CHAPTER XXI
THE LIGHT IN THE SKY
"Well, what do you say, Tom?" asked Ned, in a low voice.
"She's all right as far as I can see, though she may stagger a bit atthe take off."
"It's a pretty heavy load," agreed the young manager, as he and TomSwift walked about the big fire-fighting airship Lucifer, which hadbeen rolled outside the hangar. "But still I think she'll take it,especially since you've tuned up the motor so it's at least twenty percent. more powerful than it was."
"Perhaps you'd better leave me out," suggested Mr. Baxter, who had beenhelping the boys. "I'm not a feather weight, you know."
"I need you with us," said Tom. "I want your expert opinion on theeffect the new chemicals have on the flames."
"Well, I'd like to come," admitted the chemist, "for it will be avaluable experience for me. But I don't want an accident up in the air."
"Trust Tom Swift for that!" cried Ned. "If he says his aircraft will dothe trick, it positively will."
"How about leaving me out?" asked Mr. Damon. "I'm not an expert inanything, as far as I know."
"You are in keeping us cheerful. And we may need you to bless things ifthere's a slip-up anywhere," laughed Tom, for Mr. Damon had beeninvited to be one of the party.
"I don't so much mind a slip-up," said Mr. Damon, "as I do a slip down.That's where it hurts! However, I'll take a chance with you, Tom Swift.It won't be the first one--and I guess it won't be the last."
The work of getting the big airship ready for what was to be aconclusive test of her fire-fighting abilities from the cloudsproceeded rapidly. As has been related, Tom had perfected, with thehelp of Mr. Baxter, a combination of chemicals which was effective inputting out a fire when dropped into the blaze from above. Quantitiesof this combination had been stored in metal containers which Tom hadat first styled "bombs," but which he now called "aerial grenades."
The manner of dropping the grenades was, on the whole, similar to themanner in which bombs were dropped from airships during the Great War,but Tom had made several improvements in this plan.
These improvements had to do with the releasing of the bombs, or, inthis case, grenades. It is not easy to drop or throw something from aswiftly moving airship so that it will hit an object on the ground.During the war aviators had to train for some time before becoming evenapproximately accurate.
Tom Swift decided that to leave this matter to chance or to the eye ofthe occupant of an airship was too indefinite. Accordingly he inventeda machine, something like a range-finder for big guns. With this it wasa comparatively easy matter to drop a grenade at almost any designatedplace.
To accomplish this it was necessary to take into consideration thespeed of the airship, its height above the ground, the velocity of thewind, the weight of the grenades, and other things of this sort. But byan intricate mathematical process Tom solved the problem, so that itwas only necessary to set certain pointers and levers along a sliderule in the cockpit of the craft. Then when the releasing catch waspressed, the grenades would drop down just about where they were mostneeded.
"I think everything is ready," said Tom, when he had taken a last lookover his craft, making sure that all the chemical grenades were inplace. "If you will be ready, gentlemen, we will take our places andstart in about half an hour," he added. "I want to say goodbye to myfather, and cheer up Rad--if I can."
"The doctor will know tomorrow, will he?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Yes. And I'm sorry I will not be here to listen to the report," saidTom. "Though I am almost afraid to receive it," he added in a lowvoice. "I shall blame myself if Rad is to go through the remainder ofhis life blind."
"It couldn't be helped," said Ned. "We'll hope for the best."
"Yes," agreed Tom, "that's all we can do--hope for the best. By theway," he went on, turning to Mr. Baxter, "are you any nearer fasteningthe guilt on those two rascals, Field and Melling?"
"Bless my prosecuting attorney, no!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Those arethe slickest scoundrels I ever tackled! They're like a flea. Once youthink you have them where you want them, and they're on the other sideof the table, skipping around."
"I've about given up," said Mr. Baxter, in discouraged tones. "I guessmy dye formulae are gone forever."
"Don't say that!" exclaimed Tom. "Once I get this fire matter off myhands, I'm going to tackle the problem myself. We'll either make thosefellows sorry they ever meddled in this matter, or we'll get up a newcombination of dyes that will put them out of business!"
"Bless my Easter eggs, I'm glad to hear you talk that way!" cried Mr.Damon.
"Well, Rad, I'll expect to see you up and around when I get back," saidTom to his old servant, as he stepped into the sick room to say goodbye.
"Oh, is yo' goin', Massa Tom?" asked the colored man, turning hisbandaged head in the direction of the beloved voice.
"Yes. I'm going to try out a new scheme of mine--the fire extinguisher,you know."
"De same one whut fizzed up, an'--an' busted me in de eyes, Massa Tom?"
"Yes, Rad, I'm sorry to say, it's the same one."
"Oh, shucks now, Massa Tom! whut's use worryin'?" laughed Rad. "I suahwill be all right when yo' gits back. De doctor man--de 'pill man' datgiant calls him--says I'll suah be better."
"Of course you will," declared Tom, but his heart sank when he saw Mrs.Baggert remove the bandages and he caught sight of Rad's burned faceand the eyes that had to be kept closed if ever they were again to lookon the sunshine and flowers. "And when I come back, Rad, I'll stage alittle fire for your benefit, and show you how quickly I can put itout."
"Ha! dat's whut I wants to see, Massa Tom, I suah does like to seefires!" chuckled Eradicate. "Mah ole mule, Boomerang--does yo' 'memberhim, Massa Tom?"
"Of course, Rad!"
"Well, Boomerang he liked fires, too. Liked 'em so much I jest couldn'tgit him past 'em lots ob times I But run 'long, Massa Tom. Yo' ain'tgot no time to waste on an ole culled man whut's seen his best days.Yas-sir, I reckon I'se seen mah best days," and the smile died from thehonest, black face.
"Oh, don't talk like that!" cried Tom, as cheerfully as he could."You've got a lot of work in you yet, Rad. Hasn't he, Koku?" and theyoung inventor appealed to the giant, who seldom left the side of hisformer enemy.
"Rad good man--him an' me do lots work--next week mebby," said Koku,smiling very broadly.
"That's the way to talk!" exclaimed Tom, and he laughed a little thoughhis heart was far from light.
And then, having seen to the final details, he took his place in thebig airship with Ned, Mr. Damon and Josephus Baxter. The craft carriedthe largest possible load of fire extinguishing chemicals.
As Tom had feared, the Lucifer staggered a bit in "taking off" latethat afternoon when the start was made for the distant city of Denton,where the first real test was to be made under the supervision andcriticism of the fire department. But once the craft was aloft she rodeon a level keel.
"I guess we're all right," Tom said. But to make certain he circledseveral times over his own landing field, that a good place to comedown might be assured if something unforeseen developed.
However, all went well, and then the course was straightened for thedistant city.
"We'll go right over Newmarket, sha'n't we, Tom?" asked Ned, as thespeed of the Lucifer increased.
"Yes. And I wish I had time to stop and see Mary, but I haven't. It'sgetting dark fast, and we ought to arrive at our destination early inthe morning. The test has been set by the committee for ten o'clock."
They settled themselves comfortably in the big craft for a long nighttrip, and Mr. Damon was just going to bless something or other when hepointed off into the distance.
"Look, Tom!" cried the eccentric man. "See that light in the sky!"
"Seems to be a fire," observed Ned.
"It is a fire!" shouted Mr. Baxter. "And it's in Newmarket, if I'm anyjudge."
Tom Swift did not answer, but he shoved forward the gasolene lever ofhis
controls, and the Lucifer shot ahead through the air while the red,angry glow deepened in the evening sky.