CHAPTER XX
THE STOWAWAYS
Ned repeated the message breathlessly.
"Short circuit!" gasped Tom. "Run on storage battery! I'll have to seeto that. Take the wheel somebody!"
"Wouldn't it be better to turn about, and run before the wind, so asnot to put too great a strain on the machinery?" asked LieutenantMarbury.
"Perhaps," agreed Tom. "Hold her this way, though, until I see what'swrong!"
Ned and the government man took the wheel, while Tom hurried along therunway leading from the pilot-house to the machinery cabin. The galewas still blowing fiercely.
The young inventor cast a hasty look about the interior of the place ashe entered. He sniffed the air suspiciously, and was aware of the odorof burning insulation.
"What happened?" he asked, noting that already the principal motivepower was coming from the big storage battery. The shift had been madeautomatically, when the main motor gave out.
"It's hard to say," was the answer of the chief engineer. "We wererunning along all right, and we got your word to switch on more power,after the turn. We did that all right, and she was running as smooth asa sewing-machine, when, all of a sudden, she short-circuited, and thestorage battery cut in automatically."
"Think you put too heavy a load on the motor?" Tom asked.
"Couldn't have been that. The shunt box would have taken that up, andthe circuit-breaker would have worked, saving us a burn-out, and that'swhat happened--a burn-out. The motor will have to be rewound."
"Well, no use trying to fight this gale with the storage battery," Tomsaid, after a moment's thought. "We'll run before it. That's theeasiest way. Then we'll try to rise above the wind."
He sent the necessary message to the pilot-house. A moment later theshift was made, and once more the Mars was scudding before the storm.Then Tom gave his serious attention to what had happened in the engineroom.
As he bent over the burned-out motor, looking at the big shinyconnections, he saw something that startled him. With a quick motionTom Swift picked up a bar of copper. It was hot to the touch--so hotthat he dropped it with a cry of pain, though he had let go so quicklythat the burn was only momentary.
"What's the matter?" asked Jerry Mound, Tom's engineer.
"Matter!" cried Tom. "A whole lot is the matter! That copper bar iswhat made the short circuit. It's hot yet from the electric current.How did it fall on the motor connections?"
The engine room force gathered about the young inventor. No one couldexplain how the copper bar came to be where it was. Certainly no oneof Tom's employees had put it there, and it could not have fallen byaccident, for the motor connections were protected by a mesh of wire,and a hand would have to be thrust under them to put the bar in place.Tom gave a quick look at his men. He knew he could trust them--everyone. But this was a queer happening.
For a moment Tom did not know what to think, and then, as the memory ofthat warning telegram came to him, he had an idea.
"Were any strangers in this cabin before the start was made?" he askedMr. Mound.
"Not that I know of," was the answer.
"Well, there may be some here now," Tom said grimly. "Look about."
But a careful search revealed no one. Yet the young inventor was surethe bar of copper, which had done the mischief of short-circuiting themotor, had been put in place deliberately.
In reality there was no danger to the craft, since there was powerenough in the storage battery to run it for several hours. But thehappening showed Tom he had still to reckon with his enemies.
He looked at the height gauge on the wall of the motor-room, and notedthat the Mars was going up. In accordance with Tom's instructions theywere sending her above the storm area. Once there, with no gale tofight, they could easily beat their way back to a point above Shopton,and make the best descent possible.
And that was done while, under Tom's direction, his men took thedamaged motor apart, with a view to repairing it.
"What was it, Tom?" asked Ned, coming back to join his chum, afterGeorge Ventor, the assistant pilot, had taken charge of the wheel.
"I don't exactly know, Ned," was the answer. "But I feel certain thatsome of my enemies came aboard here and worked this mischief."
"Your enemies came aboard?"
"Yes, and they must be here now. The placing of that copper bar provesit."
"Then let's make a search and find them, Tom. It must be some of thoseforeign spies."
"Just what I think."
But a more careful search of the craft than the one Tom had casuallymade revealed the presence of no one. All the crew and helpers wereaccounted for, and, as they had been in Tom's service for some time,they were beyond suspicion. Yet the fact remained that a seeminglyhuman agency had acted to put the main motor out of commission. Tomcould not understand it.
"Well, it sure is queer," observed Ned, as the search came to nothing.
"It's worse than queer," declared Tom, "it's alarming! I don't knowwhen I'll be safe if we have ghosts aboard."
"Ghosts?" repeated Ned.
"Well, when we can't find out who put that bar in place I might as welladmit it was a ghost," spoke Tom. "Certainly, if it was done by a man,he didn't jump overboard after doing it, and he isn't here now. It sureis queer!"
Ned agreed with the last statement, at any rate.
In due time the Mars, having fought her way above the storm, came overShopton, and then, the wind having somewhat died out, she fought herway down, and, after no little trouble, was housed in the hangar.
Tom cautioned his friends and workmen to say nothing to his fatherabout the mysterious happening on board.
"I'll just tell him we had a slight accident, and let it go at that,"Tom decided. "No use in causing him worry."
"But what are you going to do about it?" asked Ned.
"I'm going to keep careful watch over the aerial warship, at any rate,"declared Tom. "If there's a hidden enemy aboard, I'll starve him out."
Accordingly, a guard, under the direction of Koku, was posted about thebig shed, but nothing came of it. No stranger was observed to sneak outof the ship, after it had been deserted by the crew. The mystery seemeddeeper than ever.
It took nearly a week to repair the big motor, and, during this time,Tom put some improvements on the airship, and added the finishingtouches.
He was getting it ready for the final government test, for theauthorities in Washington had sent word that they would have CaptainWarner, in addition to Lieutenant Marbury, make the final inspectionand write a report.
Meanwhile several little things occurred to annoy Tom. He was besiegedwith applications from new men who wanted to work, and many of thesemen seemed to be foreigners. Tom was sure they were either spies ofsome European nations, or the agents of spies, and they got no furtherthan the outer gate.
But some strangers did manage to sneak into the works, though they werequickly detected and sent about their business. Also, once or twice,small fires were discovered in outbuildings, but they were soonextinguished with little damage. Extra vigilance was the watchword.
"And yet, with all my precautions, they may get me, or damagesomething," declared Tom. "It is very annoying!"
"It is," agreed Ned, "and we must be doubly on the lookout."
So impressed was Ned with the necessity for caution that he arranged totake his vacation at this time, so as to be on hand to help his chum,if necessary.
The Mars was nearing completion. The repaired motor was better thanever, and everything was in shape for the final test. Mr. Damon waspersuaded to go along, and Koku was to be taken, as well as the twogovernment officials.
The night before the trip the guards about the airship shed weredoubled, and Tom made two visits to the place before midnight. Butthere was no alarm.
Consequently, when the Mars started off on her final test, it wasthought that all danger from the spies was over.
"She certainly is a beauty," said Captain Warner, as the big craft shotupward.
"I shall be interested in seeing how she stands gun fire,though."
"Oh, she'll stand it," declared Lieutenant Marbury. The trip was toconsume several days of continuous flying, to test the engines. A largesupply of food and ammunition was aboard.
It was after supper of the first day out, and our friends were seatedin the main cabin laying out a program for the next day, when suddenyells came from a part of the motor cabin devoted to storage. Koku, whohad been sent to get out a barrel of oil, was heard to shout.
"What's up?" asked Tom, starting to his feet. He was answered almost atonce by more yells.
"Oh, Master! Come quickly!" cried the giant. "There are many men here.There are stowaways aboard!"