Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice, or, the Wreck of the Airship

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER III

  ABE IS DECEIVED

  Raising a ladder alone is rather an awkward job. Tom found this sowhen he tried to aid his friend Ned. But, being a muscular lad, theyoung inventor did finally succeed in getting the ladder up againstthe fence where the bank clerk could reach it.

  Whack! Down upon the top board came a stick wielded by Andy Fogerfrom the rear window of his shop.

  "Wow!" cried Ned, for the blow had been close to his fingers. "Hurryup with that ladder, Tom."

  "There it is! But why don't you drop?"

  "Too far. I can't reach the ladder now!"

  "Yes, you can. Stretch a bit!"

  "Whack!" Once more the stick descended on the fence, this time stillcloser to Ned's clinging hands.

  "Hit him good, Andy!" cried Sam Snedecker, "Give me a shot at him!"

  "I will not. I want to attend to him myself. You go tell my father,and he'll have Tom Swift arrested for trying to sneak in and getsome of my airship ideas!"

  By this time Ned's wiggling feet had found the topmost rung of theladder. The next moment he was rapidly descending it, and, when onthe ground, he and Tom carried it away, to prevent its use by theenemy.

  "Whew!" exclaimed the young inventor. "I had no idea they would kickup such a row!"

  "Me either. Did you hurt yourself when you jumped, as the ladderfell?"

  "No. Did they hit your hands?"

  "Came mighty near it. Well, I s'pose it serves us right, yet if Ican't look over my own back fence it's a pity!"

  "Of course we can, only I'd just as soon they hadn't seen us.However--hello! there's Andy looking over here, now."

  The mean face of the bully now topped the fence. It was evident thathe had crawled from the window of his shop.

  "What are you trying to get into my place for, Tom Swift?" hedemanded.

  "I wasn't trying to get in, Andy Foger."

  "Well, you were looking in."

  "Only doing as you've done over at my shop, several times, Andy. Iwanted to see what sort of an airship you were building."

  "Trying to get some ideas for your own, I guess," sneered Andy.

  Tom did not think it worth while to answer this taunt.

  "I could have you arrested for this," went on Andy, who felt boldernow that he was reinforced by Sam and Pete on either side of him ashe looked over the fence into Ned's yard.

  "Arrested for what?" demanded the bank clerk.

  "For trespassing on my father's premises," went on Andy.

  "We weren't on your premises," declared Ned. "We were on our side ofthe fence all the while."

  "Well, you were looking over in my yard."

  "A cat may look at a king, you know, Andy," Tom reminded the bully.

  "Yah! Think you're smart, don't you! Well, you can't steal any of myideas for an airship. They're all patented, and I'll soon be makinglonger and higher flights than you ever dreamed of! I'll show youwhat a real airship is, Tom Swift! Monoplanes and biplanes are outof date. The only thing that's any good is a triplane. If mine workswell--and I'm sure it will--I may build a quadruplane!"

  "I wish you luck," spoke Tom, with a shrug of his shoulders.

  "Well, you won't have any luck if you come around here any more,"went on Pete Bailey. "We'll be on the watch for you fellows, now,and we'll cover this window, so you can't see in."

  "That's what we will," agreed Andy, and Sam Snedecker shook his headvigorously to indicate that he, too, approved of this.

  "Come on," spoke Tom in a low tone to Ned, "I've seen enough."

  The two chums moved toward Ned's house, followed by the jeers andmocking laughter of Andy and his cronies.

  "Can't you get back at them in some way?" asked Ned, for he did notlike to see himself or his friend apparently vanquished by thebully.

  "He laughs best who laughs last, Ned."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that when Andy tries to fly in his triplane it will be ourturn to laugh."

  "Won't it fly?"

  "Never, the way he has it rigged up. It didn't take but one look totell me that. He's working on altogether the wrong principle. Waituntil he tries to go up, and then we'll have some fun with him."

  "Then you got a good view of it through the window?"

  "I saw all I wanted to. But say, I was about to take a little tripin my monoplane, to see my friend Mr. Damon, when Abe's letterarrived, and you came along with your news. I started to takeEradicate, but he backed out. Don't you want to come?"

  "Sure, I'll go along."

