Tom Swift and his Great Searchlight
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Victor Appleton >> Tom Swift and his Great Searchlight
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10 Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight
or
On the Border for Uncle Sam
by Victor Appleton
AUTHOR OF "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS
SUBMARINE BOAT," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE," "TOM SWIFT IN
CAPTIVITY," ETC.
ILLUSTRATED
CONTENTS
I A SCRAP OF PAPER
II A SPY IN TOWN
III QUEER REPAIRS
IV SEARCHING FOR SMUGGLERS
V THE RAID
VI THE APPEAL TO TOM
VII A SEARCHLIGHT IS NEEDED
VIII TOM'S NEWEST INVENTION
IX "BEWARE OF THE COMET!"
X OFF FOR THE BORDER
XI ANDY'S NEW AIRSHIP
XII WARNED AWAY
XIII KOKU SAVES THE LIGHT
XIV A FALSE CLEW
XV THE RESCUE ON THE LAKE
XVI KOKU'S PRISONER
XVII WHAT THE INDIAN SAW
XVIII THE PURSUIT
XIX IN DIRE PERIL
XX SUSPICIOUS ACTIONS
XXI MR. PERIOD ARRIVES
XXII HOVERING O'ER THE BORDER
XXIII NED IS MISSING
XXIV THE NIGHT RACE
XXV THE CAPTURE--CONCLUSION
TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
CHAPTER I
A SCRAP OF PAPER
"Tom, did you know Andy Foger was back in town?"
"Great Scott, no, I didn't Ned! Not to stay, I hope."
"I guess not. The old Foger homestead is closed up, though I did see
a man working around it to-day as I came past. But he was a
carpenter, making some repairs I think. No, I don't believe Andy is
here to stay."
"But if some one is fixing up the house, it looks as if the family
would come back," remarked Tom, as he thought of the lad who had so
long been his enemy, and who had done him many mean turns before
leaving Shopton, where our hero lived.
"I don't think so," was the opinion of Ned Newton, who was Tom
Swift's particular chum. "You know when Mr. Foger lost all his
money, the house was supposed to be sold. But I heard later that
there was some flaw in the title, and the sale fell through. It is
because he couldn't sell the place that Mr. Foger couldn't get money
to pay some of his debts. He has some claim on the house, I believe,
but I don't believe he'd come back to live in it."
"Why not?"
"Because it's too expensive a place for a poor man to keep up, and
Mr. Foger is now poor."
"Yes, he didn't get any of the gold, as we did when we went to the
underground city," remarked Tom. "Well, I don't wish anybody bad
luck but I certainly hope the Fogers keep poor enough to stay away
from Shopton. They bothered me enough. But where did you see Andy?"
"Oh, he was with his crony, Sam Snedecker. You know Sam said, some
time ago, that Andy was to pay him a visit, but Andy didn't come
then, for some reason or other. I suppose this call makes up for it.
I met them down near Parker's drug store."
"You didn't hear Andy say anything about coming back here?" and the
young inventor's voice was a trifle anxious.
"No," replied Ned. "What makes you so nervous about it?"
"Well, Ned, you know what Andy is--always trying to make trouble for
me, even sneaking in my shop sometimes, trying to get the secret of
some of my airships and machinery. And I admit I think it looks
suspicious when they have a carpenter working on the old homestead.
Andy may come back, and--"
"Nonsence, Tom! If he does you and I can handle him. But I think
perhaps the house may be rented, and they may be fixing it up for a
tenant. It's been vacant a long time you know, and I heard the other
day that it was haunted."
"Haunted, Ned! Get out! Say, you don't believe in that sort of bosh,
do you?"
"Of course not. It was Eradicate who told me, and he said when he
came past the place quite late the other night he heard groans, and
the clanking of chains coming from it, and he saw flashing lights."
"Oh, wow! Eradicate is geting batty in his old age, poor fellow! He
and his mule Boomerang are growing old together, and I guess my
colored helper is 'seeing things,' as well as hearing them. But, as
you say, it may be that the house is going to be rented. It's too
valuable a property to let stand idle. Did you hear how long Andy
was going to stay?"
"A week, I believe."
"A week! Say, one day would be enough I should think."
"You must have some special reason for being afraid Andy will do you
some harm," exclaimed Ned. "Out with it, Tom."
"Well, I'll tell you what it is, Ned," and Tom led his chum inside
the shop, in front of which the two lads had been talking. It was a
shop where the young inventor constructed many of his marvelous
machines, aircraft, and instruments of various sorts.
"Do you think some one may hear you?" asked Ned.
