CHAPTER XII
WARNED AWAY
"Tom, are you sure it's Andy?"
"Take a look yourself," replied the young inventor, passing his chumthe binoculars.
"Bless my bottle of ink!" cried Mr. Damon. "Is it possible?"
"Quick, Ned, or you'll miss him!" cried Tom.
The young bank clerk focused the glasses on the rapidly movingairship, and, a moment later, exclaimed:
"Yes, that's Andy all right, but I don't know who the men are withhim."
"I couldn't recognize them, either," announced Tom. "But say, Ned,Andy's got a good deal better airship than he had before."
"Yes. This isn't his old one fixed over. I don't believe he everintended to repair the old one. That hiring of Mr. Dillon to dothat, was only to throw him, and us, too, off the track."
Ned passed the glasses to Mr. Damon, who was just in time to get aglimpse of the three occupants of Andy's craft before it passed outof sight over the trees.
"I believe you're right," said Tom to his chum. "And did you noticethat there's quite a body, or car, to that craft?"
"Yes, room enough to carry considerable goods," commented Ned. "Iwonder where he's going in it?"
"To Logansville, most likely. I tell you what it is, Ned. I think oneof us will have to go there, and see if Mr. Whitford has arrived. Hemay be looking for us. I'm not sure but what we ought not to havedone this first. He may think we have not come, or have met withsome accident."
"I guess you're right, Tom. But how shall we go? It isn't going tobe any fun to tramp through those woods," and Ned glanced at thewilderness that surrounded the little glade where they had beencamping.
"No, and I've about concluded that we might as well risk it, and goin the airship. Mr. Whitford has had time enough to work up hisclew, I guess, and Andy will be sure to find out, sooner or later,that we are in the neighborhood. I say let's start for Logansville."
Ned and Mr. Damon agreed with this and soon they were prepared tomove.
"Where will you find Mr. Whitford?" asked Ned of his chum, as theFalcon arose in the air.
"At the post-office. That's where we arranged to meet. There is asort of local custom house there, I believe."
Straight over the forest flew Tom Swift and his airship, with thegreat searchlight housed on top. They delayed their start until theother craft had had a chance to get well ahead, and they were wellup in the air; there was no sight of the biplane in which Andy hadsailed over their heads a short time before.
"Where are you going to land?" asked Ned, as they came in view ofthe town.
"The best place I can pick out," answered Tom. "Just on theoutskirts of the place, I think. I don't want to go down right inthe centre, as there'll be such a crowd. Yet if Andy has been usinghis airship here the people must be more or less used to seeingthem."
But if the populace of Logansville had been in the habit of havingAndy Foger sail over their heads, still they were enough interestedin a new craft to crowd around when Tom dropped into a field nearsome outlying houses. In a moment the airship was surrounded by acrowd of women and children, and there would probably been a lot ofmen, but for the fact that they were away at work. Tom had come downin a residential section.
"Say, that's a beauty!" cried one boy.
"Let's see if they'll let us go on!" proposed another.
"We're going to have our own troubles," said Tom to his chum. "Iguess I'll go into town, and leave the rest of you on guard here.Keep everybody off, if you have to string mildly charged electricalwires about the rail."
But there was no need to take this precaution, for, just as thecombined juvenile population of that part of Logansville wasprepared to storm, and board the Falcon, Koku appeared on deck.
"Oh, look at the giant!"
"Say, this is a circus airship?"
"Wow! Ain't he big!"
"I'll bet he could lift a house!"
These and other expressions came from the boys and girls about theairship. The women looked on open-mouthed, and murmurs of surpriseand admiration at Koku's size came from a number of men who hadhastily run up.
Koku stepped from the airship to the ground, and at once every boyand girl made a bee-line for safety.
"That will do the trick!" exclaimed Tom with a laugh. "Koku, justpull up a few trees, and look as fierce as Bluebeard, and I guess wewon't be troubled with curiosity seekers. You can guard the airship,Koku, better than electric wires."
