Tom Swift and his Great Searchlight

V >> Victor Appleton >> Tom Swift and his Great Searchlight

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"We can easily find that out," said Mr. Whitford. "I have a
detective stationed in a house not far from where the Fogers live.
Andy came back from Shopton yesterday, just before you arrived here,
and I can soon let you know whether he was out last night. I'll take
this letter with me, and get right up to my office, though I'm
afraid this won't be much of a clew after all. Print isn't like
handwriting for evidence."

"And to think they sailed right over this place, and we weren't
home," mourned Tom. "It makes me mad!"

But there was no use in regretting what had happened, and, after a
hot breakfast in the airship, with Mr. Damon presiding at the
electrical stove, they all felt more hopeful. Mr. Whitford left for
his office, promising to send word to Tom as to whether or not Andy
was abroad in the airship during the night.

"I wonder if that 'Committee of Three' is Andy and these two fellows
with him in the airship?" asked Ned.

"Hard telling," responded his chum. "Now for a good sleep. Koku,
keep the crowd away while we have a rest," for the giant had
indulged in a good rest while the airship was on patrol during the
night.

Not so much of a crowd came out as on the first day, and Koku had
little trouble in keeping them far enough away so that Tom and the
others could get some rest. Koku walked about, brandishing a big
club, and looking as fierce as a giant in a fairy tale. It was
afternoon when a message came from Mr. Whitford to the effect that
Andy's airship was not out the previous night, and that so far no
clews had developed from the letter, or from any other source.

"We'll just have to keep our eyes open," wrote Mr. Whitford. "I
think perhaps we are altogether wrong about the Fogers, unless they
are deeper than I give them credit for. It might he well to let the
smugglers think you are frightened, and go away for a day or so,
selecting a more secluded spot to remain in. That may cause them to
get bolder, and we may catch them unawares."

"That's a good plan. I'll try it," decided Tom. "We'll move to-morrow
to a new location."

"Why not to-night?" asked Ned.

"Because it's getting late, and I want to circle about in daylight
and pick out a good place. Morning will do all right."

"Then you're not going out to-night?"

"No. Mr. Whitford writes that as goods were smuggled over last night
it will hardly be likely that they will repeat the trick to-night.
We'll have a little rest."

"Going to mount guard?" asked Ned.

"No, I don't think so. No one will disturb us."

Afterward the young inventor wished that he had kept a better watch
that night, for it nearly proved disastrous for him.

It must have been about midnight that Tom was awakened by a movement
in the airship.

"Who's that?" he asked suddenly.

"Koku," came the reassuring reply. "Too hot to sleep in my bank. I
go out on deck."

"All right, Koku," and Tom dozed off again.

Suddenly he was awakened by the sound of a terrific scuffle on deck.
Up he jumped, rushing toward the door that led from his sleeping
cabin.

"What is it! What's the matter!" he cried.

There came the sound of a blow, a cry of pain, and then the report
of a gun.

"Bless my cartridge belt!" cried Mr. Damon.

"What's the matter? Who is it? What happened?" yelled Ned, tumbling
out of his bunk.

"Something wrong!" answered Tom, as he switched on the electric
lights. He was just in time to see Koku wrench a gun from a man who
stood near the pedestal, on which the great searchlight was poised.
Tossing the weapon aside, Koku caught up his club, and aimed a blow
at the man. But the latter nimbly dodged and, a moment later leaped
over the rail, followed by the giant.

"Who is he? What did he do?" cried Tom after his big servant. "What
happened?"

"Him try to shoot searchlight, but I stop him!" yelled back Koku, as
he rushed on in pursuit. With a leap Tom sprang to the switch of his
lantern, and sent a flood of light toward where Koku was racing
after the intruder.

CHAPTER XIV

A FALSE CLEW

Full in the glare of the powerful beam from the light there was
revealed the giant and the man he was pursuing. The latter neither
Tom, nor any one on the airship, knew. All they could see was that
he was racing away at top speed, with Koku vainly swinging his club
at him.

"Bless my chicken soup!" cried Mr. Damon. "Is anything damaged,
Tom?"

"No, Koku was too quick for him." yelled the youth, as he, too
leaped over the rail and joined in the pursuit.

"Stop! Stop!" called Koku to the man who had sought to damage the
great searchlight. But the fellow knew better than to halt, with an
angry giant so close behind him. He ran on faster than ever.

Suddenly the stranger seemed to realize that by keeping in the path
of the light he gave his pursuers a great advantage. He dodged to
one side, off the path on which he had been running, and plunged
into the bushes.

