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TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA

V >> Victor Appleton >> TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA




"Don't leave us here!" they pleaded.

"I wouldn't have you on board my airship another minute for a
fortune!" declared Tom, as he signalled to Ned to start the
motor. Then the Flyer ascended on high, leaving the plotters and
started back for the fire, of which Tom got a series of fine
moving pictures.

A week later our friends were in Paris, having made a quick
trip, on which little of incident occurred, though Tom managed to
get quite a number of good views on the way.

He found a message awaiting him, from Mr. Period.

"Well, where to now?" asked Ned, as his chum read the
cablegram.

"Great Scott!" cried our hero. "Talk about hair-raising jobs,
this certainly is the limit!"

"Why, what's the matter?"

"I've got to get some moving pictures of a volcano in action,"
was the answer. "Say, if I'd known what sort of things 'Spotty'
wanted, I'd never have consented to take this trip. A volcano in
action, and maybe an earthquake on the side! This is certainly
going some!"




CHAPTER XXIII - AT THE VOLCANO


"And you've got to snap-shot a volcano?" remarked Ned to his
chum, after a moment of surprised silence. "Any particular one?
Is it Vesuvius? If it is we haven't far to go. But how does Mr.
Period know that it's going to get into action when we want it to?"

"No, it isn't Vesuvius," replied Tom. "We've got to take
another long trip, and we'll have to go by steamer again. The
message says that the Arequipa volcano, near the city of the same
name, in Peru, has started to 'erupt,' and, according to rumor,
it's acting as it did many years ago, just before a big
upheaval."

"Bless my Pumice stones!" cried Mr. Damon. "And are you
expected to get pictures of it shooting out flames and smoke,
Tom?"

"Of course. An inactive volcano wouldn't make much of a moving
picture. Well, if we go to Peru, we won't be far from the United
States, and we can fly back home in the airship. But we've got to
take the Flyer apart, and pack up again."

"Will you have time?" asked Mr. Nestor. "Maybe the volcano will
get into action before you arrive, and the performance will be
all over with."

"I think not," spoke Tom, as he again read the cablegram. "Mr.
Period says he has advices from Peru to the effect that, on other
occasions, it took about a month from the time smoke was first
seen coming from the crater, before the fireworks started up. I
guess we've got time enough, but we won't waste any."

"And I guess Montgomery and Kenneth won't be there to make
trouble for us," put in Ned. "It will be some time before they
get away from that African town, I think."

They began work that day on taking the airship apart for
transportation to the steamer that was to carry them across the
ocean. Tom decided on going to Panama, to get a series of
pictures on the work of digging that vast canal. On inquiry he
learned that a steamer was soon to sail for Colon, so he took
passage for his friends and himself on that, also arranging for
the carrying of the parts of his airship.

It was rather hard work to take the Flyer apart, but it was
finally done, and, in about a week from the time of arriving in
Paris, they left that beautiful city. The pictures already taken
were forwarded to Mr. Period, with a letter of explanation of
Tom's adventures thus far, and an account of how his rivals had
acted.

Just before sailing, Tom received another message from his
strange employer. The cablegram read:


"Understand our rivals are also going to try for volcano
pictures. Can't find out who will represent Turbot and Eckert,
but watch out. Be suspicious of strangers."


"That's what I will!" cried Tom. "If they get my camera away
from me again, it will be my own fault."

The voyage to Colon was not specially interesting. They ran
into a terrific storm, about half way over, and Tom took some
pictures from the steamer's bridge, the captain allowing him to
do so, but warning him to be careful.

"I'll take Koku up there with me," said the young inventor,
"and if a wave tries to wash me overboard he'll grab me."

And it was a good thing that he took this precaution, for,
while a wave did not get as high as the bridge, one big, green
roller smashed over the bow of the vessel, staggering her so that
Tom was tossed against the rail. He would have been seriously
hurt, and his camera might have been broken, but for the
quickness of the giant.

Koku caught his master, camera and all, in a mighty arm, and
with the other clung to a stanchion, holding Tom in safety until
the ship was on a level keel once more.

"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 did him 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.




CHAPTER XXIV - THE MOLTEN RIVER


"Whew!" gasped Ned, as he stood beside Tom in the bow of the
airship. "What's that choking us, Tom?"

"Sulphur, I guess, and gases from the volcano. The wind blew
'em over this way. They're not dangerous, as long as there is no
carbonic acid gas given off, and I don't smell any of that, yet.
Say, Ned, it's erupting all right, isn't it?"

"I should say so!" cried his chum.

"Put us a little to one side, Mr. Damon," called Tom to his
friend, who was in the pilot house. "I can't get good pictures
through so much smoke. "It's clearer off to the left."

"Bless my bath robe!" cried the odd man. "You're as cool about
it, Tom, as though you were just in an ordinary race, at an
aeroplane meet."

