CHAPTER XXV
HOMEWARD BOUND--CONCLUSION
"All right!" yelled Ned, as soon as he heard Tom's cry. "I've got herunder control. We'll volplane down."
"Is it dangerous? Are we in danger?" asked Peter Petrofsky of hisbrother, in Russian.
"I guess there's no danger, where Tom Swift's concerned," was theanswer. "I have not volplaned much, but it will be all right I think."
And it was, for with Ned Newton to guide the craft, while Tom did hisbest to stop the leak, the craft came gently to earth on the outskirtsof a fairly large Siberian city. Almost instantly the Falcon wassurrounded by a curious throng.
"You had better keep inside," said Ivan Petrofsky to his brother andMr. Borious. "Descriptions of you are probably out broadcast by now,but I am still sufficiently disguised, I think."
"But what is to be done?" demanded the younger Russian brother. "If thegasolene is gone, how can we leave here?"
"Trust Tom Swift for that," was the reply. "Keep out of sight now,there is a large crowd outside."
Tom came from the tank room. There was a despondent look on his face.
"It's all gone--every drop," he said. "That's what made the motor stop."
"What's gone?" asked Mr. Damon.
"The gasolene. We sprung a leak in the main tank, somehow, and it allflowed out while we were flying along."
"Haven't you any more?"
"Not a bit. I was drawing on the reserve tank, hoping to get tocivilization before I needed more. But its too late now. We will haveto--"
"Bless my snow shoes!" cried Mr. Damon. "Don't say we'll have to stayhere--in Siberia! Don't say that. My wife--"
"No, we won't have to stay here if we can get a supply of kerosene,"interrupted Tom. "The motor will burn that. The only trouble is that wemay be detained. The authorities probably know us by this time, and areon the watch."
"Then get it before they know we are here," advised Ned.
"I'll try," said Tom, and he at once conferred with the elderPetrofsky. The latter said he was sure kerosene could be had in town,and, rather than risk going in themselves, they hired a wagoner whoagreed, for liberal pay, to go and return with a quantity. Until thenthere was nothing to do but wait.
Meanwhile the crowd of curiosity seekers grew. They thronged around theairship, some of them meddling with various devices, until Tom had toorder them away with gestures.
One particularly inquisitive man insisted on pulling or twistingeverything, until he happened to touch a couple of live wires, givinghimself quite a shock, and then he ran away howling. But still thecrowd increased, and at last Mr. Petrofsky said:
"I don't like this, Tom?"
"Why not?" They were all inside the craft, looking out and waiting forthe return of the man with the kerosene. The leak in the tank hadproved to be a small one, and had quickly been soldered. It had beenopen a long time, which accounted for the large amount of gasoleneescaping. "What don't you like, Mr. Petrofsky?"
"So many men surrounding us. I believe some of them are officersdressed in civilians' clothes, and a Russian officer never does thatunless he has some object."
"And you think the object is--?"
"To capture us."
"If it was that, wouldn't they have done it long ago--when we firstcame down?"
"No, they are evidently waiting for something perhaps for some highofficial, without whose orders they dare do nothing. Russia is overrunwith officialdom."
And a little later Ivan Petrofsky's suspicion proved true. Therearrived a man in uniform, who spoke fairly good English, and whopolitely asked Tom if he would not delay the start of the airship,again, until the governor could arrive from his country place to see it.
"We know you are going to leave us," said the Russian with a smile,"for you have sent for kerosene. But please wait."
"If your governor comes soon we'll wait," replied Tom. "But we are in ahurry. I wish that kerosene fellow would get a move on," he murmured.
"Oh, he will doubtless be here soon," said the officer. "Might I bepermitted to come aboard and wait for my chief?"
"Sorry, but it's not allowed," replied our hero, straining his eyesdown the road for a sight of the wagoner. At last he came, and Tombreathed easier.
But the crowd was bigger, and some of the men, though poorly dressed,seemed to be persons in authority. Tom had no doubt but what there wasa plot afoot to detain him, and arrest the exiles, and that there weredisguised soldiers in the throng. But they could not act without thegovernor's orders, and he was probably on his way with all haste.
"Lively now, get that kerosene in the tanks!" cried Tom to the man,motioning in lieu of using Russian. The youth was not going to meet thegovernor if he could help it.
Now it was a curious thing, but the more that wagoner and his helpersseemed to try to hurry, and pour the oil from the cans into thetank-opening of the airship, the slower they worked. They got in eachothers' way, dropped some cans, spilled others, and in general madesuch poor work at it that Tom saw there was something in the wind.
