第7章

Tom's Experiments

"Bless my looking glass, Tom, what does that mean?" exclaimed Mr.Damon."That face!""I don't know," answered the young inventor."But the sight of some one looking in here seemed to disturb Mr.Titus.We must follow him.""Perhaps he saw your giant Koku looking in," suggested the odd, little man who blessed everything he could think of."The sight of his face, to any one not knowing him, Tom, would be enough to cause fright.""It wasn't Koku who looked in the window," said Tom, decidedly."It was some stranger.Come on."The young inventor and Mr.Damon hurried out after the tunnel contractor, who was running down the road that led in front of the Swift homestead.

"He's chasing some one, Tom," called Mr.Damon."Yes, I see he is.But who?""I can't see any one," reported Mr.Damon, who had run down to the gate, at which his horse was still standing.Mr.Damon had washed the dirt from his hands and face, and was wearing one of Mr.Swift's coats in place of his own split one.

Tom joined the eccentric man and together they looked down the road after the running Mr.Titus.They were in half a mind to join him, when they saw him pull up short, raise his hands as though he had given over the pursuit, and turn back.

"I guess he got away, whoever he was," remarked Tom."We'll walk down and meet Mr.Titus, and ask him what it all means."Shortly afterward they came up to the contractor, who was breathing heavily after his run, for he was evidently not used to such exercise."I beg your pardon, Tom Swift, for leaving you and Mr.Damon in such a fashion," said Mr.Titus, "but I had to act quickly or lose the chance of catching that rascal.As it was, he got away, but I think I gave him a scare,and h~e knows that I saw him.It will make him more cautious in the future.""Who was it?" asked Tom.

"Well, I didn't have as close a look as I could have wished for," the contractor said, as he walked back toward the house with Tom and Mr.Damon, "but I'm pretty sure the face that peered in at us through the library window was that of Isaac Waddington.""And who is he, if it isn't asking information that ought not be given out?" inquired Mr.Damon.

"Oh, no, certainly.I can tell you," said the contractor."Only perhaps we had better wait until we get back to the house.

"Since one of their men was seen lurking around here there may be others," went on Mr.Titus, when the three were once more seated in the Swift library."It is best to be on the safe side.The face I saw, I'm sure, was that of Waddington, who is a tool of Blakeson & Grinder, rival tunnel contractors.They put in a bid on this Andes tunnel, but we were lower in our figures by several thousand dollars, and the contract was awarded to us.

"Blakeson & Grinder tried, by every means in their power, to get the job away from us.They even invoked the aid of some Peruvian revolutionists and politicians, but we held our ground and began the work.Since then they have had spies and emissaries on our trail, trying their best to make us fail in our work, so the Peruvian officials might abrogate the contract and give it to them.

"But, so far, we've managed to come out ahead.This Waddington is a sort of spy, and I've found him dodging me several times of late.I suppose he wants to find out my plans so as to be ready to jump in the breach in case we fail.""Do you think your rivals had anything to do with the difficulties you are now meeting with in digging the tunnel?" asked Mr.Damon.Mr.Titus shook his head.

"The present difficulties are all of Nature's doing," he said."It's just the abnormally hard rock that is bothering us.Only for that we'd be all right, though we might have petty difficulties because of the mean acts ofBlakeson & Grinder.But I don't fear them.""How do you think this Waddington, if it was he, knew you were coming here?" asked Tom.

"I can only guess.My brother and I have had some correspondence regarding you, Tom Swift.That is, I announced my intention of coming to see you, and my brother wrote me to use my discretion.I wrote back that I would consult you"Our main office is in New York, where we employ a large clerical and expert force.There is nothing to prevent one of our stenographers, for instance, turning traitor and giving copies of the letters of my brother and myself to our rivals.

"Mind you, I don't say this was done, and I don't suspect any of our employees, but it would be an easy matter for any one to know my plans.I never thought of making a secret of them, or of my trip here.In some way Waddington found out about the last, and he must have followed me here.Then he sneaked up under the window, and tried to hear what we said.""Do you think he did?" asked Tom.

"I wouldn't be surprised.We took no pains to lower our voices.But, after all, he hasn't learned much that he didn't know before, if he knew I was coming here.He didn't learn the secret of the explosive that must be used, and that is the vital thing.For I defy him, or any other contractor, to blast that hard rock with any known explosive.We've tried every kind on the market and we've failed.We'll have to depend on you, Tom Swift, to help us out with some of your giant cannon powder.""And I'm not sure that will work," said the young inventor."I think I'll have to experiment and make a new explosive, if I conclude to go to Peru.""Oh, you'll go all right!" declared Mr.Titus with a smile."I can see that you are eager for the adventures I am sure you'll find there, and, besides, your friend here, Mr.Damon, needs you.""That's what I do, Tom!" exclaimed the odd man."Bless my excursion ticket, but you must come!""I'll have to invent the new powder first," Tom said.

"That's what I like to hear!" exclaimed Mr.Titus."It shows you arethinking of coming with us." Tom only smiled.

"I am so anxious to get the proper explosive," Went on Mr.Titus, "that I would even purchase it from our rivals, Blakeson & Grinder, if I thought they had it.But I'm sure they have not, though they may think they can get it.