Chapter VIII
An Enemy in the Dark
The situation offered suggestions of trouble that stung Tom toimmediate action. The impetuousness of his giant often resulted indifficulties which the young inventor would have been glad to escape.
Now Koku was following just the wrong path. Tom Swift knew it.
"Koku, you madman!" he shouted after the huge native. "Come back here!Hear me? Back!"
Koku hesitated. He shot a wondering look over his shoulder, but hislong legs continued to carry him down the slope after the dark-facedstranger.
"Come back, I say!" shouted Tom again. "Have I got to come after you?Koku! If you don't mind what you're told I'll send you back to your owncountry and you'll have to eat snakes and lizards, as you used to. Comehere!"
Whether it was because of this threat of a change of diet, which Kokunow abhorred, or the fact that he had really become somewhatdisciplined and that he fairly worshiped Tom, the giant stopped. Theman with the big shoes disappeared behind a hedge of low trees.
"Get back up here!" ejaculated Tom sternly. "I'll never take you awayfrom the house with me again if you don't obey me."
"Master!" ejaculated the giant, slowly approaching. "That Big Feet--"
"I don't care if he made those footprints in the yard last night ornot. I don't want him touched. I didn't even want him to know that weguessed he had been sneaking about the house. Understand?"
"Of a courseness," grumbled Koku. "Koku understand everything Mastersay."
"Well, you don't act as though you did. Next time when I want any helpI may have to bring Rad with me."
"Oh, no, Master! Not that old man. He don't know how to help Master.Koku do just what Master say."
"Like fun you do," said Tom, still apparently very angry with thesimple-minded giant. "Get back into the car and sit still, if you can,until we get to Mr. Damon's house." Then to himself he added: "I don'tblame that fellow, whoever he is, for lighting out. I bet he's runningyet!"
He knew that Koku would say nothing regarding the incident. The gianthad wonderful powers of silence! He sometimes went days withoutspeaking even to Rad. And that was one of the sources of irritationbetween the voluble colored man and the giant.
"'Tain't human," Rad often said, "for nobody to say nothin' as much asdat Koku does. Why, lawsy me! if he was tongue-tied an' speechless, an'a deaf an' dumb mute, he couldn't say nothin' more obstreperously danhe does--no sir! 'Tain't human."
So Tom had not to warn the giant not to chatter about meeting thestranger on the road to Waterfield. If that person with dried red mudon his boots was the spy who had followed Mr. Richard Bartholomew Eastand was engaged by Montagne Lewis to interfere with any attempt thepresident of the H. & P. A. might make to pull his railroad out of thefinancial quagmire into which it was rapidly sinking, Tom would havepreferred to have the spy not suspect that he had been identified afterhis fiasco of the previous evening.
For if this Western looking fellow was Andy O'Malley, whose name hadbeen mentioned by the railroad man, he was the person who had robbedTom of his wallet and had afterward attempted reprisal upon the younginventor because the robbery had resulted in no gain to the robber.
Of course, the fellow had been unable to read Tom's shorthand notes ofthe agreement that he had discussed with Mr. Bartholomew. Just what thenature of that agreement was, would be a matter of interest to thespy's employer.
Having failed in this attempt to learn something which was not hisbusiness, the spy might make other and more serious attempts to learnthe particulars of the agreement between the railroad president and theSwifts. Tom was sorry that the fellow had now been forewarned that hisidentity as the spy and footpad was known to Tom and his friends.
Koku had made a bad mess of it. But Tom determined to say nothing tohis father regarding the discovery he had made. He did not want toworry Mr. Swift. He meant, however, to redouble precautions at theSwift Construction Company against any stranger getting past thestockade gates.
Arrived at Mr. Damon's home in Waterfield, Tom got quickly to work onthe little job he had come to do for his old friend. Of course, Tommight have sent two of his mechanics from the works down here toelectrify the barbed wire entanglements that Mr. Damon had erectedaround his chicken run. But the young inventor knew that his eccentricfriend would not consider the job done right unless Tom attended to itpersonally.
"Bless my cracked corn and ground bone mixture!" ejaculated the chickenfancier. "We'll show these night-prowlers what's what, I guess. One ofmy neighbors was robbed last night. And I would have been if I hadn'tset a watch while I drove over to see you, Tom. Bless my spurs andhackles! but these thieves are getting bold."
"We'll fix 'em," said Tom, cheerfully, while Koku brought the tools andwire to the hen run. "After we link up your supply of the current withthis wire fence it will be an unhappy chicken burglar who interfereswith it."
"That was an unhappy fellow who got your charge of ammonia lastevening," whispered Mr. Damon. "Heard anything more of him?"
"I think I have seen him. But Koku spoiled everything by trying to eathim up," and Tom laughingly related what had occurred on the way fromShopton.
"Bless my boots!" said Mr. Damon. "You'd better see the police, Tom."
"What for?"
"Why, they ought to know about such a fellow lurking about Shopton. Ifhe followed that Western railroad president here--"
"We'll hope that he will follow Mr. Bartholomew away again," chuckledTom. "Mr. Bartholomew won't stay over today. When that chap finds hehas gone he probably will consider that there is no use in hisbothering me any further."
Whether Tom believed this statement or not, he was destined to realizehis mistake within a very short time. At least, the fact that he wasbeing spied upon and that the enemy meant him anything but good, seemedproved beyond a doubt that very week.
Having done the little job for Mr. Damon, Tom allowed no other outsidematter to take up his attention. He shut himself into his privateexperimental workshop and laboratory at the works each day. He did noteven come out for lunch, letting Rad bring him down some sandwiches anda thermos bottle of cool milk.
"The young boss is milling over something new," the men said, andgrinned at each other. They were proud of Tom and faithful to hisinterests.
Time was when there had been traitors in the works; but unfaithfulhands had been weeded out. There was not a man who drew a pay envelopefrom the Swift Construction Company who would not have done his best tosave Tom and his father trouble. Such a thing as a strike, or labortroubles of any kind, was not thought of there.
So Tom knew that whatever he did, or whatever plans he drew, in hisprivate room, he was safely guarded. Yet he always took a portfoliohome with him at night, for after dinner he frequently continued hiswork of the day. Naturally during this first week he did not get far inany problem connected with the proposed electric locomotive. Therewere, however, rough drafts and certain schedules that had to do withthe matter jotted down.
It was almost twelve at night. Tom had sat up in his own room after hisfather had retired, and after the household was still.
Eradicate was in bed and snoring under the roof, Tom knew. Just whereKoku was, it would have been hard to tell. Although a fine andpenetrating rain was falling, the giant might be roaming about thewaste land surrounding the stockade of the works. The elements had noterrors for him.
Tom locked his portfolio and stepped into his bathroom to wash hishands before retiring. Before he snapped on the electric light over thebasin he chanced to glance through the newly set windowpane which hadreplaced the one Rad had shattered in escaping threatened impalement onKoku's spear.
Although the clouds were thick and the rain was falling, there was acertain humid radiance upon the roof of the porch under the bathroomwindow. At least, the wet roof glistened so that any moving figure onor beyond it was visible.
"What's that?" muttered Tom, and he sank down lower than the sill andcrept slowly to the window. He merely
raised himself until his eyeswere on a level with the sill.
Coming up over the edge of the porch roof was a bulky figure. It wasso dimly outlined at first that Tom could scarcely be sure that it wasthat of a man.
However, it was not possible that any creature but a man would be ableto mount the lattice supporting the honeysuckle vines and so creep outupon the porch roof. Once making secure his footing, the enemy in thedark approached directly the bathroom window at which Tom crouched.