CHAPTER VIII
PHOTOS FROM THE AIRSHIP
"Well, Tom, how is it going?" asked a voice at the door of the shopwhere the young inventor was working. He looked up quickly to beholdMr. Nestor, father of Mary, in which young lady, as I have said, Tomwas much interested. "How is the moving picture camera coming on?"
"Pretty good, Mr. Nestor. Come in. I guess Koku knew you all right. Itold him to let in any of my friends, but I have to keep him there onguard."
"So I understand. They nearly got in the other night, but I hear thatyour camera caught them."
"Yes, that proved that the machine is a success, even if we didn'tsucceed in arresting the men."
"Did you try?"
"Yes, I sent copies of the film, showing Turbot and Eckert trying tobreak into my shop, to Mr. Period, and he had enlarged photographsmade, and went to the police. They said it was rather flimsy evidenceon which to arrest anybody, and so they didn't act. However, we sentcopies of the pictures to Turbot and Eckert themselves, so they knowthat we know they were here, and I guess they'll steer clear of meafter this."
"I guess so, Tom," agreed Mr. Nestor with a laugh. "But what about thechicken thief?"
"Oh, Eradicate attended to his second cousin. He went to see him,showed him a print from the film, and gave him to understand that he'dbe blown up with dynamite, or kicked by Boomerang, if he ever camearound here again, and so Samuel 'Rastus Washington Jackson Johnsonwill be careful about visiting strange chicken coops, after this."
"I believe you, Tom. But how is the camera coming on?"
"Very well. I am making a few changes in it, and I expect to get mybiggest airship in readiness for the trip in about a week, and thenI'll try taking pictures from her. But I understand that you areinterested in Mr. Period's business, Mr. Nestor?"
"Yes, I own some stock in the company, and, Tom, that's what I cameover to see you about. I need a vacation. Mary and her mother are goingaway this Spring for a long visit, and I was wondering if you couldn'ttake me with you on the trips you will make to get moving pictures forour concern."
"Of course I can, Mr. Nestor. I'll be glad to do it."
"And there is another thing, Tom," went on Mr. Nestor, soberly. "I'vegot a good deal of my fortune tied up in this moving picture affair. Iwant to see you win out--I don't want our rivals to get ahead of us."
"They shan't get ahead of us."
"You see, Tom, it's this way. There is a bitter fight on between ourconcern and that controlled by our rivals. Each is trying to get thebusiness of a large chain of moving picture theatres throughout theUnited States. These theatre men are watching us both, and thecontracts for next season will go to the concern showing the best lineof films. If our rivals get ahead of us--well, it will just about ruinour company,--and about ruin me too, I guess."
"I shall do my very best," answered our hero.
"Is Mr. Damon going along?"
"Well, I have just written to ask him. I sent the letter yesterday.
"Doesn't he know what you contemplate?"
"Not exactly. You see when he came, that time I was overcome by thefumes from the acids, everything was so upset that I didn't get achance to tell him. He's been away on business ever since, but returnedyesterday. I certainly hope that he goes with us. Ned Newton iscoming, and with you, and Koku and myself, it will be a nicer party."
"Then you are going to take Koku?"
"I think I will. I'm a little worried about what these rival movingpicture men might do, and if I get into trouble with them, my gianthelper would come in very useful, to pick one up and throw him over atree top, for instance."
"Indeed, yes," agreed Mr. Nestor, with a laugh. "But I hope nothinglike that happens."
"Nothing like that happens?" suddenly asked a voice. "Bless mybookcase! but there always seems to be something going on here. What'sup now, Tom Swift?"
"Nothing much, Mr. Damon," replied our hero, as he recognized his oddfriend. "We were just talking about moving pictures, Mr. Damon, andabout you. Did you get my letter?"
"I did, Tom."
"And are you going with us?"
"Tom, did you ever know me to refuse an invitation from you? I guessnot! Of course I'm going. But, for mercy sakes, don't tell my wife! Shemustn't know about it until the last minute, and then she'll be sosurprised, when I tell her, that she won't think of objecting. Don'tlet her know."
Tom laughed, and promised, and then the three began talking of theprospective trip. After a bit Ned Newton joined the party.
Tom showed the two men how his new camera worked. He had made severalimprovements on it since the first pictures were taken, and now it wasalmost perfect. Mr. Period had been out to see it work, and said it wasjust the apparatus needed.
"You can get films with that machine," he said, "that will be betterthan any pictures ever thrown on a screen. My fortune will be made,Tom, and yours too, if you can only get pictures that are out of theordinary. There will be some hair-raising work, I expect, but you cando it."
"I'll try," spoke Tom. "I have--"
"Hold on! I know what you are going to say," interrupted Mr. Period."You are going to say that you've gone through some strenuous timesalready. I know you have, but you're going to have more soon. I thinkI'll send you to India first."
"To India!" exclaimed Tom, for Mr. Period had spoken of that as if itwas but a journey downtown.
"Yes, India. I want a picture of an elephant drive, and if you can getpictures of the big beasts in a stampede, so much the better. Then,too, the Durbar is on now, and that will make a good film. How soon canyou start for Calcutta?"