  Ned had often ridden in the trim Butterfly, though the trips had notbeen so frequent that he was tired of them. A little later, Tom,having adjusted the motor that had stalled before, compelling him tovol-plane back to earth, the two chums were sailing through the airtoward Waterford.

  "Why, bless my shoe laces!" cried Mr. Damon, as they alighted in theyard of his house, about an hour later. "I didn't expect you, Tom.But I'm glad to see you!"

  "And I to meet you again. I guess you know Ned Newton."

  "Ah, yes. How d'ye do, Ned? Bless my appetite! but it's quitechilly. We'll soon have winter. Won't you come in and have some hotchocolate?"

  The boys were glad to accept the invitation, and as they weredrinking the beverage, which Mrs. Damon made for them, Tom told ofthe receipt of the letter from the old miner, and also hisexperience in seeing Andy's airship.

  "Why, bless my pocketbook!" cried Mr. Damon. "I had no idea we'dever hear from Abe Abercrombie again. And so he is really coming on,to tell us about the valley of gold?"

  "So he says," replied Tom. "I was wondering if you'd like to go, Mr.Damon."

  "Go? Why, bless my very topknot! Of course I would. I'll go withyou--only--only," and he leaned forward and whispered cautiously,"don't speak so loudly. My wife might hear you!"

  "Doesn't she want you to go off in the airship any more?" asked Tom.

  "Well, she'd rather I wouldn't. But she's going on a visit to hermother, soon, and then I think will come my opportunity to takeanother trip with you. A valley of gold in Alaska, eh? Up where theicebergs and caves of ice are. Say, Tom, I know some one else whowould be glad to go."

  "Who?" inquired the young inventor, though he had an idea to whomhis friend referred.

  "Mr. Parker! You know he's taken up his residence in Waterford, now,and only the other day he spoke to me about wishing he could go tothe far north. He has some new theory--"

  "About the destruction of something or other; hasn't he, Mr. Damon?"interrupted Tom, with a smile.

  "That's it, exactly, my boy. Bless my coffeepot! But Mr. Parker hasan idea that the whole northern part of this continent will soon beburied thousands of feet deep under an icy avalanche, and he wantsto be there to see it. I know he'd like to go with us, Tom."

  The young inventor made a little gesture of dissent, but as he knewMr. Damon, who was very eccentric himself, had taken a great likingto the gloomy scientist, Tom did not feel like refusing. So he said:

  "All right, Mr. Damon. If we go, and I think we shall, we'll expectyou and Mr. Parker. I'll let you know the result of Mr.Abercrombie's visit, and I needn't request you to keep quiet aboutit. If there is a valley of gold in Alaska, we don't want everyoneto know about it."

  "No, of course not, Tom Swift. I'll keep silent about it. Bless myliverpin! But I'll be glad to be on the move again, even if it istoward the Arctic regions."

  After some further talk, Tom and Ned took their departure, makinggood time back to Shopton in the speedy monoplane.

  For several days after that Tom busied himself about his big airshipthe RED CLOUD, for it needed quite a few repairs after the long tripto the mountains where the diamond makers had been discovered intheir cave.

  "And if we're going up amid the ice and snow," reasoned Tom, "I'vegot to make some different arrangements about the craft, and providefor keeping warmer than we found necessary when we went west."

  So it was that Tom had no time to learn anything further about AndyFoger's airship, eve
n had our hero been so inclined, which he wasnot. He looked for Abe Abercrombie any day now, for though the oldminer had given no date as to when he would arrive, he had said, inhis letter, that it would be soon.

  It was one day, nearly a week after Tom's attempt to make Eradicatelike aeroplaning, that there might have been seen, coming along theShopton road, which led toward Tom's house, the figure of a grizzledold man. His clothes were rather rough, and he carried a valise thathad, evidently, seen much service. There was that about him whichproclaimed him for a westerner--a cattleman or a miner.

  He walked slowly along, murmuring to himself.

  "Wa'al, I might better have taken one of them wagons at th' depot,"he said, "than t' try t' walk. It's quite a stretch out t' TomSwift's house. I hope I find him home."

  He trudged on, and, a little later, his gaze was attracted by alarge shed, in the rear of a white house the pretentious appearanceof which indicated that persons of wealth owned it.

