"I called to see if you aren"t going on another trip to the North Pole, or somewhere in the Arctic regions," went on Mr. Damon.
"Why?" inquired Tom.
"Why, then this heavy beard of mine would come in handy. It would keep my throat and chin warm." And Mr. Damon ran his hands through his luxuriant whiskers.
"No more northern trips right away," said Tom. "I"m about to build a speedy monoplane, to take part in the big meet at Eagle Park."
"Oh, yes, I heard about the meet," said Mr. Damon. "I"d like to be in that."
"Well, I"m building a machine that will carry two," went on Tom, "and if you think you can stand a speed of a hundred miles an hour, or better, I"ll let you come with me. There are some races where a pa.s.senger is allowed."
"Have you got a razor?" asked Mr. Damon suddenly.
"What for?" inquired Mr. Swift, wondering what the eccentric man was going to do.
"Why, bless my shaving soap! I"m going to cut off my beard. If I go in a monoplane at a hundred miles an hour I don"t want to make any more resistance to the wind than possible, and my whiskers would certainly hold back Tom"s machine. Where"s a razor? I"m going to shave at once.
My wife won"t mind when I tell her what it"s for. Lend me a razor, please, Tom."
"Oh, there"s plenty of time," explained the lad, with a laugh. "The race doesn"t take place for over two months. But when it does, I think you would be better off without a beard."
"I know it," said Mr. Damon simply. "I"ll shave before we enter the contest, Tom. But now tell me all about it."
Tom did so, relating the story of the theft of the plans. Mr. Damon was for having Andy arrested at once, but Mr. Swift and his son pointed out that they had no evidence against him.
"All we can do," said the young inventor, "is to keep watch on him, and see if he is building another aeroplane. He has all the facilities, and he may attempt to get ahead of me. If he enters a sky craft at the meet I"ll be pretty sure that he has made it from my stolen plans."
"Bless my wing tips!" cried Mr. Damon. "But can"t we do anything to stop him?"
"I"m afraid not," answered Tom; and then he showed Mr. Damon his re-drawn plans, and told in detail of how he intended to construct the new aeroplane.
The eccentric man remained as the guest of the Swift family that night, departing for his home the next day, and promising to be on hand as soon as Tom was ready to test his new craft, which would be in about a month.
As the days pa.s.sed, Tom, with the help of his father, whose health was slightly better, and with the aid of Mr. Jackson, began work on the speedy little sky racer.
As you boys are all more or less familiar with aeroplanes, we will not devote much s.p.a.ce to the description of the new one Tom Swift made. We can describe it in general terms, but there were some features of it which Tom kept a secret from all save his father.
Suffice it to say that Tom had decided to build a small air craft of the single-wing type, known as the monoplane. It was to be a cross between the Bleriot and the Antoinette, with the general features of both, but with many changes or improvements.
The wings were shaped somewhat like those of a humming-bird, which, as is well known, can, at times, vibrate its wings with such velocity that the most rapid camera lens cannot quite catch.
And when it is known that a bullet in flight has been successfully photographed, the speed of the wings of the humming-bird can be better appreciated.
The writer has seen a friend, with a very rapid camera, which was used to snap automobiles in flight, attempt to take a picture of a humming-bird. He got the picture, all right, but the plate was blurred, showing that the wings had moved faster than the lens could throw them on the sensitive plate.
Not that Tom intended the wings of his monoplane to vibrate, but he adopted that style as being the best adapted to allow of rapid flight through the air; and the young inventor had determined that he would clip many minutes from the best record yet made.
The body of his craft, between the forward wings and the rear ones, where the rudders were located, was shaped like a cigar, with side wings somewhat like the fin keels of the ocean liner to prevent a rolling motion. In addition, Tom had an ingenious device to automatically adapt his monoplane to sudden currents of air that might overturn it, and this device was one of the points which he kept secret.
The motor, which was air-cooled, was located forward, and was just above the heads of the operator and the pa.s.senger who sat beside him.
The single propeller, which was ten feet in diameter, gave a minimum thrust of one thousand pounds at two thousand revolutions per minute.
This was one feature wherein Tom"s craft differed from others. The usual aeroplane propeller is eight feet in diameter, and gives from four to five hundred pounds thrust at about one thousand revolutions per minute, so it can be readily seen wherein Tom had an advantage.
"But I"m building this for speed," he said to Mr. Jackson, "and I"m going to get it! We"ll make a hundred miles an hour without trouble."
"I believe you," replied the engineer. "The motor you and your father have made is a wonder for lightness and power."
In fact, the whole monoplane was so light and frail as to give one the idea of a rather large model, instead of a real craft, intended for service. But a careful inspection showed the great strength it had, for it was braced and guyed in a new way, and was as rigid as a steel-trussed bridge.
"What are you going to call her?" asked Mr. Jackson, about two weeks after they had started work on the craft, and when it had begun to a.s.sume shape and form.
"I"m going to name her the Humming-Bird," replied Tom. "She"s little, but oh, my!"
"And I guess she"ll bring home the prize," added the engineer.
And as the days went by, and Tom, his father and Mr. Jackson continued to work on the speedy craft, this hope grew in the heart of the young inventor. But he could not rid himself of worry as to the fate of the plans that had disappeared. Who had them? Was some one making a machine like his own from them? Tom wished he knew.
Chapter Six
Andy Foger Will Contest
One afternoon, as Tom was working away in the shop on his sky racer, adjusting one of the rear rudders, and pausing now and then to admire the trim little craft, he heard some one approaching. Looking out through a small observation peephole made for this purpose, he saw Mrs.
Baggert hurrying toward the building.
"I wonder what"s the matter?" he said aloud, for there was a look of worriment on the lady"s face. Tom threw open the door. "What is it, Mrs. Baggert?" he called. "Some one up at the house who wants to see me?"
"No, it"s your father!" panted the housekeeper, for she was quite stout. "He is very ill again, and I can"t seem to get Dr. Gladby on the telephone. Central says he doesn"t answer."
"My father worse!" cried Tom in alarm, dropping his tools and hurrying from the shop. "Where"s Eradicate? Send him for the doctor. Perhaps the wires are broken. If he can"t locate Dr. Gladby, get Dr. Kurtz. We must have some one. Here, Rad! Where are you?" he called, raising his voice.
"Heah I be!" answered the colored man, coming from the direction of the garden, which he had been weeding.
"Get out your mule, and go for Dr. Gladby. If he isn"t home, get Dr.
Kurtz. Hurry, Rad!"
"I"s mighty sorry, Ma.s.sa Tom," answered the colored man, "but I cain"t hurry, nohow."
"Why not?"
"Because Boomerang done gone lame, an" he won"t run. I"ll go mahse"f, but I cain"t take dat air mule."
"Never mind. I"ll go in the b.u.t.terfly," decided Tom quickly. "I"ll run up to the house and see how dad is, and while I"m gone, Rad, you get out the b.u.t.terfly. I can make the trip in that. If Dr. Kurtz had a "phone I could get him, but he lives over on the back road, where there isn"t a line. Hurry, Rad!"
"Yes, sah, Ma.s.sa Tom, I"ll hurry!"