"They might. I'm not taking any chances. But the reason I want to be
especially careful that Andy Foger doesn't spy on any of my
inventions is that at last I have perfected my noiseless airship
motor!"
"You have!" cried Ned, for he knew that his chum had been working
for a long time on this motor, that would give out no sound, no
matter at how high a speed it was run. "That's great, Tom! I
congratulate you. I don't wonder you don't want Andy to get even a
peep at it."
"Especially as I haven't it fully patented," went on the young
inventor. He had met with many failures in his efforts to perfect
this motor, which he intended to install on one of his airships. "If
any one saw the finished parts now it wouldn't take them long to
find out the secret of doing away with the noise."
"How do you do it?" asked Ned, for he realized that his chum had no
secrets from him.
"Well, it's too complicated to describe," said Tom, "but the secret
lies in a new way of feeding gasolene into the motor, a new sparking
device, and an improved muffler. I think I could start my new
airship in front of the most skittish horse, and he wouldn't stir,
for the racket wouldn't wake a baby. It's going to be great."
"What are you going to do with it, when you get it all completed?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet. It's going to be some time before I
get it all put together, and installed, and in that time something
may turn up. Well, let's talk about something more pleasant than
Andy Foger. I guess I won't worry about him."
"No, I wouldn't. I'd like to see the motor run."
"You can, in a day or so, but just now I need a certain part to
attach to the sparker, and I had to send to town for it. Koku has
gone after it."
"What, that big giant servant? He might break it on the way back,
he's so strong. He doesn't realize how much muscle he has."
"No, that's so. Well, while we're waiting for him, come on in the
house, and I'll show you some new books I got."
The two lads were soon in the Swift homestead, a pleasant and large
old-fashioned residence, in the suburbs of Shopton. Tom brought out
the books, and he and his chum poured over them.
"Mr. Damon gave me that one on electricity," explained the young
inventor, handing Ned a bulky volume.
"'Bless my bookmark!' as Mr. Damon himself would say if he were
here," exclaimed Ned with a laugh. "That's a dandy. But Mr. Damon
didn't give you THIS one," and Ned picked up a dainty volume of
verse. "'To Tom Swift, with the best wishes of Mary--'" but that
was as far as he read, for Tom grabbed the book away, and closed the
cover over the flyleaf, which bore some writing in a girl's hand. I
think my old readers can guess whose hand it was.
"Wow! Tom Swift reading poetry!" laughed Ned.
"Oh, cut it out," begged his chum. "I didn't know that was among the
books. I got it last Christmas. Now here's a dandy one on lion
hunting, Ned," and to cover his confusion Tom shoved over a book
containing many pictures of wild animals.
"Lion hunting; eh," remarked Ned. "Well, I guess you could give them
some points on snapping lions with your moving picture camera, Tom."
"Yes, I got some good views," admitted the young inventor modestly.
"I may take the camera along on some trips in my noiseless airship.
Hello! here comes Koku back. I hope he got what I wanted."
A man, immense in size, a veritable giant, one of two whom Tom Swift
had brought away from captivity with him, was entering the front
gate. He stopped to speak to Mr. Swift, Tom's father, who was
setting out some plants in a flower bed, taking them from a large
wheel barrow filled with the blooms.
Mr. Swift, who was an inventor of note, had failed in his health of
late, and the doctor had recommended him to be out of doors as much
as possible. He delighted in gardening, and was at it all day.
"Look!" suddenly cried Ned, pointing to the giant. Then Tom and his
chum saw a strange sight.
With a booming laugh, Koku picked up Mr. Swift gently and set him on
a board that extended across the front part of the wheel barrow.
Then, as easily as if it was a pound weight, the big man lifted Mr.
Swift, barrow, plants and all, in his two hands, and carried them
across the garden to another flower bed, that was ready to be
filled.
"No use to walk when I can carry you, Mr. Swift," exclaimed Koku
with a laugh. "I overtook you quite nice; so?"
"Yes, you took me over in great shape, Koku!" replied the aged
inventor with a smile at Koku's English, for the giant frequently
got his words backwards. "That barrow is quite heavy for me to
wheel."
"You after this call me," suggested Koku.
"Say, but he's strong all right," exclaimed Ned, "and that was an
awkward thing to carry."
"It sure was," agreed Tom. "I haven't yet seen any one strong enough
to match Koku. And he's gentle about it, too. He's very fond of
dad."
"And you too, I guess," added Ned.
"Well, Koku, did you get that attachment?" asked Tom, as his giant
servant entered the room.
"Yes, Mr. Tom. I have it here," and from his pocket Koku drew a
heavy piece of steel that would have taxed the strength of either of
the boys to lift with one hand. But Koku's pockets were very large
and made specially strong of leather, for he was continually putting
odd things in them.
