Tom Swift and His Wireless Message; Or, The Castaways of Earthquake Island

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER IX

  THE WHIZZER FLIES

  For a moment, Tom gazed after the fleeting figure of the cowardlybully. He was half-minded to give pursuit, and then, realizing thathe could find Andy later if he wanted him, the young inventordecided his best plan would be to see what damage had been done. Forthat damage would follow Andy's secret visit to the shop, Tom wascertain.

  Nor was his surmise wrong. Stepping into the building, the ladswitched on the lights, and he could not repress an exclamation ofchagrin as he looked toward his trim little monoplane, theBUTTERFLY.

  Now it was a BUTTERFLY with broken wings, for Andy had slashed thecanvas of the planes in a score of places.

  "The scoundrel!" growled Tom. "I'll make him suffer for this! He'sall but ruined my aeroplane."

  Tom walked around his pet machine. As he came in front, and saw thepropeller, he gave another exclamation. The fine wooden blades ofseveral layers, gracefully curved, which had cost him so much intime and labor to build up, and then fashion to the right shape, hadbeen hacked, and cut with an axe. The propeller was useless!

  "More of Andy's work," murmured Tom. "This is about the worst yet!"

  There came over him a feeling of great despondency, which wassucceeded by a justifiable rage. He wanted to take after the bully,and give him a merciless beating. Then a calmer mood came over Tom.

  "After all, what's the use?" he reasoned. "Whipping Andy wouldn'tmend the BUTTERFLY. She's in bad shape, but I can repair her, when Iget time. Luckily, he didn't meddle with the engine. That's allright." A hasty examination had shown this. "I guess I won't doanything now," went on Tom. "I'll have my hands full getting Mr.Fenwick's airship to run. After that I can come back here and fix upmy own. It's a good thing I don't have to depend on her for makingthe trip to Philadelphia. Poor BUTTERFLY! you sure are in a badway," and Tom felt almost as if he was talking to some livingcreature, so wrapped up was he in his trim little monoplane.

  After another disheartening look at his air craft, the younginventor started to leave the shop. He looked at a door, thefastening of which Andy had broken to gain admittance.

  "I should have had the burglar alarm working, and this would neverhave happened," reasoned Tom. All the buildings were arranged sothat if any one entered them after a certain hour, an alarm wouldring in the house. But of late, the alarm had not been set, as Tomand his father were not working on any special inventions thatneeded guarding. It was due to this oversight that Andy was able toget in undetected.

  "But it won't happen again," declared Tom, and he at once beganconnecting the burglar-apparatus. He went into the house, and toldhis father and the engineer what had occurred. They were bothindignant, and the engineer declared that he would sleep with oneeye open all night, ready to respond to the first alarm.

  "Oh, there's no danger of Andy coming back right away," said Tom."He's too frightened. I wouldn't be surprised if he disappeared fora time. He'll be thinking that I'm after him."

  This proved true, as Andy had left town next morning, and to allinquiries his mother said he had gone to visit relatives. She wasnot aware of her son's meanness, and Tom did not tell her.

  Mr. Damon arrived from his home in Waterfield that day, and, withmany "blessings," wanted to know if Tom was ready for the trial ofthe electrical airship.

  "Yes, we'll leave for Philadelphia to-morrow," was the answer.

  "Are we going in the BUTTERFLY? Bless my watch chain, but I likethat little machine!"

  "It will be some time before you again have a flight in her," saidTom, sorrowfully, as he told of Andy's act of vandalism.

  "Why, bless my individuality!" cried Mr. Damon, indignantly. "Inever heard of such a thing! Never!"

  It did little good to talk of it, however, and Tom wanted to forgetabout it. He wished he had time to repair the monoplane before heleft home, but there was much to do to get ready for the trial ofthe WHIZZER.

  "When will you be back, Tom?" asked Mr. Swift, as his son and Mr.Damon departed for the Quaker City the following morning.

  "Hard to say, dad. If I can make a long flight in the WHIZZER I'lldo so. I may even drop down here and pay you a visit. But if I findthere are many more changes to make in her construction, which ismore than likely, I can't say when I'll return. I'll keep youposted, however, by writing."

  "Can't you arrange to send me some wireless messages?" asked theolder inventor, with a smile.

  "I could, if I had thought to rig up the apparatus on Mr. Fenwick'sairship," was the reply. "I'll hardly have time to do it now,though."

  "Send wireless messages from an aeroplane?" gasped Mr. Damon. "Blessmy gizzard! I never heard of such a thing!"

