Chapter XVII
Veiled Threats
Like some prehistoric monster about to charge down upon another of itskind, Tank A, under the guidance of Tom Swift, reeled and bumped herway over the uneven fields toward the old barn. Within the monster ofsteel and iron were raucous noises: the clang and clatter of thepowerful gasolene motors; the rattle of the wheels and gears; allmaking so much noise that, in the engine room proper, not a word couldbe heard. Every order had to be given by signs, and Tom sent hiselectric signals from the conning tower in the same way. When runningat full speed, it was almost impossible, even in the tower, which wassome distance removed from the engine room, to hear voices unless thewords were shouted.
"Why don't you go at it?" cried Ned to his "friend, who was peeringthrough the observation slot in the tower."
"I'm getting in good position," Tom answered. "Or rather, the worstposition I can find. I want to give the tank a good try-out, and I'mgoing at the barn on the assumption that this is in enemy country andthat I can't pick and choose my advance.
"So I want to come up through that gully, and go at the barn from thelong way. That will be the worst possible way I could do it, and if oldTank A stands the gaff I'll know she's a little bit nearer all right."
"I think she's all right as she is!" asserted Ned in a yell, for justthen Tom signaled for more speed, and the consequent increase in therattling and banging noises made it correspondingly difficult for talkto be heard.
The big machine now tipped into the little gully spoken of by Tom. Thismeant a dip downward, and then a climb out again and an attack on thebarn going uphill and at an angle. But, as the young inventor had said,it would make a severe test and that was what he wanted to give hisponderous machine.
Ned grasped one of the safety rings, as, with a reel to one side,almost as if it were going to capsize, the tank rumbled on. Tom cast ahalf-amused smile at his chum, and then threw over the guiding lever.
The tank rolled down into the gully. It was rough and filled withstones and boulders, some of considerable size. But Tank A made lessthan nothing even of the largest rocks. Some she crushed beneath hersteel belts. Others she simply "walked" over, smashing them down intothe soil.
Now the big machine reached the bottom of the gulch and started up thesides, which, though not as steep as the trench in which she hadcapsized, still were not easy going.
"Now for it!" cried Tom, as he signaled for full speed.
Up climbed the tank. Now she was halfway. A moment later, and she wasat the top, and then a forward careening motion told that she hadpassed over the summit and was ready for the attack proper.
Ned gave a quick glance through the slot nearest him. He had a glimpseof the barn, and then he saw something else. This was the sight of aman running away from the dilapidated structure--a man who glancedtoward the tank with a face that showed great fright.
"Stop! Stop!" yelled Ned. "There may be folks in there, Tom! I just sawa man run out!"
"All right!" Tom cried, though Ned could hardly hear him. "Tell mewhen we get on the other side! We're going through now!"
"But," shouted Ned, "don't you understand? I saw a man come out ofthere! Maybe there's more inside! Wait, Tom, and--"
But it was too late. The next instant there was a smashing, grinding,splintering crash, a noise as of a thunder-clap, and Tank A fairly ateher way through the old barn as a rat might eat his way into a softcheese, only infinitely more quickly.
On and on and through and through went the tank, knocking beams,boards, rafters and timbers hither and thither. Minding not at all theweight of great beams on her back, caring nothing for those that got inthe way of her steel belts, heeding not the wall of wood that reareditself before her in a barrier of splinters and slivers, Tank A went onand on until finally, with another grinding crash, as she smashed herway through the farthermost wall, the great engine of war emerged onthe other side and came panting into the field, dragging with her apart of the structure clinging to her steel sides.
"Well," cried Tom, with a laugh, as he signaled for the power to beshut off, thereby making it possible for ordinary conversation to beheard, "I guess we didn't do a thing to that barn!"
"Not much left of it, for a fact, Tom," agreed Ned, as he lookedthrough the after observation slots at the ruin in the rear. "Butdidn't you hear what I was saying?"
"I heard you yelling something to me, but I was too anxious to go at itas fast as I could. I didn't want to stop then. What was the trouble?"
"That's what I'm afraid of, Tom--there may be trouble. Just before youtackled the barn for a knockdown, instead of a touchdown, as we mightsay, I saw a man running out of it. I thought if there was one there,perhaps there might be more. That's why I yelled to you."
"A man running from the old barn!" cried Tom. "Whew!" he whistled. "Iwish I had seen him. But, Ned, if one ran out of harm's way, any otherswho might possibly be in there would do the same thing, wouldn't they?"
"I hope so," returned Ned doubtfully.
"Great Scott!" cried Tom, as the possibility was borne home to him. "Ifanything has happened--"
He sprang for the door of the tower and threw over the catch, springingout, followed by Ned. From the engine room of the armored tank the mencame, smiles of gratification on their faces.
"We certainly busted her wide open, Mr. Swift!" called the chiefmechanician.
"Yes," assented the young inventor; but there was not as muchgratification in his voice as there should have been. "There isn'tmuch of a barn left, but Ned thinks he saw some one run out, and ifthere was one man there may have been more. We'd better have a lookaround, I guess."
The engineering force exchanged glances. Then Hank Baldwin, who was incharge of the motors, said:
"Well, if there was anybody in that barn when we chewed her up Iwouldn't give much for his hide, German or not."
"Let us hope no one was in there," murmured Tom.
They turned to go back to the demolished structure, fear and worry intheir hearts. No more complete ruin could be imagined. If a cyclone hadswept over the barn it could not have more certainly leveled it. And,not only was it leveled, crushed down in the center by the great weightof the tank, but the boards and beams were broken into small pieces.Parts of them clung in long, grotesque splinters to the endless steelbelts.
"I don't see how we're going to find anybody if he's in there,"remarked Hank.
"We'll have to," insisted Tom. "We can look about and call. If any oneis there he may have been off to one side or to one end, and beprotected under the debris. I wish I had heard you call, Ned."
"I wish you had, Tom. I yelled for all I was worth."
"I know you did. I was too eager to go on, and, at the same time, Ireally couldn't stop well on that hill. I had to keep on going. Well,now to learn the worst!"
They walked back toward the demolished barn. But they had not reachedit when from around the corner swung a big automobile. In it wereseveral men, but chief, in vision at least, among them, was a burlyfarmer who had a long, old-fashioned gun in his hands. On his beardedface was a grim look as he leaped out before the machine had fairlystopped, and called:
"Hold on, there! I guess you've done damage enough! Now you can pay forit or take the consequences!" And he motioned to Tom, Ned, and theothers to halt.
Tom Swift and His War Tank; Or, Doing His Bit for Uncle Sam Page 17
