Chapter II
Explanations
"What in the world is that?" cried Mr. Job Titus, in alarm.
Tom Swift did not answer. Instead he jumped up from his chair and rantoward the front door. Mr. Titus followed. They both saw a strangesight.
Standing on the front porch, which he seemed to occupy completely, wasa large horse, with a saddle twisted underneath him. The animal waslooking about him as calmly as though he always made it a practice tocome up on the front piazza when stopping at a house.
Off to one side, with a crushed hat on the back of his head, with acoat split up the back, with a broken riding crop in one hand and ahandkerchief in the other, sat a dignified, elderly gentleman.
That is, he would have been dignified had it not been for his positionand condition. No gentleman can look dignified with a split coat and acrushed hat on, sitting under the nose of a horse on a front piazza,with his raiment otherwise much disheveled, while he wipes hisscratched and bleeding face with a handkerchief.
"Bless my--bless my--" began the elderly gentleman, and he seemed at aloss what particular portion of his anatomy or that of the horse, tobless, or what portion of the universe to appeal to, for he ended upwith: "Bless everything, Tom Swift!"
"I heartily agree with you, Mr. Damon!" cried Tom. "But what in theworld happened?"
"That!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, pointing with his broken crop at the horseon the piazza. "I was riding him when he ran away--just as mymotorcycle tried to climb a tree. No more horses for me! I'll stick toairships," and slamming his riding crop down on the porch floor withsuch force that the horse started back, Mr. Damon arose, painfullyenough if the contortions on his face and his grunts of pain went foranything.
"Let me help you!" begged Tom, striding forward. "Mr. Titus, perhapsyou will kindly lead the horse down off the piazza?"
"Certainly!" answered the tunnel contractor. "Whoa now!" he calledsoothingly, as the steed evinced a disposition to sit down on the siderailing. "Steady now!"
The horse finally allowed himself to be led down the broad front steps,sadly marking them, as well as the floor of the piazza, with his sharpshoes.
"Ouch! Oh, my back!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, as Tom helped him to stand up.
"Is it hurt?" asked Tom, anxiously.
"No, I've just got what old-fashioned folks call a 'crick' in it,"explained the elderly horseman. "But it feels more like a river than a'crick.' I'll be all right presently."
"How did it happen?" asked Tom, as he led his guest toward the hall.Meanwhile Mr. Titus, wondering what it was all about, had tied thehorse to a post out near the street curb, and had re-entered thelibrary.
"I was riding over to see you, Tom, to ask you if you wouldn't go toSouth America with me," began Mr. Damon, rubbing his leg tenderly.
"South America?" cried Tom, with a sudden look at Mr. Titus.
"Yes, South America. Why, there isn't anything strange in that, isthere? You've been to wilder countries, and farther away than that."
"Yes, I know--it's just a coincidence. Go on."
"Let me get where I can sit down," begged Mr. Damon. "I think thatcrick in my back is running down into my legs, Tom. I feel a bit weak.Let me sit down, and get me a glass of water. I shall be all rightpresently."
Between them Tom and Mr. Titus assisted the horseman into an easychair, and there, under the influence of a cup of hot tea, which Mrs.Baggert, the housekeeper, insisted on making for him, he said he feltmuch better, and would explain the reason for his call which hadculminated in such a sensational manner.
And while Mr. Damon is preparing his explanation I will take just a fewmoments to acquaint my new readers with some facts about Tom Swift, andthe previous volumes of this series in which he has played suchprominent parts.
Tom Swift was the son of an inventor, and not only inherited hisfather's talents, but had greatly added to them, so that now Tom had awonderful reputation.
Mr. Swift was a widower, and he and Tom lived in a big house inShopton, New York State, with Mrs. Baggert for a housekeeper. About thehouse, from time to time, shops and laboratories had been erected,until now there was a large and valuable establishment belonging to Tomand his father.
The first volume of this series is entitled, "Tom Swift and His MotorCycle." It was through a motor cycle that Tom became acquainted withMr. Wakefield Damon, who lived in a neighboring town. Mr. Damon hadbought the motor cycle for himself, but, as he said, one day in ridingit the machine tried to climb a tree near the Swift house.
The young inventor (for even then he was working on several patents)ministered to Mr. Damon, who, disgusted with the motor cycle, andwishing to reward Tom, let the young fellow have the machine.
Tom's career began from that hour. For he learned to ride the motorcycle, after making some improvements in it, and from then on the youthhad led a busy life. Soon afterward he secured a motor boat and fromthat it was but a step to an airship.
