Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER XXV

  THE EARTHQUAKE--CONCLUSION

  "Here, Mr. Tom. Me carry you an' Ned. You hold picture machine!" criedthe giant. "Me run faster."

  As he spoke he lifted Ned up under one arm, and caught Tom in theother. For they were but as children to his immense strength. Tom heldon to his camera, and, thus laden down, Koku ran as he had never runbefore, toward the waiting airship.

  "Come on! Come on!" shouted Mr. Damon, for he could see what Tom, Nedand Koku could not, that the stream of lava was nearing them rapidly.

  "It's hot!" cried Ned, as a wave of warm air fanned his cheek.

  "I should say so!" cried Tom. "The volcano is full of red-hot meltedstone."

  There came a sickening shake of the earth. Koku staggered as he ran on,but he kept his feet, and did not fall. Again came a tremendousexplosion, and a shower of fine ashes sifted over the airship, and onKoku and his living burdens.

  "This is the worst ever!" gasped Tom. "But I've got some dandypictures, if we ever get away from here alive to develop them."

  "Hurry, Koku! Hurry!" begged Mr. Nestor. "Bless my shoe laces!" yelledMr. Damon, who was fairly jumping up and down on the deck of the Flyer."I'll never go near a volcano again!"

  Once more the ground shook and trembled, as the earthquake rent it.Several cracks appeared in Koku's path, but he leaped over them withtremendous energy. A moment later he had thrust Tom and Ned over therail, to the deck, and leaped aboard himself.

  "Let her go!" cried Tom. "I'll do the rest of my moving picture work,around volcanoes and earthquakes, from up in the air!"

  The Flyer shot upward, and scarcely a moment too soon, for, an instantafter she left the ground, the stream of hot, burning and bubbling lavarolled beneath her, and those on board could feel the heat of itascending.

  "Say, I'm glad we got out of that when we did," gasped Ned, as helooked down. "You're all right, Koku."

  "That no trouble," replied the giant with a cheerful grin. "Me carryfour fellows like you," and he stretched out his big arms. Tom had atonce set his camera to working again, taking view after view.

  It was a terrifying but magnificent sight that our friends beheld, forthe earth was trembling and heaving. Great fissures opened in manyplaces. Into some of them streams of lava poured, for now the volcanohad opened in several places, and from each crack the melted rocksbelched out. The crater, however, was not sending into the air suchvolumes of smoke and ashes as before, as most of the tremendous energyhad passed, or was being used to spout out the lava.

  The earthquake was confined to the region right about the volcano, orthere might have been a great loss of life in the city. As it was, thedamage done was comparatively slight.

  Tom continued to take views, some showing the earth as it was twistedand torn, and other different aspects of the crater. Then, as suddenlyas the earthquake had begun, it subsided, and the volcano was lessactive.

  "My! I'm glad to see that!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I've had about enoughof horrors!"

  "And I have too," added Tom. "I'm on my last roll of film, and I can'ttake many more pictures. But I guess I have all Mr. Period needs, andwe'll start for home, as soon as I finish the next roll. But I'm goingto save that for a night view. That will be a novelty."

  The volcano became active again after dark, and presented a magnificentthough terrifying aspect. As the airship hovered above it, Tom got someof his best pictures, and then, as the last bit of film slipped alongback of the lens, the airship was headed north.

  "Now for Shopton!" cried Tom. "Our trip is ended."

  "It's too had you didn't have more film," said Ned. "I thought you hadplenty."

  "Well, I used more than I counted on, but there are enough pictures asit is."

  "Plenty," agreed Mr. Nestor. "I'm sure our company will be very wellsatisfied with them, Tom. We can't get home any too soon to suit me.I've had enough excitement."

  "And we didn't see anything of those other fellows whom we heardabout," spoke Mr. Damon, as the big airship flew on.

  "No," said Tom. "But I'm not worrying about them."

  They made another stop in Lima, on their homeward trip, to renew theirsupply of gasolene, and there learned that the rival picture men hadarrived at the volcano too late to see it in operation. This news cameto a relative of one of the two men who lived in Lima.

