Chapter IV
Tom's Experiments
"Bless my looking glass, Tom, what does that mean?" exclaimed Mr.Damon. "That face!"
"I don't know," answered the young inventor. "But the sight of some onelooking in here seemed to disturb Mr. Titus. We must follow him."
"Perhaps he saw your giant Koku looking in," suggested the odd, littleman who blessed everything he could think of. "The sight of his face,to any one not knowing him, Tom, would be enough to cause fright."
"It wasn't Koku who looked in the window," said Tom, decidedly. "It wassome stranger. Come on."
The young inventor and Mr. Damon hurried out after the tunnelcontractor, who was running down the road that led in front of theSwift homestead.
"He's chasing some one, Tom," called Mr. Damon.
"Yes, I see he is. But who?"
"I can't see any one," reported Mr. Damon, who had run down to thegate, at which his horse was still standing. Mr. Damon had washed thedirt from his hands and face, and was wearing one of Mr. Swift's coatsin place of his own split one.
Tom joined the eccentric man and together they looked down the roadafter the running Mr. Titus. They were in half a mind to join him, whenthey saw him pull up short, raise his hands as though he had given overthe pursuit, and turn back.
"I guess he got away, whoever he was," remarked Tom. "We'll walk downand meet Mr. Titus, and ask him what it all means."
Shortly afterward they came up to the contractor, who was breathingheavily after his run, for he was evidently not used to such exercise.
"I beg your pardon, Tom Swift, for leaving you and Mr. Damon in such afashion," said Mr. Titus, "but I had to act quickly or lose the chanceof catching that rascal. As it was, he got away, but I think I gave hima scare, and he knows that I saw him. It will make him more cautious inthe future."
"Who was it?" asked Tom.
"Well, I didn't have as close a look as I could have wished for," thecontractor said, as he walked back toward the house with Tom and Mr.Damon, "but I'm pretty sure the face that peered in at us through thelibrary window was that of Isaac Waddington."
"And who is he, if it isn't asking information that ought not be givenout?" inquired Mr. Damon.
"Oh, no, certainly. I can tell you," said the contractor. "Onlyperhaps we had better wait until we get back to the house.
"Since one of their men was seen lurking around here there may beothers," went on Mr. Titus, when the three were once more seated in theSwift library. "It is best to be on the safe side. The face I saw, I'msure, was that of Waddington, who is a tool of Blakeson & Grinder,rival tunnel contractors. They put in a bid on this Andes tunnel, butwe were lower in our figures by several thousand dollars, and thecontract was awarded to us.
"Blakeson & Grinder tried, by every means in their power, to get thejob away from us. They even invoked the aid of some Peruvianrevolutionists and politicians, but we held our ground and began thework. Since then they have had spies and emissaries on our trail,trying their best to make us fail in our work, so the Peruvianofficials might abrogate the contract and give it to them.
"But, so far, we've managed to come out ahead. This Waddington is asort of spy, and I've found him dodging me several times of late. Isuppose he wants to find out my plans so as to be ready to jump in thebreach in case we fail."
"Do you think your rivals had anything to do with the difficulties youare now meeting with in digging the tunnel?" asked Mr. Damon. Mr. Titusshook his head.
"The present difficulties are all of Nature's doing," he said. "It'sjust the abnormally hard rock that is bothering us. Only for that we'dbe all right, though we might have petty difficulties because of themean acts of Blakeson & Grinder. But I don't fear them."
"How do you think this Waddington, if it was he, knew you were cominghere?" asked Tom.
"I can only guess. My brother and I have had some correspondenceregarding you, Tom Swift. That is, I announced my intention of comingto see you, and my brother wrote me to use my discretion. I wrote backthat I would consult you.
"Our main office is in New York, where we employ a large clerical andexpert force. There is nothing to prevent one of our stenographers, forinstance, turning traitor and giving copies of the letters of mybrother and myself to our rivals.
"Mind you, I don't say this was done, and I don't suspect any of ouremployees, but it would be an easy matter for any one to know my plans.I never thought of making a secret of them, or of my trip here. In someway Waddington found out about the last, and he must have followed mehere. Then he sneaked up under the window, and tried to hear what wesaid."
"Do you think he did?" asked Tom.
"I wouldn't be surprised. We took no pains to lower our voices. But,after all, he hasn't learned much that he didn't know before, if heknew I was coming here. He didn't learn the secret of the explosivethat must be used, and that is the vital thing. For I defy him, or anyother contractor, to blast that hard rock with any known explosive.We've tried every kind on the market and we've failed. We'll have todepend on you, Tom Swift, to help us out with some of your giant cannonpowder."
"And I'm not sure that will work," said the young inventor. "I thinkI'll have to experiment and make a new explosive, if I conclude to goto Peru."
"Oh, you'll go all right!" declared Mr. Titus with a smile. "I can seethat you are eager for the adventures I am sure you'll find there, and,besides, your friend here, Mr. Damon, needs you."
"That's what I do, Tom!" exclaimed the odd man. "Bless my excursionticket, but you must come!"
"I'll have to invent the new powder first," Tom said.
"That's what I like to hear!" exclaimed Mr. Titus. "It shows you arethinking of coming with us."
Tom only smiled.
"I am so anxious to get the proper explosive," went on Mr. Titus, "thatI would even purchase it from our rivals, Blakeson & Grinder, if Ithought they had it. But I'm sure they have not, though they may thinkthey can get it.