"Where him go?" called Koku, coming to a puzzled halt.

"Ned, play the light on both sides!" ordered Tom to his chum, who
was now on the deck of the airship, near the wheels and levers that
operated the big lantern. "Show him up!"

Obediently the young bank clerk swung the searchlight from side to
side. The powerful combined electric current, hissing into the big
carbons, and being reflected by the parabolic mirrors, made the
growth of underbrush as brightly illuminated as in day time. Tom
detected a movement.

"There he is, Koku!" he called to his giant servant. "Off there to
the left. After him!"

Raising his club on high, Koku made a leap for the place where the
fugitive was hiding. As the man saw the light, and sprang forward,
he was, for a moment, in the full glare of the rays. Then, just as
the giant was about to reach him, Koku stumbled over a tree root,
and fell heavily.

"Never mind, I'll get him!" yelled Tom, but the next moment the man
vanished suddenly, and was no longer to be seen in the finger of
light from the lantern. He had probably dipped down into some
hollow, lying there hidden, and as of course was out of the focus of
the searchlight.

"Come on, Koku, we'll find him!" exclaimed Tom, and together they
made a search, Mr. Damon joining them, while Ned worked the lantern.
But it was of no avail, for they did not find the stranger.

"Well, we might as well go back," said Tom, at length. "We can't
find him. He's probably far enough off by this time."

"Who was he?" panted Mr. Damon, as he walked beside Tom and Koku to
the airship. Ned had switched off the big light on a signal from the
young inventor.

"I don't know!" answered Tom.

"But what did he want? What was he doing? I don't quite understand."

"He wanted to put my searchlight out of commission," responded our
hero. "From that I should argue that he was either one of the
smugglers, or trying to aid them."

And this theory was borne out by Mr. Whitford, who, on calling the
next morning, was told of the occurrence of the night. Koku related
how he had found it uncomfortable in his bunk, and had gone out on
deck for air. There, half dozing, he heard a stealthy step. At once
he was on the alert. He saw a man with a gun creeping along, and at
first thought the fellow had evil designs on some of those aboard
the Falcon.

Then, when Koku saw the man aim at the big searchlight the giant
sprang at him, and there was a scuffle. The gun went off, and the
man escaped. An examination of the weapon he had left behind showed
that it carried a highly explosive shell, which, had it hit the
lantern, would have completely destroyed it, and might have damaged
the airship.

"It was the smugglers, without a doubt," declared Mr. Whitford. "You
can't get away from this place any too soon, Tom. Get a new hiding
spot, and I will communicate with you there."

"But they are on the watch," objected Ned. "They'll see where we go,
and follow us. The next time they may succeed in smashing the
lantern."

"And if they do," spoke Tom, "it will be all up with trying to
detect the smugglers, for it would take me quite a while to make
another searchlight. But I have a plan."

"What is it?" asked the government agent.

"I'll make a flight to-day," went on the young inventor, "and sail
over quite an area. I'll pick out a good place to land, and we'll
make our camp there instead of here. Then I'll come back to this
spot, and after dark I'll go up, without a light showing. There's no
moon to-night, and they'll have pretty good eyes if they can follow
me, unless they get a searchlight, and they won't do that for fear
of giving themselves away.

We'll sail off in the darkness, go to the spot we have previously
picked out, and drop down to it. There we can hide and I don't
believe they can trace us."

"But how can you find in the darkness, the spot you pick out in
daylight?" Mr. Whitford wanted to know.

"I'll arrange same electric lights, in a certain formation in trees
around the landing place," said Tom. "I'll fix them with a clockwork
switch, that will illuminate them at a certain hour, and they'll run
by a storage battery. In that way I'll have my landing place all
marked out, and, as it can only be seen from above, if any of the
smugglers are on the ground, they won't notice the incandescents."

"But if they are in their airship they will," said Mr. Damon.

"Of course that's possible," admitted Tom, "but, even if they see
the lights I don't believe they will know what they mean. And,
another thing, I don't imagine they'll come around here in their
airship when they know that we're in the neighborhood, and when the
spy who endeavored to damage my lantern reports that he didn't
succeed. They'll know that we are likely to be after them any
minute."

"That's so," agreed Ned. "I guess that's a good plan."

It was one they adopted, and, soon after Mr. Whitford's visit the
airship arose, with him on board, and Tom sent her about in great
circles and sweeps, now on high and again, barely skimming over the
treetops. During this time a lookout was kept for any other
aircraft, but none was seen.

