CHAPTER XXIV
THE MOLTEN RIVER
"Whew!" gasped Ned, as he stood beside Tom in the bow of the airship."What's that choking us, Tom?"
"Sulphur, I guess, and gases from the volcano. The wind blew 'em overthis way. They're not dangerous, as long as there is no carbonic acidgas given off, and I don't smell any of that, yet. Say, Ned, it'serupting all right, isn't it?"
"I should say so!" cried his chum.
"Put us a little to one side, Mr. Damon," called Tom to his friend, whowas in the pilot house. "I can't get good pictures through so muchsmoke. It's clearer off to the left."
"Bless my bath robe!" cried the odd man. "You're as cool about it, Tom,as though you were just in an ordinary race, at an aeroplane meet."
"And why shouldn't I be?" asked our hero with a laugh, as he stoppedthe mechanism of the camera until he should have a clearer view of thevolcano. "There's not much danger up here, but I want to get some viewsfrom the level, later, and then--"
"You don't get me down there!" interrupted Mr. Nestor, with a grimlaugh.
They were now hovering over the volcano, but high enough up so thatnone of the great stones that were being thrown out could reach them.The column of black smoke, amid which could be seen the gleams of themolten fires in the crater, rolled toward them, and the smell ofsulphur became stronger.
But when, in accordance with Tom's suggestion, the airship had beensent over to one side, they were clear of the vapor and the noxiousgas. Then, too, a better view could be had of the volcano below them.
"Hold her down!" cried Tom, as he got in a good position, and thepropellers were slowed down so that they just overcame the influence ofa slight wind. Thus the Flyer hovered in the air, while below her thevolcano belched forth red-hot rocks, some of them immense in size, andquantities of hot ashes and cinders. Tom had the camera going againnow, and there was every prospect of getting a startling and wonderful,as well as rare series of moving pictures.
"Wow! That was a big one!" cried Ned, as an unusually large mass ofrocks was thrown out, and the column of fire and smoke ascended nearlyto the hovering craft. A moment later came an explosion, louder thanany that had preceded. "We'd better be going up; hadn't we Tom?" hischum asked.
"A little, yes, but not too far. I want to get as many near views as Ican."
"Bless my overshoes!" gasped Mr. Damon, as he heard Tom say that. Thenhe sent some of the vapor from the generating machine into the gas bag,and the Flyer arose slightly.
Ned looked in the direction of the town, but could not see it, onaccount of the haze. Then he directed his attention to the terrifyingsight below him.
"It's a good thing it isn't very near the city," he said to Tom, whowas engaged in watching the automatic apparatus of the camera, to seewhen he would have to put in a fresh film. "It wouldn't take much ofthis sort of thing to destroy a big city. But I don't see any streamsof burning lava, such as they always say come out of a volcano."
"It isn't time for that yet," replied Tom. "The lava comes out last,after the top layer of stones and ashes have been blown out. They are asort of stopper to the volcano, I guess, like the cork of a bottle,and, when they're out of the way, the red-hot melted rock comes out.Then there's trouble. I want to get pictures of that."
"Well, keep far enough away," advised Mr. Nestor, who had come forward."Don't take any chances. I guess your rivals won't get here in time totake any pictures, for they can't travel as fast as we did."
"No," agreed the young inventor, "unless some other party of them werehere ahead of us. They'll have their own troubles, though, makingpictures anything like as good as we're getting."
"There goes another blast!" cried Ned, as a terrific explosion sounded,and a shower of hot stuff was thrown high into the air. "If I lived inArequipa I'd be moving out about now."
"There isn't much danger I guess, except from showers of burning ashes,and volcanic dust," spoke Mr. Nestor, "and the wind is blowing it awayfrom the town. If it continues this way the people will be saved."
"Unless there is so much of the red-hot lava that it will bury thecity," suggested Tom. "I hope that doesn't happen," and he could notrepress a shudder as he looked down on the awful scene below him.
After that last explosion the volcano appeared to subside somewhat,though great clouds of smoke and tongues of fire leaped upward.
"I've got to put in a new reel of film!" suddenly exclaimed Tom. "WhileI stop the camera, Mr. Damon, I think you and Mr. Nestor might put theairship down to the ground. I want some views on the level."
"What! Go down to earth with this awful volcano spouting fire?" criedMr. Damon. "Bless my comb and brush!"
"We can get well down the side of the mountain," said Tom. "I won't gointo any danger, much less ask any one else to do so, and I certainlydon't want my ship damaged. We can land down there," he said, pointingto a spot on the side of the volcanic mountain, that was some distanceremoved from the mouth of the crater. "It won't take me long to get onereel of views, and then I'll come up again."
The two men finally gave in to Tom's argument, that there wascomparatively little danger, for they admitted that they could quicklyrise up at the first sign of danger, and accordingly the Flyerdescended. Tom quickly had a fresh reel of film inserted, and startedhis camera to working, standing it on a tripod some distance from theairship.
Once more the volcano was "doing its prettiest," as Tom expressed it.He glanced around, as another big explosion took place, to see if anyother picture men were on hand, but the terrible mountain seemeddeserted, though of course someone might be on the other side.
"What's that?" suddenly cried Ned, looking apprehensively at his chum.At the same time Tom jumped to his feet, for he had been kneeling nearthe camera.
"Bless my--" began Mr. Damon, but he got no farther, for suddenly thesolid ground began to tremble and shake.
"An earthquake!" shouted Mr. Nestor. "Come, Tom! Get back to the ship!"The young inventor and Ned had been the only ones to leave it, as itrested on a spur of the mountain.
As Tom and Ned leaped forward to save the camera which was toppling toone side, there came a great fissure in the side of the volcano, and astream of molten rock, glowing white with heat, gushed out. It was averitable river of melted stone, and it was coming straight for the twolads.
"Run! Run!" cried Mr. Nestor. "We have everything ready for a quickflight. Run, Tom! Ned!"
The lads leaped for the Flyer, the molten rock coming nearer andnearer, and then with a cry Koku sprang overboard and made a dashtoward his master.
Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures Page 24