  "I guess that must be the place," he remarked. "That shed is bigenough to hold the airship. Now to present myself."

  As he walked up the front path of the house, he was met by one ofthe gardeners, who was raking up the leaves.

  "Is this the airship place?" asked the miner.

  "Yes, that's where the young master is making his triplane,"answered the man.

  "Is he in?"

  "Yes, I guess so. You can walk right back to the shed."

  The miner did so. Through the open door of the building he had aglimpse of big stretches of wings, propellers, rudders, and somemachinery.

  "That's it," he murmured, "though it looks some different than Iremembered it. However, maybe Tom's changed it about. I wonder wherehe is?"

  As he spoke a lad came from the shed to meet him--a lad on whoseface there was a look of suspicion.

  "What do you want?" he demanded.

  "I'm lookin' for Tom Swift," was the simple reply. "But I take ityou're one of his partners in this airship business. I guess he musthave told you about me. I'm Abe Abercrombie, the miner, and I'vecome to show him the way to that valley of gold in Alaska."

  At the mention of Tom Swift's name, Andy Foger, for it was he, hadstarted to utter a denial. But, at the next words of the miner, andas Mr. Abercrombie mentioned "gold" and "Alaska," there came acunning look over Andy's face.

  "Tom Swift isn't here just now," he said, wondering how he couldturn to advantage the unexpected visit, and the impendinginformation that the guileless old man was about to give under themistaken idea that Andy was Tom's friend.

  "That's all right, I reckon he'll be along presently. You'll do justas well, I reckon. You're in partnership with him, I take it. Sothis is the place where he makes his airships, eh? It's a big one,"and Mr. Abercrombie looked in at the odd triplane of Andy's--for theairship was almost finished.

  "But it'll need to be big if we're to go to Alaska in it," went onthe miner. "It's quite a journey t' th' valley where th' gold is. Noway t' get t' it except by an airship. An' here I be an' ready tostart, I've brought th' map of th' place, jest as I promised. Hereit is, better take good care of it. Now, let's talk business," andthe miner, having guilelessly handed Andy Foger a folded parchment,sat down on a box at the door of the airship shed, and placed hisheavy valise on the ground beside him.

  "What's this?" asked the bully, wondering whether he had heardaright.

  "It's the map of th' valley of gold--directions how t' git there,an' all that. I guess it's plain enough. Now, when can we start?"

  Andy did not know what to say. Fate had, most unexpectedly, placedin his hands a valuable paper. The miner had made a mistake. Andy'shouse was on the same road as was Tom's and, seeing the airshipshed, had deceived the aged man. He had not expected to find twoairship manufactories in the same village.

  "The map of the valley of gold," murmured Andy, as he put it in hispocket.

  "Yes, jest as I told Tom about when I met him out West. I said I'dbring it with me, an' I did. When will Tom be back? He never spokeof you, though I reckoned he'd have to have some help in makin' hisairships. Where is he?"

  "He--he--" stammered Andy. He did not know what to say.

  At that instant Tom Swift himself passed by in the road. He had beenover to Shopton on an errand. One look into the yard of Andy's houseshowed to our hero the old miner sitting at the door of the airshipshed.

  "Mr. Abercrombie--Abe!" cried Tom, almost, before he thought.

  "Hello, Tom! I got here!" cried the miner, heartily. "I was jesttalking to your partner."

  "My partner!" spoke Tom in amazement.

  "Yes--partner in th' airship business. I should think you'd needabout three partners to build these machines!"

  "My partner! Andy Foger isn't my partner!" cried Tom, wondering whatwould happen next. "I have no partner! If he said he was he deceivedyou!"

  "No partner? Ain't he your partner?" cried Mr. Abercrombie. "Why, Ithought he was. I told him about th' valley of gold--I--I--give himthe map--"

  "The map?"

  "Yes, the map t' tell how to get there. He's got it!"

  There was a mocking smile on Andy's face.

  "Give that map back at once!" cried Tom, sternly, now understandingsomething of the situation. "Hand it over at once, Andy Foger!"

  "I will--when I get ready! He gave it to me!" cried the bully, andthen, before either Tom or Abe could stop him, Andy darted into thebig shed, and slammed shut the door.