"If they are spying on us, which is probably the case," said Tom,
"they will wonder what we're up to. I'll keep 'em guessing. I think
I'll fly low over Mr. Foger's house, and see if Andy has his airship
there. We'll give him a salute."

Before doing this, however, Tom had picked out a good landing place
in a clearing in the woods, and had arranged some incandescent
lights on high branches of trees. The lights enclosed a square, in
the centre of which the Falcon was to drop down.

Of course it was necessary to descend to do this, to arrange the
storage battery and the clock switch. Then, so as to throw their
enemies off their track, they made landings in several other places,
though they did nothing, merely staying there as a sort of "bluff"
as Ned called it.

"They'll have their own troubles if they investigate every place we
stopped at," remarked Tom, "and, even if they do hit on the one we
have selected for our camp they won't see the lights in the trees,
for they're well hidden."

This work done, they flew back toward Logansville, and sailed over
Andy's house.

"There he is, on the roof, working at his airship!" exclaimed Ned,
as they came within viewing distance, and, surely enough, there was
the bully, tinkering away at his craft. Tom flew low enough down to
speak to him, and, as the Falcon produced no noise, it was not
difficult to make their voices heard.

"Hello, Andy!" called Tom, as he swept slowly overhead.

Andy looked up, but only scowled.

"Nice day; isn't it?" put in Ned.

"You get on away from here!" burst out the bully. "You are
trespassing, by flying over my house, and I could have you arrested
for it. Keep away."

"All right," agreed Tom with a laugh. "Don't trespass by flying over
our ship, Andy. We also might have a gun to shoot searchlights
with," he added.

Andy started, but did not reply, though Tom, who was watching him
closely, thought he saw an expression of fear come over the bully's
face.

"Do you think it was Andy who did the shooting?" asked Ned.

"No, he hasn't the nerve," replied Tom. "I don't know what to think
about that affair last night."

"Excepting that the smugglers are getting afraid of you, and want to
get you out of the way," put in the custom official.

That night, when it was very dark, the Falcon noiselessly made her
way upward and sailed along until she was over the square in the
forest, marked out by the four lights. Then Tom sent her safely
down.

"Now let 'em find us if they can!" the young inventor exclaimed, as he
made the craft fast. "We'll turn in now, and see what happens
to-morrow night."

"I'll send you word, just as soon as I get any myself," promised Mr.
Whitford, when he left the next morning.

Tom and Ned spent the day in going over the airship, making some
minor repairs to it, and polishing and oiling the mechanism of the
searchlight, to have it in the best possible condition.

It was about dusk when the wireless outfit, with which the Falcon
was fitted, began snapping and cracking.

"Here comes a message!" cried Tom, as he clapped the receiver over
his head, and began to translate the dots and dashes.

"It's from Mr. Whitford!" he exclaimed, when he had written it down,
and had sent back an answer, "He says: 'Have a tip that smugglers
will try to get goods over the border at some point near Niagara
Falls to-morrow night. Can you go there, and cruise about? Better
keep toward Lake Ontario also. I will be with you. Answer.'"

"What answer did you send?" asked Ned.

"I told him we'd be on the job. It's quite a little run to make, and
we can't start until after dark, or otherwise some of the smugglers
around here may see us, and tip off their confederates. But I guess
we can make the distance all right."

Mr. Whitford arrived at the airship the next afternoon, stating that
he had news from one of the government spies to the effect that a
bold attempt would be made that night.

"They're going to try and smuggle some diamonds over on this trip,"
said the custom agent.

"Well, we'll try to nab them!" exclaimed Tom.

As soon as it was dark enough to conceal her movements, the Falcon
was sent aloft, not a light showing, and, when on high, Tom started
the motor at full speed. The great propellers noiselessly beat the
air, and the powerful craft was headed for Lake Ontario.

"They're pretty good, if they attempted to cross the lake to-night,"
observed the young inventor, as he looked at the barometer.

"Why so?" asked Ned.

"Because there's a bad storm coming up. I shouldn't want to risk it.
We'll keep near shore. We can nab them there as good as over the
lake."

This plan was adopted, and as soon as they reached the great body of
water--the last in the chain of the Great Lakes--Tom cruised about,
he and Ned watching through powerful night glasses for a glimpse of
another airship.

Far into the night they sailed about, covering many miles, for Tom ran
at almost top speed. They sailed over Niagara Falls, and then well
along the southern shore of Ontario, working their way north-east and
back again. But not a sign of the smugglers did they see.