Koku handed over the attachment, for which his master had sent him.
He held it out on a couple of fingers, as one might a penknife, but
Tom took both hands to set it on the ground.
"I the female get, also," went on Koku, as he began taking some
letters and papers from his pocket. "I stop in the office post, and
the female get."
"Mail, Koku, not female," corrected Tom with a laugh. "A female is a
lady you know."
"For sure I know, and the lady in the post office gave me the
female. That is I said what, did I not?"
"Well, I guess you meant it all right," remarked Ned. "But letter
mail and a male man and a female woman are all different."
"Oh such a language!" gasped the giant. "I shall never learn it.
Well, then, Mr. Tom, here is your mail, that the female lady gave to
me for you, and you are a male. It is very strange."
Koku pulled out a bundle of letters, which Tom took, and then the
giant continued to delve for more. One of the papers, rolled in a
wrapper, stuck on the edge of the pocket.
"You must outcome!" exclaimed Koku, giving it a sudden yank, and it
"outcame" with such suddenness that the paper was torn in half,
tightly wrapped as it was, and it was considerable of a bundle.
"Koku, you're getting too strong!" exclaimed Tom, as scraps of paper
were scattered about the room. "I think I'll give you less to eat."
"I am your forgiveness," said Koku humbly, as he stooped over to
pick up the fragments. "I did not mean."
"It's all right," said Tom kindly. "That's only a big bundle of
Sunday papers I guess."
"I'll give him a hand," volunteered Ned, stooping over to help Koku
clear the rug of the litter. As he did so Tom's chum gave a gasp of
surprise.
"Hello, Tom!" Ned cried. "Here's something new, and I guess it will
interest you."
"What is it?"
"It's part of an account of some daring smugglers who are working
goods across the Canadian border into the northern part of this
state. The piece is torn, but there's something here which says the
government agents suspect the men of using airships to transport the
stuff."
"Airships! Smugglers using airships!" cried Tom. "It doesn't seem
possible!"
"That's what it says here, Tom. It says the custom house authorities
have tried every way to catch them, and when they couldn't land 'em,
the only theory they could account for the way the smuggling was
going on was by airships, flying at night."
"That's odd. I wonder how it would seem to chase a smuggler in an
airship at night? Some excitement about that; eh, Ned? Let's see
that scrap of paper."
Ned passed it over, and Tom scanned it closely. Then in his turn, he
uttered an exclamation of surprise.
"What is it?" inquired his chum.
"Great Scott, Ned, listen to this! 'It is suspected that some of the
smugglers have'--then there's a place where the paper is torn-'in
Shopton, N.Y.'" finished Tom. "Think of that, Ned. Our town here, is
in some way connected with the airship smugglers! We must find the
rest of this scrap of paper, and paste it together. This may be a
big thing! Find that other scrap! Koku, you go easy on papers next
time," cautioned Tom, good naturedly, as he and his chum began
sorting over the torn parts of the paper.
CHAPTER II
A SPY IN TOWN
Tom Swift, Ned Newton and Koku, the giant, are busy trying to piece
together the torn parts of the paper, containing an account of the
airship smugglers. I will take the opportunity of telling you
something about the young inventor and his work, for, though many of
my readers have made Tom's acquaintances in previous books of this
series, there may be some who pick up this one as their first
volume.
Tom lived with his father, also an inventor of note, in the town of
Shopton, New York state. His mother was dead, and a Mrs. Baggert
kept house. Eradicate was an eccentric, colored helper, but of late
had become too old to do much. Mr. Swift was also quite aged, and
had been obliged to give up most of his inventive work.
Ned Newton was Tom Swift's particular chum, and our hero had another
friend, a Mr. Wakefield Damon, of the neighboring town of Waterford.
Mr. Damon had the odd habit of blessing everything he saw or could
think of. Another of Tom's friends was Miss Mary Nestor, whom I have
mentioned, while my old readers will readily recognize in Andy Foger
a mean bully, who made much trouble for Tom.
The first book of the series was called "Tom Swift and His
Motor-Cycle," and on that machine Tom had many advances on the road,
and not a little fun. After that Tom secured a motor boat, and had a
race with Andy Foger. In his airship our hero made a stirring cruise,
while in his submarine boat he and his father recovered a sunken
treasure.
When Tom Swift invented a new electric run-about he did not realize
that it was to be the speediest car on the road, but so it proved,
and he was able to save the bank with it. In the book called "Tom
Swift and His Wireless Message," I told you how he saved the
castaways of Earthquake Island, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Nestor,
the parents of Mary.