"Well, I've got to overhaul the airship," said Tom. "That will takeabout three weeks. The camera is practically finished. I can leave in amonth, I guess."
"Good. We'll have fine weather by that time. Are you going all the wayby your airship?"
"No, I think it will be best to take that apart, ship it by steamer,and go that way ourselves. I can put the airship together in India, andthen use it to get to any other part of Europe, Asia or Africa youhappen to want pictures from."
"Good! Well, get to work now, and I'll see you again."
In the days that followed, Tom and Ned were kept busy. There wasconsiderable to do on the airship, in the way of overhauling it. Thiscraft was Tom's largest, and was almost like the one in which he hadgone to the caves of ice, where it was wrecked. It had been, however,much improved.
The craft was a sort of combined dirigible balloon, and aeroplane, andcould be used as either. There was a machine on board for generatinggas, to use in the balloon part of it, and the ship, which was namedthe Flyer, could carry several persons.
"Bless my shoe laces!" cried Mr. Damon one day as he looked at Koku."If we take him along in the airship, will we be able to float, Tom?"
"Oh, yes. The airship is plenty big enough. Besides, we are not goingto take along a very large party, and the camera is not heavy. Oh,we'll be all right. I suppose you'll be on hand to-morrow, Mr. Damon?"
"To-morrow? What for?"
"We're going to take the picture machine up in the airship, and getsome photos from the sky. I expect to make some films from high in theair, as well as some in the regular way, on the ground, and I want alittle practice. Come around about two o'clock, and we'll have a trialflight."
"All right. I will. But don't let my wife know I'm going up in anairship again. She's read of so many accidents lately, that she'snervous about having me take a trip."
"Oh, I won't tell," promised Tom with a laugh, and he worked awayharder than ever, for there were many little details to perfect. Theweather was now getting warm, as there was an early spring, and it waspleasant out of doors.
The moving picture camera was gotten in readiness. Extra rolls of filmswere on hand, and the big airship, in which they were to go up, fortheir first test of taking pictures from high in the air, had beenwheeled out of the shed.
"Are you going up very far?" asked Mr. Nestor of Tom, and the younginventor thought t
hat Mary's father was a trifle nervous. He had notmade many flights, and then only a little way above the ground, withTom.
"Not very high," replied our hero. "You see I want to get pictures thatwill be large, and if I'm too far away I can't do it."
"Glad to hear it," replied Mr. Nestor, with a note of relief in hisvoice. "Though I suppose to fall a thousand feet isn't much differentfrom falling a hundred when you consider the results."
"Not much," admitted Tom frankly.
"Bless my feather bed!" cried Mr. Damon. "Please don't talk of falling,when we're going up in an airship. It makes me nervous."
"We'll not fall!" declared Tom confidently.
Mr. Period sent his regrets, that he could not be present at the trial,stating in his letter that he was the busiest man in the world, andthat his time was worth about a dollar a minute just at present. He,however, wished Tom all success. Tom's first effort was to sail along,with the lens of the camera pointed straight toward the earth. He wouldthus get, if successful, a picture that, when thrown on the screen,would give the spectators the idea that they were looking down from amoving balloon. For that reason Tom was not going to fly very high, ashe wanted to get all the details possible.
"All aboard!" cried the young inventor, when he had seen to it that hisairship was in readiness for a flight. The camera had been put aboard,and the lens pointed toward earth through a hole in the main cabinfloor. All who were expected to make the trip with Tom were on hand,Koku taking the place of Eradicate this time, as the colored man wastoo aged and feeble to go along.
"All ready?" asked Ned, who stood in the steering tower, with his handon the starting lever, while Tom was at the camera to see that itworked properly.
"All ready," answered the young inventor, and, an instant later, theyshot upward, as the big propellers whizzed around.
Tom at once started the camera to taking pictures rapidly, as he wantedthe future audience to get a perfect idea of how it looked to go up ina balloon, leaving the earth behind. Then as the Flyer moved swiftlyover woods and fields, Tom moved the lens from side to side, to getdifferent views.
"Say! This is great!" cried Mr. Nestor, to whom air-riding was much ofa novelty. "Are you getting good pictures, Tom?"
"I can't tell until we develop them. But the machine seems to beworking all right. I'm going to sail back now, and get some views ofour own house from up above."
They had sailed around the town of Shopton, to the neighboringvillages, over woods and fields. Now they were approaching Shoptonagain.
"Bless my heart!" suddenly exclaimed Mr. Damon, who was looking towardthe earth, as they neared Tom's house.
"What is it?" asked our hero, glancing up from the picture machine, theregistering dial of which he was examining.
"Look there! At your shop, Tom! There seems to be a lot of smoke comingfrom it!"
They were almost over Tom's shop now, and, as Mr. Damon had said, therewas considerable smoke rolling above it.
"I guess Eradicate is burning up papers and trash," was Ned's opinion.
Tom looked to where the camera pointed, he was right over his shop now,and could see a dense vapor issuing from the door.
"That isn't Eradicate!" cried the young inventor. "My shop is on fire!I've got to make a quick drop, and save it! There are a lot of valuablemodels, and machines in there! Send us down, Ned, as fast as she'll go!"