Meanwhile the wind had arisen until it was a gale, and it began to
rain. Gently at first the drops came down, until at length there was
a torrent of water descending from the overhead clouds. But those in
the Falcon were in no discomfort.

"It's a bad storm all right!" exclaimed Tom, as he looked at the
barometer, and noted that the mercury was still falling.

"Yes, and we have had our trouble for our pains!" declared Mr.
Whitford.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I believe that we have been deceived by a false clew. The
smugglers probably had no intention of getting goods across at this
point to-night. They saw to it that my agent got false information,
believing that we would follow it, and leave the vicinity of
Logansville."

"So they could operate there?" asked Tom.

"That's it," replied the agent. "They drew us off the scent. There's
no help for it. We must get back as soon as we can. My! This is a
bad storm!" he added, as a blast careened the airship.

CHAPTER XV

THE RESCUE ON THE LAKE

For a time the Falcon shot onward through the storm and darkness,
for Tom did not want to give up. With but a single shaded light in
the pilot house, so that he could see to read the gauges and dials,
telling of the condition of the machinery in the motor room, he
pushed his stanch craft ahead. At times she would be forced downward
toward the angry waters of Lake Ontario, over which she was sailing,
but the speed of her propellers and the buoyancy of the gas bag,
would soon lift her again.

"How much longer are you going to stay?" called Ned in his chum's
ear--called loudly, not to be heard above the noise of the airship,
but above the racket of the gale.

"Oh, I guess we may as well start back," spoke Tom, after a look at
the clock on the wall. "We can just about make our camp by daylight,
and they won't see us."

"It won't be light very early," observed Mr. Whitford, looking in
the pilot house from the cabin, just aft of it. "But there is no use
waiting around here any more, Tom. They gave us a false clew, all
right."

"Bless my police badge!" cried Mr. Damon. "They must be getting
desperate."

"I believe they are," went on the custom officer. "They are afraid
of us, and that's a good sign. We'll keep right after 'em, too. If
we don't get 'em this week, we will next. Better put back."

"I will," decided the young inventor.

"It certainly is a gale," declared Ned, as he made his way along a
dim passage, as few lights had been set aglow, for fear of the
smugglers seeing the craft outlined in the air. Now, however, when
it was almost certain that they were on the wrong scent, Tom
switched on the incandescents, making the interior of the Falcon
more pleasant.

The giant came into the pilot house to help Tom, and the airship was
turned about, and headed toward Logansville. The wind was now
sweeping from the north across Lake Ontario, and it was all the
powerful craft could do to make headway against it.

There came a terrific blast, which, in spite of all that Tom and
Koku could do, forced the Falcon down, dangerously close to the
dashing billows.

"Hard over, Koku!" called Tom to his giant.

As the airship began to respond to the power of her propellers, and
the up-tilted rudder, Tom heard, from somewhere below him, a series
of shrill blasts on a whistle.

"What's that?" he cried.

"Sounds like a boat below us," answered Mr. Whitford.

"I guess it is," agreed the young inventor. "There she goes again."

Once more came the frantic tooting of a whistle, and mingled with it
could be heard voices shouting in fear, but it was only a confused
murmur of sound. No words could be made out.

"That's a compressed air whistle!" decided Tom. "It must be some
sort of a motor boat in distress. Quick, Mr. Whitford! Tell Ned to
switch on the searchlight, and play it right down on the lake. If
there's a boat in this storm it can't last long. Even an ocean liner
would have trouble. Get the light on quick, and we'll see what we
can do!"

It was the work of but an instant to convey the message to Ned. The
latter called Mr. Damon to relieve him in the motor room, and, a few
seconds later, Ned had switched on the electricity. By means of the
lazy-tongs, and the toggle joints, the bank clerk lifted the lantern
over until the powerful beam from it was projected straight down
into the seething waters of the lake.

"Do you see anything?" asked Mr. Damon from the motor room, at one
side of which Ned stood to operate the lantern.

"Nothing but white-caps," was the answer. "It's a fearful storm."

Once more came the series of shrill whistles, and the confused
calling of voices. Ned opened a window, in order to hear more
plainly. As the whistle tooted again he could locate the sound, and,
by swinging the rays of the searchlight to and fro he finally picked
up the craft.

"There she is!" he cried, peering down through the plate glass
window in the floor of the motor room. "It's a small gasolene boat,
and there are several men in her! She's having a hard time."

"Can we rescue them?" asked Mr. Damon.

