Chapter XI
Tom's Tank
"What was it?" gasped Mary, and, to her surprise, she found herselfclose to Ned, clutching his arm.
"I have an idea, but I'd rather let Tom tell you," he answered.
"But where's it going?" asked Mr. Nestor. "What in the world does TomSwift mean by inviting us out here to witness a test, and then nearlyrunning us down under a Juggernaut?"
"Oh, there must be some mistake, I'm sure," returned his daughter. "Tomdidn't intend this."
"But, bless my insurance policy, look at that thing go! What in theworld is it?" cried Mr. Damon.
The "thing" was certainly going. It had careened from the road, tilteditself down into a ditch and gone on across the fields, lights shootingfrom it in eccentric fashion.
"Maybe we'd better take after it," suggested Mr. Nestor. "If Tom is--"
"There, it's stopping!" cried Ned. "Come on!"
He sprang from the automobile, helped Mary to get out, and then thetwo, followed by Mr. Damon and Mr. Nestor, made their way across thefields toward the big object where it had come to a stop, the rumblingand roaring ceasing.
Before the little party reached the strange machine--the "runawaygiant," as they dubbed it in their excitement--a bright light flashedfrom it, a light that illuminated their path right up to the monster.And in the glare of this light they saw Tom Swift stepping out througha steel door in the side of the affair.
"Are you all right?" he called to his friends, as they approached.
"All right, as nearly as we can be when we've been almost scared todeath, Tom," said Mr. Nestor.
"I'm surely sorry for what happened," Tom answered, with a relievedlaugh. "Part of the steering gear broke and I had to guide it byoperating the two motors alternately. It can be worked that way, but ittakes a little practice to become expert."
"I should say so!" cried Mr. Damon. "But what in the world does it allmean, Tom Swift? You invite us out to see something--"
"And there she is!" interrupted the young inventor. "You saw her alittle before I meant you to, and not under exactly the circumstances Ihad planned. But there she is!" And he turned as though introducing themetallic monster to his friends.
"What is she, Tom?" asked Ned. "Name it!"
"My latest invention, or rather the invention of my father and myself,"answered Tom, and his voice showed the love and reverence he felt forhis parent. "Perhaps I should say adaptation instead of invention," Tomwent on, "since that is what it is. But, at any rate, it's mylatest--dad's and mine--and it's the newest, biggest, most improved andpowerful fighting tank that's been turned out of any shop, as far as Ican learn.
"Ladies--I mean lady and gentlemen--allow me to present to you War TankA, and may she rumble till the pride of the Boche is brought low andhumble!" cried Tom.
"Hurray! That's what I say!" cheered Ned.
"That's what I have been at work on lately. I'll give you a littlehistory of it, and then you may come inside and have a ride home."
"In that?" cried Mr. Damon.
"Yes. I can't promise to move as speedily as your car, but I can makebetter time than the British tanks. They go about six miles an hour, Iunderstand, and I've got mine geared to ten. That's one improvement dadand I have made."
"Ride in that!" cried Mr. Nestor. "Tom, I like you, and I'm glad to seeI've been mistaken about you. You have been doing your bit, after all;but--"
"Oh, I've only begun!" laughed Tom Swift.
"Well, no matter about that. However much I like you," went on Mr.Nestor, "I'd as soon ride on the wings of a thunderbolt as in Tank A,Tom Swift."
"Oh, it isn't as bad as that!" laughed the young scientist. "Butneither is it a limousine. However, come inside, anyhow, and I'll tellyou something about it. Then I guess we can guide it back. The men arerepairing the break."
The visitors entered the great craft through the door by which Tom hademerged. At first all they saw was a small compartment, with walls ofheavy steel, some shelves of the same and a seat which folded upagainst the wall made of like powerful material.
"This is supposed to be the captain's room, where he stays when hedirects matters." Tom explained. "The machinery is below and beyondhere."
"How'd you come to evolve this?" asked Ned. "I haven't seen half enoughof the outside, to say nothing of the inside."
