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  Chapter Sixteen

  A Mysterious Fire

  For a few moments Tom did not know what to think. Not that the sight ofaeroplanes in flight were any novelty to him, but to see one flyingover his house in the dead of night was a little out of the ordinary.Then, as he realized that night-flights were becoming more common, Tomtried to make out the details of the craft.

  "I wish I had brought the night glasses with me," he said aloud.

  "Here they are," spoke a voice at his side, and so suddenly that Tomwas startled. He looked down, and saw Mr. Jackson standing beside him.

  "Did you hear the noise, too?" the lad asked the engineer.

  "Yes. It woke me up. Then I heard you moving around, and I heard youcome up here. I thought maybe it was a flight of meteors you'd come tosee, and I knew the glasses would be handy, so I stopped for them. Takea look, Tom. It's an aeroplane; isn't it?"

  "Yes, and not moving very fast, either. They seem to be circling aroundhere."

  The young inventor was peering through the binoculars, and, as soon ashe had the mysterious craft in focus, he cried:

  "Look, Mr. Jackson, it's a new kind of monoplane. I never saw one likeit before. I wonder who could have invented that? It's something like aSantos-Dumont and a Bleriot, with some features of Cornu's Helicopter.That's a queer machine."

  "It certainly is," agreed the engineer, who was now sighting throughthe glasses. In spite of the darkness the binoculars brought out thepeculiarities of the aeroplane with considerable distinctness.

  "Can you make out who are in it?" asked Tom.

  "No," answered Mr. Jackson. "You try."

  But Tom had no better luck. There were two persons in the odd machine,which was slowly flying along, moving in a great circle, with the Swifthouse for its center.

  "I wonder why they're hanging around here?" asked Tom, suspiciously.

  "Perhaps they want to talk to you," suggested Mr. Jackson. "They may befellow inventors--perhaps one of them is that Philadelphia man who hadthe Whizzer."

  "No," replied the lad. "He would have sent me word if he intendedcalling on me. Those are strangers, I think. There they are, comingback again."

  The mysterious aeroplane was once more circling toward the watchers onthe roof. There was a movement on the steps, near which Tom wasstanding, and his father came up.

  "Is anything the matter?" he asked anxiously.

  "Only a queer craft circling around up here," was the reply. "Come andsee, dad."

  Mr. Swift ascended to the roof. The aeroplane was higher now, and thosein her could not so easily be made out. Tom felt a vague sense of fear,as though he was being watched by the evil eyes of his enemies. Morethan once he looked over to the shed where his craft was housed, asthough some danger might threaten it. But the shed of the Humming-Birdshowed no signs of invaders.

  Suddenly the mysterious aeroplane increased its speed. It circled aboutmore quickly, and shot upward, as though to show the watchers of whatit was capable. Then, with a quick swoop it darted downward, straightfor the building where Tom's newest invention was housed.

  "Look out! They'll hit something!" cried the young inventor, as thoughthose in the aeroplane could hear him.

  Then, just as though they had heeded his warning, the pilots of themysterious craft shot her upward, after she had hovered for an instantover the big shed.

  "That was a queer move," said Tom. "It looked as if they lost controlof her for a moment."

  "And they dropped something!" cried Mr. Jackson. "Look! something fellfrom the aeroplane on the roof of the shed."

  "Some tool, likely," spoke Tom. "I'll get it in the morning, and seewhat sort of instruments they carry. I'd like to examine that machine,though."

  The queer aeroplane was now shooting off in the darkness and Tomfollowed it with the glasses, wondering what its construction could belike. He was to have another sight of it sooner than he expected.

  "Well, we may as well get back to bed," said Mr. Jackson. "I'm tired,and we've got lots to do to-morrow."

  "Yes," agreed Tom. "It's cooler now. Come on, dad."

  Tom fell into a light doze. He thought afterward he could not haveslept more than half an hour when he heard a commotion out in the yard.For an instant he could not tell what it was, and then, as he grewwider awake he knew that it was the shouting of Eradicate Sampson, andthe braying of Boomerang.

  But what was Eradicate shouting?

  "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

  Tom leaped to his window.

  "Wake up, Massa Tom! Wake up! De areoplane shed am on fire, an' deHumming-Bird will burn up! Hurry! Hurry!"

  Tom looked out. Flames were shooting up from the roof of the shed wherehis precious craft was kept.