Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope Read online

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  [Transcriber's note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidencethat the copyright on this publication was renewed.]

  TOM SWIFT

  and

  His Giant Telescope

  _By_VICTOR APPLETON

  _Illustrations by_JAMES GARY

  WHITMAN PUBLISHING COMPANYRacine, Wisconsin

  Copyright, 1939, byWHITMAN PUBLISHING COMPANYRacine, Wisconsin

  All Rights Reserved

  Printed in U.S.A.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I The New Project 9

  II Suspicions 42

  III An Accident 90

  IV A Murderous Attempt 124

  V In Peril 168

  VI Tom Drugged! 216

  VII Deep Sea Diving 264

  VIII Trapped By a Sea Monster 296

  IX A Robber 346

  X Success! 380

  Tom Swift Appeared Calm]

  TOM SWIFT and His Giant Telescope

  CHAPTER I

  THE NEW PROJECT

  Tom Swift appeared to be calm, although in reality he was about asexcited over his latest invention as he ever had been about anything inhis life.

  "I'm sure it's going to work, Ned!" he said eagerly to his chum as theyneared Tom's private laboratory. "With my new device I hope to learnmore about the planets. I want to start soon--"

  "Listen here!" broke in Ned Newton. "If you're thinking of going to Marsor the moon, just count me out! I've gone with you to many strangeplaces and have never kicked. But this--"

  "Hold on, young fellow!" interrupted the youthful inventor with anamused chuckle. "I've nothing like that in mind YET! All I want to dois show you my new 'space eye.'"

  Ned Newton, Tom's Chum]

  "Can't say as I like that word 'yet,'" Ned muttered darkly. "But I'lltake a look at your new jigger if you'll promise not to shoot me throughspace in a rocket or cannon-ball!"

  "Word of honor I won't," promised Tom, crossing his heart with mocksolemnity. "Well, here we are."

  The two boys had reached the laboratory, a small building at the rearof the spacious lawn surrounding Tom's father's home and close to theextensive work of the Swift Manufacturing Company at Shopton.

  Tom Crossed His Heart]

  "I'll bet these shelves have more scientific apparatus on 'em than anyother shelves in the world," remarked Ned, as his chum opened the door.

  Various cabinets containing hundreds of chemicals stood about. Againstone wall was a huge transformer, from which the youthful scientist,Tom Swift, could draw almost any kind of electric current he mightdesire.

  They Entered the Laboratory]

  "Here goes!" said the young inventor.

  He rolled back a small rug in the middle of the floor to expose amassive steel trap door. This he unlocked by twirling the dial of acomplicated mechanism. Some years before Tom had constructed beneath hislaboratory an impregnable chamber to safeguard his secret plans. Hecalled it his Chest of Secrets, and guarded it well.

  Tom Rolled Back a Small Rug]

  Even Ned Newton, Tom's closest friend and business associate, did notknow the entire contents of the massive vault. Only Tom and his fatherwere aware of all the inventions concealed there.

  "Some of these inventions must not be known to the world in its presentstate," the elder man had said.

  One of them was the terrible electric death-ray, capable of destroyinganything in its path. Only if the United States should be invaded byan enemy power, would this be revealed.

  There Was a Death Ray]

  "Here it is," said Tom, joining his chum after a few minutes spent inthe vault.

  He was carrying a small wooden box which he placed on the desk andopened. If Ned, as he leaned over eagerly, expected to see anythingastonishing he was disappointed. Resting on the velvet lining was simplya round disk of a greenish substance perhaps six inches in diameter.This was mounted in a gleaming metal ring from the edges of which thereprojected five electric binding posts.

  He Was Carrying a Wooden Box]

  "Funny kind of an eye," observed Ned. "You can't even see through it."

  "You'll soon see through it, all right," retorted Tom, laying the diskon his desk and connecting four dry cells to the binding posts. Heplaced a small rheostat in the circuit so that the strength of thecurrent might be regulated.

