Edward Stratemeyer

“ In company with his uncles, one a big game hunter, the other a noted scientist, he travels far and wide—into the jungles of South America, across the Sahara, deep into the African jungle, up where the Alaskan volcanoes spout, down among the head hunters of Borneo and many other places where there is danger and excitement. Every boy who has known Tom Swift will at once become the boon companion of daring Don Sturdy. ”

“ They ran up to a dock where the tug was in the habit of landing when at Portland, and the boys walked to the gangplank that was put out for them.
“Look! look!” cried Tom, suddenly, and pointed to a motor boat lying alongside the steam tug.
“Well, I never!” gasped Sam.
The motor boat was a craft of fair size, and very gaudily painted, in red, blue and yellow. It was piled high with suit-cases, bundles and fishing outfits. At the wheel was a tall young man, smoking a cigarette—a stranger to the Rovers. In the bow, also smoking, were two other young men, Jerry Koswell and Bart Larkspur. ”

“ Aunt Martha wrote me that he had invested in half a dozen hives of bees, and got a queen bee worth I don’t know how much to boss the colony.”
“Oh, so he’s going into bee culture!” murmured Dick. “I hope he doesn’t get stung.”
“He’ll be stung right enough,” answered Sam. “If not in one way then in another. He never makes his experiments pay. Say, I rather think I’ll steer clear of those bees.”
“Maybe we can have some fun with them,” mused Tom, and immediately commenced to lay plans for that purpose. ”

“ William Philander Tubbs wanted to keep out of the procession, but he was caught by Sam and Tom and made to carry a flag consisting of an old red sweater tied to the handle of a broom. Other boys carried the college colors, and they added to the din with tin horns and wooden rattles.
“My! but this is disgraceful!” muttered Professor Sharp, in disgust.
“Disgraceful?” cried Doctor Wallington. “Not at all, sir. Let the young men enjoy themselves. They are doing no harm.”
“I don’t like so much noise,” snapped Asa Sharp, and retired to the college building. ”

“ COLLEGE BOYS TO THE RESCUE
“Oh, Dick! do you think the steamer will really blow up?” gasped Sam, as the two small boats ranged up beside the larger vessel.
“Perhaps—if they can’t get at the boilers to let off steam,” was Dick’s answer. “But they ought to have safety valves.”
“Maybe the man is so excited he doesn’t know what he is talking about,” put in Tom.
Fortunately the Thistle was not a high boat, but broad and shallow, so the rail of the vessel was but a few feet above that of the launch and the rowboat.
“Come, Dora, and Nellie and Grace!” called out Dick. “We’ll help you down.” ”

“ Leaving the entrance to Portland Harbor, the tug steamed up into the waters of Casco Bay, that beautiful spot with its scores of verdant and rocky islands. As it was the height of the summer season they passed many pleasure boats, big and little. Once they passed an island where a big picnic was in progress and they heard the music from a band quite distinctly. They also passed Peak’s Island where there was a big, round-topped structure, which the captain of the tug said was a famous summer theater. ”

“ HOME ONCE MORE
“And now for Oak Run and home!”
It was Dick who spoke, as he and his brothers boarded another train at Cartown. The girls had gone on in the first train and the boys had had to wait half an hour for the one on the line which would take them close to Valley Brook farm.
“Home it is!” returned Sam. “And I’ll be glad to see dad again—and the rest of ’em.”
“Right you are, Sam,” joined in Tom. “After all, there is no place like home.”
“Remember how you used to hate the farm, Tom?”
“Well, that was when we got too much of it. I don’t like all farm and nothing else.” ”

“ Just before Ithaca was reached, the train was delayed. As a consequence they missed the last boat for Cedarville that night.
“That’s too bad,” said Dick. “Now we won’t be able to get to the Stanhope place until eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“Well, we can send a telegram to dad at Cedarville,” said Sam. “And maybe we can telephone,” he added.
At Ithaca Hans left them.
“I keeps mine eyes open for dot Dad Sobber,” said he. “Of I finds him I let you know.”
“That’s the talk, Hans!” cried Tom. “You play detective and some day perhaps you’ll win a great big leather medal.” ”

