第47章

"Thanks, Koku!" gasped Tom."You always seem to be around when I need you." The giant grinned happily.

The storm blew out in a few days, and, from then on, there was pleasant sailing.When Tom's airship had been reassembled at Colon, it created quite a sensation among the small army of canal workers, and, for their benefit, our hero gave several flying exhibitions.

He then took some of the engineers on a little trip, and in turn, they didhim the favor of letting him get moving pictures of parts of the work not usually seen.

"And now for the volcano!" cried Tom one morning, when having shipped to Mr.Period the canal pictures, the Flyer was sent aloft, and her nose pointed toward Arequipa."We've got quite a run before us.""How long?" asked Ned.

"About two thousand miles.But I'm going to speed her up to the limit." Tom was as good as his word, and soon the Flyer was shooting along at her best rate, reeling off mile after mile, just below the clouds.

It was a wild and desolate region over which the travelers found themselves most of the time, though the scenery was magnificent.They sailed over Quito, that city on the equator, and, a little later, they passed above the Cotopaxi and Chimbarazo volcanoes.But neither of them was in action.The Andes Mountains, as you all know, has many volcanoes scattered along the range.Lima was the next large city, and there Tom made a descent to inquire about the burning mountain he was shortly to photograph.

"It will soon be in action," the United States counsel said."I had a letter from a correspondent near there only yesterday, and he said the people in the town were getting anxious.They are fearing a shower of burning ashes, or that the eruption may be accompanied by an earthquake.""Good!" cried Tom."Oh, I don't mean it exactly that way," he hastened to add, as he saw the counsel looking queerly at him."I meant that I could get pictures of both earthquake and volcano then.I don't wish the poor people any harm.""Well, you're the first one I ever saw who was anxious to get next door to a volcano," remarked the counsel."Hold on, though, that's not quite right.I heard yesterday that a couple of young fellows passed through here on their way to the same place.Come to think of it, they were moving picture men, also.""Great Scott!" cried Tom."Those must be my rivals, I'll wager.I must get right on the job.Thanks for the information," and hurrying front the office he joined his friends on the airship.and was soon aloft again.

"Look, Tom, what's that?" cried Ned, about noon the next day when the Flyer, according to their calculations must be nearing the city of Arequipa."See that black cloud over there.I hope it isn't a tornado, or a cyclone, or whatever they call the big wind storms down here."Tom, and the others, looked to where Ned pointed.There was a column of dense smoke hovering in the air, lazily swirling this way and that.The airship was rapidly approaching it.

"Why that--" began Tom, but before he could complete the sentence the smoke was blown violently upward.It became streaked with fire, and, a moment later, there was the echo of a tremendous explosion.

"The volcano!" cried Tom."The Arequipa volcano! We're here just in time, for she's in eruption now! Come on, Ned, help me get out the camera! Mr.Damon, you and Mr.Nestor manage the airship! Put us as close as you dare! I'm going to get some crackerjack pictures!"Once more came a great report.

"Bless my toothpick!" gasped Mr.Damon."This is awful!" And the airship rushed on toward the volcano which could be plainly seen now, belching forth fire, smoke and ashes.