon, until they accidentally read in thepaper an account of their supposed misdeeds. They lost no time instarting back home, and on the way got on the track of the real bankrobbers, who were members of the Happy Harry gang.
How the robbers were captured in an exciting raid, how Tom recoveredmost of the stolen money, and how he gave Andy Foger a deservedthrashing for giving a false clue was told of, and there was an accountof a race in which the Red Cloud (as the airship was called) took part,as well as details of how Tom and his friends secured the reward, whichAndy Foger hoped to collect.
Those of you who care to know how the Red Cloud was constructed, andhow she behaved in the air, even during accidents and when struck bylightning, may learn by reading the third volume, for the airship wasone of the most successful ever constructed.
When the craft was finished, and the navigators were ready to start ontheir first long trip, Mr. Swift was asked to go with them. Hedeclined, but would not tell why, until Tom, pressing him for ananswer, learned that his father was planning a submarine boat, which hehoped to enter in some trials for Government prizes. Mr. Swift remainedat home to work on this submarine, while his son and Mr. Sharp weresailing above the clouds.
On their return, however, and after the bank mystery had been clearedup, Tom and Mr. Sharp, aided Mr. Swift in completing the submarine,until, when the present story opens, it needed but little additionalwork to make the craft ready for the water.
Of course it had to be built near the sea, as it would have beenimpossible to transport it overland from Shopton. So, before the keelwas laid, Mr. Swift rented a large cottage at a seaside place on theNew Jersey coast and there, after erecting a large shed, the work onthe Advance, as the under-water ship was
called, was begun.
It was soon to be launched in a large creek that extended in from theocean and had plenty of water at high tide. Tom and Mr. Sharp madeseveral trips back and forth from Shopton in their airship, to see thatall was safe at home and occasionally to get needed tools and suppliesfrom the shops, for not all the apparatus could be moved from Shoptonto the coast.
It was when returning from one of these trips that Tom brought with himthe paper containing an account of the wreck of the Boldero and thesinking of the treasure she carried.
Until late that night the three fortune-hunters discussed variousmatters.
"We'll hurry work on the ship," said Mr. Swift at length. "Tom, Iwonder if your friend, Mr. Damon, would care to try how it seems underwater? He stood the air trip fairly well."
"I'll write and ask him," answered the lad. "I'm sure he'll go."
Securing, a few days later, the assistance of two mechanics, whom heknew he could trust, for as yet the construction of the Advance was asecret, Mr. Swift prepared to rush work on the submarine, and for thenext three weeks there were busy times in the shed next to the seasidecottage. So busy, in fact, were Tom and Mr. Sharp, that they only foundopportunity for one trip in the airship, and that was to get somesupplies from the shops at home.
"Well," remarked Mr. Swift one night, at the close of a hard day'swork, "another week will see our craft completed. Then we will put itin the water and see how it floats, and whether it submerges as I hopeit does. But come on, Tom. I want to lock up. I'm very tired to-night."
"All right, dad," answered the young inventor coming from the darkenedrear of the shop. "I just want to--"
He paused suddenly, and appeared to be listening. Then he moved softlyback to where he had come from.
"What's the matter?" asked his father in a whisper. "What's up, Tom?"
The lad did not answer Mr. Swift, with a worried look on his face,followed his son. Mr. Sharp stood in the door of the shop.
"I thought I heard some one moving around back here," went on Tomquietly.
"Some one in this shop!" exclaimed the aged inventor excitedly. "Someone trying to steal my ideas again! Mr. Sharp, come here! Bring thatrifle! We'll teach these scoundrels a lesson!"
Tom quickly darted back to the extreme rear of the building. There wasa scuffle, and the next minute Tom cried out:
"What are you doing here?"
"Ha! I beg your pardon," replied a voice. "I am looking for Mr. BartonSwift."
"My father," remarked Tom. "But that's a queer place to look for him.He's up front. Father, here's a man who wishes to see you," he called.
"Yes, I strolled in, and seeing no one about I went to the rear of theplace," the voice went on. "I hope I haven't transgressed."
"We were busy on the other side of the shop, I guess," replied Tom, andhe looked suspiciously at the man who emerged from the darkness intothe light from a window. "I beg your pardon for grabbing you the way Idid," went on the lad, "but I thought you were one of a gang of menwe've been having trouble with."
"Oh, that's all right," continued the man easily. "I know Mr. Swift,and I think he will remember me. Ah, Mr. Swift, how do you do?" headded quickly, catching sight of Tom's father, who, with Mr. Sharp, wascoming to meet the lad.
"Addison Berg!" exclaimed the aged inventor as he saw the man's facemore plainly. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," replied the man. "May I have a talk with youprivately?"
"I--I suppose so," assented Mr. Swift nervously. "Come into the house."
Mr. Berg left Tom's side and advanced to where Mr. Swift was standing.Together the two emerged from the now fast darkening shop and wenttoward the house.
"Who is he?" asked Mr. Sharp of the young inventor in a whisper.
"I don't know," replied the lad; "but, whoever he is, dad seems afraidof him. I'm going to keep my eyes open."
Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat; Or, Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure Page 2
