CHAPTER IX
OFF FOR INDIA
"Bless my hose reel!" cried Mr. Damon, as the airship took a quicklurch toward the earth. "Things are always happening to you, Tom Swift!Your shop on fire! How did it happen?"
"Look!" suddenly cried Ned, before Tom had a chance to answer."There's a man running away from the shop, Tom!"
All saw him, and, as the airship rushed downward it could be seen thathe was a fellow dressed in ragged garments, a veritable tramp.
"I guess that fire didn't happen," said Tom significantly. "It wasdeliberately set. Oh, if we can only get there before it gains too muchheadway!"
"I like to catch that fellow!" exclaimed Koku, shaking his big fist atthe retreating tramp. "I fix him!"
On rushed the airship, and the man who had probably started the fire,glanced up at it. Tom suddenly turned the lens of his Wizard Cameratoward him. The mechanism inside, which had been stopped, startedclicking again, as the young inventor switched on the electric current.
"What are you doing?" cried Ned, as he guided the airship toward theshop, whence clouds of smoke were rolling.
"Taking his picture," replied Tom. "It may come in useful for evidence."
But he was not able to get many views of the fellow, for the lattermust have suspected what was going on. He quickly made a dive for thebushes, and was soon lost to sight. Tom shut off his camera.
"Bless my life preserver!" cried Mr. Damon. "There comes your father,Tom, and Mrs. Baggert! They've got buckets! They're going to put outthe fire!"
"Why don't they think to use the hose?" cried the young inventor, forhe had his shop equipped with many hose lines, and an electricallydriven pump. "The hose! The hose, dad!" shouted Tom, but it is doubtfulif his father or Mrs. Baggert heard him, for the engine of the airshipwas making much noise. However, the two with the buckets looked up, andwaved their hands to those on the Flyer.
"There's Eradicate!" yelled Ned. "He's got the hose all right!" Thecolored man was beginning to unreel a line.
"That's what it needs!" exclaimed Tom. "Now there's some chance to savethe shop."
"We'll be there ourselves to take a hand in a few seconds!" cried Mr.Damon, forgetting to bless anything.
"The scoundrel who started this fire, and those back of him, ought tobe imprisoned for life!" declared Mr. Nestor.
A moment later Ned had landed the airship within a short distance ofthe shop. In an instant the occupants of the craft had leaped out, andTom, after a hasty glance to see that his valuable camera was safe,dashed toward the building crying:
"Never mind the pails, dad! Use the hose! there's a nozzle at the backdoor. Go around there, and play the water on from that end."
Eradicate, with his line of hose, had disappeared into the shop throughthe front door, and the others pressed in after him, heedless of thedense smoke.
"Is it blazing much, Rad?" cried Tom.
"Can't see no blaze at all, Massa Tom," replied the colored man."Dere's a heap of suffin in de middle ob de flo', an' dat's what'sraisin' all de rumpus."
They all saw it a moment later, a smoldering heap of rags and paper onthe concrete floor of the shop. Eradicate turned his hose on it, therewas a hissing sound, a cloud of steam arose, and the fire waspractically out, though much smoke remained.
"Jove! that was a lucky escape!" exclaimed Tom, as he looked aroundwhen the vapor had partly cleared away. "No damage done at all, as faras I can see. I wonder what the game was? Did you see anything of atramp around here?" he asked of his father.
"No, Tom. I have been busy in the house. So has Mrs. Baggert. Suddenlyshe called my attention to the smoke coming from the door, and we ranout."
"I seen it, too," added Eradicate. "I was doin' some whitewashin', an'I run up as soon as I could."
"We saw the tramp all right, but he got away," said Tom, and he toldhow he had taken pictures of him. "I don't believe it would be much useto look for him now, though."
"Me look," spoke Koku significantly, as he hurried off in the directiontaken by the tramp. He came back later, not having found him.
"What do you think of it, Tom?" asked Ned, when the excitement hadcalmed down, and the pile of burned rags had been removed. It was foundthat oil and chemicals had been put on them to cause a dense smoke.
"I think it was the work of those fellows who are after my camera,"replied the young inventor. "They are evidently watching me, and whenthey saw us all go off in the airship they thought probably that thecoast was clear."
"But why should they start a fire?"
