CHAPTER XIV
IN A GREAT GALE
Tom Swift rose slowly to his feet, carefully setting his camera down,after making sure that it was not injured. Then he looked at the hugebeast which lay dead in front of him, and, going over to the giant heheld out his hand to him.
"Koku, you saved my life," spoke Tom. "Probably the life of Mr. Damonalso. I can't begin to thank you. It isn't the first time you've doneit, either. But I want to say that you can have anything you want, thatI've got."
"Me like this gun pretty much," said the giant simply.
"Then it's yours!" exclaimed Tom. "And you're the only one, exceptmyself, who has ever owned one." Tom's wonderful electric rifle, ofwhich I have told you in the book bearing that name, was one of hismost cherished inventions.
He guarded jealously the secret of how it worked, and never sold orgave one away, for fear that unscrupulous men might learn how to makethem, and to cause fearful havoc. For the rifle was a terrible weapon.Koku seemed to appreciate the honor done him, as he handled the gun,and looked from it to the dead rhinoceros.
"Bless my blank cartridge!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, as he also got up andcame to examine the dead beast. It was the first thing he had saidsince the animal had rushed at him, and he had not moved after he felldown. He had seemingly been in a daze, but when the others heard himuse one of his favorite expressions they knew that he was all rightagain. "Bless my hat!" went on the odd man. "What happened, Tom? Isthat beast really dead? How did Koku come to arrive in time?"
"I guess he's dead all right," said Tom, giving the rhinoceros a kick."But I don't know how Koku happened to arrive in the nick of time, andwith the gun, too."
"I think maybe I see something to shoot when I come after you, like youtell me to do," spoke the giant. "I follow your trail, but I seenothing to shoot until I come here. Then I see that animal run for you,and I shoot."
"And a good thing you did, too," put in Ned. "Well let's go back. Mynerves are on edge, and I want to sit quiet for a while."
"Take the camera, Koku," ordered Tom, "and I'll carry the electricrifle--your rifle, now," he added, and the giant grinned in delight.They reached the airship without further incident, and, after a cup oftea, Tom took out the exposed films and put a fresh roll in his camera,ready for whatever new might happen.
"Where is your next stopping place, Tom?" asked Ned, as they sat in themain room of the airship that evening, talking over the events of theday. They had decided to stay all night anchored on the ground, andstart off in the morning.
"I hardly know," answered the young inventor. "I am going to set thecamera to-night, near a small spring I saw, to get some pictures ofdeer coming to drink. I may get a picture of a lion or a tigerattacking them. If I could it would be another fine film. To-morrow Ithink we will start for Switzerland. But now I'm going to get thecamera ready for a night exposure.
"Bless my check book!" cried Mr. Damon. "You don't mean to say that youare going to stay out at a spring again, Tom, and run the chance of atiger getting you."
"No, I'm merely going to set the camera, attach the light and let itwork automatically this time. I've put in an extra long roll of film,for I'm going to keep it going for a long while, and part of the timethere may be no animals there to take pictures of. No, I'm not going tosit out to-night. I'm too tired. I'll conceal the camera in the bushesso it won't be damaged if there's a fight. Then, as I said, we'll startfor Switzerland to-morrow."
"Switzerland!" cried Ned. "What in the world do you want to go make abig jump like that for? And what do you expect to get in that mountainland?"
"I'm going to try for a picture of an avalanche," said Tom. "Mr.Period wants one, if I can get it. It is quite a jump, but then we'llbe flying over civilized countries most of the time, and if anyaccident happens we can go down and easily make repairs. We can alsoget gasolene for the motor, though I have quite a supply in the tanks,and perhaps enough for the entire trip. At the same time we won't takeany chances. So we'll be off for Switzerland in the morning.
"I think some avalanche pictures will be great, if you can get them,"remarked Mr. Nestor. "But, Tom, you know those big slides of ice, snowand earth aren't made to order."
"Oh, I know," agreed the young inventor with a smile. "I'll just haveto take my chances, and wait until one happens."
"Bless my insurance policy!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "And when it doeshappen, Tom, are you going to stand in front of it, and snap-shot it?"
"Indeed I'm not. This business is risky and dangerous enough, withoutlooking for trouble. I'm going to the mountain region, and hover aroundin the air, until we see an avalanche 'happen' if that is the rightword. Then I'll focus the camera on it, and the films and machinerywill do the rest."
"Oh, that's different," remarked the odd man, with an air of relief.
Tom and Ned soon had the camera set near the spring and then, everyonebeing tired with the day's work and excitement, they retired. In themorning there were signs around the spring that many animals had beenthere in the night. There were also marks as if there had been a fight,but of course what sort, or how desperate, no one could say.
"If anything happened the camera got it, I'm sure of that much,"remarked Tom, as he brought in the apparatus. "I'm not going to developthe roll, for I don't want to take the time now. I guess we must havesomething, anyhow."
"If there isn't it won't so much matter for you have plenty of othergood views," said Mr. Nestor.
I will not go into details of the long trip to Switzerland, where, amidthe mountains of that country, Tom hoped to get the view he wanted.
Sufficient to say that the airship made good time after leaving India.Sometimes Tom sent the craft low down, in order to get views, andagain, it would be above the clouds.
"Well, another day will bring us there," said Tom one evening, as hewas loading the camera with a fresh roll of films. "Then we'll have tobe on the lookout for an avalanche."
"Yes, we're making pretty good time," remarked Ned, as he looked at thespeed gage. "I didn't know you had the motor working so fast, Tom."
"I haven't," was the young inventor's answer, as he looked up insurprise. "Why, we are going quite fast! It's the wind, Ned. It'sright with us, and it's carrying us along."
Tom arose and went to the anemometer, or wind-registering instrument.He gave a low whistle, half of alarm.
"Fifty miles an hour she's blowing now," he said. "It came on suddenly,too, for a little while ago it was only ten."
"Is there any danger?" asked Mr. Nestor, for he was not very familiarwith airship perils.
"Well, we've been in big blows before, and we generally came out allright," returned Tom. "Still, I don't like this. Why she went up fivepoints since I've been looking at it!" and he pointed to the needle ofthe gage, which now registered fifty-five miles an hour.
"Bless my appendix!" gasped Mr. Damon. "It's a hurricane Tom!"
"Something like that," put in Ned, in a low voice.
With a suddenness that was startling, the wind increased in violencestill more. Tom ran to the pilot house.
"What are you going to do?" Ned called.
"See if we can't go down a bit," was Tom's answer. "I don't like this.It may be calmer below. We're up too high as it is."
He tried to throw over the lever controlling the deflecting rudder,which would send the Flyer down, but he could not move it.
"Give me a hand!" he called to Ned, but even the strength of the twolads was not sufficient to shift it.
"Call Koku!" gasped Tom. "If anybody can budge it the giant can!"
Meanwhile the airship was being carried onward in the grip of a mightywind, so strong that its pressure on the surface of the deflectingrudder prevented it from being shifted.
Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures Page 14