"I fix 'em!" exclaimed the giant, and he tried to look fierce, butit was hard work, for he was very good natured. But he proved agreater attraction than the aircraft, and Tom was glad of it, for hedid not like meddlers aboard.
"With Koku to help you, and Mr. Damon to bless things. I guess youcan manage until I come back, Ned," said the young inventor, as hemade ready to go in to town to see if Mr. Whitford had arrived.
"Oh, we'll get along all right," declared Ned. "Don't worry."
Tom found Mr. Whitford in one of the rooms over the post-office. Thecustom house official was restlessly pacing the floor.
"Well, Tom!" he exclaimed, shaking hands, "I'm glad to see you. Iwas afraid something had happened. I was delayed myself, but when Idid arrive and found you hadn't been heard from, I didn't know whatto think. I couldn't get you on the wireless. The plant here is outof repair."
Tom told of their trip, and the wait they had decided on, and asked:
"What about the new clew; the Fogers?"
"I'm sorry to say it didn't amount to anything. I ran it down, andcame to nothing."
"You know Andy has a new airship?"
"Yes. I had men on the trail of it. They say Andy is agent for afirm that manufactures them, but I have my doubts. I haven't givenup yet. But say, Tom, you've got to get busy. A big lot of goods wassmuggled over last night."
"Where?"
"Well, quite a way from here. I got a telegram about it. Can you geton the job to-night, and do some patrol work along the border?You're only half a mile from it now. Over there is Canada," and hepointed to a town on a hill opposite Logansville.
"Yes, I can get right into action. What place is that?"
"Montford, Canada. I've got men planted there, and the Dominioncustoms officials are helping us. But I think the smugglers havechanged the base of their operations for the time being. If I wereyou I'd head for the St. Lawrence to-night."
"I will. Don't you want to come along?"
"Why, yes. I believe I'm game. I'll join you later in the day," Mr.Whitford added, as Tom told him where the Falcon was anchored.
The young inventor got back to find a bigger crowd than ever aroundhis airship. But Koku and the others had kept them at a distance.
With the government agent aboard Tom sent his craft into the air atdusk, the crowd cheering lustily. Then, with her nose pointed towardthe St. Lawrence, the Falcon was on her way to do a night patrol,and, if possible, detect the smugglers.
It was monotonous work, and unprofitable, for, though Tom sent theairship back and forth for many miles along the wonderful river thatformed the path from the Great Lakes to the sea, he had no glimpseof ghostly wings of other aircraft, nor did he hear the beat ofpropellers, nor the throb of motors, as his own noiseless airshipcruised along.
It came on to rain after midnight, and a mist crept down from theclouds, so that even with the great searchlight flashing itspowerful beams, it was difficult to see for any great distance.
"Better give it up, I guess," suggested Mr. Whitford toward morning,when they had covered many miles, and had turned back towardLogansville.
"All right," agreed Tom. "But we'll try it again to-morrow night."
He dropped his craft at the anchorage he had selected in the graydawn of the morning. All on board were tired and sleepy. Ned,looking from a window of the cabin, as the Falcon came to a stop,saw something white on the ground.
"I wonder what that is?" he said as he hurried out to pick it up. Itwas a large white envelope, addressed to Tom Swift, and the name wasin printe
d characters.
"Somebody who wants to disguise their writing," remarked Tom, as hetore it open. A look of surprise came over his face.
"Look here! Mr. Whitford," he cried. "This is the work of thesmugglers all right!"
For, staring at Tom, in big printed letters, on a white sheet ofpaper, was this message:
"If you know what is good for you, Tom Swift, you had better clearout. If you don't your airship will burned, and you may get hurt.We'll burn you in mid-air. Beware and quit. You can't catch us."
"THE COMMITTEE OF THREE."
"Ha! Warned away!" cried Tom. "Well, it will take more than this tomake me give up!" and he crumpled the anonymous warning in his hand.