Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight; or on the border for Uncle Sam Read online

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  Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight

  or

  On the Border for Uncle Sam

  by Victor Appleton

  AUTHOR OF "TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR-CYCLE," "TOM SWIFT AND HISSUBMARINE BOAT," "TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE," "TOM SWIFT INCAPTIVITY," ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED

  CONTENTS

  I A SCRAP OF PAPER II A SPY IN TOWN III QUEER REPAIRS IV SEARCHING FOR SMUGGLERS V THE RAID VI THE APPEAL TO TOM VII A SEARCHLIGHT IS NEEDED VIII TOM'S NEWEST INVENTION IX "BEWARE OF THE COMET!" X OFF FOR THE BORDER XI ANDY'S NEW AIRSHIP XII WARNED AWAY XIII KOKU SAVES THE LIGHT XIV A FALSE CLEW XV THE RESCUE ON THE LAKE XVI KOKU'S PRISONER XVII WHAT THE INDIAN SAW XVIII THE PURSUIT XIX IN DIRE PERIL XX SUSPICIOUS ACTIONS XXI MR. PERIOD ARRIVES XXII HOVERING O'ER THE BORDER XXIII NED IS MISSING XXIV THE NIGHT RACE XXV THE CAPTURE--CONCLUSION

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT

  CHAPTER I

  A SCRAP OF PAPER

  "Tom, did you know Andy Foger was back in town?"

  "Great Scott, no, I didn't Ned! Not to stay, I hope."

  "I guess not. The old Foger homestead is closed up, though I did seea man working around it to-day as I came past. But he was acarpenter, making some repairs I think. No, I don't believe Andy ishere to stay."

  "But if some one is fixing up the house, it looks as if the familywould come back," remarked Tom, as he thought of the lad who had solong been his enemy, and who had done him many mean turns beforeleaving Shopton, where our hero lived.

  "I don't think so," was the opinion of Ned Newton, who was TomSwift's particular chum. "You know when Mr. Foger lost all hismoney, the house was supposed to be sold. But I heard later thatthere was some flaw in the title, and the sale fell through. It isbecause he couldn't sell the place that Mr. Foger couldn't get moneyto pay some of his debts. He has some claim on the house, I believe,but I don't believe he'd come back to live in it."

  "Why not?"

  "Because it's too expensive a place for a poor man to keep up, andMr. Foger is now poor."

  "Yes, he didn't get any of the gold, as we did when we went to theunderground city," remarked Tom. "Well, I don't wish anybody badluck but I certainly hope the Fogers keep poor enough to stay awayfrom Shopton. They bothered me enough. But where did you see Andy?"

  "Oh, he was with his crony, Sam Snedecker. You know Sam said, sometime ago, that Andy was to pay him a visit, but Andy didn't comethen, for some reason or other. I suppose this call makes up for it.I met them down near Parker's drug store."

  "You didn't hear Andy say anything about coming back here?" and theyoung inventor's voice was a trifle anxious.

  "No," replied Ned. "What makes you so nervous about it?"

  "Well, Ned, you know what Andy is--always trying to make trouble forme, even sneaking in my shop sometimes, trying to get the secret ofsome of my airships and machinery. And I admit I think it lookssuspicious when they have a carpenter working on the old homestead.Andy may come back, and--"

  "Nonsence, Tom! If he does you and I can handle him. But I thinkperhaps the house may be rented, and they may be fixing it up for atenant. It's been vacant a long time you know, and I heard the otherday that it was haunted."

  "Haunted, Ned! Get out! Say, you don't believe in that sort of bosh,do you?"

  "Of course not. It was Eradicate who told me, and he said when hecame past the place quite late the other night he heard groans, andthe clanking of chains coming from it, and he saw flashing lights."

  "Oh, wow! Eradicate is getting batty in his old age, poor fellow! Heand his mule Boomerang are growing old together, and I guess mycolored helper is 'seeing things,' as well as hearing them. But, asyou say, it may be that the house is going to be rented. It's toovaluable a property to let stand idle. Did you hear how long Andywas going to stay?"

  "A week, I believe."