"Ned!" he exclaimed, "they're doing all they can to detain us. We'vegot to put that oil in ourselves. Just as we did the gasolene inFrance. It's the same sort of a delay game."
"Right, Tom! I'm with you."
"And I'll warn the crowd back, by telling them we are likely to blow upany minute!" added Ivan Petrofsky, which warning he shouted in Russiana moment later.
Backward leaped the throng, as though a bomb bad been thrown into theirmidst, even the supposed officers joining in the retreat. The oil wagonwas now easy of access, and Tom and Ned, with Mr. Damon to aid them,hastened toward it. Then the work of filling the tanks went on insomething like good old, United States fashion.
The last gallon of kerosene had been put aboard, and Tom and Ned withMr. Damon, had climbed on deck, when the gaily uniformed officer, whohad requested the delay, came riding up furiously.
"Hold! Hold! If you please!" he cried. "The governor has come. He wantsto see you."
"Too late!" answered Tom. "Give him our best regards and ask him tocome to the United States if he wants to see us. Sorry we haven't cardshandy. Ned, take the pilot house, and shoot her up sharp when you getthe signal. I'm going to run the motor. I don't know just how she'llbehave on the kerosene."
"You must remain!" angrily cried the officer.
"The United States doesn't take 'must' from anybody, from the Czardown!" cried Tom as he disappeared into the motor room. The window wasopen, and the youth turned on the power the official cried again to him:
"Halt! Here comes the governor! I declared you arrested by his orders,and in the name of the Czar!"
"Nothing doing!" yelled Tom, and then, looking from the window, he sawapproaching a troop of Cossacks, in the midst of whom rode a man in abrilliant uniform--evidently the governor.
"Stop! Stop!" cried the official.
"Here we go, Ned!" yelled Tom, and turning on more power the Falconarose swiftly, before the very eyes of the angry governor, and hisstaff of Cossack soldiers.
Up and up she went, faster and faster, the motors working well on thekerosene. Higher and higher. The governor and his soldiers weredirectly below her now.
"Stop! Stop! You must stop. The Imperial governor orders it!" yelledthe officer, evidently his Excellency's aide-de-camp.
"We can't hear you!" shouted Tom, waving his hand from the motor roomwindow, and then, turning on still more power he flew over the city,taking his friends and the valuable supply of platinum with him. Sosurprised were the soldiers that they did not fire a shot, but had theydone so it is doubtful if much damage could have been done.
"And now for home!" cried Tom, and homeward hound the Falcon was aftera perilous trip through two storms. But she weathered them well.
In due season they reached Paris again, and now, having no reason forconcealment, they flew boldly down, to change what remained of thekerosene for gasolene, as the motor worked better on that. The secretpolice learned that the exiles were aboard,
but they could do nothing,as the offenses were political ones, and so Tom kept his friends safe.
Then they started on the long voyage across the Atlantic, and thoughthey had one bad experience in a storm over that mighty ocean, they gotsafely home to Shopton in due season.
There is little more to tell. The platinum proved to be even morevaluable than Tom had expected. He could have sold it all for a largesum, but he preferred to keep most of what he had for his inventivework, and he used considerable of it in his machinery. Ned disposed ofhis, selling Tom some at a lower price than market quotations, and theRussians got a good price for theirs, turning the money into the fundto help their fellow exiles. Mr. Damon also made a good donation to thecause, as did Tom and Ned.
Mr. Petrofsky and his brother, with the other exile, joined friends inNew York, and promised to come and see Tom when they could.
"Well, I suppose you'll take a long vacation now," said Mary Nestor, toTom, when he called on her one evening to present her a unique ring,with the stones set in some of the platinum he had dug in the Siberianmine.
"Vacation? I have no time for vacations!" said the young inventor. "I'msoon going to work on my silent airship, and on some other things Ihave in mind. I want more adventures."
"Oh, you greedy boy!" exclaimed Mary with a laugh.
And what adventures Tom had next will be found in the next book of thisseries, which will be entitled, "Tom Swift in Captivity; Or, a DaringEscape by Airship."
Tom had several offers to give exhibitions in his air glider, fromaviation committees at various meets, but he declined.
"I haven't time," he declared. "I'm too busy."
"You ought to rest," his chum Ned advised him.
"'Bless my alarm clock!' as Mr. Damon would say," exclaimed Tom. "Thebest rest is new work," and then he began sketching his ideas for asilent motor craft, during which we will take leave of him for a while.
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