"You'll have time enough," Tom said. "This is my first completed tank.There are some improvements to be made before we send it to the otherside to be copied.
"Then they'll make them in England as well as here, and from here we'llship them in sections."
"I don't see how you ever thought of it!" exclaimed the girl, in wonder.
"Well, I didn't all at once," Tom answered, with a laugh. "It came bydegrees. I first got the idea when I heard of the British tanks.
"When I had read how they went into action and what they accomplishedagainst the barbed wire entanglements, and how they crossed thetrenches, I concluded that a bigger tank, one capable of more speed,say ten or twelve miles an hour, and one that could cross biggerexcavations--the English tanks up to this time can cross a ditch oftwelve feet--I thought that, with one made on such specifications, moreeffective work could be done against the Germans."
"And will yours do that?" asked Ned. "I mean will it do ten miles anhour, and straddle over a wider ditch than twelve feet?"
"It'll do both," promptly answered Tom. "We did a little better thaneleven miles an hour a while ago when I yelled to you to get out of theway just now. It's true we weren't under good control, but the speedhad nothing to do with that. And as for going over a big ditch, I thinkwe straddled one about fourteen feet across back there, and we can dobetter when I get my grippers to working."
"Grippers!" exclaimed Mary.
"What kind of trench slang is that, Tom Swift?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Well, that's a new idea I'm going to try out It's something likethis," and while from a distant part of the interior of Tank A came thesound of hammering, the young inventor rapidly drew a rough pencilsketch.
It showed the tank in outline, much as appear the pictures of tanksalready in service--the former simile of two wedge-shaped pieces ofmetal put together broad end to broad end, still holding good. From oneend of the tank, as Tom drew it, there extended two long arms oflatticed steel construction.
"The idea is," said Tom, "to lay these down in front of the tank, bymeans of cams and levers operated from inside. If we get to a ditchwhich we can't climb down into and out again, or bridge with the beltcaterpillar wheels, we'll use the grippers. They'll be laid down,taking a grip on the far side of the trench, and we'll slide across onthem."
"And leave them there?" asked Mr. Damon.
"No, we won't leave them. We'll pick them up after we have passed overthem and use them in front again as we need them. A couple of extrapairs of grippers may be carried for emergencies, but I plan to use thesame ones over and over again."
"But what makes it go?" asked Mary. "I don't want all the details,Tom," she said, with a smile, "but I'd like to know what makes yourtank move."
"I'll be able to show you in a little while," he answered. "But it maybe enough now if I tell you that the main power consists of two biggasolene engines, one on either side. They can be geared to operatetogether or separately. And these engines turn the endless belts madeof broad, steel plates, on which the tank travels. The belts pass alongthe outer edges of the tank longitudinally, and go around cogged wheelsat either end of the blunt noses.
"When both belts travel at the same rate of speed the tank goes in astraight line, though it can be steered from side to side by means of atrailer wheel in the rear. Making one belt--one set of caterpillarwheels, you know--go faster than the other will make the tank travel toone side or the other, the turn being in the direction of the slowestmoving belt. In this way we can steer when the trailer wheels arebroken."
"And what does your tank do except travel along, not minding a hail ofbullets?" asked Mr. Nestor.
&
nbsp; "Well," answered Tom, "it can do anything any other tank can do, andthen some more. It can demolish a good-sized house or heavy wall, breakdown big trees, and chew up barbed-wire fences as if they weretoothpicks. I'll show you all that in due time. Just now, if therepairs are finished, we can get back on the road--"
At that moment a door leading into the compartment where Tom and hisfriends were talking opened, and one of the workmen said:
"A man outside asking to see you, Mr. Swift."
"Pardon me, but I won't keep you a moment," interrupted a suave voice."I happened to observe your tank, and I took the liberty of entering tosee--"
"Simpson!" cried Ned Newton, as he recognized the man who had been upthe tree. "It's that spy, Simpson, Tom!"