Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat; Or, Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure

by Victor Appleton

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Home With the Gold

  There was no time to be lost. They were in a treacherous part of theocean, and strong currents might at any time further break up thewreck, so that they could not come at the gold. It was decided, bymeans of motions, to at once transfer the treasure to the submarine. Asthe boxes were too heavy to carry easily, especially as two men, whowere required to lift one, could not walk together in the uncertainfooting afforded by the wreck, another plan was adopted. The boxes wereopened and the bars, a few at a time, were dropped on a firm, sandyplace at the side of the wreck. Tom and Captain Weston did this work,while Mr. Sharp and Mr. Damon carried the bullion to the diving chamberof the Advance. They put the yellow bars inside, and when quite anumber had been thus shifted, Mr. Swift, closing the chamber, pumpedthe water out and removed the gold. Then he opened the chamber to thedivers again, and the process was repeated, until all the bullion hadbeen secured.

  Tom would have been glad to make a further examination of the wreck,for he thought he could get some of the rifles the ship carried, butCaptain Weston signed to him not to attempt this.

  The lad went to the pilot house, while his father and Mr. Sharp tooktheir places in the engine-room. The gold had been safely stowed in Mr.Swift's cabin.

  Tom took a last look at the wreck before he gave the starting signal.As he gazed at the bent and twisted mass of steel that had once been agreat ship, he saw something long, black and shadowy moving around fromthe other side, coming across the bows.

  "There's another big shark," he observed to Captain Weston. "They'recoming back after us."

  The captain did not speak. He was staring at the dark form. Suddenly,from what seemed the pointed nose of it, there gleamed a light, as fromsome great eye.

  "Look at that!" cried Tom. "That's no shark!"

  "If you want my opinion," remarked the sailor, "I should say it was theother submarine--that of Berg and his friends--the Wonder. They'vemanaged to fix up their craft and are after the gold."

  "But they're too late!" cried Tom excitedly. "Let's tell them so."

  "No," advised the captain. "We don't want any trouble with them."

  Mr. Swift came forward to see why his son had not given the signal tostart. He was shown the other submarine, for now that the Wonder hadturned on several searchlights, there was no doubt as to the identityof the craft.

  "Let's get away unobserved if we can," he suggested. "We have hadtrouble enough."

  It was easy to do this, as the Advance was hidden behind the wreck, andher lights were glowing but dimly. Then, too, those in the othersubmarine were so excited over the finding of what they supposed wasthe wreck containing the treasure, that they paid little attention toanything else.

  "I wonder how they'll feel when they find the gold gone?" asked Tom ashe pulled the lever starting the pumps.

  "Well, we may have a chance to learn, when we get back tocivilization," remarked the captain.

  The surface was soon reached, and then, under fair skies, and on a calmsea, the voyage home was begun. Part of the time the Advance sailed onthe top, and part of the time submerged.

  They met with but a single accident, and that was when the forwardelectrical plate broke. But with the aft one still in commission, andthe auxiliary screws, they made good time. Just before reaching homethey settled down to the bottom and donned the diving suits again, evenMr. Swift taking his turn. Mr. Damon caught some large lobsters, ofwhich he was very fond, or, rather, to be more correct, the lobsterscaught him. When he entered the diving chamber there were four fineones clinging to different parts of his diving suit. Some of them wereserved for dinner.

  The adventurers safely reached the New Jersey coast, and the submarinewas docked. Mr. Swift at once communicated with the proper authoritiesconcerning the recovery of the gold. He offered to divide with theactual owners, after he and his friends had been paid for theirservices, but as the revolutionary party to whom the bullion wasintended had gone out of existence, there was no one to officiallyclaim the treasure, so it all went to Tom and his friends, who made anequitable distribution of it. The young inventor did not forget to buyMrs. Baggert a fine diamond ring, as he had promised.

  As for Berg and his employers, they were, it was learned later, greatlychagrined at finding the wreck valueless. They tried to make troublefor Tom and his father, but were not successful.

  A few days after arriving at the seacoast cottage, Tom, his father andMr. Damon went to Shopton in the airship. Captain Weston, GarretJackson and Mr Sharp remained behind in charge of the submarine. It wasdecided that the Swifts would keep the craft and not sell it to theGovernment, as Tom said they might want to go after more treasure someday.

  "I must first deposit this gold," said Mr. Swift as the airship landedin front of the shed at his home. "It won't do to keep it in the houseover night, even if the Happy Harry gang is in jail."

  Tom helped him take it to the bank. As they were making perhaps thelargest single deposit ever put in the institution, Ned Newton came out.

  "Well, Tom," he cried to his chum, "it seems that you are never goingto stop doing things. You've conquered the air, the earth and thewater."

  "What have you been doing while I've been under water, Ned?" asked theyoung inventor.

  "Oh, the same old thing. Running errands and doing all sorts of work inthe bank."

  Tom had a sudden idea. He whispered to his father and Mr. Swift nodded.A little later he was closeted with Mr. Prendergast, the bankpresident. It was not long before Ned and Tom were called in.

  "I have some good news for you, Ned," said Mr. Prendergast, while Tomsmiled. "Mr. Swift er--ahem--one of our largest depositors, has spokento me about you, Ned. I find that you have been very faithful. You arehereby appointed assistant cashier, and of course you will get a muchlarger salary."

  Ned could hardly believe it, but he knew then what Tom had whispered toMr. Swift. The wishes of a depositor who brings much gold bullion to abank can hardly be ignored.

  "Come on out and have some soda," invited Tom, and when Ned lookedinquiringly at the president, the latter nodded an assent.

  As the two lads were crossing the street to a drug store, somethingwhizzed past them, nearly running them down.

  "What sort of an auto was that?" cried Tom.

  "That? Oh, that was Andy Foger's new car," answered Ned. "He's beenbreaking the speed laws every day lately, but no one seems to botherhim. It's because his father is rich, I suppose. Andy says he has thefastest car ever built."

  "He has, eh?" remarked Tom, while a curious look came into his eyes."Well, maybe I can build one that will beat his."

  And whether the young inventor did or not you can learn by reading thefifth volume of this series, to be called "Tom Swift and His ElectricRunabout; Or, The Speediest Car on the Road."

  "Well, Tom, I certainly appreciate what you did for me in getting me abetter position," remarked Ned as they left the drug store. "I wasbeginning to think I'd never get promoted. Say, have you anything to dothis evening? If you haven't, I wish you'd come over to my house. I'vegot a lot of pictures I took while you were away."

  "Sorry, but I can't," replied Tom.

  "Why, are you going to build another airship or submarine?"

  "No, but I'm going to see-- Oh, what do you want to know for, anyhow?"demanded the young inventor with a blush. "Can't a fellow go see agirl without being cross-questioned?"

  "Oh, of course," replied Ned with a laugh. "Give Miss Nestor myregards," and at this Tom blushed still more. But, as he said, that washis own affair.