第9章

Mary's Present

Outside a rudely-constructed shack, in the middle of a large field, about a mile away from the nearest of the buildings owned by Tom Swift and his father, were gathered a group of figures one morning.From the shack, trailing over the ground, were two insulated wires, which led to a pile of rocks and earth some distance off.Out of the temporary building came Koku, the giant, bearing in his arms a big rock, of peculiar formation.

"That's it, Koku!" exclaimed Tom Swift."Now don't drop it on your toes.""No, Master, me no drop," the giant said, as he strode off with the heavy load as easily as a boy might carry a stone for his sling-shot.

Koku placed the big rock on top of the pile of dirt and stones and came back to the hut, just as Eradicate, the colored man-of-all-work, emerged.Koku was not looking ahead, and ran into Eradicate with such force that the latter would have fallen had not the giant clasped his big arms about him.

"Heah now! Whut yo' all doin' t' me?" angrily demanded Eradicate."Yo' done gone an' knocked de breff outen me, dat's whut yo' all done! I'll bash yo' wif a rock, dat's what I'll do!"Koku, laughing, tried to explain that it was all an accident, but Eradicate would not listen.He looked about for a stone to throw at the giant, though it was doubtful, with his feeble strength, and considering the great frame of the big man, if any damage would have been done.But Eradicate saw no rocks nearer than the pile in which ended the two insulated wires, and, with mutterings, the negro set off in that direction, shuffling along on his rheumatic legs.

From the shack Tom Swift hailed:

"Hi there, Rad! Come back! Where are you going?""I'se gwine t' git a rock, Massa Tom, an' bash de haid ob dat biglummox ob a giant! He done knocked de breff outen me, so he did.""You come back from that stone pile!" Tom ordered."I'm going to blow it up in a minute, and if you get too near you'll have the breath knocked out of you worse than Koku did it.Come back, I say!"But Eradicate was obstinate and kept on.Tom, who was adjusting a firing battery in the shack, laughed, and then in exasperation cried:

"Koku, go and get him and bring him back.Carry him if he won't come any other way.I don't want the dear old chump to get the fright of his life, and he sure will if he goes too close.Bring him back!""Koku bring, Master," was the giant's answer.

He ran toward Eradicate, who, seeing his tormentor approaching, redoubled his shuffling pace toward the stone pile.But he was no match for the giant, who, ignoring his struggles, picked up Eradicate, and, flinging him over his shoulder like a sack of meal, brought him to the shack.

"There him be, Master!" said the giant.

"So I see," laughed Torn."Now you stay here, Rad."1

"Look out now!" cried Tom, suddenly."If things go right there won't be a rock left for you to 'bash' anybody's head with, Rad.Look out!"The three cowered inside the shack, which, though it was rudely made, was built of beavy logs and planks, with a fronting of sod and bags of sand.

Tom turned a switch.There was a loud report, and where the stone pile had been there was a big hole in the ground, while the air was filled with fragments of rock and dirt.These came down in a shower on the roof of the shack, and Eradicate covered his ears with his trembling hands.

"Am--am de world comin' to de end, Massa Tom?" he asked."Am dat Gabriel's trump I done heah?""No, you dear old goose!" laughed the young inventor."That was just a charge of my new explosive--a small charge, too.But it seems to have done the work."He ran from the shack to the place where the rock pile had been, and picked up several small fragments.

"Busted all to pieces!" exulted Tom Swift."Not a piece left as big as a hickory nut.That's going some! I've got the right mixture at last.If an ounce did that, a few hundred pounds ought to knock that Andes tunnel through the mountain in no time.I'll telegraph to Mr.Titus."Leaving Koku and Rad to collect the wires and firing apparatus, there being no danger now, as no explosive was left in the shack, Tom made his way back to the house.His father met him.