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The Floating Press - Victor Appleton

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122 pages

English

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Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera is the 14th book in the original Tom Swift series. "Every boy possesses some form of inventive genius. Tom Swift is a bright, ingenious boy and his inventions and adventures make the most interesting kind of reading." "These spirited tales convey in a realistic way, the wonderful advances in land and sea locomotion and other successful inventions. Stories like these are impressed upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good." This series of adventure novels starring the genius boy inventor Tom Swift falls into the genre of "invention fiction" or "Edisonade".

Sujets

Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 janvier 2009
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781775413004
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0164€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
OR, THRILLING ADVENTURES WHILE TAKING MOVING PICTURES
* * *
VICTOR APPLETON

*

Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures First published in 1912.
ISBN 978-1-775413-00-4
© 2008 THE FLOATING PRESS.
While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike.
Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Chapter I - A Strange Offer Chapter II - A Man in the Snow Bank Chapter III - Tom Makes Up His Mind Chapter IV - Held Fast Chapter V - Tom Gets a Warning Chapter VI - Trying the Camera Chapter VII - What the Camera Caught Chapter VIII - Photos from the Airship Chapter IX - Off for India Chapter X - Unexpected Excitement Chapter XI - An Elephant Stampede Chapter XII - The Lion Fight Chapter XIII - A Shot in Time Chapter XIV - In a Great Gale Chapter XV - Snapping an Avalanche Chapter XVI - Telegraph Orders Chapter XVII - Suspicious Strangers Chapter XVIII - The Native Battle Chapter XIX - A Heavy Loss Chapter XX - After the Englishmen Chapter XXI - The Jungle Fire Chapter XXII - A Dangerous Commission Chapter XXIII - At the Volcano Chapter XXIV - The Molten River Chapter XXV - The Earthquake—Conclusion
Chapter I - A Strange Offer
*
"Some one to see you, Mr. Tom."
It was Koku, or August, as he was sometimes called, the newgiant servant of Tom Swift, who made this announcement to theyoung inventor.
"Who is it, Koku?" inquired Tom, looking up from his work-benchin the machine shop, where he was busy over a part of the motorfor his new noiseless airship. "Any one I know? Is it the'Blessing Man?'" for so Koku had come to call Mr. Damon, aneccentric friend of Tom's.
"No, not him. A strange man. I never see before. He say he gotquick business."
"Quick business; eh? I guess you mean important, Koku," forthis gigantic man, one of a pair that Tom had brought with himafter his captivity in "Giant Land," as he called it, could notspeak English very well, as yet. "Important business; eh, Koku?Did he send in his card?"
"No, Mr. Tom. Him say he have no card. You not know him, but hevery much what you call—recited."
"Excited I guess you mean, Koku. Well, tell him to wait a fewminutes, and I'll see him. You can show him in then. But I say,Koku," and Tom paused as he looked at the big man, who hadattached himself to our hero, as a sort of personal helper andbodyguard.
"Yes, Mr. Tom; what is it?"
"Don't let him go poking around the shop. He might look at someof my machines that I haven't got fully patented yet. Is he inthe front office?"
"That's where him am. He be lookin' at pictures on the walls."
"Oh, that's all right then. Just keep him there. And, Koku,don't let him come back in the shop here, until I get ready tosee him. I'll ring the bell when I am."
"All right, Mr. Tom."
Koku, very proud of his, mission of keeping guard over thestrange visitor, marched from the room with his big strides, hislong arms and powerful hands swinging at his sides, for Koku, orAugust, as Tom had rechristened him, and as he often called him(for it was in the month of August that he had located thegiants) was a very powerful man. A veritable giant, beingextremely tall, and big in proportion.
"Be sure. Don't let him in here, Koku!" called Tom, in anadditional warning, as his new servant left the main shop.
"Sure not!" exclaimed Koku, very earnestly.
"I don't know who he may be," mused Tom, as he began puttingaway the parts to his new noiseless motor, so that the strangercould not see them, and profit thereby. "It looks rather funny,not sending in his name. It may be some one who thinks he canspring a trick on me, and get some points about my inventions, ordad's.
"It may even be somebody sent on by Andy Foger, or his father.I can't be too careful. I'll just put everything away that isn'tfully covered by patents, and then if he wants to infringe on anyof the machines I can sue him."
Tom looked about the shop, which was filled with strangemachinery, most of which had been made by himself, or his father,or under their combined directions. There was a big biplane inone corner, a small monoplane in another, parts of a submarineboat hanging up overhead, and a small, but very powerful,electric auto waiting to have some repairs made to it, for on hislast trip in it Tom Swift had suffered a slight accident.
