Tom Swift and His Sky Racer or The Quickest Flight on ... - Fourmilab

78 CHAPTER 17. MR. SWIFT IS WORSE<strong>Tom</strong> cast a hurried look at the burning shed. <strong>The</strong> flames were shooting highup from the roof, now, <strong>and</strong> eating their way down. As he rushed toward thebig do<strong>or</strong>s, which he intended to open to enable him to run out his sky racer, hewas wondering how the fire came to start so high up as the roof. He wonderedif a mete<strong>or</strong> could have fallen <strong>and</strong> caused it.As the do<strong>or</strong>s, which were quickly unlocked by <strong>Tom</strong>, swung back, <strong>and</strong> as he<strong>and</strong> the engineer started to go in, they were met by choking fumes as if of somegas. <strong>The</strong>y recoiled f<strong>or</strong> the moment.“What—what’s that?” gasped <strong>Tom</strong>, coughing <strong>and</strong> sneezing.“Some chemical—I—I don’t know what kind,” spluttered Mr. Jackson. “Haveyou any carboys of acid in there <strong>Tom</strong>, that might have exploded by the heat?”“No; not a thing. Let’s try again.”Once m<strong>or</strong>e they tried to go in, but were again driven back by the distressingfumes. <strong>The</strong> fire was eating down, now. <strong>The</strong>re was a hole burned in the roof,<strong>and</strong> by the leaping tongues of flame <strong>Tom</strong> could see his aeroplane. It was almostin the path of the blaze.“We must get her out!” he shouted. “I’m going in!”But it was impossible, <strong>and</strong> the daring young invent<strong>or</strong> nearly succumbed tothe choking od<strong>or</strong>s. Mr. Jackson dragged him back.“We can’t go in!” he cried. “<strong>The</strong>re has been some mysterious w<strong>or</strong>k here!Those fumes were put here to keep us from saving the machine. This fire hasbeen set by some enemy! We can’t go in!”“But I am going!” declared <strong>Tom</strong>. “We’ll try the back do<strong>or</strong>.”<strong>The</strong>y rushed to that, but again were driven out by the gases <strong>and</strong> vap<strong>or</strong>s,which were mingled with the smoke. Disheartened, yet with a wild desire to dosomething to save his precious craft, <strong>Tom</strong> <strong>Swift</strong> drew back f<strong>or</strong> a moment.As he did so he heard a hiss, as Eradicate turned the chemical stream onthe blaze. <strong>Tom</strong> looked up. <strong>The</strong> faithful col<strong>or</strong>ed man was on a ladder near theburning roof, acting well his part as a fireman.“That’s the stuff!” cried <strong>Tom</strong>. “Come on, Mr. Jackson. Maybe if we usethe chemical extinguishers we can drive out those fumes!”<strong>The</strong> engineer understood. He took up the extinguisher he had brought, <strong>and</strong><strong>Tom</strong> got a second one from a nearby shed. <strong>The</strong>n Mr. <strong>Swift</strong> came out bearinganother.“You shouldn’t have come, dad! We can attend to it!” cried <strong>Tom</strong>, fearingf<strong>or</strong> the effect of the excitement on his invalid parent.“Oh, I couldn’t stay there <strong>and</strong> see the shed burn. Are you getting it undercontrol? Why don’t you run out the Humming-Bird?”<strong>Tom</strong> did not mention the choking fumes. He passed up a full extinguisher toEradicate, who had used all the chemical in his. <strong>The</strong>n <strong>Tom</strong> got another ladder,<strong>and</strong> soon three streams were being directed on the flames. <strong>The</strong>y had eaten, apretty big hole in the roof, but the chemicals were slowly telling on them.As soon as he saw that Eradicate <strong>and</strong> Mr. Jackson could control the blaze,<strong>Tom</strong> descended to the ground, <strong>and</strong> ran once m<strong>or</strong>e to the big do<strong>or</strong>s. He wasdetermined to make another try to wheel out the aeroplane, f<strong>or</strong> he saw from