  "A week! Say, one day would be enough I should think."

  "You must have some special reason for being afraid Andy will do yousome harm," exclaimed Ned. "Out with it, Tom."

  "Well, I'll tell you what it is, Ned," and Tom led his chum insidethe shop, in front of which the two lads had been talking. It was ashop where the young inventor constructed many of his marvelousmachines, aircraft, and instruments of various sorts.

  "Do you think some one may hear you?" asked Ned.

  "They might. I'm not taking any chances. But the reason I want to beespecially careful that Andy Foger doesn't spy on any of myinventions is that at last I have perfected my noiseless airshipmotor!"

  "You have!" cried Ned, for he knew that his chum had been workingfor a long time on this motor, that would give out no sound, nomatter at how high a speed it was run. "That's great, Tom! Icongratulate you. I don't wonder you don't want Andy to get even apeep at it."

  "Especially as I haven't it fully patented," went on the younginventor. He had met with many failures in his efforts to perfectthis motor, which he intended to install on one of his airships. "Ifany one saw the finished parts now it wouldn't take them long tofind out the secret of doing away with the noise."

  "How do you do it?" asked Ned, for he realized that his chum had nosecrets from him.

  "Well, it's too complicated to describe," said Tom, "but the secretlies in a new way of feeding gasolene into the motor, a new sparkingdevice, and an improved muffler. I think I could start my newairship in front of the most skittish horse, and he wouldn't stir,for the racket wouldn't wake a baby. It's going to be great."

  "What are you going to do with it, when you get it all completed?"

  "I haven't made up my mind yet. It's going to be some time before Iget it all put together, and installed, and in that time somethingmay turn up. Well, let's talk about something more pleasant thanAndy Foger. I guess I won't worry about him."

  "No, I wouldn't. I'd like to see the motor run."

  "You can, in a day or so, but just now I need a certain part toattach to the sparker, and I had to send to town for it. Koku hasgone after it."

  "What, that big giant servant? He might break it on the way back,he's so strong. He doesn't realize how much muscle he has."

  "No, that's so. Well, while we're waiting for him, come on in thehouse, and I'll show you some new books I got."

  The two lads were soon in the Swift homestead, a pleasant and largeold-fashioned residence, in the suburbs of Shopton. Tom brought outthe books, and he and his chum poured over them.

  "Mr. Damon gave me that one on electricity," explained the younginventor, handing Ned a bulky volume.

  "'Bless my bookmark!' as Mr. Damon himself would say if he werehere," exclaimed Ned with a laugh. "That's a dandy. But Mr. Damondidn't give you THIS one," and Ned picked up a dainty volume ofverse. "'To Tom Swift, with the best wishes of Mary--'" but thatwas as far as he read, for Tom grabbed the book away, and closed thecover over the flyleaf, which bore some writing in a girl's hand. Ithink my old readers can guess whose hand it was.

  "Wow! Tom Swift reading poetry!" laughed Ned.

  "Oh, cut it out," begged his chum. "I didn't know that was among thebooks. I got it last Christmas. Now here's a dandy one on lionhunting, Ned," and to cover his confusion Tom shoved over a bookcontaining many pictures of wild animals.

  "Lion hunting; eh," remarked Ned. "Well, I guess you could give themsome points on snapping lions with your moving picture camera, Tom."

  "Yes, I got so
me good views," admitted the young inventor modestly."I may take the camera along on some trips in my noiseless airship.Hello! here comes Koku back. I hope he got what I wanted."

  A man, immense in size, a veritable giant, one of two whom Tom Swifthad brought away from captivity with him, was entering the frontgate. He stopped to speak to Mr. Swift, Tom's father, who wassetting out some plants in a flower bed, taking them from a largewheel barrow filled with the blooms.

  Mr. Swift, who was an inventor of note, had failed in his health oflate, and the doctor had recommended him to be out of doors as muchas possible. He delighted in gardening, and was at it all day.

  "Look!" suddenly cried Ned, pointing to the giant. Then Tom and hischum saw a strange sight.