"That may be the reason they are following me so closely. They maywant to know just when we will fail, and have to give up the contract,and they may think they can step in and finish the work. But I don'tbelieve, without your help, Tom Swift, that they can blast that hardrock, and--"
"Well, I'll say this," interrupted Tom, "first come, first served withme, other things being equal. You have applied to me and, like alawyer, I won't go over to the other side now. I consider myselfretained by your firm, Mr. Titus, to invent some sort of explosive, andif I am successful I shall expect to be paid."
"Oh, of course!" cried the contractor eagerly.
"Very good," Tom went on. "You needn't fear that I'll help the otherfellows. Now to get down to business. I must see some samples of thisrock in order to know what kind of explosive force is needed to rendit."
"I have some in New York," went on the contractor. "I'll have it sentto you at once. I would have brought it, only it is too heavy to carryeasily, and I was not sure I could engage you."
"Did that fellow--Waddington, I believe you called him--get away fromyou?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Clean away," the contractor answered. "He was a better runner than I."
"It doesn't matter much," Tom said. "He didn't hear anything that wouldbenefit him, and I'll give my men orders to be on the lookout for him.What sort of fellow is he, Mr. Titus?"
The contractor described the eavesdropper, and Mr. Damon exclaimed:
"Bless my turkey wish-bone! I'm sure I passed that chap when I wasriding over to see you a while ago, Tom."
"You did?"
"Yes, on the highway. He inquired the way to your place. But there wasnothing strange in that, since you employ a number of men, and Ithought this one was coming to look for work. I can't say I liked hisappearance, though."
"No, he isn't a very prepossessing individual," commented Mr. Titus."Well, now what's the first thing to be done, Tom Swift?"
"Get me some samples of the rock, so I can begin my experiments."
"I'll do that. An
d now let us consider about going to Peru. For I'msure you will be successful in your experiments, and will find for usjust the powder or explosive we need."
"We can go together." said Mr. Damon. "I shall certainly feel more athome in that wild country if I know Tom Swift is with me, and I willappreciate the help of you and your friends, Mr. Titus, instraightening out the tangles of our drug business."
"I'll do all I can for you, Mr. Damon."
The three then talked at some length regarding possible plans. Tom sentout word to one of his men to keep a sharp watch around the house andgrounds, against the possible return of Waddington, but nothing morewas seen of him, at least for the time being.
Mr. Titus drew up a sort of tentative agreement with Tom, binding hisfirm to pay a large sum in case the young inventor was successful, andthen the contractor left, promising to have the rock samples come onlater by express.
Mr. Damon, after blessing a few dozen more or less impersonal objects,took his departure, his fractious horse having quieted down in themeanwhile, and Tom was left to himself.
"I wonder what I've let myself in for now," the youth mused, as he wentback to his laboratory. "It's a new field for me--tunnel blasting.Well, perhaps something may come of it."
But of the strange adventure that was to follow his agreement to helpMr. Titus, our hero, Tom Swift, had not the least inkling.
Tom went back to his labors over the gyroscope problem, but he couldarrive at no satisfactory conclusion, and, tossing aside the papers,covered with intricate figures, he exclaimed:
"Oh, I'm going for a walk! This thing is getting on my nerves."
He strolled through the Shopton streets, and as he reached theoutskirts of the town, he saw just ahead of him the figure of a girl.Tom quickened his pace, and presently was beside her.
"Where are you going, Mary?" he asked.
"Oh, Tom! How you startled me!" she exclaimed, turning around. "I wasjust thinking of you."
"Thanks! Something nice?"
"I shan't tell you!" and she blushed. "But where are you going?"
"Walking with you!"
Tom was nothing if not bold.
"Hadn't you better wait until you're asked?" she retorted,mischievously.
"If I did I might not get an invitation. So I'm going to invite myself,and then I'm going to invite you in here to have an ice cream soda,"and he and Miss Nestor were soon seated at a table in a candy shop.
Tom had nearly finished his ice cream when he glanced toward the door,and started at the sight of a man who was entering the place.
"What's the matter?" asked Mary. "Did you drop some ice cream, Tom?"
"No, Mary. But that man--"
Mary turned in time to see an excited man hurry out of the candy shopafter a hasty glance at Tom Swift.
"Who was he?" the girl asked.
"I--er--oh, some one I thought I knew, but I guess I don't," said Tom,quickly. "Have some more cream, Mary?"
"No, thank you. Not now."
Tom was glad she did not care for any, as he was anxious to getoutside, and have a look at the man, for he thought he had recognizedthe face as the same that had peered in his window. But when he andMiss Nestor reached the front of the shop the strange man was not insight.
"I guess he came in to cool off after his run," mused Tom, "but when hesaw me he didn't care about it. I wonder if that was Waddington? He's apersistent individual if it was he."
"Are you undertaking any new adventures, Tom?" asked Mary.
"Well, I'm thinking of going to Peru."
"Peru!" she cried. "Oh, what a long way to go! And when you get therewill you write to me? I'm collecting stamps, and I haven't any fromPeru."
"Is that--er--the only reason you want me to write?" asked Tom.
"No," said Mary softly, as she ran up the walk.
Tom smiled as he turned away.
Three days later he received a box from New York. It contained thesamples from the Andes tunnel, and Tom at once began his experiments todiscover a suitable explosive for rending the hard stone.
"It is compressed molten lava," said Mr. Swift. "You'll never get anexplosive that will successfully blast that, Tom."
"We'll see," declared the young inventor.