CHAPTER XI
CROSSED WIRES
More surprised than hurt, and with a feeling of chagrin and anger atthe trick which had been played on him, Tom managed to scramble out ofthe brook. The water was not deep, but he had splashed in with suchforce that he was wet all over. And, as he got up, the water drippingfrom his clothes, the lad was conscious of a pain in his head. He putup his hand, and found that contact with a stone had raised a largelump on his forehead. It was as big as a hen's egg.
"Humph! I'll be a pretty sight to-morrow," murmured Tom. "I wonder whothat fellow was, anyhow, and what he wanted? He tripped me neatlyenough, whoever he was. I've a good notion to keep on after him."
Then, as he realized what a start the fleeing one had, the younginventor knew that it would be fruitless to renew the chase. Slowly heascended the sloping bank, and started for home. As he did so herealized that he had, clasped in his fingers, something he had grabbedfrom the person he was pursuing just before his unlucky tumble.
"It's part of his watch chain!" exclaimed Tom, as he felt of thearticle. "I must have ripped it loose when I fell. Wonder what it is?Evidently some sort of a charm. Maybe it will be a clue." He tried todiscern of what style it was, but in the dark woods this wasimpossible. Then the lad tried to strike a match, but those in hispocket had become wet from his unexpected bath. "I'll have to waituntil I get home," he went on, and he hastened his steps, for he wasanxious to see what he had torn loose from the person who appeared tobe spying on him.
"Why Tom, what's the matter?" exclaimed Mrs. Baggert, when he enteredthe kitchen, dripping water at every step. "Is it raining outside? Ididn't hear any storm."
"It was raining where I was," replied Tom angrily. "I fell in thebrook. It was so hot I thought I'd cool off."
"With your best suit on!" ejaculated the housekeeper.
"It isn't my best," retorted the lad. "But I went in before I thought.It was an accident; I fell," he added, lest Mrs. Baggert take hisjoking remarks seriously. He did not want to tell her of the chase.
The chief concern of the lad now was to look at the charm and, as soonas Mrs. Baggert's attention was attracted elsewhere, Tom glanced at theobject he still held tightly clenched in his hand. As the light fromthe kitchen fell upon it he could hardly repress an exclamation ofastonishment.
For the charm that he held in his hand was one he had seen beforedangling from the watch chain of Addison Berg, the agent for Bentley &Eagert, submarine boat builders, which firm had, as told in "Tom Swiftand His Submarine," tried unsuccessfully to secure the gold treasurefrom the sunken wreck. Berg and his associates had even gone so far asto try to disable the Advance, the boat of Tom and his father, byramming her when deep down under the ocean, but Mr. Swift's use of anelectric cannon had broken the steering gear of the Wonder, the rivalcraft, and from that time on Tom and his friends had a clear field tosearch for the bullion held fast in the hold of the Boldero. "AddisonBerg," murmured Tom, as he looked at the watch charm. "What can he bedoing in this neighborhood? Hiding, too, as if he wanted to overhearsomething. That's the way he did when we were building our submarine,and now he's up to the same trick when I'm constructing my electriccar. I'm sure this charm is his. It is such a peculiar design that I'mpositive I can't be mistaken. I thought, when I was chasing after him,that it would turn out to be Andy Foger, or some of the boys, but itwas too big for them. Addison Berg, eh? What can he be doing aroundhere? I must not tell Dad, or he'd worry himself sick. But I must be onmy guard."
Tom examined the charm closely. It was a compass, but made in an oddform, and was much ornamented.
The young inventor had noticed it on several occasions when he had beenin conversation with Mr. Berg previous to the attempt on the part ofthe owners of the rival submarine to wreck Tom's boat. He felt that hecould not be mistaken in identifying the charm.
"Berg was afraid I'd catch him, and ask for an explanation that wouldhave been awkward to make," thought the lad, as he turned the charmover in his hand. "That's why he tripped me up. But I'll get at thebottom of this yet. Maybe he wants to steal my ideas for an electriccar."
Tom's musings were suddenly interrupted by Mrs. Baggert.
"I hope you're not going to stand there all night," she said, with alaugh. "You're in the middle of a puddle now, but when you get overdreaming I'd like to mop it up."
"All right," agreed the young inventor, coming to himself suddenly."Guess I'd better go get some dry clothes on."
"You'd better go to bed," advised Mrs. Baggert. "That's where yourfather and Mr. Sharp are. It's late."
The more Tom thought over the strange occurrence the more it puzzledhim. He mused over the presence of Berg as he went about his work thenext day, for that it was the agent whom he had pursued he feltpositive.
"But I can't figure out why he was hanging around here," mused Tom.
Then, as he found that his thoughts over the matter were interferingwith his work, he resolutely put them from him, and threw himselfenergetically into the labor of completing his electric car. The newbatteries, he found, were working well, and in the next two days he hadconstructed several more, joining them so as to get the combined effect.
It was the afternoon of the third day from Tom's unexpected fall intothe brook that the young inventor decided on the first important testof his new device. He was going to try the motor, running it with hisstorage battery. Some of the connections were already in place, thewires being fastened to the side of the shop, where they were attachedto switches. Tom did not go over these, taking it for granted that theywere all right. He soon had the motor, which he was to install in hiscar, wired to the battery, and then he attached a gauge, to ascertain,by comparison, how many miles he could hope to travel on one chargingof the storage battery.
"Guess I'll call Dad and Mr. Sharp in to see how it works, before Iturn on the current," he said to himself. He was about to summon hisparent and the aeronaut from an adjoining shop, where they were workingover a new form of dynamo, when the lad caught sight of the watch charmhe had left on his desk, in plain sight.
"Better put that away," he remarked. "Dad or Mr. Sharp might see it,and ask questions. Then I'd have to explain, and I don't want to, notuntil I get further toward the bottom of this thing."
He put the charm away, and then summoned his father and the balloonist.
"You're going to see a fine experiment," declared Tom. "I'm going toturn on the full strength of my battery."
"Are you sure it's all right, Tom?" asked his father. "You can't be toocareful when you're dealing with electricity of high voltage, and greatampere strength.
"Oh, it's all right, Dad," his son assured him "Now watch my motor hum."
He walked over to a big copper switch, and grasped the black rubberhandle to pull it over which would send the current from the storagebattery into the combination of wheels and gears that he hoped,ultimately, would propel his electric automobile along the highways, oron a track, at the rate of a hundred miles an hour.
"Here she goes!" cried Tom. For an instant he hesitated and then pulledthe switch. At the same time his hand rested on another wire, stretchedacross a bench.
No sooner had the switch closed than there was a blinding flash, areport as of a gun being fired, and Tom's body seemed to straightenout. Then a blue flame appeared to encircle him and he dropped to thefloor of the shop, an inert mass.
"He's killed!" cried Mr. Swift, springing forward.
"Careful!" cautioned the balloonist. "He's been shocked! Don't touchhim until I turn off the current!" As he pulled out the switch, theaeronaut gave a glance at the apparatus.
"There's something wrong here!" he cried. "The wires have been crossed!That's what shocked Tom, but he never made the wrong connections! He'stoo good an electrician! There's been some one in this shop, changingthe wires!"