Tom Swift and His Wireless Message; Or, The Castaways of Earthquake Island Read online

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  TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGEORTHE CASTAWAYS OF EARTHQUAKE ISLAND

  BY VICTOR APPLETON

  AUTHOR OF "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORBOAT," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINEBOAT," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT," ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED

  BOOKS BY VICTOR APPLETON

  THE TOM SWIFT SERIES

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE Or Fun and Adventures on the Road

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-BOAT Or the Rivals of Lake Carlopa

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP Or the Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT Or the Speediest Car on the Road

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE Or the Castaways of Earthquake Island

  TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS Or the Secret of Phantom Mountain

  TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE Or the Wreck of the Airship

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER Or the Quickest Flight on Record

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE Or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land

  (Other Volumes in Preparation)

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE

  CONTENTS

  I. AN APPEAL FOR AID II. MISS NESTOR'S NEWS III. TOM KNOCKS OUT ANDY IV. MR. DAMON WILL GO ALONG V. VOL-PLANING TO EARTH VI. THE NEW AIRSHIP VII. MAKING SOME CHANGES VIII. ANDY FOGER'S REVENGE IX. THE WHIZZER FLIES X. OVER THE OCEAN XI. A NIGHT OF TERROR XII. A DOWNWARD GLIDE XIII. ON EARTHQUAKE ISLAND XIV. A NIGHT IN CAMP XV. THE OTHER CASTAWAY XVI. AN ALARMING THEORY XVII. A MIGHTY SHOCK XVIII. MR. JENKS HAS DIAMONDS XIX. SECRET OPERATIONS XX. THE WIRELESS PLANT XXI. MESSAGES INTO SPACE XXII. ANXIOUS DAYS XXIII. A REPLY IN THE DARK XXIV. "WE ARE LOST!" XXV. THE RESCUE-CONCLUSION

  CHAPTER I

  AN APPEAL FOR AID

  Tom Swift stepped from the door of the machine shop, where he was atwork making some adjustments to the motor of his airship, andglanced down the road. He saw a cloud of dust, which effectuallyconcealed whatever was causing it.

  "Some one must be in a hurry this morning," the lad remarked, "Lookslike a motor speeding along. MY! but we certainly do need rain," headded, as he looked up toward the sky. "It's very dusty. Well, I mayas well get back to work. I'll take the airship out for a flightthis afternoon, if the wind dies down a bit."

  The young inventor, for Tom Swift himself had built the airship, aswell as several other crafts for swift locomotion, turned tore-enter the shop.

  Something about the approaching cloud of dust, however, held hisattention. He glanced more intently at it.

  "If it's an automobile coming along," he murmured, "it's moving veryslowly, to make so much fuss. And I never saw a motor-cycle thatwould kick up as much sand, and not speed along more. It ought to behere by now. I wonder what it can be?"

  The cloud of highway dirt rolled along, making some progress towardTom's house and the group of shops and other buildings surroundingit. But, as the lad had said, the dust did not move at all quicklyin comparison to any of the speedy machines that might be causingit. And the cloud seemed momentarily to grow thicker and thicker.

  "I wonder if it could be a miniature tornado, or a cyclone orwhirlwind?" and Tom spoke aloud, a habit of his when he wasthinking, and had no one to talk to. "Yet it can hardly be that." hewent on. "Guess I'll watch and see what it is."

  Nearer and nearer came the dust cloud. Tom peered anxiously ahead, apuzzled look on his face. A few seconds later there came from themidst of the obscuring cloud a voice, exclaiming:

  "G'lang there now, Boomerang! Keep to' feet a-movin' an' we sho'will make a record. 'Tain't laik we was a autermobiler, er aelectricity car, but we sho' hab been goin' sence we started. Yo'sho' done yo'se'f proud t'day, Boomerang, an' I'se gwine t' keep mahpromise an' gib yo' de bestest oats I kin find. Ah reckon Massa TomSwift will done say we brought dis yeah message t' him as quick asanybody could."

  Then there followed the sound of hoofbeats on the dusty road, andthe rattle of some many-jointed vehicle, with loose springs andlooser wheels.

  "Eradicate Sampson!" exclaimed Tom. "But who would ever think thatthe colored man's mule could get up such speed as that cloud of dustindicates. His mule's feet must be working overtime, but he goesbackward about as often as he moves forward. That accounts for it.There's lots of dust, but not much motion."

  Once more, from the midst of the ball-like cloud of dirt came thevoice of the colored man:

  "Now behave yo'se'f, Boomerang. We'm almost dere an' den yo' kin sitdown an' rest if yo' laik. Jest keep it up a little longer, an'we'll gib Massa Tom his telephone. G'lang now, Boomerang."

  The tattoo of hoofbeats was slowing up now, and the cloud of dustwas not so heavy. It was gradually blowing away. Tom Swift walkeddown to the fence that separated the house, grounds and shops fromthe road. As he got there the sounds of the mule's progress, and therattle of the wagon, suddenly ceased.

  "G'lang! G'lang! Don't yo' dare t' stop now, when we am most dere!"cried Eradicate Sampson. "Keep a-movin', Boomerang!"

  "It's all right, Eradicate. I'm here," called Tom, and when the lastof the dust had blown away, the lad waved his hand to an agedcolored man, who sat upon the seat of perhaps the most dilapidatedwagon that was ever dignified by such a name. It was held togetherwith bits of wire, rope and strings, and each of the four wheelsleaned out at a different angle. It was drawn by a big mule, whosebones seemed protruding through his skin, but that fact evidentlyworried him but little, for now the animal was placidly sleeping,while standing up, his long ears moving slowly to and fro.

