The officer said nothing, but he looked at Tom in what our hero thought was a peculiar manner.
A few days before the date set for the test one of the sentinels, who had been detailed to keep curiosity-seekers away from the giant cannon, approached Tom and said:
"There is a gentleman asking to see you, Mr. Swift."
"Who is it?" asked Tom, laying aside a pressure gauge he intended attaching to the gun.
"He says his name is Peterson--Alec Peterson. Do you want to see him?"
"Yes, let him come up," directed the young inventor. "Do you hear that, Ned?" he called. "Our fortune-hunting friend is here."
"Maybe he"s found that lost opal mine," suggested Ned.
"I hope he has, for dad"s sake," went on Tom. "h.e.l.lo, Mr. Peterson!" he called, as he noticed the old prospector coming along. "Have you had any luck?"
"I heard you were down here," said the man, not answering the question directly, "and as I had to run over from my island for some supplies I thought I"d stop and see you. How are you?" and he shook hands.
"Fine!" answered Tom. "Have you found the lost mine yet?"
Alec Peterson paused a moment. Then he said slowly:
"No, Tom, I haven"t succeeded in locating the mine yet. But I--I expect to any day now!" he added, hastily.
CHAPTER XXIV
THE LONGEST SHOT
"Well, Mr. Peterson," remarked Tom, after a pause, "I"m sure I hope you will succeed in your quest. You must have met disappointment so far."
"I have, Tom. But I"m not going to give up. Can"t you come over and see me before you go back North?"
"I"ll try. Just where is your island?"
"Off in that direction," responded the fortune-hunter, pointing to the northeast. "It"s a little farther from here than I thought it was at first--about thirty miles. But I have a little second-hand steam launch that my pardners and I use. I"ll come for you, take you over and bring you back any time you say."
"After my gun has been tested," said Tom, with a smile. "Better stay and see it."
"No, I must get back to the island. I have some new information that I am sure will enable me to locate the lost mine."
"Well, good-bye, and good luck to you," called Tom, as the fortune-hunter started away.
"Do you think he"ll ever find the opals, Tom?" asked Ned.
His chum shook his head.
"I don"t believe so," he answered. "Alec has always been that way--always visionary--always just about to be successful; but never quite getting there."
"Then your father"s ten thousand dollars will be lost?"
"Yes, I suppose so; but, in a way, dad can stand it. And if I make good on this gun test, ten thousand dollars won"t look very big to me. I guess dad gave it to Alec from a sort of sentimental feeling, anyhow."
"You mean because he saved you from the live wire?"
"That"s it, Ned. It was a sort of reward, in a way, and I guess dad won"t be broken-hearted if Alec doesn"t succeed. Only, of course, he"ll feel badly for Alec himself. Poor old man! he won"t be able to do much more prospecting. Well, Ned, let"s get to work on that ammunition hoist. It still jams a little on the ways, and I want it to work smoothly. There"s no use having a hitch--even a small one--when the big bugs a.s.semble to see how my cannon shoots."
"That"s right, Tom. Well, start off, I"m with you."
The two youths labored for some time, being helped, of course, by the workmen provided by the government, and some from the steel concern.
There were many little details to look after, not the least of which was the patrolling of the stretch of ocean over which the great projectiles would soar in reaching the far-off targets at which Tom had planned to shoot. No ships were to be allowed to cross the thirty-mile mark while the firing was in progress. So, also, the zone where the shots were expected to fall was to be cleared.
But at last all seemed in readiness. The gun had been tried again and again on its carriage. The projectiles were all in readiness, and the terribly powerful ammunition had been stored below the gun in a bomb-proof chamber, ready to be hoisted out as needed.
Because the gun had been fired so many times with a charge of powder heavier than was ordinarily called for, and had stood the strain well, Tom had no fear of standing reasonably close to it to press the b.u.t.ton of the battery. There would be no retreating to the bombproof this time.
The German officer was occasionally seen about the place where the gun was mounted, but he appeared to take only an ordinary interest in it.
Tom began to feel more than ever that perhaps his suspicions were unfounded.
Some officials high in government affairs had arrived at Colon in antic.i.p.ation of the test, which, to Tom"s delight, had attracted more attention than he antic.i.p.ated. At the same time he was a bit nervous.
"Suppose it fails, Ned?" he said.
"Oh, it can"t!" cried his chum. "Don"t think about such a thing."
Plans had been made for a ship to be stationed near the zone of fire, to report by wireless the character of each shot, the distance it traveled, and how near it came to the target. The messages would be received at a station near the barbette, and at once reported to Tom, so that he would know how the test was progressing.
"Well, today tells the tale!" exclaimed the young inventor, as he got up one morning. "How"s the weather, Ned?"
"Couldn"t be better--clear as a bell, Tom."
"That"s good. Well, let"s have grub, and then go out and see how my pet is."
"Oh, I guess nothing could happen, with Koku on guard."
"No, hardly. I"m going to keep him in the ammunition room until after the test, too. I"m going to take no chances."
"That"s the ticket!"
The gun was found all right, in its great tarpaulin cover, and Tom had the latter taken off that he might go over every bit of mechanism. He made a few slight changes, and then got ready for the final trials.
On an improvised platform, not too near the giant cannon, had gathered the ordnance board, the specially invited guests, a number of officers and workers in the ca.n.a.l zone, and one or two representatives of foreign governments. Von Brunderger was there, but his "familiar," as Ned had come to call the stolid German servant, was not present.
Tom took some little time to explain, modestly enough, the working of his gun. A number of questions were asked, and then it was announced that the first shot, with only a practice charge of powder, would be fired.