Tom Swift and His War Tank; Or, Doing His Bit for Uncle Sam

by Victor Appleton

  Chapter IV

  Queer Doings

  There was a subdued air of activity about the Swift plant. Subdued,owing to the fact that it was mostly confined to one building--the new,large one, about which stretched a high and strong fence, made withtongue-and-groove boards so that no prying eyes might find a crack,even, through which to peer.

  In and out of the other buildings the workmen went as they pleased,though there were not many of them, for Tom and his father weredevoting most of their time and energies to what was taking place inthe big, new structure. But here there was an entirely differentprocedure.

  Workmen went in and out, to be sure, but each time they emerged theywere scrutinized carefully, and when they went in they had to exhibittheir passes to a man on guard at the single entrance; and the passeswere not scrutinized perfunctorily, either.

  Near the building, about which there seemed to be an air of mystery,one day, a week after the events narrated in the opening chapters,strolled the giant Koku. Not far away, raking up a pile of refuse, wasEradicate Sampson, the aged colored man of all work. Eradicateapproached nearer and nearer the entrance to the building, pursuing histask of gathering up leaves, dirt and sticks with the teeth of hisrake. Then Koku, who had been lounging on a bench in the shade of atree, Called:

  "No more, Eradicate!"

  "No mo' whut?" asked the negro quickly. "I didn't axt yo' fo' nuffinyit!"

  "No more come here!" said the giant, pointing to the building andspeaking English with an evident effort. "Master say no one come tooclose."

  "Huh! He didn't go fo' t' mean me!" exclaimed Eradicate. "I kin goanywheres; I kin!"

  "Not here!" and Koku interposed his giant frame between the old man andthe first step leading into the secret building. "You no come in here."

  "Who say so?"

  "Me--I say so! I on guard. I what you call specialpoliceman--detectiff--no let enemies in!"

  "Huh! You's a hot deteckertiff, yo' is!" snorted Eradicate. "Anyhow,dem orders don't mean me! I kin go anywhere, I kin!"

  "Not here!" said Koku firmly. "Master Tom say let nobody come near butworkmen who have got writing-paper. You no got!"

  "No, but I kin git one, an' I's gwine t' hab it soon! I'll see MassaTom, dat's whut I will. I guess yo' ain't de only deteckertiff on deplace. I kin go on guard, too!" and Eradicate, dropping his rake,strolled away in his temper to seek the young inventor.

  "Well, Rad, what is it?" asked Tom, as he met the colored man. Theyoung inventor was on his way to the mysterious shop. "What istroubling you?"

  "It's dat dar giant. He done says as how he's on guard--adeteckertiff--an' I can't go nigh dat buildin' t' sweep up de refuse."

  "Well, that's right, Rad. I'd prefer that you keep away. I'm doingsome special work in there and it's--"

  "Am it dangerous, Massa Tom? I ain't askeered! Anybody whut kin drivemah mule Boomerang--"

  "I know, Eradicate, but this isn't so dangerous. It's just secret, andI don't want too many people about. You can go anywhere else exceptthere. Koku is on guard."

  "Den can't I be, Massa Tom?" asked the colored man eagerly. "I kinguard an' detect same as dat low-down, good-fo'-nuffin white trashKoku!"

  Tom hesitated.

  "I suppose I could get you a sort of officer's badge," he mused, halfaloud.

  "Dat's whut I want!" eagerly exclaimed Eradicate. "I ain't gwine habdat Koku--dat cocoanut--crowin' ober me! I kin guard an' detect asgood's anybody!"

  And the upshot of it was that Eradicate was given a badge, and put on aspecial post, far enough from Koku to keep the two from quarreling, andwhere, even if he failed in keeping a proper lookout, the old servantcould do no harm by his oversight.

  "It'll please him, and won't hurt us," said Tom to his father. "Kokuwill keep out any prying persons."

  "I suppose you are doing well to keep it a secret, Tom," said Mr.Swift, "but it seems as if you might announce it soon."

  "Perhaps we may, Dad, if all goes well. I've given her a partialshop-tryout, and she works well. But there is still plenty to do. Did Itell you about meeting Blakeson?"

  "Yes, and I can't understand why he should be in this vicinity. Do youthink he has had any intimation of what you are doing?"

  "It's hard to say, and yet I would not be surprised. When Uncle Samcouldn't keep secret the fact of our first soldiers sailing for France.How can I expect to keep this secret? But they won't get any detailsuntil I'm ready, I'm sure of that."

  "Koku is a good discourager," said Mr. Swift, with a chuckle. "Youcouldn't have a better guard, Tom."