The medium of the air having been conquered, Tom again turned hisattention to the water, or rather, under the water, and he and hisfather made a submarine. Then he built an electric runabout, thespeediest car on the road.
It was when Ton Swift had occasion to send his wireless message from alonely island where he had been shipwrecked that he was able to do Mr.and Mrs. Nestor a valuable service, and this increased the regard whichMiss Mary Nestor felt for the young inventor, a regard that bid fair,some day, to ripen into something stronger.
Tom Swift might have made a fortune when he set out to discover thesecret of the diamond makers. But Fate intervened, and soon after thatquest he went to the caves of ice, where he and his friends met withdisaster. In his sky racer Tom broke all records for speed, and when hewent to Africa to rescue a missionary, had it not been for his electricrifle the tide of battle would have gone against him and his party.
Marvelous, indeed, were the adventures underground, which came to Tomwhen he went to look for the city of gold, but the treasure there wasnot more valuable than the platinum which Tom sought in dreary Siberiaby means of his air glider.
Tom thought his end had come when he fell into captivity among thegiants; but even that turned out well, and he brought two of the giantsaway with him. Koku, one of the two giants, became devotedly attachedto the lad, much to the disgust of Eradicate Sampson, the old negro whohad worked for the Swifts for a generation, and who, with his muleBoomerang, "eradicated" from the place as much dirt as possible.
With his wizard camera Tom did much to advance the cause of science.His great searchlight was of great help to the United States governmentin putting a stop to the Canadian smugglers, while his giant cannon wasa distinct advance in ordnance, not excepting the great German gunsused in the European war.
When Tom perfected his photo telephone the last objection to renderingtelephonic conversation admissible evidence in a law court was doneaway with, for by this invention a person was able to see, as well asto hear, over the telephone wire. One practically stood face to facewith the person, miles away, to whom one was talking.
The volume immediately preceding this present one is called: "Tom Swiftand His Aerial Warship." The young inventor perfected a marvelousaircraft that was the naval terror of the seas, and many governments,recognizing what an important part aircraft were going to play in allfuture conflicts, were anxious to secure Tom's machine. But he was trueto his own country, though his rivals were nearly successful in theirplots against him.
The Mars, which was the name of Tom's latest craft, proved to be agreat success, and the United States government purchased it. It wasnot long after the completion of this transaction that the eventsnarrated in the first chapter of this book took place.
Mr. Damon and Tom had been firm friends ever since the episode of themotor cycle, and the eccentric gentleman (who blessed so many things)often went with Tom on his trips. Besides Mary Nestor, Tom had otherfriends. The one, after Miss Nestor, for whom he cared most (if weexcept Mr. Damon) was Ned Newton, who was employed in a Shopt
on bank.Ned also had often gone with Tom, though lately, having a betterposition, he had less time to spare.
"Well, do you feel better, Mr. Damon?" asked Tom, after a bit.
"Yes, very much, thank you. Bless my pen wiper! but I thought I wasdone for when I saw my horse bolt for your front stoop. He rushed upit, fell down, but, fortunately, I managed to get out of his way,though the saddle girth slipped. And all I could think of was that mywife would say: 'I told you so!' for she warned me not to ride thisanimal.
"But he never ran away with me before, and I was in a hurry to get overto see you, Tom. Now then, let's get down to business. Will you go toSouth America with me?"
"Whereabout in South America are you going, Mr. Damon, and why?" Tomasked.
"To Peru, Tom."
"What a coincidence!" exclaimed Mr. Titus.
"I beg your pardon?" said Mr. Damon, interrogatively.
"I said what a coincidence. I am going there myself."
"Excuse me," interposed Tom, "I don't believe, in the excitement of themoment, I introduced you gentlemen. Allow me--Mr. Damon--Mr. Titus."
The presentation over, Mr. Damon went on:
"You see, Tom, I have lately invested considerable money in a wholesaledrug concern. We deal largely in Peruvian remedies, principally thebark of the cinchona tree, from which quinine is made. Of late therehas been some trouble over our concession from the Peruvian government,and the company has decided to send me down there to investigate.
"Of course, as soon as I made up my mind to go I thought of you. So Icame over to see if you would not accompany me. All went well until Ireached your front gate. Then my horse became frightened by a yellowtoy balloon some boy was blowing up in the street and bolted with me. Isuppose if it had been a red or green balloon the effect would havebeen the same. However, here I am, somewhat the worse for wear. NowTom, what do you say? Will you go to South America--to Peru--with me,and help look up this Quinine business?"
Once more Mr. Titus and Tom looked at each other.