CHAPTER XXIV
THE LEAKING TANKS
Like a bird descending from some dizzy height, the Vulture landed closeto the pool of black water. It was a small lake and the darkness musthave been caused by its depth, for later when they took some out in aglass it was as clear as a crystal. Then, too, there might have beenblack rocks on the bottom.
"Can it be possible that we are here at last?" cried Tom, above thenoise of the gale, for the wind was blowing at a terrific rate. But ourfriends knew better now how to adjust themselves to it, and the lakewas down in a valley, the sides of which cut off the power of the gale.As for the glider it was only necessary to equalize the balance and itwould remain stationary in any wind.
"This is the place! This is the place!" cried Ivan Petrofsky. "Don'tyou remember, Peter?"
"Indeed I do! I have good cause to! This is where we found theplatinum!"
"Bless my soul!" cried Mr. Damon. "Where is it, in the lake?"
"The mine itself is just beyond that barrier of broken and twistedtrees," replied the elder Russian brother. "It is an irregular openingin the ground, as though once, centuries ago, an ancient people triedto get out the precious metal. We will go to it at once."
"But it is getting late," objected Ned.
"No matter," said Tom. "If we find any platinum we'll stay here allnight, and longer if necessary to get a good supply. This is betterthan the city of gold, for we're in the open."
"I should say we were," observed Mr. Damon, as he bent to the blast,which was strong, sheltered even as they were.
"Will it be safe to remain all night?" asked Mr. Borious, with a glanceabout the desolate country.
"We have plenty of food," replied Tom, "and a good place to stay, inthe car of the glider. I don't believe we'll be attacked."
"No, not here," said the elder Petrofsky. "But we still have to go backacross Siberia to escape."
"We'll do it!" cried Tom. "Now for the platinum treasure!"
They went forward, and it was no easy work. For the wind still blew withtremendous force though nothing like what it did higher up. And theground was uneven. They had to cling to each other and it was veryevident that no airship, not even the powerful Falcon, could havereached the place. Only an air glider would answer.
It took them half an hour to get to the opening of the ancient mine,and by that time it was nearly dark. But Tom had thought to bringelectric torches, such as he had used in the underground city of gold,and they dispelled the gloom of the small cavern.
"Will you go in?" asked Ivan Petrofsky, when they had come to theplace. He looked at Tom.
"Go in? Of course I'll go in!" cried our hero, stepping forward. Theothers followed. For some time they went on, and saw no traces of theprecious metal. Then Ned uttered a cry, as he saw some dull, grayishparticles imbedded in the earth walls of the shaft.
"Look!" he cried.
Tom was at his chum's side in a moment.
"That's platinum!" cried the young inventor. "And of the very highestgrade! But the lumps are very small."
"There are larger ones beyond," said the younger Russian brother.
Forward they pressed, and a moment later coming around a turn in thecavern where some earth had fallen away, evidently recently, Tom couldnot repress a cry of joy. For there, in plain sight, were many largelumps of the valuable metal, in as pure a state as it is ever found.For it is always mixed with other metals or chemicals.
"Look at that!" cried Tom. "Look at that! Lumps as large as an egg!"and he dug some out with a small pick he had brought along, and stuffedthem into his pocket.
"Bless my check book!" cried Mr. Damon, "and that stuff is as valuableas gold!"
"More so!" cried Tom enthusiastically.
"Oh, here's a whopping big one!" cried Ned. "I'll bet it weighs tenpounds."
"More than that!" cried Tom, as he ran over and began digging it out,and they found later that it did. Platinum is usually found in smallgranules, but there are records of chunks being found weighing twentypounds while others, the size of pigeons' eggs, are not uncommon.
"Say, this is great!" yelled Ned, discovering another large piece, anddigging it out.
"I am glad we could lead you to it," said the elder Russian brother."It is a small return for what you did for us!"
"Nonsense!" cried Tom. "These must be a king's ransom here. Everybodydig it out! Get all you can."
They were all busy, but the light of the two torches Tom had broughtwas not sufficient for good and efficient work, so after gettingseveral thousand dollars worth of the precious metal, they decided topostpone operations until morning, and come with more lights.
They were at the work soon after breakfast, the night in the air gliderhaving passed without incident. The treasure of platinum proved evenricher than the Russians had thought, and it was no wonder the Imperialgovernment had tried so hard to locate it, or get on the trail of thosewho sought it.
"And it's all good stuff!" cried Tom eagerly. "Not like that low-gradegold of the underground city. I can make my own terms when I sell this."
For three days our friends dug and dug in that platinum mine, so manyyears lost to man, and when they got ready to leave they had indeed aking's ransom with them. But it was to be equally divided. Tom insistedon this, as his Russian friends had been instrumental in finding it.Toward the end of the excavation large pieces were scarce, and it wasevident that the mine was what is called a "lode."
"Well, shall we go back now?" asked Tom one day, after the finish oftheir mining operations. The work was comparatively simple, as theplatinum lumps had merely to be dug out of the sides of the cave. Butthe loneliness and dreariness of the place was telling on them all.
"Can't we carry any more?" asked Ned.
"We could, but it might not be safe. I don't want to take on too muchweight, as my glider isn't as stable as the airship. But we have plentyof the metal.
"Indeed we have," agreed Ivan Petrofsky. "Much of mine and my brother'swill go toward helping relieve the sufferings of the Siberian exiles,"he added.
"And mine, too," said Alexis Borious.
They started back early the next morning in a more terrific gale thanin any the glider had yet flown. But she proved herself a stanch craft,and soon they were at the place where they had left the airship. It wasundisturbed.
Four days were spent in taking apart the glider and packing it on boardthe Falcon. Then, with the platinum safely stored away Tom, with a lastlook at the desolate land that had been so kind to them, sent his crafton her homeward way.
It was when they were near the city of Pirtchina, on the Obi river,that what might have proved a disastrous accident occurred. They wereflying along high, and at great speed, for Tom wanted to make all thedistance he could, to get out of Siberia the more quickly. They had hada fair passage so far, and were congratulating themselves that theywould soon be in civilization again.
Suddenly, Mr. Damon, who had been on the after deck, takingobservations through a telescope, came running forward, crying out:
"Tom! Tom! What is that water dripping from the back part of theairship?"
"Water?" exclaimed Tom. "No water is dripping from there."
"Come and look," advised Mr. Damon.
The young inventor raced back with him. He saw a thin, white streamtrickling down from the lower part of the craft. Tom sniffed the airsuspiciously.
"Gasolene! It's gasolene!" he cried. "We must have a leak in the supplytanks!"
He dashed toward the reserve storeroom, and at that moment, with asuddenness that was startling, the motor stopped and the Falcon lurchedtoward the earth.
Tom Swift and His Air Glider; Or, Seeking the Platinum Treasure Page 24