  "Then our views of the earthquake and the smoking mountain will be theonly ones, and your company can control the rights," said Tom to Mr.Nestor, who agreed with him.

  In due time, and without anything out of the ordinary happening theFlyer reached Shopton, where Tom found a warm welcome awaiting him, notonly from his father, but from a certain young lady, whose name I donot need to mention.

  "And so you got everything you went after, didn't you, Tom," exclaimedMr. Period, a few days later, when he had come from New York to get theremainder of the films.

  "Yes, and some things I didn't expect," replied Tom. "There was--"

  "Yes! Yes! I know!" interrupted the odd picture man. "It was thatjungle fire. That's a magnificent series. None better. And thosescoundrels took your camera; eh?"

  "Yes. Could you connect them with Turbot and Eckert?" asked Tom.

  "No, but I'm sure they were acting for them just the same. I had nolegal evidence to act on, however, so I had to let it go. Turbot andEckert won't be in it when I start selling duplicates of the films youhave. And these last ought to be the best of all. I didn't catch thatfellow when I raced after him on the dock. He got away, and has steeredclear of me since," finished Mr. Period.

  "And our rivals didn't secure any views like ours," said Tom.

  "I'm glad of it," spoke Mr. Period. "Turbot and Eckert bribed one of mymen, and so found out where I was sending messages to you. They evengot a copy of my cablegram. But it did them no good."

  "Were all the films clear that I sent you?" asked our hero.

  "Every one. Couldn't be better. The animal views were particularlyfine. You must have had your nerve with you to get some of 'em."

  "Oh, Tom always has his nerve," laughed Ned.

  "Well, how soon will you be ready to start out again?" asked thepicture man, as he packed up the last of the films which Tom gave him."I'd like to get some views of a Japanese earthquake, and we haven'tany polar views. I want some of them, taken as near the North Pole asyou can get."

  Tom gently shook his head.

  "What! You don't mean to say you won't get them for me?" cried Mr.Period. "With that wonderful camera of yours you can get views no oneelse ever could."

  "Then some one else will have to take them," remarked the younginventor. "I'll lend you the camera, and an airship, and you can goyourself, Mr. Period. I'm going to stay home for a while. I did what Iset out to do, and that's enough."

  "I'm glad you'll stay home, Tom," said his father. "Now perhaps I'llget my gyroscope finished."

  "And I, my noiseless airship," went on our hero. "No, Mr. Period,you'll have to excuse me this time. Why don't you go yourself?" heasked. "You would know just what kind of pictures you wanted."

  "No, I'm a promoter of the moving picture business, and I sell films,but I don't know how to take them," was the answer. "BesidesI--er--well, I don't exactly care for airships, Tom Swift," he finishedwith a laugh. "Well, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me,and I've brought you a check to cover your expenses, and pay you as Iagreed. All the same I'm sorry you won't start for Japan, or the NorthPole."

  "Nothing doing," said Tom with a laugh; and Mr. Period departed.

  "Have you any idea what you will do next?" asked Ned, a day or solater, when he and Tom were in the workshop.

  "I can't tell until I finish my noiseless airship," was the answer."Then something may happen."

  Something did, as I shall have the pleasure of telling you about in thenext volume of this series, to be called, "Tom Swift and His GreatSearchlight; or, On the Border for Uncle Sam," and in it will be givenan account of a great lantern our hero made, and how he baffled
thesmugglers with it.

  "Oh, Tom, weren't you dreadfully frightened when you saw that burningriver of lava coming toward you?" asked Mary Nestor, when the younginventor called on her later and told her some of his adventures. "Ishould have been scared to death."

  "Well, I didn't have time to get scared," answered Tom. "It allhappened so quickly, and then, too I was thinking of my camera. Next Iknew Koku grabbed me, and it was all over."

  "But those wild beasts! Didn't they frighten you, especially when therhinoceros charged you?"

  "If you won't let it get out, I'll make a confession to you," said Tom,lowering his voice. "I was scared stiff that time, but don't let Nedknow it."

  "I won't," promised Mary with a laugh. And now, when Tom is in suchpleasant company, we will take leave of him for a while, knowing that,sooner or later, he will be seeking new adventures as exciting as thoseof the past.

  THE END