Chapter Fourteen
The Great Test
"Bless my gizzard!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, who hardly knew what to do."We'd better be getting out of here, Tom!"
"Not much!" exclaimed the young inventor. "I never ran from Andy Fogeryet, and I'm not going to begin now."
He assumed an attitude of defense, and stood calmly awaiting theonslaught of the bully; but Andy knew better than to come to a personalargument with Tom, and so the red-haired lad halted some paces off. Theman, who had followed young Foger, also stopped.
"What do you want around here, Tom Swift?" demanded Andy.
"You know very well what I want," said the young inventor, calmly. "Iwant to know what you did with the aeroplane plans you took from myhouse."
"I never took any!" declared Andy vigorously.
"Well, there's no use discussing that," went on Tom. "What I came hereto find out, and I don't mind telling you, is whether or not you arebuilding a monoplane to compete against me, and building it on a modelinvented by me; and what's more, Andy Foger, I intend to find this out,too!"
Tom started toward the big shed, which loomed up in the moonlight.
"Stand back!" cried Andy, getting in Tom's way. "I can build any kindof an aeroplane I like, and you can't stop me!"
"We'll see about that," declared the young inventor, as he kept on."I'm not going to allow my plans to be stolen, and a monoplane madeafter them, and do nothing about it."
"You keep away!" snarled Andy, and he grabbed Tom by the shoulder andstruck him a blow in the chest. He must have been very much excited, orotherwise he never would have come to hostilities this way with Tom,whom he well knew could easily beat him.
The blow, together with the many things he had suffered at Andy'shands, was too much for our hero. He drew back his fist, and a momentlater Andy Foger was stretched out on the grass. He lay there for amoment, and then rose up slowly to his knees, his face distorted withrage.
"You--you hit me!" he snarled.
"Not until you hit first," said Tom calmly.
"Bless my punching bag! That's so!" exclaimed Mr. Damon.
"You'll suffer for this!" whined Andy, getting to his feet, but takingcare to retreat from Tom, who stood ready for him. "I'll get squarewith you for this! Jake, come on, and we'll get our guns!"
Andy turned and hurried back toward the shed, followed by theevil-looking man, who had apparently been undecided whether to attackMr. Damon or Tom. Now the bully and his companion were in full retreat.
"We'll get our guns, and then we'll see whether they'll want to staywhere they're not wanted!" went on Andy, threateningly.
"Bless my powderhorn! What had we better do?" asked Mr. Damon.
"I guess we'd better go back," said Tom calmly. "Not that I'm afraid ofAndy. His talk about guns is all bluff; but I don't want to get intoany more of a row, and he is just ugly and reckless enough to maketrouble. I'm afraid we can't learn what we came to find out, thoughI'm more convinced than ever that Andy is using my plans to make hisaeroplane."
"But what can you do?"
"I'll see Mr. Sharp, and send a protest to the aviation committee. I'llrefuse to enter if Andy flies in a model of my Humming-Bird, and I'lltry to prevent him from using it after he gets it on the ground. Thatis all I can do, it seems, lacking positive information. Come on, Mr.Damon. Let's get back to our hotel, and we'll start for home in themorning."
"I have a plan," whispered the odd man.
"What is it?" asked Tom, narrowly watching for the reappearance of Andyand the man.
"I'll stay here until they come, then I'll pretend to run away. They'llchase after me, and get all excited, and you can go up and look in theshed windows. Then you can join me later. How's that?"
"Too risky. They might fire at you by mistake. No. We'll both go. I'vefound out more than enough to confirm my suspicions."
They turned out of the lot which contained the shed, and walked towardthe road, just as Andy and his crony came back.
"Huh! You'd better go!" taunted the bully.
Tom had a bitter feeling in his heart. It seemed as if he was defeated,and he did not like to retreat before Andy.
"You'd better not come back here again, either," went on Andy.
Tom and Mr. Damon did not reply, but kept on in silence. They returnedto Shopton the next day.