  The Disk Was Mounted in a Metal Ring]

  Slowly he moved the little handle over the graduated dial. A minutepassed during which, so far as Ned could see, nothing happened. Withoutwarning the green crystal suddenly glowed brightly for a fraction of asecond, then could not be seen at all. The polished ring of metal inwhich it had been mounted alone remained.

  "It's gone!" cried Ned in bewilderment. "I can see your desk top rightthrough where it was!"

  "No," smiled the inventor, "it's still there as you'll find if you tryto poke your finger through the metal ring."

  "It's Gone!" Cried Ned]

  A trifle gingerly his chum extended his hand toward the circle of metal.Though Tom had assured him that the little disk was still in place, Nedwas unable to repress a start when his finger touched a cool, polishedsurface which his eyes told him could not be there.

  "Say, that's wonderful!" he exclaimed, staring at the invisiblesubstance with awe. "That stuff must be a hundred times more transparentthan the finest plate glass!"

  His Finger Touched the Cool Surface]

  "Yes, and more," said Tom. "But that's not the most wonderful feature ofthe new substance."

  "What, then?"

  "Well, it's difficult to explain. Even now I know very little about it.I can tell you WHAT it can do, but the WHY is still as much of a mysteryas ever. Briefly, this new element, or maybe it's a compound, I'm notsure which, reacts in a very strange manner to light. Let me show you.That'll beat any long-winded theory I could spout."

  "That's Wonderful!" He Exclaimed]

  Going to the door, Tom called in his giant servant Koku, who once hadbeen a prince in his own far-off savage land, before Tom Swift hadbrought him to Shopton.

  "What want, Master?" came a deep-toned reply, as the huge dark-skinnedman, who stood a trifle over eight feet in height, entered.

  "Just carry outside that telescope there in the corner," requestedTom, pointing to the instrument. "Better be careful; it's a bit heavy."

  Tom's Giant Servant Koku]

  "Not heavy for Koku," boomed the giant. "Liftum in one hand!"

  Though it was not a large instrument as telescopes go, this one, withthe massive iron pier upon which it was mounted, weighed not far fromfour hundred pounds. When Koku clamped his mighty hand about the standhe seemed to lift it as easily as a boy might raise a baseball bat ora golf club.

  Koku Lifted It Easily]

  "I'll never get used to his strength," murmured Ned as the boys followedthe giant through the laboratory door, Tom carrying his marvelous greendisk.

  "He is a big boy, for fair," laughed Tom. "Lucky for our prize-fightershe hasn't gone into the ring."

  After carefully placing the telescope where the inventor directed, Kokureturned to the bench under a near-by apple tree where it was his wontto rest when he was not needed.

  Tom Carried the Green Disk]

  "Now what, Tom?" questioned Ned. "Surely you're not expecting to seestars in
broad daylight?"

  "Oh, no, though it could be done," returned Tom, pointing the instrumenttoward the crest of a wooded hill several miles distant from Shopton."Now we're ready. Take a peek."

  "Well," said Ned, peering into the eyepiece, "all I see are a fewtrees."

  "Take a Peek," Invited Tom]

  "Just stand by," directed his friend, clamping his green disk over thefront lens, or objective, of the telescope and turning on the current.As before, the green stuff seemed to vanish. "Now, look again," he said.

  No sooner had Ned put his eye to the instrument than he gave a start."It's magic!" he exclaimed. "Why, that hill seems as if it were righthere and the view is much brighter. I can see every leaf on the treesand--yes! even a bird's nest and the little birds in it!"

  "It's Magic!" He Exclaimed]

  "Now maybe you have an idea as to how I propose to discover the secretof life on the planets," responded Tom calmly.

  "The secret? What do you mean? Surely you don't expect to see men onMars!"

  "I mean to build a telescope with a space eye big enough and powerfulenough to do it!" The young inventor's face lit up with a strange light."It's the greatest thing yet, Ned!"

  "What Do You Mean?" Asked Ned]