"There, I guess he can't see anything but what I want him to,"mused Tom, as he put away the last part of a new kind of motor,from which he hoped great things. "Let's see, yes, it's out ofsight now. I wish Ned Newton, or Mr. Damon were here to be awitness in case he starts anything. But then I have Koku, even ifhe doesn't speak much English yet. If it comes to blows—well, Iwouldn't want that giant to hit me," finished Tom with a laugh,as he rang the bell to announce to his servant that the visitormight be shown in.
There was a sound outside the door that separated the businessoffice from the main shop, and Tom heard Koku exclaim:
"Hold on! Wait! I go first. You wait!"
"What's the matter with me going ahead?" demanded a quick,snappy voice. "I'm in a hurry, and—"
"You wait! I go first," was the giant's reply, and then camethe sound of a scuffle.
"Ouch! Say! Hold on there, my man! Take your hand off myshoulder! You're crushing me with those big fingers of yours!"
This was evidently the visitor remonstrating with the giant.
"Humph! I guess Koku must have grabbed him," said Tom softly."I don't like that sort of a visitor. What's his hurry getting inhere?" and our hero looked about, to see if he had a weapon athand in case of an attack. Often cranks had forced their way intohis shop, with pet inventions which they wanted him to perfectafter they had themselves failed. Tom saw a heavy iron bar athand, and knew this would serve to protect him.
"You come after me!" exclaimed Koku, when the voice of theother had ceased. "Do you stand under me?"
"Oh, yes, I understand all right. I'll keep back. But I didn'tmean anything. I'm just in a hurry to see Tom Swift, that is all.I'm always in a hurry in fact. I've lost nearly a thousanddollars this morning, just by this delay. I want to see Mr. Swiftat once; and have a talk with him."
"Another crank, I guess," mused Tom. "Well, I'm not going towaste much time on him."
A moment later the door opened, and into the shop stepped Koku,followed by a short, stout, fussy little man, wearing a flamingred tie, but otherwise his clothes were not remarkable.
"Is this Mr. Tom Swift?" asked the stranger, as he advanced andheld out his hand to the young man.
"Yes," answered Tom, looking carefully at the visitor. He didnot seem to be dangerous, he had no weapon, and, Tom was relievedto note that he did not carry some absurd machine, or appliance,that he had made, hoping to get help in completing it. The youthwas trying to remember if he had ever seen the stranger before,but came to the conclusion that he had not.
"Sorry to take up your time," went on the man, "but I just hadto see you. No one else will do. I've heard lots about you. Thatwas a great stunt you pulled off, getting those giants for thecircus. This is one; isn't he?" and he nodded toward Koku.
"Yes," replied Tom, wondering if the little man was in such ahurry why he did not get down to business.
"I thought so," the caller went on, as he shook hands with Tom."Once you felt his grip you'd know he was a giant, even if youdidn't see him. Yes, that was a great stunt. And going to thecaves of ice, too, and that diamond-making affair. All of 'emgreat. I—"
"How did you know about them?" interrupted Tom, wishing the manwould tell his errand.
"Oh, you're better known than you have any idea of, Tom Swift.As soon as I got this idea of mine I said right away, to some ofthe others in my business, I says, says I, 'Tom Swift is the boyfor us. I'll get him to undertake this work, and then it will bedone to the Queen's taste. Tom's the boy who can do it,' I says,and they all agreed with me. So I came here to-day, and I'm sorryI had to wait to see you, for I'm the busiest man in the world, Ibelieve, and, as I said, I've lost about a thousand dollarswaiting to have a talk with you. I—"
"I am sorry," interrupted Tom, and he was not very cordial."But I was busy, and—"
"All right! All right! Don't apologize!" broke in the man inrapid tones, while both Tom, and his servant, Koku, looked insurprise at the quick flow of language that came from him. "Don'tapologize for the world. It's my fault for bothering you. AndI'll lose several thousand dollars, willingly, if you'llundertake this job. I'll make money from it as it is. It's worthten thousand dollars to you, I should say, and I'm willing to paythat."
He looked about, as though for a seat, and Tom, apologizing forhis neglect in offering one, shoved a box forward.
"We don't have chairs in here," said the young inventor with asmile. "Now if you will tell me what you—"
"I'm coming right to it. I'll get down to business in amoment," interrupted the man as he sat down on the box, notwithout a grunt or two, I for he was very stout. "I'm going tointroduce myself in just a second, and then I'm going to tell youwho I am. And I hope you'll take up my offer, though it may seema strange one."
The man took out a pocketbook, and began searching through it,evidently for some card or paper.
"He's as odd as Mr. Damon is, when he's blessing everything,"mused Tom, as he watched the man.
"I thought I had a card with me, but I haven't," the visitorwent on. "No matter. I'm James Period—promoter of all kinds ofamus