CHAPTER V
IN PERIL
Upon inspection, it was found that three half-inch holes had beendrilled into each pontoon. It was evident that only an enemy of Tom orof the Swift Company could have done such a thing.
"Ned, that proves it!" declared the young inventor gloomily.
Three Holes in Each Pontoon]
"Proves what?" Ned asked.
"Can't you see? It all ties in with Mr. Damon's so-called relatives, andtheir knowledge of my formula for a bendable glass. Someone in our shopsis a traitor--or worse!"
"But what has a damaged hydroplane to do with that?" objected Ned.
"If we had landed on water with these damaged pontoons, we'd havedrowned most likely," replied Tom. "That would have suited thevillains who want my formula, and no one would have been the wiser asto what caused the accident."
"We'd Have Been Drowned!"]
"Admitting you're right, the thing's a pretty serious mess," said Ned."But of course crooked people will go to long lengths for money, and ifyour formula is a good one, it certainly will bring a lot of money tosomeone or something."
"And that something is going to be the Swift Company!" declared Tom.
"It's a Pretty Serious Mess."]
"Since we can't take off in the hydroplane today," said Ned, "let's goback to the office. I suppose it'll require some time to patch up thoseholes."
Tom immediately sent for one of his skilled mechanics, a man whom heknew to be trustworthy. He set the fellow to work welding patches overthe holes. After cautioning his employee to maintain strict silence, heand Ned drove away.
He Welded Patches Over the Holes]
"Don't say anything to Dad about this," warned Tom as the two left thefield. "It would only worry him and could do no good. You and I mustwork out this mess by ourselves."
After dinner that evening Tom went to his private laboratory to checkthe thermostat controlling the temperature of the annealing oven inwhich his batch of new glass was being slowly cooled. Then he spent sometime at his desk over certain intricate formulas. The room was insemi-darkness, lighted only by a shaded reading lamp.
Tom Checked the Thermostat]
"Well, that's that," yawned the young inventor at length, locking up hisdesk. "Guess I'd better put the valuable disk back in the vault before Igo home," he decided, switching on the ceiling lights and glancingtoward the corner where Koku had placed the telescope.
With a start he saw that his invention was gone!
His Invention Was Gone]
Quickly examining the instrument, he found that the green disk had beenjerked roughly from its clamps by someone who evidently had been intoo great a hurry to bother unscrewing the bolts which had held it inplace.
"Ho!" suddenly boomed a deep voice. Tom became aware of a commotionoutside the laboratory. "You no get 'way fum me! How you like 'notherknock on top head?"
"Don't hit me again!" whined someone. "I won't try to escape!"
Tom flung open the door and saw his giant servant dragging a man upthe steps. A feeling of tremendous relief swept over young Swift as hediscovered his precious green disk in Koku's left hand.
Koku Was Dragging a Man]
"Ha, Master Tom! Catchum bad mans tryin' to sneak through gate! Seegreen thing stick out of pocket and grabbum--bringum here. Want mehittum again?"
"Please don't let him hurt me, Mr. Swift," snivelled the man. "He hit mean awful blow back there."
"Want Me Hittum Again?"]
"You had it coming to you," retorted Tom sternly. "Besides, you're nothurt very much. Koku, bring him in here. You certainly did a good pieceof work when you nabbed this fellow. Take him into the office and we'llhave a word or two with him before I call the police."
"I ain't talkin'," muttered the man, shifting uncomfortably and lookingrather uneasily at the giant. "You ain't got nothin' on me. I just foundthat chunk of green glass in the field."
"You Ain't Got Nothin' on Me."]
"Don't lie to me, unless you want to be mussed up some more," said Tomgrimly, glancing at Koku. "I think I'll just take a look through yourpockets. Perhaps you found a few other little things when you broke inhere."
Under the menacing eye of the giant, the man submitted sullenly to thesearch. There was nothing in his clothes to identify him. Apparently hehad stolen nothing else from the laboratory. He refused to answer anyquestions, however. Tom gave up and summoned the police by telephone.
Tom Searched the Man]
"O Master, here other thing in man's pocket!" exclaimed Koku, after thethief had been carted away to jail. "It stuck to round green thing whenI yank away from um." He handed Tom a bit of pasteboard from which thelower third had been torn.
"It's a business card of the Apex Glass Works with the representative'sname ripped off!" exclaimed young Swift aloud. Then to himself he added,"I wonder? Maybe Ned was right after all and they ARE after my formulafor bendable glass!"
A Business Card]
Tom immediately called the home of Mr. Stern, head of the glass works,to whom he related the occurrence. The executive was shocked and veryindignant at the thought of there being a criminal among his employeesand promised to investigate thoroughly.
"I hope you don't think I had anything to do with this, Mr. Swift!" theman exclaimed.
The Executive Was Shocked]
"Not in the least, sir. But if you turn up any clues, I hope you'll letme know."
"I most assuredly will. You may count on my help."