"Well," remarked Tom, when he had gone out to look at his Humming-Bird,"I know one thing. Andy Foger may build a machine something like this,but I don't believe he can put in all the improvements I have, andcertainly he can't equal that engine; eh, dad?"
"I hope not, Tom," replied his father, who seemed to be much improvedin health.
"When are you going to try for speed?" asked Mr. Damon.
"To-morrow, if I can get it tuned up enough," replied Tom, "and I thinkI can. Yes, we'll have the great test to-morrow, and then I'll knowwhether I really have a chance for that ten thousand dollars."
Never before had Tom been so exacting in his requirements of his aircraft as when, the next day, the Humming-Bird was wheeled out to theflight ground, and gotten ready for the test. The young inventor wentover every bolt, brace, stay, guy wire and upright. He examined everysquare inch of the wings, the tips, planes and rudders. The levers, thesteering wheel, the automatic equilibrium attachments and the balancingweights were looked at again and again.
As for the engine, had it been a delicate watch, Tom could not havescrutinized each valve, wheel, cam and spur gear more carefully. Thenthe gasoline tank was filled, the magneto was looked after, the oilreservoirs were cleaned out and freshly filled, and finally the ladremarked:
"Well, I guess I'm ready. Come along, Mr. Damon."
"Am I going with you in the test?"
"Surely. I've been counting on you. If you're to be with me in therace, you want to get a sample of what we can do. Take your place. Mr.Jackson, are you ready to time us?"
"All ready, Tom."
"And, dad, do you feel well enough to check back Mr. Jackson's results?I don't want any errors."
"Oh, yes, Tom. I can do it."
"Very well, then. Now this is my plan. I'm going to mount upward on aneasy slant, and put her through a few stunts first, to warm up, and seethat everything is all right. Then, when I give the signal, by droppingthis small white ball, that means I'm ready for you to start to timeme. Then I'll begin to try for the record. I'll go about the course ina big ellipse, and--well, we'll see what happens."
While Mr. Damon was in his seat the young inventor started thepropeller, and noted the thrust developed. It was satisfactory, asmeasured on the scale, and then Tom took his place.
"Let her go!" he cried to Mr. Jackson and Eradicate, after he hadlistened to the song of the motor for a moment. The Humming-Bird flewacross the course, and a moment later mounted into the air.
Tom quickly took her up to about two thousand feet, and there, findingthe conditions to his liking, he began a few evolutions designed toseverely test the craft's stability, and to learn whether the enginewas working properly.
"How about it?" asked Mr. Damon anxiously.
"All right!" shouted Tom in his ear, for the motor was making a greatracket. "I guess we'll make the trial next time we come around. Getready to drop the signal ball."
Tom slowly brought the aeroplane around in a graceful curve. He sighteddown, and saw the first tall white pole that marked the beginning ofthe course.
"Drop!" he called to Mr. Damon.
The white rubber ball went to the earth like a shot. Mr. Jackson andMr. Swift saw it, and started their timing-watches. Tom opened thethrottle and advanced the spark. The great test was on!
The Humming-Bird trembled and throbbed with the awful speed of themotor, like a thing alive. She seemed to rush forward as an eagledropping down from a dizzy height upon some hapless prey.
"Faster yet!" murmured Tom. "We must go faster yet!"
The motor was warming up. Streaks of fire came from it. The exhaust ofthe explosions was a continuous roar. Fast
er and faster flew the frailcraft.
Around and around the air course she circled. The wind appeared to berushing beneath the planes and rudders with the velocity of ahurricane. Had it not been for the face protectors they wore, Tom andMr. Damon could not have breathed. For ten minutes this fearful speedwas kept up. Then Tom, knowing he had run the motor to the limit,slowed it down. Next he shut it off completely, and prepared tovolplane back to earth. The silence after the terrific racket wasalmost startling. For a moment neither of the aviators spoke. Then Mr.Damon said:
"Do you think you did it, Tom?"
"I don't know. We'll soon find out. They'll have the record." And hemotioned toward the earth, which they were rapidly nearing.