Produced by Anthony Matonac
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
or
Battling with Flames from the Air
By
VICTOR APPLETON
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I A BAD PLACE FOR A FIRE II NO USE OF LIVING! III TOM'S NEW IDEA IV AN EXPERIMENT V THE EXPLOSION VI TOM IS WORRIED VII A FORCED LANDING VIII STRANGE TALK IX SUSPICIONS X ANOTHER ATTEMPT XI THE BLAZING TREE XII TOM IS LONESOME XIII A SUCCESSFUL TEST XIV OUT OF THE CLOUDS XV COALS OF FIRE XVI VIOLENT THREATS XVII A TOWN BLAZE XVIII FINISHING TOUCHES XIX ON THE TRAIL XX A HEAVY LOAD XXI THE LIGHT IN THE SKY XXII TRAPPED XXIII TO THE RESCUE XXIV A STRANGE DISCOVERY XXV THE LIGHT OF DAY
TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
CHAPTER I
A BAD PLACE FOR A FIRE
"Impossible, Ned! It can't be as much as that!"
"Well, you can prove the additions yourself, Tom, on one of the addingmachines. I've been over 'em twice, and get the same result each time.There are the figures. They say figures don't lie, though it doesn'tfollow that the opposite is true, for those who do not stick closely tothe truth do, sometimes, figure. But there you have it; your financialstatement for the year," and Ned Newton, business manager for TomSwift, the talented young inventor, shoved a mass of papers across thetable to his friend and chum, as well as employer.
"It doesn't seem possible, Ned, that we have made as much as that thispast year. And this, as I understand it, doesn't include what was takenfrom the wreck of the Pandora?"
Tom Swift looked questioningly at Ned Newton, who shook his head inanswer.
"You really didn't get anything to speak of out of your underseasearch, Tom," replied the young financial manager, "so I didn't includeit. But there's enough without that."
"I should say so!" exclaimed Tom. "Whew!" he whistled, "I didn't thinkI was worth that much."
"Well, you've earned it, every cent, with the inventions of yourselfand your father."
"And I might add that we wouldn't have half we earn if it wasn't forthe shrewd way you look after us, Ned," said Tom, with a warm smile athis friend. "I appreciate the way you manage our affairs; for, though Ihave had some pretty good luck with my searchlight, wizard camera, wartank and other contraptions, I never would have been able to save anyof the money they brought in if it hadn't been for you."
"Well, that's what I'm here for," remarked Ned modestly.
"I appreciate that," began Tom Swift. "And I want to say, Ned--"
But Tom did not say what he had started to. He broke off suddenly, andseemed to be listening to some sound outside the room of his home wherehe and his financial and business manager were going over the year'sstatement and accounting.
Ned, too, in spite of the fact that he had been busy going overfigures, adding up long columns, checking statements, and giving theresults to Tom, had been aware, in the last five minutes, of anever-growing tumult in the street. At first it had been no more thanthe passage along the thoroughfare of an unusual number of pedestrians.Ned had accounted for it at first by the theory that some movingpicture theater had finished the first performance and the people werehurrying home.
But after he had finished his financial labors and had handed Tom thefirst of a series of statements to look over, the young financialexpert began to realize that there was no moving picture house nearTom's home. Consequently the passing throngs could not be accounted forin that way.
Yet the tumult of feet grew in the highway outside. Ned had begun towonder if there had been an attempted burglary, a fight, or somethinglike that, calling for police action, which had gathered an unusualthrong that warm, spring evening.
And then had come Tom's interruption of himself when he broke off inthe middle of a sentence to listen intently.
"What is it?" asked Ned.
"I thought I heard Rad or Koku moving around out there," murmured Tom."It may be that my father is not feeling well and wants to speak to meor that some one may have telephoned. I told them not to disturb mewhile you and I were going over the accounts. But if it is something ofimportance--"
Again Tom paused, for distinctly now in addition to the ever-increasingsounds in the streets could be heard a shuffling and talking in thehall just outside the door.
"G'wan 'way from heah now!" cried the voice of a colored man.
"It is Rad!" exclaimed Tom, meaning thereby Eradicate Sampson, an agedbut faithful colored servant. And then the voice of Rad, as he was mostoften called, went on with:
"G'wan 'way! I'll tell Massa Tom!"
"Me tell! Big thing! Best for big man tell!" broke in another voice; adeep, booming voice that could only proceed from a powerfully built man.
"Koku!" exclaimed Tom, with a half comical look at Ned. "He and Rad areat it again!"
Koku was a giant, literally, and he had attached himself to Tom whenthe latter had made one of many perilous trips. So eager were Eradicateand Koku to serve the young inventor that frequently there were more orless good-natured clashes between them to see who would have the honor.
The discussion and scuffle in the hall at length grew so insistent thatTom, fearing the aged colored man might accidentally be hurt by thegiant Koku, opened the door. There stood the two, each endeavoring topush away the other that the victor might, it appeared, knock on thedoor. Of course Rad was no match for Koku, but the giant, mindful ofhis great strength, was not using all of it.
"Here! what does this mean?" cried Tom, rather more sternly than hereally meant. He had to pretend to be stern at times with his oldcolored helper and the impulsive and powerful giant. "What are youcutting up for outside my door when I told you I must be quiet with Mr.Newton?"