An early hour next day found Tom and Ned flying south over the sandycoast of New Jersey. Every inch of the "Winged Arrow" had beenthoroughly inspected, but no other signs of damage had been discovered.Even so, the young business manager sat a bit uneasily in his seat as hepeered out anxiously at the broad wings.
Tom and Ned Flew South]
"Afraid they'll drop off, old man?" grinned Tom. "Don't worry. WeX-rayed 'em and no struts have been filed nor any time-bombs planted!"
"Huh, I was just looking at the weather," grunted Ned indignantly. Hewas secretly relieved, for he had been pondering how easily a charge ofdynamite could have been secreted aboard ship. "How soon do you thinkwe'll reach Delaware Bay?"
Ned Was Uneasy]
"Within the next twenty minutes," answered his chum, glancing at theinstrument board. "Mr. Britten is to meet us at a dock near Lewes."
Less than half an hour later the pontoons of the "Winged Arrow" wereplowing through the waters of Delaware Bay toward a near-by pier. Awharf attendant caught the line Ned threw him and the ship was mooredsecurely to a stout post.
As Tom and his companion climbed up, a grizzled-looking old man hailedthem in a voice that seemed well able to travel from quarterdeck tofo'c'sle even in the teeth of a hurricane.
The Plane Plowed Through the Waters]
"Ahoy there!" he bellowed, though scarcely twenty feet away. "Are youyoung Swift and company?"
"Right you are. Captain Britten, I take it?"
Vastly flattered by the title, the red-faced old seaman warmly shookhands with the boys. "Correct ye are, me lad. Your good father tellsme you need a bit o' salvagin' done an' I'm the man as'll do it proper!"
Captain Britten, the Grizzled Old Man]
"Good for you, Captain!" said Tom. "That's exactly what my father said.And now, have you your equipment handy? If it's not too heavy we canload it aboard the plane right away. Oh, and I want to introduce my goodfriend here, Ned Newton."
"I Want to Introduce My Friend."]
"Glad to meet ye, shipmate! As for my salvagin' outfit, it's aboardship. We'll pick up my old barge, the 'Elizabeth B.,' but I calls herthe 'Betsy B.,' at Key West, where I keeps her anchored. She's in amanner o' speakin' my winter home." Captain Britten picked up a huge,battered old suitcase. "If your flyin' machine is ready, so am I!"
The old man was obviously a trifle eccentric, but both boys were warmlyattracted to him by his sincere and friendly manner. Besides, as Tomnoted, there was a certain air of competence abou
t him, as if he waswell able to tackle and solve the hardest of problems in his line.
Captain Britten Carried His Suitcase]
"Let's go, then!" proposed Ned, motioning to the attendant to cast offand handing him a coin at the same time.
Listening to a number of quaint seafaring expressions from old CaptainBritten, who was starting his first voyage into the upper air, Tom sentthe big craft roaring above the smooth water toward Shopton.
Tom Sent the Big Craft Roaring]
"How do you like flying, Captain Britten?" Ned asked. "Ever been up?"
"Well, I guess it's all right," rumbled the salvaging expert, lookingdown at the sea dubiously. "But to tell you the truth, I'm more at homeON the water than OVER it!"
In a short time the nose of the "Winged Arrow" turned inland as Tom sethis course direct for home. When they were nearing Shopton, the younginventor, intending to come down on solid ground, grasped the devicewhich lowered the landing wheels. It seemed to work very stiffly, hethought, so he leaned over farther to exert more force. Suddenly therecame a snapping noise.
The Plane Turned Inland]
"What's up, Tom?" called Ned, hearing the noise and seeing his chumfumbling with the now useless mechanism.
"Landing gear out of commission. But there's no need to worry as we candescend on Lake Carlopa easily with the pontoons."
"Landing Gear out of Commission."]
"By George!" exclaimed Ned Newton, banging his fist on the instrumentpanel. "Ten to one this is the work of the same scoundrel who boredholes in the floats. If I could get my hands on--"
"I hope you'll be in a condition to do so," cut in Tom in an oddlystrained voice. "Take a look at the fuel gauge."
"It--it says zero! But that's impossible. We saw the tanks filled lastnight."
"Look at the Fuel Gauge."]
"Sure, and when we took off this morning the gauge showed they werestill full. Someone tampered with the pointer of the instrument and allbut drained the gas containers when they wrecked the landing gear. Justnow you dislodged the jammed needle when you struck the instrument boardwith your fist."
"Then we're in a pretty bad way, eh, Tom?" asked Captain Britten calmly.
"We're in a Pretty Bad Way?"]
"I'll say," replied young Swift grimly. "We can't hope to reachCarlopa and there is nothing beneath us now but thick woodland. Noquestion about it. A crack-up is the next thing on the program!"
As he finished speaking, the starboard motor emitted a groaning coughand stopped. The port engine might run for another five minutes or itmight give out within the next five seconds!
The Starboard Engine Stopped]