"I don't know, but probably to create a lot of smoke, and excitement,so that they could search, and not be detected. Maybe the fellow afterhe found that the camera was gone, wanted to draw those in the houseout to the shop, so he could have a clear field to search in my roomfor any drawings that would give him a clew as to how my machine works.They certainly did not want to burn the shop, for that pile of ragscould have smoldered all day on the concrete floor, without doing anyharm. Robbery was the motive, I think."
"The police ought to be notified," declared Mr. Nestor. "Develop thosepictures, Tom, and I'll take the matter up with the police. Maybe theycan identify the tramp from the photographs."
But this proved impossible. Tom had secured several good films, notonly in the first views he took, giving the spectators the impressionthat they were going up in an airship, but also those showing the shopon fire, and the tramp running away, were very plain.
The police made a search for the incendiary, but of course did not findhim. Mr. Period came to Shopton, and declared it was his belief thathis rivals, Turbot and Eckert, had had a hand in the matter. But it wasonly a suspicion, though Tom himself believed the same thing. Stillnothing could be accomplished.
"The thing to do, now that the camera works all right, is for you tohit the trail for India at once," suggested the picture man. "Theywon't follow you there. Get me some pictures of the Durbar, ofelephants being captured, of tiger fights, anything exciting."
"I'll do my--" began Tom.
"Wait, I'm not through," interrupted the excitable man. "Then go getsome volcanoes, earthquakes--anything that you think would beinteresting. I'll keep in touch with you, and cable occasionally. Getall the films you can. When will you start?"
"I can leave inside of two weeks," replied Tom.
"Then do it, and, meanwhile, be on your guard."
It was found that a few changes were needed on the camera, and someadjustments to the airship. Another trial flight was made, and someexcellent pictures taken. Then Tom and his friends prepared to take theairship apart, and pack it for shipment to Calcutta. It was to go onthe same steamer as themselves, and of course the Wizard Camera wouldaccompany Tom. He took along many rolls of films, enough, he thought,for many views. He was also to send back to Mr. Period from time totime, the exposed rolls of film, so they could be developed, andprinted in the United States, as Tom would not have very goodfacilities for this on the airship, and to reproduce them there wasalmost out of the question. Still he did fit up a small dark roomaboard the Flyer, where he could develop pictures if he wished.
There was much to be done, but hard work accomplished it, and finallythe party was ready to start for India. Tom said good-bye to MaryNestor, of course, and her father accompanied our hero from the Nestorhouse to the Swift homestead, where the start was to take place.
Eradicate bade his master a tearful good-bye, and there was moisture inthe eyes of Mr. Swift, as he shook hands with his son.
"Take care of yourself, Tom," he said. "Don't run too many risks. Thismoving picture taking isn't as easy as it sounds. It's more than justpointing your camera at things. Write if you get a chance, or send me amessage."
Tom promised, and then bade farewell to Mrs. Baggert. All wereassembled, Koku, Mr. Damon, who blessed everything he saw, and somethings he did not, Ned, Mr. Nestor and Tom. The five were to go bytrain to New York, there to go aboard the steamer.
Their journey to the metropolis was uneven
tful. Mr. Period met them atthe steamship dock, after Tom had seen to it that the baggage, and theparts of the airship were safely aboard.
"I wish I were going along!" exclaimed the picture man. "It's going tobe a great trip. But I can't spare the time. I'm the busiest man in theworld. I lose about a thousand dollars just coming down to see you off,but it's a good investment. I don't mind it. Now, Tom, good luck, anddon't forget, I want exciting views."
"I'll try--" began our hero.
"Wait, I know what you're going to say!" interrupted Mr. Period."You'll do it, of course. Well, I must be going. I will-- GreatScott!" and Mr. Period interrupted himself. "He has the nerve to comehere!"
"Who?" asked Tom.
"Wilson Turbot, the rascal! He's trying to balk me at the last minute,I believe. I'm going to see what he means!" and with this, the excitedMr. Period rushed down the gangplank, toward the man at whom he hadpointed--one of the men who had tried to buy Tom's picture takingcamera.
A moment later the steamer's whistle blew, the last belated passengerrushed up the gangplank, it was drawn in, and the vessel began to moveaway from the dock. Tom and his friends were on their way to India, andthe last glimpse they had of Mr. Period was as he was chasing along thepier, after Mr. Turbot.
Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures Page 9