Tom Swift had not been long on the trail of the diamond makers
before he discovered the secret of Phantom Mountain, and after that
adventure he went to the caves of ice, where his big airship was
wrecked. But he got home, and soon made another, which he called a
sky racer, and in that he made the quickest flight on record.
With his electric rifle Tom went to elephant land, where he
succeeded in rescuing two missionaries from the red pygmies. A
little later he set out for the city of gold, and had marvelous
adventures underground.
Hearing of a deposit of valuable platinum in Siberia, Tom started
for that lonely place, and, to reach a certain part of if, he had to
invent a new machine, called an air glider. It was an aeroplane
without means of propulsion save the wind.
In the book, "Tom Swift in Captivity," I related the particulars of
how he brought away two immense men from giant land. One, Koku, he
kept for himself, while the other made a good living by being
exhibited in a circus.
When the present story opens Tom had not long been home after a
series of strange adventures. A moving picture concern, with which
Mr. Nestor was associated, wanted some views of remarkable scenes,
such as fights among wild beasts, the capture of herds of elephants,
earthquakes, and volcanos in action, and great avalanches in the
Alps. Tom invented a wizard camera, and got many good views, though
at times he was in great danger, even in his airship. Especially was
this so at the erupting volcano.
But our hero came swiftly hack to Shopton, and there, all Winter and
Spring, he busied himself perfecting a new motor for an airship--a
motor that would make no noise. He perfected it early that Summer,
and now was about to try it, when the incident of the torn newspaper
happened.
"Have you got all the pieces, Tom?" asked Ned, as he passed his chum
several scraps, which were gathered up from the floor.
"I think so. Now we'll paste them together, and see what it says. We
may be on the trail of a big mystery, Ned."
"Maybe. Go ahead and see what you can make of it."
Tom fitted together, as best he could, the ragged pieces, and then
pasted them on a blank sheet of paper.
"I guess I've got it all here now," he said finally. "I'll skip the
first part. You read me most of that, Ned. Just as you told me, it
relates how the government agents, having tried in vain to get a
clew to the smugglers, came to the conclusion that they must be
using airships to slip contraband goods over the border at night."
"Now where's that mention of Shopton? Oh, here it is," and he read:
"'It is suspected that some of the smugglers have been communicating
with confederates in Shopton, New York. This came to the notice of
the authorities to-day, when one of the government agents located
some of the smuggled goods in a small town in New York on the St.
Lawrence. The name of this town is being kept secret for the
present."
"'It was learned that the goods were found in a small, deserted
house, and that among them were letters from someone in Shopton,
relating to the disposal of the articles. They refuse to say who the
letters were from, but it is believed that some of Uncle Sam's men
may shortly make their appearance in the peaceful burg of Shopton,
there to follow up the clew. Many thousands of dollars worth of
goods have been smuggled, and the United States, as well as the
Dominion of Canada custom authorities, say they are determined to
put a stop to the daring efforts of the smugglers. The airship
theory is the latest put forth.'"
"Well, say, that's the limit!" cried Ned, as Tom finished reading.
"What do you know about that?"
"It brings it right home to us," agreed the young inventor. "But who
is there in Shopton who would be in league with the smugglers?"
"That's hard to say."
"Of course we don't know everyone in town," went on Tom, "but I'm
pretty well acquainted here, and I don't know of a person who would
dare engage in such work."
"Maybe it's a stranger who came here, and picked out this place
because it was so quiet," suggested Ned.
"That's possible. But where would he operate from?" asked Tom.
"There are few in Shopton who would want to buy smuggled goods."
"They may only ship them here, and fix them so they can't be
recognized by the custom authorities, and then send them away
again," went on Ned. "This may be a sort of clearing-house for the
smugglers."
"That's so. Well, I don't know as we have anything to do with it.
Only if those fellows are using an airship I'd like to know what
kind it is. Well, come on out to the shop now, and we'll see how the
silent motor works."
On the way Tom passed his father, and, telling him not to work too
hard in the sun, gave his parent the piece of paper to read, telling
about the smugglers.
"Using airships! eh?" exclaimed Mr. Swift. "And they think there's a
clew here in Shopton? Well, we'll get celebrated if we keep on,
Tom," he added with a smile.
Tom and Ned spent the rest of the day working over the motor, which
was set going, and bore out all Tom claimed for it. It was as silent
as a watch.
"Next I want to get it in the airship, and give it a good test," Tom
remarked, speeding it up, as it was connected on a heavy base in the
shop.
"I'll help you," promised Ned, and for the next few days the chums
were kept busy fitting the silent motor into one of Tom's several
airships.