  "No, and if I can keep him and Eradicate from trying to pull off rivaldetective stunts, or 'deteckertiff,' as Rad calls it, I'll be allright. Now let's have another go at that carburetor. There's our weakpoint, for it's getting harder and harder all the while to gethigh-grade gasolene, and we'll have to come to alcohol of low proof, orkerosene, I'm thinking."

  "I wouldn't be surprised, Tom. Well, perhaps we can get up a new styleof carburetor that will do the trick. Now look at this needle valve;I've given it a new turn," and father and son went into technicaldetails connected with their latest invention.

  These were busy days at the Swift plant. Men came and went--men withqueerly shaped parcels frequently--and they were admitted to the bignew building after first passing Eradicate and then Koku, and it wouldbe hard to say which guard was the more careful. Only, of course, Kokuhad the final decision, and more than one person was turned back afterEradicate had passed him, much to the disgust of the negro.

  "Pooh! Dat giant don't know a workman when he sees 'im!" snortedEradicate. "He so lazy his own se'f dat he don't know a workman! Ef Isees a spy, Massa Tom, or a crook, I's gwine git him, suah pop!"

  "I hope you do, Rad. We can't afford to let this secret get out," saidthe young inventor.

  It was one evening, when taking a short cut to his home, that Mr.Nestor, the father of Mary Nestor, in whom Tom was more than ordinarilyinterested, passed not far from the big enclosure which was guarded, onthe factory side, day and night. Inside, though out of sight and hiddenby the high fence, were other guards.

  As Mr. Nestor passed along the fence, rather vaguely wondering why itwas so high, tight and strong, he felt the ground trembling beneath hisfeet. It rumbled and shook as though a distant train were passing, andyet there was none due now, for Mr. Nestor had just left one, andanother would not arrive for an hour.

  "That's queer," mused Mary's father. "If I didn't know to the contrary,I'd say that sounded like heavy guns being fired from a distance, orelse blasting. It seems to come from the Swift place," he went on. "Iwonder what they're up to in there."

  Suddenly the rumbling became more pronounced, and mingled with it, inthe dusk of the evening, were the shouts of men.

  "Look out!" some one cried. "She's going for the fence!"

  A second later there was a cracking and straining of boards, and thefence near Mr. Nestor bulged out as though something big, powerful andmighty were pressing it from the inner side.

  But the fence held, or else the pressure was removed, for the bulgewent back into place, though some of the boards were splintered.

  "Have to patch that up in the morning," called another voice, and Mr.Nestor recognized it as that of Tom Swift.

  "What queer doings are going on here?" mused Mary's father. "Have theygot a wild bull shut up in there, and is he trying to get out? Luckyfor me he didn't," and he hurried on, the rumbling noise become fainteruntil it died away altogether.

  That night, after his supper and while reading the paper and smoking acigar, Mr. Nestor spoke to his daughter.

  "Mary, have you seen anything of Tom Swift lately?"

  "Why, yes, Father. He was over for a little while the other night, buthe didn't stay long. Why do you ask?"

  "Oh, nothing special. I just came past his place and I heard some queernoises, that's all. He's up to some more of his tricks, I guess. Has beenlisted yet?"

  "No.

  "Is he going to?"


  "I don't know," and Mary seemed a bit put out by this simple question."What do you mean by his tricks?" she asked, and a close observer mighthave thought she was anxious to get away from the subject of Tom'senlistment.

  "Oh, like that one when he sent you something in a box labeled'dynamite,' and gave us all a scare. You can't tell what Tom Swift isgoing to do next. He's up to something now, I'll wager, and I don'tbelieve any good will come of it."

  "You didn't think so after he sent his wireless message, and saved usfrom Earthquake Island," said Mary, smiling.

  "Hum! Well, that was different," snapped Mr. Nestor. "This time I'msure he's up to some nonsense! The idea of crashing down a fence! Whydoesn't he enlist like the other chaps, or sell Liberty Bonds like NedNewton?" and Mr. Nestor looked sharply at his daughter. "Ned gave up abig salary as the Swifts financial man--a place he had held for ayear--to go back to the bank for less, just so he could help theGovernment in the financial end of this war. Is Tom doing as much forhis country?"

  "I'm sure I don't know," answered Mary; and soon after, with avertedface, she left the room.

  "Hum! Queer goings on," mused Mr. Nestor. "Tom Swift may be all right,but he's got an unbalanced streak in him that will bear looking outfor, that's what I think!"

  And having settled this matter, at least to his own satisfaction, Mr.Nestor resumed his smoking and reading.

  A little later the bell rang. There was a murmur of voices in the hall,and Mr. Nestor, half listening, heard a voice he knew.

  "There's Tom Swift now!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to find out why hedoesn't enlist!"