"No can be quiet!" declared the giant. "Too much noise in street--bigcrowds--much big!"
He spoke an English of his own, did Koku.
"What are the crowds doing?" asked Ned. "I thought we'd been hearing anever increasing tumult, Tom," he said to the young inventor.
"Big crowds--'um go to see big--"
"Heah! Let me tell Massa Tom!" pleaded Rad. Poor Rad! He was gettingold and could not perform the services that once he had so readily andefficiently done. Now he was eager to help Tom in such small measure ascarrying him a message. So it was with a feeling of sadness that Tomheard the old man say again, pleadingly:
"Let me tell him, Koku! I know all 'bout it! Let me tell Massa Tom whutit am, an'--"
"Well, go ahead and tell me!" burst out Tom, with a good-natured laugh."Don't keep me in suspense. If there's anything going on--"
He did not finish the sentence. It was evident that something of momentwas going on, for the crowds in the street were now running instead ofwalking, and voices could be heard calling back and forth suchexclamations as:
"Where is it?"
"Must be a big one."
"And with this wind it'll be worse!"
Tom glanced at Ned and then at the two servants.
"Has anything happened?" asked the young inventor.
"Dey's a big fire, Massa Tom!" exploded Rad.
"Heap big blaze!" added Koku.
At the same time, out in the street high and clear, the cry rang out:
"Fire! Fire!"
"Is it any of our buildings?" exclaimed Tom, in his excitement catchinghold of the giant's arm.
"No, it's quite a way off, on de odder side of town," answered thecolored man. "But we t'ought we'd better come an' tell yo', an'--"
"Yes! Yes! I'm glad you did, Rad. It was
perfectly right for you totell me! I wish you'd done it sooner, though! Come on, Ned! Let's go tothe blaze! We can finish looking over the figures another time. Is myfather all right, Rad?"
"Yes, suh, Massa Tom, he's done sleepin' good."
"Then don't disturb him. Mr. Newton and I will go to the fire. I'mglad it isn't here," and Tom looked from a side window out on manyshops that were not a great distance from the house; shops where he andhis father had perfected many inventions.
The buildings had grown up around the old Swift homestead, which, nowthat so much industry surrounded it, was not the most pleasant place tolive in. Tom and his father only made this their stopping place inwinter. In the summer they dwelt in a quiet cottage far removed fromthe scenes of their industry.
"We'll take the electric runabout, Ned," remarked Tom, as he caught upa hat from the rack, an example followed by his friend. Together theyoung inventor and the financial manager hurried out to the garage,where Tom soon had in operation a small electric automobile, that, morethan once, had proved its claim to being the "speediest car on theroad."
As they turned out of the driveway into the street they became aware ofgreat crowds making their way toward a glow of sinister red lightshowing in the eastern sky.
"Some blaze!" exclaimed Tom, as he turned on more power.
"You said it!" ejaculated Ned. "Must be a general alarm," he added, asthey caught the sound from the next street of additional apparatushurrying to the fire.
"Well, I'm glad it isn't on our side of town," remarked Tom, as helooked back at the peaceful gloom surrounding and covering his own homeand work buildings.
"Where do you reckon it is?" asked Ned, as they sped onward.
"Hard to say," remarked the young inventor, as he steered to one sideto pass a powerful imported automobile which, however, did not have thespeed of the electric runabout. "A fire at night is always deceiving asto direction. But we can locate it when we get to the top of the hill."
Shopton, the suburb of the town where Tom lived, was named so becauseof the many shops that had been erected by the industry of the younginventor and his father. In fact the town was named Shopton though oflate there had been an effort to change the name of the strictlyresidential section, which lay over the hill toward the river.
Tom's car shot up the slope with scarcely any slackening of speed, and,as he passed a group of men and boys running onward, Tom shouted:
"Where is it?"
"The fireworks factory!" was the answer.
"Fireworks factory!" cried Ned. "Bad place for a fire!"
"I should say so!" exclaimed Tom.
The chums had become gradually aware of the gale that was blowing, and,as they reached the summit of the hill and caught sight of the burningfactory, they saw the flames being swept far out from it and toward acollection of houses on the other side of a vacant lot that separatedthe fireworks industrial plant from the dwellings. As Tom Swiftglimpsed the fire, noted its proportions and the fierceness of theflames, and saw which way the wind was blowing them, he turned on thepower to the utmost.
"What are you doing, Tom?" yelled Ned.
"I'm going down there!" cried Tom. "That place is likely to explode anyminute!"
"Then why go closer?" gasped Ned, for his breath was almost taken awayby the speed of the car, and he had to hold his hat to keep it fromblowing away. "Why don't you play safe?"
"Don't you understand?" shouted Tom in his chum's ear. "The wind isblowing the fire right toward those houses! Mary Nestor lives in one ofthem!"
"Oh--Mary Nestor!" exclaimed Ned. Then he understood--Mary and Tom wereengaged to be married.
"They may be all right," Tom went on. "I can't be sure from thisdistance. Or they may be in danger. It's a bad fire and--"
His voice was blotted out in the roar of an explosion which seemed tohurl back the electric runabout and bring it to a momentary stop.