第18章

OFF FOR INDIA

"Bless my hose reel!" cried Mr.Damon, as the airship took a quick lurch toward the earth."Things are always happening to you, Tom Swift! Your shop on fire! How did it happen?""Look!" suddenly cried Ned, before Tom had a chance to answer."There's a man running away from the shop, Tom!"All saw him, and, as the airship rushed downward it could be seen that he was a fellow dressed in ragged garments, a veritable tramp.

"I guess that fire didn't happen," said Tom significantly."It was deliberately set.Oh, if we can only get there before it gains too much headway!""I like to catch that fellow!" exclaimed Koku, shaking his big fist at the retreating tramp."I fix him!"On rushed the airship, and the man who had probably started the fire, glanced up at it.Tom suddenly turned the lens of his Wizard Camera toward him.The mechanism inside, which had been stopped, started clicking again, as the young inventor switched on the electric current.

"What are you doing?" cried Ned, as he guided the airship toward the shop, whence clouds of smoke were rolling.

"Taking his picture," replied Tom."It may come in useful for evidence."But he was not able to get many views of the fellow, for the latter must have suspected what was going on.He quickly made a dive for the bushes, and was soon lost to sight.Tom shut off his camera.

"Bless my life preserver!" cried Mr.Damon."There comes your father, Tom, and Mrs.Baggert! They've got buckets! They're going to put out the fire!""Why don't they think to use the hose?" cried the young inventor, for he had his shop equipped With many hose lines, and an electrically driven pump.The hose! The hose, dad!" shouted Tom, but it is doubtful if his father or Mrs.Baggert heard him, for the engine of the airship was makingmuch noise.However, the two with the buckets looked up, and waved their hands to those on the Flyer.

"There's Eradicate!" yelled Ned."He's got the hose all right!" The colored man was beginning to unreel a line.

"That's what it needs!" exclaimed Tom."Now there's some chance to save the shop.""We'll be there ourselves to take a hand in a few seconds!" cried Mr.Damon, forgetting to bless anything."The scoundrel who started this fire, and those back of him, ought to be imprisoned for life!" declared Mr.Nestor.

A moment later Ned had landed the airship within a short distance of the shop.In an instant the occupants of the craft had leaped out, and Tom, after a hasty glance to see that his valuable camera was safe, dashed toward the building crying:

"Never mind the pails, dad! Use the hose! there's a nozzle at the back door.Go around there, and play the water on from that end."Eradicate, with his line of hose, had disappeared into the shop through the front door, and the others pressed in after him, heedless of the dense smoke.

"Is it blazing much, Rad?" cried Tom.

"Can't see no blaze at all, Mass a Tom," replied the colored man."Dere's a heap of suffin in de middle ob de flo', an' dat's what's raisin' all de rumpus."They all saw it a moment later, a smoldering heap of rags and paper on the concrete floor of the shop.Eradicate turned his hose on it, there was a hissing sound, a cloud of steam arose, and the fire was practically out, though much smoke remained.

"Jove! that was a lucky escape!" exclaimed Tom, as he looked around when the vapor had partly cleared away."No damage done at all, as far as I can see.I wonder what the game was? Did you see anything of a tramp around here?" he asked of his father.

"No, Tom.I have been busy in the house.So has Mrs.Baggert.Suddenly she called my attention to the smoke coming from the door, and we ran out.""I seen it, too," added Eradicate."I was doin' some whitewashin', an' I run up as soon as I could.""We saw the tramp all right, but he got away," said Tom, and he told how he had taken pictures of him."I don't believe it would be much use to look for him now, though.""Me look," spoke Koku significantly, as he hurried off in the direction taken by the tramp.He came back later, not having found him.

"What do you think of it, Tom?" asked Ned, when the excitement had calmed down, and the pile of burned rags had been removed.It was found that oil and chemicals had been put on them to cause a dense smoke.

"I think it was the work of those fellows who are after my camera," replied the young inventor."They are evidently watching me, and when they saw us all go off in the airship they thought probably that the coast was clear.""But why should they start a fire?"