"And why shouldn't I be?" asked our hero with a laugh, as he
stopped the mechanism of the camera until he should have a
clearer view of the volcano. "There's not much danger up here,
but I want to get some views from the level, later, and then--"

"You don't get me down there!" interrupted Mr. Nestor, with a
grim laugh.

They were now hovering over the volcano, but high enough up so
that none of the great stones that were being thrown out could
reach them. The column of black smoke, amid which could be seen
the gleams of the molten fires in the crater, rolled toward them,
and the smell of sulphur became stronger.

But when, in accordance with Tom's suggestion, the airship had
been sent over to one side, they were clear of the vapor and the
noxious gas. Then, too, a better view could be had of the volcano
below them.

"Hold her down!" cried Tom, as he got in a good position, and
the propellers were slowed down so that they just overcame the
influence of a slight wind. Thus the Flyer hovered in the air,
while below her the volcano belched forth red-hot rocks, some of
them immense in size, and quantities of hot ashes and cinders.
Tom had the camera going again now, and there was every prospect
of getting a startling and wonderful, as well as rare series of
moving pictures.

"Wow! That was a big one!" cried Ned, as an unusually large
mass of rocks was thrown out, and the column of fire and smoke
ascended nearly to the hovering craft. A moment later came an
explosion, louder than any that had preceded. "We'd better be
going up; hadn't we Tom?" his chum asked.

"A little, yes, but not too far. I want to get as many near
views as I can."

"Bless my overshoes!" gasped Mr. Damon, as he heard Tom say
that. Then he sent some of the vapor from the generating machine
into the gas bag, and the Flyer arose slightly.

Ned looked in the direction of the town, but could not see it,
on account of the haze. Then he directed his attention to the
terrifying sight below him.

"It's a good thing it isn't very near the city," he said to
Tom, who was engaged in watching the automatic apparatus of the
camera, to see when he would have to put in a fresh film. "It
wouldn't take much of this sort of thing to destroy a big city.
But I don't see any streams of burning lava, such as they always
say come out of a volcano."

"It isn't time for that yet," replied Tom. "The lava comes out
last, after the top layer of stones and ashes have been blown
out. They are a sort of stopper to the volcano, I guess, like the
cork of a bottle, and, when they're out of the way, the red-hot
melted rock comes out. Then there's trouble. I want to get
pictures of that."

"Well, keep far enough away," advised Mr. Nestor, who had come
forward. "Don't take any chances. I guess your rivals won't get
here in time to take any pictures, for they can't travel as fast
as we did."

"No," agreed the young inventor, "unless some other party of
them were here ahead of us. They'll have their own troubles,
though, making pictures anything like as good as we're getting."

"There goes another blast!" cried Ned, as a terrific explosion
sounded, and a shower of hot stuff was thrown high into the air.
"If I lived in Arequipa I'd be moving out about now."

"There isn't much danger I guess, except from showers of
burning ashes, and volcanic dust," spoke Mr. Nestor, "and the
wind is blowing it away from the town. If it continues this way
the people will be saved."

"Unless there is so much of the red-hot lava that it will bury
the city," suggested Tom. "I hope that doesn't happen," and he
could not repress a shudder as he looked down on the awful scene
below him.

After that last explosion the volcano appeared to subside
somewhat, though great clouds of smoke and tongues of fire leaped
upward.

"I've got to put in a new reel of film!" suddenly exclaimed
Tom. "While I stop the camera, Mr. Damon, I think you and Mr.
Nestor might put the airship down to the ground. I want some
views on the level."

"What! Go down to earth with this awful volcano spouting fire?"
cried Mr. Damon. "Bless my comb and brush!"

"We can get well down the side of the mountain," said Tom. "I
won't go into any danger, much less ask any one else to do so,
and I certainly don't want my ship damaged. We can land down
there," he said, pointing to a spot on the side of the volcanic
mountain, that was some distance removed from the mouth of the
crater. It won't take me long to get one reel of views, and then
I'll come up again."

The two men finally gave in to Tom's argument, that there was
comparatively little danger, for they admitted that they could
quickly rise up at the first sign of danger, and accordingly the
Flyer descended. Tom quickly had a fresh reel of film inserted,
and started his camera to working, standing it on a tripod some
distance from the airship.

Once more the volcano was "doing its prettiest," as Tom
expressed it. He glanced around, as another big explosion took
place, to see if any other picture men were on hand, but the
terrible mountain seemed deserted, though of course someone might
be on the other side.

"What's that?" suddenly cried Ned, looking apprehensively at
his chum. At the same time Tom jumped to his feet, for he had
been kneeling near the camera.

"Bless my--" began Mr. Damon, but he got no farther, for
suddenly the solid ground began to tremble and shake.

