Chapter V
Barbed Wire Entanglements
"This gets us to your particular trouble, Mr. Damon," Tom Swift said,while the motor car was rolling along. "You intimated that you hadsomething to consult me about."
"Bless my windshield! I should say I had," exclaimed the eccentricgentleman, swinging around a corner at rather a fast clip.
"And has it to do with highwaymen?" asked Tom, much amused.
"Some of the same gentry, Tom," declared Mr. Damon. "I haven't anypeace of my life, I really haven't!"
"Who is troubling you, sir?"
"Why, what nonsense that is, to ask that!" ejaculated the gentleman."If I knew who they were I wouldn't ask odds of anybody. I'd go afterthem. As it is, I've left my servant with a gun loaded with rock-saltwatching for them now."
"Burglars?" exclaimed Tom, with real interest.
"Chicken-house burglars! That's the kind of burglars they are," growledMr. Damon. "Two or three times they have tried to get my prize buffOrpingtons. Last night they got me out of bed twice fooling around thechicken house and yard. Other neighbors have lost their hens already. Idon't mean to lose mine. Want you to help me, Tom."
"Is that all that is worrying you, Mr. Damon?" laughed the young fellow.
"Bless my radiator! isn't that enough?"
"I know you set your clock by those buff Orpingtons," agreed Tom.
"That's right. That ten-months cockerel, Blue Ribbon Junior, neverfails to crow at three-thirty-three to the minute. Bless my combs andspurs; a wonderful bird!"
"But let's see how I can help you regarding the chicken thieves," Tomsaid, as they sighted the lights of the Swift house beyond the longstockade fence that surrounded the Construction Company's premises.
"You know I have a barbed wire entanglement around the whole yard andhen-house. I don't take any more chances than I can help. Those prizebuff Orpingtons are a great temptation to chicken lovers--both blondand brunette," and in spite of his anxiety, Mr. Damon could chuckle athis own joke. "Even your old Eradicate's friend fell for chickens, youknow."
"And Rad promptly cured him of the disease," laughed Tom.
"And I'm trying to cure these others. I've charged my shotgun withrock-salt--as he did. My servant has orders to shoot anybody whotampers with my chicken house tonight.
"But bless my shirt!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "I'll never be able to sleepcomfortably until I know that no thief can get at my buff Orpingtons. Iwant you to fix it so I can sleep in peace, Tom."
He slowed to a stop in front of the Swift's door. Tom stared at hiseccentric friend questioningly.
"Bless my gaiters!" ejaculated Mr. Damon, "don't you see what I want?And your head already full of this electrified locomotive you are goingto build?"
"Hush!" murmured Tom, with his hand upon his companion's arm. "Butwhat do you want me to do?"
"I want you to fix it so that I can turn a current of electricity intothat barbed wire chicken fence at night that will shock any thief thattouches the wires. Not kill 'em--though they ought to be killed!"declared the eccentric man. "But shock 'em aplenty. Can't you do it forme, Tom Swift?"
"Of course it can be done," said the young fellow. "You use electricityin your house. There is a feed cable in the street. We will have tochange your lighting switch for another. Fix it with the ElectricSupply Company. It will cost you more--"
"Bless my pocketbook! I don't care how much it costs. It will be amplesatisfaction to see just one low-down chicken thief squirming on thosewires."
Tom laughed again. He meant to help his friend; but he did not proposeto rig the wires so that anybody, even a chicken thief, would beseriously injured by the electric current passing through the strands.
"I'll come down to Waterfield tomorrow in the electric runabout and fixthings up for you. Get a permit from the Electric Supply Company earlyin the morning. Tell them I will rig the thing myself. They can sendtheir inspector afterward."
"That's fine, Tom! What--Ugh! what's this? Another footpad?"
Out of the darkness beside the fence a bulky figure started. For amoment Tom thought it was the same man who had attacked him twice. Thenthe very size of this new assailant proved that suspicion to beunfounded.
"Koku!" exclaimed Tom. "What's the matter with you, Koku?"
The huge and only half-tamed giant gained the side of the car inseemingly a single stride. In the dark they could not see his face, buthis voice distinctly showed excitement.
"Master come good. 'Cause there be enemy. Koku find--Koku kill!"
"Bless my magnifying glass!" ejaculated Mr. Damon. "That fellow is themost bloodthirsty individual that I ever saw."
