第21章

THE BLAZING TREE

Tom Swift hesitated a moment before giving the final word that would send the metal container of powerful chemicals down into the midst of the crackling flames.He wanted to make sure, in his own mind, that he had done everything possible to insure the success of his undertaking.The young inventor never attempted the solution of any problem without going into it with his whole energy.So he wanted this experiment to succeed.

He quickly reviewed, mentally, the composition of the chemical compound.He had made it as strong as possible, and he had spared no pains to insure a hot fire, so that the test would not be too simple.

"What's the matter, Tom?" asked Ned, as his chum appeared to hesitate about giving the word that would send the chemicals hurtling down into the fire.

"Nothing.I was just making sure I hadn't forgotten anything," Tom answered."I guess I haven't."He paused a moment, looked up at his assistant on the overhanging arm of the tower, glanced down at the flames, now at their height, and then suddenly cried:

"Let her go!"

"Right!" came back the man's voice, and then a dark object, like a bomb, was seen descending from the skeleton framework above the flames.

There was a scattering of the fire in the pit as the extinguisher bomb fell among the blazing embers.Then followed a slight explosion when the bomb broke, as it was intended it should.

Tom and Ned leaned forward to peer through the pall of smoke which swirled this way and that.Here was to come the real test of the device.Would the fumes of the liberated chemicals choke the fire, or would it burn on in spite of them? That was the question to be settled for Tom Swift.

Almost immediately he had his answer.For after a fierce burst of thetongues of fire following the fall of the bomb, there was a distinct dying down of the conflagration in the pit.Great clouds of smoke arose, but the fire was quenched in a great measure, and as the fire-blanketing gas continued to be generated from the chemicals liberated from the bomb, there was a further dying down of the crackling fire.

"Tom, you've struck it!" yelled Ned in delight."You have the right combination this time!"Tom did not answer.He leaned forward and looked eagerly down into the pit.He was about to join with Ned in agreeing that he had, indeed, solved the problem, when, to his surprise, the flames started up again.

"What's this?" asked the young financial manager.Are you going to have a second test, Tom?""Not that I know of," was the puzzled answer."I don't exactly understand this myself, Ned.By all calculations this fire ought to have died a natural death, but now it is breaking out again.I think what must have happened is that a quantity of the oil they poured on collected in a pool and didn't get all the effects of the chemicals from the bomb.Then the oil started to blaze.""What can you do about it?" Ned wanted to know.

"Oh, I've got another bomb up there," and Tom pointed to his helper who was still perched on the overhanging arm."I was prepared for some such emergency as this.Drop the other one!" Tom yelled, and again a dark object fell.bursting in the pit and again liberating the gas that was supposed to choke any fire.

The flames that had started up for the second time instantly died down, and Ned, leaning over the edge of the pit, cried:

"Hurray, Tom! That does the business!" But the young inventor shook his head."I'm not quite satisfied," he remarked."It didn't work quickly enough.What I want is a chemical combination that will choke the fire off first shot.""Well, you pretty nearly have it," observed Ned.

"Yes.But 'good enough' isn't what I want," Tom said."I've got to work on that chemical compound again.I think I know where I can improve it.""Well, if I were a fire, and I had this happen to me," remarked Ned,laughing and pointing to the heap of blackened embers in the pit, "I should feel very much discouraged.""But not enough," declared Tom."I want the fire to be out more quickly than this one was.I think I can improve that chemical compound, and I'm going to do it.""All right! Come on down!" he called to his helper, who was still perched on the overhanging arm."We won't do any more today.""What is your next move?" asked Ned, as Tom started for his small, private laboratory.

"Oh, I'm going to fiddle around among those sweet-smelling chemicals," answered the young inventor.

"Bless my vest buttons! then I'm not coming in, exclaimed a voice which could proceed from none other than Mr.Damon.And he it proved to be.He had driven over from Waterford in his automobile and had arrived just as the fire test was concluded.

"Oh, come on in!" called Tom."You can visit with dad, and Eradicate will be glad to see you.""Poor Rad! How is he?" asked Mr.Damon, walking along with Tom and Ned.

"No change," was the sad answer of the young inventor, for he felt responsible for the mishap to the colored man."They can't operate on his eyes yet.""And when they do will he be able to see?" asked Mr.Damon.

"That is what we are all hoping," answered Tom with a sigh."But do go in to see him, Mr.Damon.It will cheer him up.""I will," promised the eccentric man."At any rate I'll not venture near your perfume shop, Tom Swift!""And I don't see that I can be of any service," added Ned, "so I'm off to my work.""All right," assented Tom."I've got several new schemes to try.Some of them ought to work."Tom Swift was very busy for the next few days--so busy, in fact, that even Mary saw little of him.He was closeted with Mr.Baxter more than once, and that individual seemed to lose some of his bitter feelings overthe loss of his formulae as he found he could be of service to the young inventor.For he was of service in suggesting new ways of combining fire- fighting chemicals, gained by his association with the fireworks concern.

"And that's about all the benefit I derived from being with those scoundrels, Field and Melling," said Mr.Baxter gloomily.