Chapter XXIV
Putting the Enemy to Flight
The pilot and headlight of the freight locomotive came around the turnand the freight thundered on toward the switch. Seeing the group of menstanding by the stalled electric locomotive, and the locomotive itselfin the clear of the siding, the driver of the freight did not supposethe switch was open. Nobody who was not a criminal would have stood byidly in such an emergency and let the freight run into an open switch.
Therefore, for the first minute, the coming engineer did not observehis danger. Lewis and his gang stared at the head of the freight anddid nothing. They had moved hastily back from the siding so as to beclear of the wreckage. Mr. Damon was in the front of the cab ofHercules 0001 and had no idea of the approaching menace.
But of a sudden a loud shout echoed through the wood. Tom Swift cameover the ridge and started toward his invention at top speed. From thatheight he saw the freight train coming, he observed the men standing atthe siding, and he recognized Montagne Lewis, roughly as the railroadmagnate was dressed.
Instantly Tom realized what was about to happen--what would surelyoccur--and he saw what must be done if the utter wreck of hislocomotive was to be averted. Yelling at the top of his voice, heleaped down the slope.
"That's Swift!" shouted Lewis. "Stop him!" But the men he had hired todo his wicked work fell back instead of trying to halt the younginventor. It was not Tom's appearance that made them quail. Over theridge there appeared a second figure--and a more fearful or threateningapparition none of them had ever before seen!
Koku came running with the limp body of Andy O'Malley slung over hisshoulder like a bag of meal. The fellows knew it was Andy from hisdress.
The giant came down the slope after Tom as though he wore theseven-league boots. The fellows Lewis had hired to wreck the electriclocomotive shrank back from before both Tom and the giant.
"Get him!" yelled the half blinded Lewis again.
"Get your grandmother!" bawled one of the men suddenly. "Good-night!"
He turned tail and ran, disappearing almost instantly into the thickerwoods. And his mates, after a moment of wavering, sped after him. Lewiswas left alone, quite helpless because of the ammonia fumes.
As a matter of fact not all of O'Malley's predicament was due to Koku.The rascal, exhausted by his run and half blind through fright andrage, had stumbled, fallen, and struck his head on a root, whichrendered him unconscious.
This, of course, Lewis and his ruffians did not know. All the men ofthe railroad president's gang saw was the gigantic Koku coming along ingreat strides, bearing the unconscious O'Malley, who was a burlyfellow, as though he were a featherweight. No wonder they fled fromsuch a monster.
Tom had reached the switch, and he was several seconds ahead of thefreight locomotive. The engineer saw the open switch then; but he wastoo late to stop his train.
Going into reverse, however, helped some. Tom seized the switch leverand threw it over, locking it in place, just as the forward trucksthundered upon the joint. The train swept by in safety, and theengineer leaned from his cab window to wave a grateful hand at theyoung inventor.
Neither the engineer nor the crew of the freight understood the meaningof the scene at the timber siding. All they learned was that Tom Swifthad saved the freight from a possible wreck.
The young inventor turned sharply from the switch and motioned with hishand to Koku.
"Throw that fellow into the cab, Koku," he commanded.
The giant did as he was told, just as Ned Newton came panting to thespot.
"Did they do any harm, Tom?" he cried. Then he saw Montagne Lewisstanding by, and he seized his chum's arm. "Do you see what I see,Tom?" he demanded, earnestly.
"I guess we both see the same snake," rejoined his chum. "And I mean toscotch it."
"Montagne Lewis!" murmured Ned. "And we've got his chief tool."
Tom said nothing to his chum, but he approached Lewis with determinedmien.
"I can see something has happened to you, Mr. Lewis, and I can guesswhat it is. The effect of that ammonia will blow away after a time. Askyour friend, Andy O'Malley. He knows all about it, for he sampled itback East, in Shopton."
"I'm going to get square for this, young man," growled the railroadmagnate. "You know who I am. And that fellow in the cab knew me, too.How dared he shoot that stuff into my face and eyes?"
