Chapter Seventeen
Mr. Swift is Worse
Almost before the echoes of Eradicate's direful warning cry had diedaway, Tom was on his way out of the house, pausing only long enough toslip on a pair of shoes and his trousers. There was but one thought inhis mind. If he could get the Humming-Bird safely out he would not careif the shed did burn, even though it contained many valuable tools andappliances.
"We must save my new aeroplane!" thought Tom, desperately. "I've got tosave her!"
As he raced through the hall he caught up a portable chemicalfire-extinguisher. Tom saw his father's door open, and Mr. Swift lookedout.
"What is it?" he called anxiously.
"Fire!" answered the young inventor, almost before he thought of thedoctor's warning that Mr. Swift must not be excited. Tom wished hecould recall the word, but it was too late. Besides Eradicate, down inthe yard was shouting at the top of his voice:
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
"Where, Tom?" gasped Mr. Swift, and his son thought the aged inventorgrew suddenly paler.
"Aeroplane shed," answered the lad. "But don't worry dad. It's only asmall blaze. We'll get it out. You stay here. We'll attend to it--Mr.Jackson and Eradicate and I."
"No--I'm going to help!" exclaimed Mr. Swift, sturdily. "I'll be withyou, Tom. Go on!"
The lad rushed down to the yard, closely followed by the engineer, whohad caught up another extinguisher. Eradicate was rushing about, notknowing what to do, but still keeping up his shouting.
"It's on de roof! De roof am all blazin'!" he yelled.
"Quit your noise, and get to work!" cried Tom. "Get out a ladder, Rad,and raise it to the side of the shed. Then play this extinguisher onthe blaze. Mr. Jackson, you help me run the Humming-Bird out. Aftershe's safe we'll tackle the fire."
Tom cast a hurried look at the burning shed. The flames were shootinghigh up from the roof, now, and eating their way down. As he rushedtoward the big doors, which he intended to open to enable him to runout his sky racer, he was wondering how the fire came to start so highup as the roof. He wondered if a meteor could have fallen and caused it.
As the doors, which were quickly unlocked by Tom, swung back, and as heand the engineer started to go in, they were met by choking fumes as ifof some gas. They recoiled for the moment.
"What--what's that?" gasped Tom, coughing and sneezing.
"Some chemical--I--I don't know what kind," spluttered Mr. Jackson."Have you any carboys of acid in there Tom, that might have exploded bythe heat?"
"No; not a thing. Let's try again."
Once more they tried to go in, but were again driven back by thedistressing fumes. The fire was eating down, now. There was a holeburned in the roof, and by the leaping tongues of flame Tom could seehis aeroplane. It was almost in the path of the blaze.
"We must get her out!" he shouted. "I'm going in!"
But it was impossible, and the daring young inventor nearly succumbedto the choking odors. Mr. Jackson dragged him back.
"We can't go in!" he cried. "There has been some mysterious work here!Those fumes were put here to keep us from saving the machine. This firehas been set by some enemy! We can't go in!"
"But I am going!" declared Tom. "We'll try the back door."
They rushed to that, but again were driven out by the gases and vapors,which were mingled with the smoke. Disheartened, yet with a wild desireto do something to save his precious craft, Tom Swift drew back for amoment.
As he did so he heard a hiss, as Eradicate turned the chemical streamon the blaze. Tom looked up. The faithful colored man was on a laddernear the burning roof, acting well his part as a fireman.
"That's the stuff!" cried Tom. "Come on, Mr. Jackson. Maybe if we usethe chemical extinguishers we can drive out those fumes!"
The engineer understood. He took up the extinguisher he had brought,and Tom got a second one from a nearby shed. Then Mr. Swift came outbearing another.
"You shouldn't have come, dad! We can attend to it!" cried Tom, fearingfor the effect of the excitement on his invalid parent.
"Oh, I couldn't stay there and see the shed burn. Are you getting itunder control? Why don't you run out the Humming-Bird?"
Tom did not mention the choking fumes. He passed up a full extinguisherto Eradicate, who had used all the chemical in his. Then Tom gotanother ladder, and soon three streams were being directed on theflames. They had eaten, a pretty big hole in the roof, but thechemicals were slowly telling on them.
As soon as he saw that Eradicate and Mr. Jackson could control theblaze, Tom descended to the ground, and ran once more to the big doors.He was determined to make another try to wheel out the aeroplane, forhe saw from above that the flames were now on the side wall, and mightreach the craft any minute. And it would not take much to inflictserious damage on the sky racer.
"I'll get her, fumes or no fumes!" murmured Tom, grimly. And, whetherit was the effect of the chemical streams, or whether the choking odorswere dissipated through the hole in the roof was not manifested, but,at any rate, Tom found that he could go in, though he coughed andgasped for breath.
He wheeled the aeroplane outside, for the Humming-Bird was almost aslight as her namesake. A hurried glance by the gleam of the dying fireassured Tom that his craft was not damaged beyond a slight scorching ofone of the wing tips.
"That was a narrow escape!" he murmured, as he wheeled the sky racerfar away, out of any danger from sparks. Then he went back to helpfight the fire, which was extinguished in about ten minutes more.
"It was a mighty queer blaze," said Mr. Jackson, "starting at the topthat way. I wonder what caused it?"
"We'll investigate in the morning," decided Tom. "Now, dad, you mustget back to your room." He turned to help his father in, but at thatmoment Mr. Swift, who was trying to say something, fell over in a deadfaint.
"Quick! Help me carry him into the house!" cried Tom. "Then telephonefor Dr. Gladby, Mr. Jackson."
The physician looked grave when, half an hour later, he examined hispatient.
"Mr. Swift is very much worse," he said in a low voice. "The excitementof the fire has aggravated his ailment. I would like another doctor tosee him, Tom."
"Another doctor?" Tom's voice showed his alarm.
"Yes, we must have a consultation. I think Dr. Kurtz will be a good oneto call in. I should like his opinion before I decide what course totake."
"I'll send Eradicate for him at once," said the young inventor, and hewent to give the colored man his instructions, while his heart wasfilled with a great fear for his father.