"All in his bringing up," chuckled Tom who knew, as the saying is, thatKoku's bark was a deal worse than his bite. "Killing and maiming hisenemies used to be Koku's principal job. But he has his orders now. Hedoesn't kill anybody without consulting me first."
"Bless my buttons!" murmured Mr. Damon. "That is certainly a good thingtoo. What's the matter with him now?"
That is exactly what Tom himself wanted to know. He had dropped a handupon the arm of the giant as he stood beside the car.
"Who is the enemy, Koku?" he asked.
"Not know, Master. See him footmarks. Follow him footmarks. Not find.When do find--kill!"
"That is, after first obtaining my permission," said Tom dryly.
"It is so," agreed the imperturbable Koku. "See! Show Master footmarks.Him look in at window. See! Koku have got the wonder lamp."
He flashed the electric torch in his hand. He left the car and strodeinto the yard. Tom followed him, and Mr. Damon's curiosity brought himalong.
The giant pointed the ray of the flashlight at the ground below theporch. Several footprints--the marks of boots at least number twelve insize--were imbedded in the soil. Koku went around the house to theother side, following repeated marks of the same boots.
"How came you to find them, Koku?" asked Tom softly.
"Me look. All around stockade," and he waved a generous gesture withhis free hand including the fence about the works. "Enemy may come.Anytime he come. Now he come."
"Bless my slippery shoes!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, who had hard work tokeep up both physically and mentally with the giant. "What does hemean?"
"Koku has always had it in his head," explained Tom, "that we builtthat fence about the works to keep out enemies. And, to tell the truth,we did! But all that is over--"
"Is it?" asked Mr. Damon pointedly. "Enemy here," added Koku, flashingthe lamplight upon the footprints on the ground.
"Those bootmarks," added Mr. Damon, "are doubtless those of that fellowwho jumped upon the running board of the car."
"Humph! And who robbed me of my wallet," added Tom musingly. "Well, itmight be. And, if so, Koku is right. The enemy has come."
"Me kill!" exclaimed the giant, stretching himself to his full height.
"We'll consider the killing later," said Tom, who well knew hisinfluence with this big fellow. "You are forbidden to kill anybody, orchase anybody away from here, until I have a talk with them. Enemy ornot--understand?"
"Me understand," said Koku in his deep voice. "Master say--me do."
"Just the same," Tom said, aside to Mr. Damon, "there has been somebodyaround here. I guess Mr. Bartholomew was right. He is being spied upon.And now that we Swifts are going to try to do something for him, we arelikely to be spied upon too."
"Bless my statue of Nathan Hale!" murmured the eccentric gentleman. "Ibelieve you. And you've been already attacked twice by some thug! Youare positively in danger, Tom."
"I don't know about that. Save that the fellow who robbed me was sorebecause I fooled him. Naturally he might like to get square about thoseshorthand notes. He knows no more now about Mr. Bartholomew's businesswith us than he did before he held me up."
"That is a fact," agreed Mr. Damon.
"And that brings me to another warning, Mr. Damon," added Tomearnestly, as his friend climbed into the motor car again. "Keep allthat
has happened, and all that I told you and Ned about the H. & P. A.railroad, to yourself."
"Surely! Surely!"
"If Mr. Bartholomew's rivals continue to keep their spies hangingaround the works here, we'll handle them properly. Trust Koku forthat," and Tom chuckled.
"And don't forget my barbed wire entanglements," put in Mr. Damon,starting his engine. "I want to fix those chicken thieves.''
"All right. I'll be over tomorrow," promised Tom Swift.
Then he stood a minute on the curb and looked after the disappearinglights of Mr. Damon's car. The latter's problem dovetailed, after all,into this discovery of possible marauders lurking about the Swiftpremises. Koku had made no mistake in bringing his attention to thematter of the footprints. Tom had seen somebody dodging into thedarkness outside the house when he had come out on his way to visitMary Nestor.
"And sure as taxes," muttered Tom, as he finally turned toward thefront door again, "the fellow who twice attacked me this evening worethe boots the prints of which Koku found.
"Those fellows, whoever they are, whether Montagne Lewis and hisassociates, or not, have bitten off several mouthfuls that they may beunable to chew. Anyhow, before they get through they may learnsomething about the Swifts that they never knew before."