"I fancy it didn't take much daring on Mr. Damon's part," and Tomactually chuckled. "A big crook isn't any more important in our eyesthan a little crook. We've got your henchman, O'Malley--"
"And you'd better let him go. I'm telling you," snarled Lewis. "I'llruin you in this country, Tom Swift. I've got influence--"
"You won't have much after this thing comes out. And believe me, I meanto spread it abroad. I've got nothing to win or lose from you, Mr.Lewis. As for O'Malley, I'll put him behind the bars for a good longterm."
"You'll do a lot--"
"More than you think," said Tom. "Koku!" The giant had pitchedO'Malley, who was still senseless, into the cab, and now was coming upbehind Lewis.
"Yes, Master," said the giant.
"Get him!"
"Yes, Master," said Koku, and to Lewis' startled amazement, the nextinstant he was in the hands of the giant!
He screamed and threatened, and even kicked, to no avail. When he waspitched into the electric locomotive he was held under the threat ofMr. Damon's ammonia pistol until Tom and Ned and the giant entered andthe door was shut. Then Koku proceeded to tie both the prisoners bywrist and ankle while the others examined the mechanism of the Hercules0001.
The pantagraph had been torn off the trolley wires when the locomotivehad gone on the siding. But now Tom climbed to the roof of thelocomotive, and with Koku's aid managed to set the rear pantagraph atsuch an angle that its wheels caught the trolley cables again, and oncemore the current was pumped into the Hercules 0001.
Tom tried out the several parts of the mechanism and found that,despite the jar of the collision, nothing was really injured.
"I built this thing to withstand hard usage," he declared with pride."The Swift Hercules Electric Locomotives will not be built for parlorornaments. She is going to run into Hendrickton under her own power, inspite of a smashed cows catcher and target lights."
"Is nothing really injured, Tom?" asked Mr. Damon. "Bless my dinnerset! I thought everything had gone to smash when she hit that bumper."
"She will be as good as new in a week," declared Tom, with conviction.
This prophecy of the young inventor proved to be true. A week from thatday the public test of the electric locomotive on the Hendrickton & PasAlos Railroad was held. A picked delegation of railroad men was presentto observe and marvel, with Mr. Bartholomew; but Montagne Lewis, thepresident of the H. & W., was not one of those who attended.
Of course, Lewis soon got out of jail on bail. But the accusationagainst him was a serious one. His guilt would be proved by his ownemployee, Andy O'Malley, who was in a hospital for the time being.
O'Malley had got enough. He had turned State's evidence and implicatedhis employer. Influential and wealthy as Lewis was, he could not escapetrial with O'Malley when the time came.
"One thing sure, Lewis has got all he wants. He isn't likely to try anymore crooked work against the H. & P. A.," Mr. Bartholomew said. "I canthank you for that, Tom Swift, as well as for your invention. Youhave saved the day for my railroad."
"You can thank Koku," chuckled Tom. "If he hadn't spied and identified'Big Feet,' we might not have caught O'Malley, and, through O'Malley,implicated Montagne Lewis. You give Koku a new suit of clothes, Mr.Bartholomew, and we will call it square. But be sure and have thepattern of the goods loud enough."
This conversation took place while the party of guests was gathering toboard Mr. Bartholomew's private car, attached to the Hercules 0001. Mr.Damon was one of the guests and so was Ned Newton. Tom took into thecab a crew of H. & P. A. men who would hereafter drive the hugelocomotive and take care of her
.
The semaphore signal dropped and the electric locomotive started asquietly as a baby going to sleep! There was not a jar as the trainmoved off the siding and over the switches to the main line.
The dispatcher had arranged a clear road for them. Tom knew that he hada free track ahead of him--a level of ninety-odd miles to the Hammonyards. As he passed the Hendrickton shops he touched the siren leverfor a moment, and the shrill voice of the Hercules 0001 bade the towngood-bye.
The next minute the visitors in the private car grabbed out theirsplit-second watches and began to murmur. The electric locomotive hadbegun to travel!