  With a booming laugh, Koku picked up Mr. Swift gently and set him ona board that extended across the front part of the wheel barrow.Then, as easily as if it was a pound weight, the big man lifted Mr.Swift, barrow, plants and all, in his two hands, and carried themacross the garden to another flower bed, that was ready to befilled.

  "No use to walk when I can carry you, Mr. Swift," exclaimed Kokuwith a laugh. "I overtook you quite nice; so?"

  "Yes, you took me over in great shape, Koku!" replied the agedinventor with a smile at Koku's English, for the giant frequentlygot his words backwards. "That barrow is quite heavy for me towheel."

  "You after this call me," suggested Koku.

  "Say, but he's strong all right," exclaimed Ned, "and that was anawkward thing to carry."

  "It sure was," agreed Tom. "I haven't yet seen any one strong enoughto match Koku. And he's gentle about it, too. He's very fond ofdad."

  "And you too, I guess," added Ned.

  "Well, Koku, did you get that attachment?" asked Tom, as his giantservant entered the room.

  "Yes, Mr. Tom. I have it here," and from his pocket Koku drew aheavy piece of steel that would have taxed the strength of either ofthe boys to lift with one hand. But Koku's pockets were very largeand made specially strong of leather, for he was continually puttingodd things in them.

  Koku handed over the attachment, for which his master had sent him.He held it out on a couple of fingers, as one might a penknife, butTom took both hands to set it on the ground.

  "I the female get, also," went on Koku, as he began taking someletters and papers from his pocket. "I stop in the office post, andthe female get."

  "Mail, Koku, not female," corrected Tom with a laugh. "A female is alady you know."

  "For sure I know, and the lady in the post office gave me thefemale. That is I said what, did I not?"

  "Well, I guess you meant it all right," remarked Ned. "But lettermail and a male man and a female woman are all different."

  "Oh such a language!" gasped the giant. "I shall never learn it.Well, then, Mr. Tom, here is your mail, that the female lady gave tome for you, and you are a male. It is very strange."

  Koku pulled out a bundle of letters, which Tom took, and then thegiant continued to delve for more. One of the papers, rolled in awrapper, stuck on the edge of the pocket.

  "You must outcome!" exclaimed Koku, giving it a sudden yank, and it"outcame" with such suddenness that the paper was torn in half,tightly wrapped as it was, and it was considerable of a bundle.

  "Koku, you're getting too strong!" exclaimed Tom, as scraps of paperwere scattered about the room. "I think I'll give you less to eat."

  "I am your forgiveness," said Koku humbly, as he stooped over topick up the fragments. "I did not mean."

  "It's all right," said Tom kindly. "That's only a big bundle ofSunday papers I guess."

  "I'll give him a hand," volunteered Ned, stooping over to help Kokuclear the rug of the litter. As he did so Tom's chum gave a gasp ofsurprise.

  "Hello, Tom!" Ned cried. "Here's something new, and I guess it willinterest you."

  "What is it?"

  "It's part of an account of some daring smugglers who are workinggoods across the Canadian border into the northern part of thisstate. The piece is torn, but there's something here which says thegovernment agents suspect the men of using airships to transport thestuff."

  "Airships! Smugglers using airships!" cried Tom. "It doesn't seempossible!"

  "That's what it says here, Tom. It says the custom house authoritieshave tried every way to catch them, and when they couldn't land 'em,the only theory they could account for the way the smuggling wasgoing on was by airships, flying at night."

  "That's odd. I wonder how it would seem to chase a smuggler in anairship at night? Some excitement about that; eh, Ned? Let's seethat scrap of paper."

  Ned passed it over, and Tom scanned it closely. Then in his turn, heuttered an exclamation of surprise.

  "What is it?" inquired his chum.

  "Great Scott, Ned, listen to this! 'It is suspected that some of thesmugglers have'--then there's a place where the paper is torn-'inShopton, N.Y.'" finished Tom. "Think of that, Ned. Our town here, isin some way connected with the airship smugglers! We must find therest of this scrap of paper, and paste it together. This may be abig thing! Find that other scrap! Koku, you go easy on papers nexttime," cautioned Tom, good naturedly, as he and his chum begansorting over the torn parts of the paper.