  "Oh, it can be done," Tom assured him. And this was a fact. Tom hadinstalled a wireless apparatus on his RED CLOUD recently, and it iswell known that several of the modern biplanes can send wirelessmessages. The crossing and bracing wires of the frame are used forsending wires, and in place of ground conductors there are trailerswhich hang below the aeroplane. The current is derived directly fromthe engine, and the remaining things needed are a small step-uptransformer, a key and a few other small parts. Tom had gone a stepfarther than this, and had also arranged to receive wirelessmessages, though few modern aeroplanes are thus equipped as yet.

  But, of course, there was no time now to install a wirelessapparatus on Mr. Fenwick's craft. Tom thought he would be lucky ifhe got the WHIZZER to make even a short flight.

  "Well, let me hear from you when you can," requested Mr. Swift, andTom promised. It was some time after that, and many strange thingshappened before Tom Swift again communicated with his father, at anylength.

  The young inventor had bidden farewell to Miss Nestor the nightprevious. She stated that she had a message that day from herparents aboard the RESOLUTE, which spoke a passing steamer. Mr. andMrs. Nestor, and the other guests of Mr. Hosbrook were well, andanticipated a fine time on reaching the West Indies.

  Tom now said good-by to his father, the housekeeper and Mr. Jackson,not forgetting, of course, Eradicate Sampson.

  "Don't let Andy Foger come sneaking around here, Rad," cautioned theyoung inventor.

  "'Deed an' I won't!" exclaimed the colored man. "Ef he do, I'll habBoomerang kick him t' pieces, an' den I'll whitewash him so his ownfolks won't know him! Oh, don't you worry, Massa Tom. Dat Andy won'tdo no funny business when I'm around!"

  Tom laughed, and started for the station with Mr. Damon. Theyarrived in Philadelphia that afternoon, the trip being very slow, ascompared with the one made by the monoplane. They found Mr. Fenwickanxiously awaiting them, and Tom at once started work on theairship.

  He kept at it until late that night, and resumed early the nextmorning. Many more changes and adjustments were made, and thatafternoon, the young inventor said:

  "I think we'll give it a try-out, Mr. Fenwick."

  "Do you mean make a flight?"

  "Yes, if she'll take it; but only a short one. I want to get her upin the air, and see how she behaves."

  "Well, if you find out, after you're up, that she does well, you maywant to take a long flight," suggested Mr. Fenwick. "If you do, whyI have everything aboard necessary for a long voyage. The WHIZZER iswell stocked with provisions."

  An hour later, the big electric machine was wheeled out into theyard, for, in spite of her size, four men could easily move thecraft about, so well was she balanced. Aside from a few personalfriends of the inventor, himself, his machinists, Tom and Mr. Damon,no one was present at the try-out.

  Tom, Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick climbed into the car which wassuspended below the gas bag, and between the wing-like planes oneither side. The young inventor had decided to make the WHIZZER riseby scudding her across the ground on the bicycle wheels, with whichshe was equipped, and then by using the tilting planes to endeavorto lift her off the earth. He wanted to see if she would go up thatway, without the use of the gas bag.

  All was in readiness. The motor was started and the machinery beganto hum and throb. The propellers
gained speed with every revolution.The airship had been made fast by a rope, to which was attached astrong spring balance, as it was desired to see how much pull theengine would give.

  "Eight hundred pounds," announced one of the machinists.

  "A thousand would be better, but we'll try it," murmured Tom. "Castoff!"

  The rope was loosened, and, increasing the speed of the engine, Tomsignalled to the men to give a little momentum to the craft. Shebegan running over the smooth ground. There was a cheer from the fewspectators. Certainly the WHIZZER made good time on the earth.

  Tom was anxiously watching the gages and other instruments. Hewanted a little more speed, but could not seem to get it. He ran themotor to the utmost, and then, seeing the necessity of making anattempt to get up into the air, before the end of the speedingground was reached, he pulled the elevating plane lever.

  The front of the WHIZZER rose, and then settled down. Tom quicklyshut off the power, and jammed on the brake, an arrangement ofspikes that dug into the earth, for the high board fence loomed upbefore him.

  "What's the matter?" cried Mr. Fenwick, anxiously.

  "Couldn't get up speed enough," answered the young inventor. "Wemust have more momentum to make her rise."

  "Can it be gotten?"

  "I think so. I'll gear the motor higher."

  It took an hour to do this. Once more the scale test was applied. Itregistered a pull of fifteen hundred pounds now.

  "We'll go up," said Tom, grimly.

  Once more the motors spit out fire, and the propellers whirled sothat they looked like mere circles of light. Once more the WHIZZERshot over the ground, but this time, as she neared the fence, sherose up like a bird, cleared it like a trick horse, and soared offinto the air!

  The WHIZZER was flying!