"An earthquake!" shouted Mr. Nestor. "Come, Tom! Get back to
the ship!" The young inventor and Ned had been the only ones to
leave it, as it rested on a spur of the mountain.

As Tom and Ned leaped forward to save the camera which was
toppling to one side, there came a great fissure in the side of
the volcano, and a stream of molten rock, glowing white with
heat, gushed out. It was a veritable river of melted stone, and
it was coming straight for the two lads.

"Run! Run!" cried Mr. Nestor. "We have everything ready for a
quick flight. "Run, Tom! Ned!"

The lads leaped for the Flyer, the molten rock coming nearer
and nearer, and then with a cry Koku sprang overboard and made a
dash toward his master.




CHAPTER XXV - THE EARTHQUAKE--CONCLUSION


"Here, Mr. Tom. Me carry you an' Ned. You hold picture machine!"
cried the giant. "Me run faster."

As he spoke he lifted Ned up under one arm, and caught Tom in
the other. For they were but as children to his immense strength.
Tom held on to his camera, and, thus laden down, Koku ran as he
had never run before, toward the waiting airship.

"Come on! Come on!" shouted Mr. Damon, for he could see what
Tom, Ned and Koku could not, that the stream of lava was nearing
them rapidly.

"It's hot!" cried Ned, as a wave of warm air fanned his cheek.

"I should say so!" cried Tom. "The volcano is full of red-hot
melted stone."

There came a sickening shake of the earth. Koku staggered as he
ran on, but he kept his feet, and did not fall. Again came a
tremendous explosion, and a shower of fine ashes sifted over the
airship, and on Koku and his living burdens.

"This is the worst ever!" gasped Tom. "But I've got some dandy
pictures, if we ever get away from here alive to develop them."

"Hurry, Koku! Hurry!" begged Mr. Nestor. "Bless my shoe laces!"
yelled Mr. Damon, who was fairly jumping up and down on the deck
of the Flyer. "I'll never go near a volcano again!"

Once more the ground shook and trembled, as the earthquake rent
it. Several cracks appeared in Koku's path, but he leaped over
them with tremendous energy. A moment later he had thrust Tom and
Ned over the rail, to the deck, and leaped aboard himself.

"Let her go!" cried Tom. "I'll do the rest of my moving picture
work, around volcanoes and earthquakes, from up in the air!"

The Flyer shot upward, and scarcely a moment too soon, for, an
instant after she left the ground, the stream of hot, burning and
bubbling lava rolled beneath her, and those on board could feel
the heat of it ascending.

"Say, I'm glad we got out of that when we did," gasped Ned, as
he looked down. "You're all right, Koku."

"That no trouble," replied the giant with a cheerful grin. "Me
carry four fellows like you," and he stretched out his big arms.
Tom had at once set his camera to working again, taking view
after view.

It was a terrifying but magnificent sight that our friends
beheld, for the earth was trembling and heaving. Great fissures
opened in many places. Into some of them streams of lava poured,
for now the volcano had opened in several places, and from each
crack the melted rocks belched out. The crater, however, was not
sending into the air such volumes of smoke and ashes as before,
as most of the tremendous energy had passed, or was being used to
spout out the lava.

The earthquake was confined to the region right about the
volcano, or there might have been a great loss of life in the
city. As it was, the damage done was comparatively slight.

Tom continued to take views, some showing the earth as it was
twisted and torn, and other different aspects of the crater.
Then, as suddenly as the earthquake had begun, it subsided, and
the volcano was less active.

"My! I'm glad to see that!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I've had
about enough of horrors!"

"And I have too," added Tom. "I'm on my last roll of film, and
I can't take many more pictures. But I guess I have all Mr.
Period needs, and we'll start for home, as soon as I finish the
next roll. But I'm going to save that for a night view. That will
he a novelty."

The volcano became active again after dark, and presented a
magnificent though terrifying aspect. As the airship hovered
above it, Tom got some of his best pictures, and then, as the
last bit of film slipped along back of the lens, the airship was
headed north.

"Now for Shopton!" cried Tom. "Our trip is ended."

"It's too had you didn't have more film," said Ned. "I thought
you had plenty."

"Well, I used more than I counted on, but there are enough
pictures as it is."

"Plenty," agreed Mr. Nestor. "I'm sure our company will be very
well satisfied with them, Tom. We can't get home any too soon to
suit me. I've had enough excitement."

"And we didn't see anything of those other fellows whom we
heard about," spoke Mr. Damon, as the big airship flew on.

"No," said Tom. "But I'm not worrying about them."

They made another stop in Lima, on their homeward trip, to
renew their supply of gasolene, and there learned that the rival
picture men had arrived at the volcano too late to see it in
operation. This news came to a relative of one of the two men who
lived in Lima.

"Then our views of the earthquake and the smoking mountain will
be the only ones, and your company can control the rights," said
Tom to Mr. Nestor, who agreed with him.