"Well, I think we can make a flight to-morrow," said the young
inventor, about a week later. "I need some new bolts though, Ned.
Let's take a walk into town and get them. Oh, by the way, have you
seen anything more of Andy Foger?"
"No. and I don't want to. I suppose he's gone back home after his
visit to Sam. Let's go down the street, where the Foger house is,
and see if there's anything going on."
As the two lads passed the mansion, they saw a man, in the kind of
suit usually worn by a carpenter, come out of the back door and
stand looking across the garden. In his hand he held a saw.
"Still at the repairs, I guess," remarked Ned. "I wonder what--"
"Look there! Look! Quick!" suddenly interrupted Tom, and Ned,
looking, saw someone standing behind the carpenter in the door. "If
that isn't Andy Foger, I'll eat my hat!" cried Tom.
"It sure is," agreed Ned. "What in the world is he doing there?"
But his question was not answered, for, a moment later, Andy turned,
and went inside, and the carpenter followed, closing the door behind
them.
"That's queer," spoke Tom.
"Very," agreed Ned. "He didn't go back after all. I'd like to know
what's going on in there."
"And there's someone else who would like to know, also, I think,"
said Tom in a low voice.
"Who?" asked Ned.
"That man hiding behind the big tree across the street. I'm sure
he's watching the Foger house, and when Andy came to the door that
time, I happened to look around and saw that man focus a pair of
opera glasses on him and the carpenter."
"You don't mean it, Tom!" exclaimed Ned.
"I sure do. I believe that man is some sort of a spy or a
detective."
"Do you think he's after Andy?"
"I don't know. Let's not get mixed up in the affair, anyhow. I don't
want to be called in as a witness. I haven't the time to spare."
As if the man behind the tree was aware that he had attracted the
attention of our friends, he quickly turned and walked away. Tom and
Ned glanced up at the Foger house, but saw nothing, and proceeded on
to the store.
"I'll wager anything that Andy has been getting in some sort of
trouble in the town he moved to from here," went on Tom, "and he
daren't go back. So he came here, and he's hiding in his father's
old house. He could manage to live there for a while, with the
carpenter bringing him in food. Say, did you notice who that man
was, with the saw?"
"Yes, he's James Dillon, a carpenter who lives down on our street,"
replied Ned. "A nice man, too. The next time I see him, I'm going to
ask him what Andy is doing in town, and what the repairs are that
he's making on the house."
"Well, of course if Andy has been doing anything wrong, he wouldn't
admit it," said Tom. "Though Mr. Dillon may tell you about the
carpenter work. But I'm sure that man was a detective from the town
where Andy moved to. You'll see."
"I don't think so," was Ned's opinion. "If Andy was hiding he
wouldn't show himself as plainly as he did."
The two chums argued on this question, but could come to no
decision. Then, having reached Tom's home with the bolts, they went
hard at work on the airship.
"Well, now to see what happens!" exclaimed Tom the next day, when
everything was ready for a trial flight. "I wish Mr. Damon was here.
I sent him word, but I didn't hear from him."
"Oh, he may show up any minute," replied Ned, as he helped Tom and
Koku wheel the newly-equipped airship out of the shed. "The first
thing you'll hear will be him blessing something. Is this far enough
out, Tom?"
"No, a little more, and then head her up into the wind. I say, Ned,
if this is a success, and--"
Tom stopped suddenly and looked out into the road. Then, in a low
voice, he said, to Ned:
"Don't move suddenly, or he'll suspect that we're onto his game, but
turn around slowly, and look behind that big sycamore tree in front
of our house Ned. Tell me what you see."
"There's a man hiding there, Tom," reported his chum, a little
later, after a cautious observation.
"I thought so. What's he doing?"
"Why he--by Jove! Tom, he's looking at us through opera glasses,
like that other--"
"It isn't ANOTHER, it's the same fellow!" whispered Tom. "It's the
spy who was watching Andy! I'm going to see what's up," and he
strode rapidly toward the street, at the curb of which was the tree
that partly screened the man behind it.
CHAPTER III
QUEER REPAIRS
Quickly Tom Swift crossed the space between the airship, that was
ready for a flight, and the tree. The man behind it had apparently
not seen Tom coming, being so interested in looking at the airship,
which was a wonderful craft. He was taken completely by surprise as
Tom, stepping up to him, asked sharply:
"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The man started so that he nearly dropped the opera glasses, which
he had held focused on the aeroplane. Then he stepped back, and eyed
Tom sharply.
"What do you want?" repeated our hero. "What right have you to be
spying on that airship--on these premises?" The man hesitated a
moment, and then coolly returned the glasses to his pocket. He did
not seem at all put out, after his first start of surprise.
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