  "Am dat yo', Massa Tom?" asked Eradicate, ceasing his task ofjerking on the lines, to which operation the mule paid not the leastattention.

  "Yes, I'm here, Rad," replied Tom, smiling. "I came out of my shopto see what all the excitement was about. How did you ever get yourmule to make so much dust?"

  "I done promise him an extra helpin' ob oats ef he make good time,"said the colored man. "An' he done it, too. Did yo' see de dust wemade?"

  "I sure did, but you didn't do much else. And you didn't make verygood time. I watched you, and you came along like an ice wagon aftera day's work on the Fourth of July. You were going fast, but movingslow."

  "I 'spects we was, Massa Tom," was the colored man's answer. "ButBoomerang done better dan I 'spected he would. I done tole him yo'dbe in a hurry t' git yo' telephone, an' he sho' did trot along."

  "My telephone?" repeated Tom, wonderingly. "What have you and yourmule Boomerang to do with my telephone? That's up in the house."

  "No, it ain't! it's right yeah in mah pocket," chuckled Eradicate,opening a ragged coat, and reaching for something. "I got yo'telephone right yeah." he went on. "De agent at de station see medribin' ober dis way, an' he done ast he t' deliber it. He said ashow he ain't got no messenger boy now, 'cause de one he done habwent on a strike fo' five cents mo' a day. So I done took detelephone," and with that the colored man pulled out a crumpledyellow envelope.

  "Oh, you mean a telegram," said Tom, with a laugh, as he took themessage from the odd colored man.

  "Well, maybe it's telegraf, but I done understood de agent t' saytelephone. Anyhow, dere it is. An' I s'pects we'd better git along,Boomerang."

  The mule never moved, though Eradicate yanked on the reins, and useda splintered whip with energy.

  "I s
aid as how we'd better git along, Boomerang," went on thedarkey, raising his voice, "Dinnah am mos' ready, an' I'm goin' t'giv yo' an extra helpin' ob oats."

  The effect of these words seemed magical. The mule suddenly came tolife, and was about to start off.

  "I done thought dat would cotch yo', Boomerang," chuckled Eradicate.

  "Wait a minute, Rad," called Tom, who was tearing open the envelopeof the telegram. "I might want to send an answer back by you. Iwonder who is wiring me now?"

  He read the message slowly, and Eradicate remarked:

  "'Taint no kind ob use, Massa Tom, fo' t' send a message back wifme."

  "Why not?" asked the young inventor, looking up from the sheet ofyellow paper.

  "'Case as how I done promised Boomerang his airman, an' he won't donothin' till he has it. Ef I started him back t' town now he wouldjest lay down in de road. I'll take de answer back fo' you disarternoon."

  "All right, perhaps that will do," assented Tom. "I haven't quitegot the hang of this yet. Drop around this afternoon, Rad," and asthe colored man, who, with his mule Boomerang, did odd jobs aroundthe village, started off down the highway, in another cloud of dust,Tom Swift resumed the reading of the message.

  "Hum, this is rather queer," he mused, when having read it once, hebegan at it again. "It must have cost him something to send all thisover the wire. He could just as well have written it. So he wants myhelp, eh? Well, I never heard of him, and he may be all right, but Ihad other plans, and I don't know whether I can spare the time to goto Philadelphia or not. I'll have to think it over. An electricairship, eh? He's sort of following along the lines of myinventions. Wants my aid--hum--well, I don't know--"

  Tom's musings were suddenly cut short by the approach of an elderlygentleman, who was walking slowly down the path that led from thehouse to the country highway which ran in front of it.

  "A telegram, Tom?" asked the newcomer.

  "Yes, dad," was the reply. "I was just coming in to ask your adviceabout it. Eradicate brought it to me."

  "What, with his mule, Boomerang?" and the gentleman seemed muchamused. "How did he ever get up speed enough to deliver a telegram?"

  "Oh, Eradicate has some special means he uses on his mule when he'sin a hurry. But listen to this message, dad. It's from a Mr. HosmerFenwick, of Philadelphia. He says:"

  "'Tom Swift--Can you come on to Philadelphia at once and aid me inperfecting my new electric airship? I want to get it ready for aflight before some government experts who have promised to purchaseseveral if it works well. I am in trouble, and I can't get it torise off the ground. I need help. I have heard about your airship,and the other inventions you and your father have perfected, and Iam sure you can aid me. I am stuck. Can you hurry to the QuakerCity? I will pay you well. Answer at once!'"

  "Well?" remarked Mr. Swift, questioningly, as his son finishedreading the telegram. "What are you going to do about it, Tom?"

  "I don't exactly know, dad. I was going to ask your advice. Whatwould you do? Who is this Mr. Fenwick?"

  "Well, he is an inventor of some note, but he has had many failures.I have not heard of him in some years until now. He is a gentlemanof wealth, and can be relied upon to do just as he says. We areslightly acquainted. Perhaps it would be well to aid him, if you canspare the time. Not that you need the money, but inventors should bemutually helpful. If you feel like going to Philadelphia, and aidinghim in getting his electric airship in shape, you have mypermission."

  "I don't know," answered Tom, doubtfully. "I was just getting mymonoplane in shape for a little flight. It was nothing particular,though. Dad, I think I WILL take a run to Philadelphia, and see if Ican help Mr. Fenwick. I'll wire him that I am coming, to-morrow ornext day."

  "Very well," assented Mr. Swift, and then he and his son went intoone of the shops, talking of a new invention which they were aboutto patent.

  Tom little knew what a strange series of adventures were to followhis decision to go to the Quaker City, nor the danger involved inaiding Mr. Fenwick to operate his electric airship.