"If anybody can, Tom Swift will," was Ned's reply. Then came a
whistle from the speaking tube, that led to the pilot house.

"What is it?" asked Ned, putting the tube to his ear.

"Stand by for a rescue!" ordered Tom, who had also, through a window
in the floor of the pilot house, seen the hapless motor boat. The
men in it were frantically waving their hands to those on the
airship. "I'm going down as close as I dare," went on Tom. "You
watch, and when it's time, have Koku drop from the stern a long,
knotted rope. That will he a sort of ladder, and they can make it
fast to their boat and climb up, hand over hand. It's the only
plan."

"Good!" cried Ned. "Send Koku to me. Can you manage alone in the
pilot house?"

"Yes," came back the answer through the tube.

Koku came back on the run, and was soon tying knots in a strong
rope. Meanwhile Ned kept the light on the tossing boat, while Tom,
through a megaphone had called to the men to stand by to be rescued.
The whistle frantically tooted their thanks.

Koku went out on the after deck, and, having made the knotted rope
fast, dropped the end overboard. Then began a difficult feature of
airship steering. Tom, looking down through the glass, watched the
boat in the glare of the light. Now coming forward, now reversing
against the rush of the wind; now going up, and now down, the young
inventor so directed the course of his airship so that, finally, the
rope dragged squarely across the tossing boat.

In a trice the men grabbed it, and made it fast. Then Tom had
another difficult task--that of not allowing the rope to become
taut, or the drag of the boat, and the uplift of the airship might
have snapped it in twain. But he handled his delicate craft of the
air as confidently as the captain of a big liner brings her
skillfully to the deck against wind and tide.

"Climb up! Climb up!" yelled Tom, through the megaphone, and he saw,
not a man, but a woman, ascending the knotted rope, hand over hand,
toward the airship that hovered above her head.

CHAPTER XVI

KOKU'S PRISONER

"Bless my knitting needles!" cried Mr. Damon, as be looked down, and
saw, in the glare of the great light, the figure of the woman
clinging to the swaying rope. "Help her, someone! Tom! Ned! She'll
fall!"

The eccentric man started to rush from the motor room, where he had
been helping Ned. But the latter cried:

"Stay where you are, Mr. Damon. No one can reach her now without
danger to himself and her. She can climb up, I think."

Past knot after knot the woman passed, mounting steadily upward,
with a strength that seemed remarkable.

"Come on!" cried Tom to the others. "Don't wait until she gets up.
There isn't time. Come on--the rope will hold you all! Climb up!"

The men in the tossing and bobbing motor boat heard, and at once
began, one after the other, to clamber up the rope. There were five
of them, as could be seen in the glare of the light, and Tom, as he
watched, wondered what they were doing out in the terrific storm at
that early hour of the morning, and with a lone woman.

"Stand by to help her, Koku!" called Ned to the giant.

"I help," was the giant's simple reply, and as the woman's head came
above the rail, over which the rope ran, Koku, leaning forward,
raised her in his powerful arms, and set her carefully on the deck.

"Come into the cabin, please," Ned called to her. "Come in out of
the wet."

"Oh, it seems a miracle that we are saved!" the woman gasped, as,
rain-drenched and wind-tossed, she staggered toward the door which
Tom had opened by means of a lever in the pilot house. The young
inventor had his hands full, manipulating the airship so as to keep
it above the motor boat, and not bring too great a strain on the
rope.

The woman passed into the cabin, which was between the motor room
and the pilot house, and Ned saw her throw herself on her knees, and
offer up a fervent prayer of thanksgiving. Then, springing to her
feet, she cried:

"My husband? Is he safe? Can you save him? Oh, how wonderful that
this airship came in answer to our appeals to Providence. Whose is
it?"

Before Ned got a chance to answer her, as she came to the door of
the motor room, a man's voice called:

"My wife! Is she safe?"

"Yes, here I am," replied the woman, and a moment later the two were
in each other's arms.

"The others; are they safe?" gasped the woman, after a pause.

"Yes," replied the man. "They are coming up the rope. Oh, what a
wonderful rescue! And that giant man who lifted us up on deck! Oh,
do you recall in Africa how we were also rescued by airship--"

"Come on now, I got you!" interrupted the voice of Koku out on the
after deck, and there was a series of thumps that told when he had
lifted the men over the rail, and set them down.

"All saved!" cried the giant at last.

"Then cut the rope!" shouted Tom. "We've got to get out of this, for
it's growing worse!"

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