This long, neck-like strip of land on the New Jersey coast is, as most of you know, one of the princ.i.p.al defenses of our country.
Foreign vessels that steam into New York harbor first have to pa.s.s the line of terrible guns that, back of the earth and concrete defenses, look frowningly out to sea. It is a wonderful place.
On the Sandy Hook Bay side of the Hook there is a life-saving station.
Right across, on the sea side, are the big guns. Between are the barracks where the soldiers live, and part of the land is given over to a proving ground, where many of the big guns are taken to be tested.
Tom and Ned reached New York City without incident of moment, and, after a night spent at a hotel, they went to the Battery, whence the small government steamer leaves every day for Sandy Hook. It is a trip of twenty-one miles, and as the bay was rather rough that day, Tom and Ned had a taste of a real sea voyage. But they were too experienced travelers to mind that, though some other visitors were made quite ill.
A landing was made on the bay side of the Hook, it being too rough to permit of a dock being constructed on the ocean side.
"Now we"ll see what luck we have," spoke Tom, as he and Ned, inquiring the way to the proving grounds from a soldier on duty, started for them. On the way they pa.s.sed some of the fortifications.
"Look at that gun!" exclaimed Ned, pointing to a big cannon which seemed to be crouched down in a sort of concrete pit. "How can they fire that, Tom? The muzzle points directly at the stone wall. Does the wall open when they want to fire?"
"No, the gun raises up, peeps over the wall, so speak, shoots out its projectile, and then crouches down again."
"Oh, you mean a disappearing gun."
"That"s it, Ned. See, it works by compressed air," and Tom showed his chum how, when the gun was loaded, the projectile in place, and the breech-block screwed fast, the officer in charge of the firing squad would, on getting the range from the soldier detailed to calculate it, make the necessary adjustments, and pull the lever.
The compressed air would fill the cylinders, forcing the gun to rise on toggle-jointed arms, so that the muzzle was above the bomb-proof wall.
Then it would be fired, and sink back again, out of sight of the enemy.
The boys looked at several different types of big rifled cannon, and then pa.s.sed on. They could hear firing in the distance, some of the explosions shaking the ground.
"They"re making some tests now," said Tom, hurrying forward.
Ned followed until, pa.s.sing a sort of machine shop, the lads came to where a sentry paced up and down a concrete walk.
"Are these the proving grounds?" asked Tom. "This is the entrance to them," replied the soldier, bringing his rifle to "port," according to the regulations. "What do you want?"
"To go in and watch the gun tests," replied Tom. "I have a permit," and he held it out so the soldier could see it.
"That permit is no good here;" the sentry exclaimed.
"No good?" faltered Tom.
"No, it has to be countersigned by General Waller. And, as he"s on the proving grounds now, you can"t see him. He"s getting ready for the test of his new cannon."
"But that"s just what we want to see!" cried Tom. "We want to get in there purposely for that. Can"t you send word to General Waller?"
"I can"t leave my post," replied the sentry, shortly. "You"ll have to come another time, when the General isn"t busy. You can"t get in unless he countersigns that permit."
"Then it may be too late to witness the test," objected the young inventor. "Isn"t there some way I can get word to him?"
"I don"t think so," replied the sentry. "And I"ll have to ask you to leave this vicinity. No strangers are allowed on the proving grounds without a proper pa.s.s."
CHAPTER VI
TESTING THE WALLER GUN
Tom looked at Ned in dismay. After all their work and planning, to be thus thwarted, and by a mere technicality! As they stood there, hardly knowing what to do, the sound of a tremendous explosion came to their ears from behind the big pile of earth and concrete that formed the bomb-proof around the testing ground.
"What"s that?" cried Ned, as the earth shook.
"Just trying some of the big guns," explained the sentry, who was not a bad-natured chap. He had to do his duty. "You"d better move on," he suggested. "If anything happens the government isn"t responsible, you know."
"I wish there was some way of getting in there," murmured Tom.
"You can see General Waller after the test, and he will probably countersign the permit," explained the sentry.
"And we won"t see the test of the gun I"m most interested in," objected Tom. "If I could only--"
He stopped as he noticed the sentry salute someone coming up from the rear. Tom and Ned turned to behold a pleasant-faced officer, who, at the sight of the young inventor, exclaimed:
"Well, well! If it isn"t my old friend Tom Swift! So you got here on my permit after all?"
"Yes, Captain Badger," replied the lad, and then with a rueful face he added: "But it doesn"t seem to be doing me much good. I can"t get into the proving grounds."
"You can"t? Why not?" and he looked sharply at the sentry.
"Very sorry, sir," spoke the man on guard, "but General Waller has left orders, Captain Badger, that no outsiders can enter the proving grounds when his new gun is being tested unless he countersigns the permits.
And he"s engaged just now. I"m sorry, but--"
"Oh, that"s all right, Flynn," said Captain Badger. "It isn"t your fault, of course. I suppose there is no rule against my going in there?" and he smiled.
"Certainly not, sir. Any officer may go in," and the guard stepped to one side.
"Let me have that pa.s.s, Tom, and wait here for me," said the Captain.
"I"ll see what I can do for you," and the young officer, whose acquaintance Tom had made at the tests when the government was purchasing some aeroplanes for the army, hurried off.
He came back presently, and by his face the lads knew he had been successful.
"It"s all right," he said with a smile. "General Waller countersigned the pa.s.s without even looking at it. He"s so excited over the coming test of his gun that he hardly knows what he is doing. Come on in, boys. I"ll go with you."
"Then they haven"t tested his gun yet?" Asked Tom, eagerly, anxious to know whether he had missed anything.
"No, they"re going to do so in about half an hour. You"ll have time to look around a bit. Come on," and showing the sentinel the counter-signed pa.s.s, Captain Badger led the two youths into the proving grounds.
Tom and Ned saw so much to interest them that they did not know at which to look first. In some places officers and firing squads were testing small-calibre machine guns, which shot off a round with a noise like a string of firecrackers on the Chinese New Year"s. On other barbettes larger guns were being tested, the noise being almost deafening.
"Stand on your tiptoes, and open your mouth when you see a big cannon about to be fired," advised Captain Badger, as he walked alongside the boys.
"What good does that do?" inquired Ned.