In due time, and without anything out of the ordinary happening
the Flyer reached Shopton, where Tom found a warm welcome
awaiting him, not only from his father, but from a certain young
lady, whose name I do not need to mention.

"And so you got everything you went after, didn't you, Tom,"
exclaimed Mr. Period, a few days later, when he had come from New
York to get the remainder of the films.

"Yes, and some things I didn't expect," replied Tom. "There
was--"

"Yes! Yes! I know!" interrupted the odd picture man. "It was
that jungle fire. That's a magnificent series. None better. And
those scoundrels took your camera; eh?"

"Yes. Could you connect them with Turbot and Eckert?" asked
Tom.

"No, but I'm sure they were acting for them just the same. I
had no legal evidence to act on, however, so I had to let it go.
Turbot and Eckert won't be in it when I start selling duplicates
of the films you have. And these last ought to be the best of
all. I didn't catch that fellow when I raced after him on the
dock. He got away, and has steered clear of me since," finished
Mr. Period.

"And our rivals didn't secure any views like ours," said Tom.

"I'm glad of it," spoke Mr. Period. "Turbot and Eckert bribed
one of my men, and so found out where I was sending messages to
you. They even got a copy of my cablegram. But it did them no
good."

"Were all the films clear that I sent you?" asked our hero.

"Every one. Couldn't be better. The animal views were
particularly fine. You must have had your nerve with you to get
some of 'em."

"Oh, Tom always has his nerve," laughed Ned.

"Well, how soon will you be ready to start out again?" asked
the picture man, as he packed up the last of the films which Tom
gave him. "I'd like to get some views of a Japanese earthquake,
and we haven't any polar views. I want some of them, taken as
near the North Pole as you can get."

Tom gently shook his head.

"What! You don't mean to say you won't get them for me?" cried
Mr. Period. "With that wonderful camera of yours you can get
views no one else ever could."

"Then some one else will have to take them," remarked the young
inventor. "I'll lend you the camera, and an airship, and you can
go yourself, Mr. Period. I'm going to stay home for a while. I
did what I set out to do, and that's enough."

"I'm glad you'll stay home, Tom," said his father. "Now perhaps
I'll get my gyroscope finished."

"And I, my noiseless airship," went on our hero. "No, Mr.
Period, you'll have to excuse me this time. Why don't you go
yourself?" he asked. "You would know just what kind of pictures
you wanted."

"No, I'm a promoter of the moving picture business, and I sell
films, but I don't know hew to take them," was the answer.
"Besides I--er--well, I don't exactly care for airships, Tom
Swift," he finished with a laugh. "Well, I can't thank you enough
for what you did for me, and I've brought you a check to cover
your expenses, and pay you as I agreed. All the same I'm sorry
you won't start for Japan, or the North Pole."

"Nothing doing," said Tom with a laugh; and Mr. Period
departed.

"Have you any idea what you will do next?" asked Ned, a day or
so later, when he and Tom were in the workshop.

"I can't tell until I finish my noiseless airship," was the
answer. "Then something may happen."

Something did, as I shall have the pleasure of telling you
about in the next volume of this series, to be called, "Tom Swift
and His Great Searchlight; or, On the Border for Uncle Sam," and
in it will be given an account of a great lantern our hero made,
and how he baffled the smugglers with it.

"Oh, Tom, weren't you dreadfully frightened when you saw that
burning river of lava coming toward you?" asked Mary Nestor, when
the young inventor called on her later and told her some of his
adventures. "I should have been scared to death."

"Well, I didn't have time to get scared," answered Tom. "It all
happened so quickly, and then, too I was thinking of my camera.
Next I knew Koku grabbed me, and it was all over."

"But those wild beasts! Didn't they frighten you, especially
when the rhinoceros charged you?"

"If you won't let it get out, I'll make a confession to you,"
said Tom, lowering his voice. "I was scared stiff that time, but
don't let Ned know it."

"I won't," promised Mary with a laugh. And now, when Tom is in
such pleasant company, we will take leave of him for a while,
knowing that. sooner or later, he will be seeking new adventures
as exciting as those of the past.

THE END
-----------------------------------------------------------------

THE TOM SWIFT SERIES

By VICTOR APPLETON
12mo. CLOTH. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. COLORED WRAPPERS.


These spirited tales convey In a realistic way the wonderful
advances in land and sea locomotion. Stories like these are
impressed upon the memory and their reading is productive only of
good.

TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
Or Fun and Adventure on the Road

TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa

TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
Or The Stirring cruise of the Red Cloud

TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure

TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
Or The Speediest car on the Road

TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
Or The castaways of Earthquake Island

TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
Or The Secret of Phantom Mountain

TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
Or The Wreck of the Airship

Copyright (c) 2007. topbookz.net. All rights reserved.