“ The boys and the tar lost no time in jumping from one rock to another until the main portion of the island was gained. Then they ran for the shelter of some bushes. In the meantime the steam tug moved away to such a distance that those aboard could be seen with difficulty.
“Now, if the others didn’t see us land, we are all right,” cried Tom.
“We don’t want to make any noise,” cautioned Dick. “Remember, they may be on the watch for us—Koswell and his cronies, and the Sobber crowd too.”
“Do you think Koswell and Larkspur would give aid to those other rascals?” asked Sam. ”

“ In this line of books there is revealed the whole workings of a great American railroad system. There are adventures in abundance—railroad wrecks, dashes through forest fires, the pursuit of a “wildcat” locomotive, the disappearance of a pay car with a large sum of money on board—but there is much more than this—the intense rivalry among railroads and railroad men, the working out of running schedules, the getting through “on time” in spite of all obstacles, and the manipulation of railroad securities by evil men who wish to rule or ruin. ”

“ Not a soul was in sight around the place.
[200]
“Don’t ring any bell,” warned Sam. “If those rascals are here they may take the alarm and skip out.”
“There isn’t any bell to ring,” answered Tom, grimly. “There was once an old-fashioned knocker, but it has been broken off.”
“I think one of us ought to try to get around to the back,” said Dick. “If those rascals are here they may try to escape that way.”
“That is true,” returned Tom. “But let us make sure first that we have the right place. The folks living here may be all-right people, and they’d think it strange to see us spying around.” ”

“ The tent was a large one, and in the rear they stored their extra clothing and food. Then they cut down boughs for bedding and got out their blankets.
“The water is boiling,” announced Fred, who had put a kettle on some sticks over the fire.
“Well, now the tent is fixed, we’ll have supper,” said Dick, who had been made leader. “I reckon we are all hungry enough.”
“WELL, NOW THE TENT IS FIXED, WE’LL HAVE SUPPER,” SAID DICK.
“I know I am,” said Sam.
“I dink I could eat a leetle,” said Hans, winking one eye laboriously.
“Want a piece of fried water snake, Hans?” asked Tom, dryly. ”

“ Rover.
“Say, this is the best fish I ever tasted!” cried Dick, when they were eating.
“So I say!” added Fred. “Sam, if you don’t mind, I’ll take another piece.”
“It’s the fresh air that tunes up a fellow’s appetite,” remarked Tom. “Stay out a month and you’ll want to eat like a horse.”
“Nothing the matter with my appetite at any time,” murmured Sam. “Oh, Hans, what’s the matter?” he demanded, as he saw the German lad throw his head into the air.
“He’s choking!” exclaimed Dick, leaping up in alarm.
“It—it vo—vos ch—chust a fi—fish pone!” gasped Hans. “He got in mine neck sidevays alretty!” ”

“ Soon the throbbing of the engine showed that the tug was running under a full pressure of steam. The spray dashed all over the craft and those on board, but to this nobody paid attention. Every eye was riveted on the craft ahead.
[282]
Those on the motor boat were equally eager, and watched the pursuit with chagrin.
“Do you—er—think they will catch us?” asked Josiah Crabtree, nervously, not once but several times.
“I don’t know—I hope not,” answered Pally.
“Can’t we run faster?”
“I am crowding her to the limit now.”
“Do you know about motor boats? Perhaps Mr. Sobber knows more.” ”

“ A CHASE UP THE COAST
“You saw her sail for Portland!” cried Sam.
“Less than an hour ago?” exclaimed Tom.
“Where from?” queried Dick, quickly. “Hurry up and tell me—it will be money in your pocket.”
“The Mary Delaway sailed from Cruser’s dock,” answered the old sailor. “That’s about four blocks from here. I can show you the place. But you can’t get aboard, messmates—she’s gone.”
“We must catch her!” ejaculated Dick. “No matter at what cost, we must catch her. How can we do it?”
“Can’t we follow her in a motor boat, or a steam launch?” asked Tom.
“You can follow her in a tug,” said the old tar. ”

“ Tom led the way to a storeroom behind the gymnasium. In one corner, under some old canvas, was a box several feet long, that had come in by express.
“I had the time of my life getting this here without having it pass inspection by the Head,” said Tom.
“What’s in it, Tom?”
“Fireworks—a regular Fourth of July outfit—rockets, Roman candles, pinwheels, bombs, and all. I sent the order to the city a week ago.”
[47]
“Good for you!” cried Sam, with a grin. “This will certainly wake up the natives.”
“See if you can get Dick to help us. But be careful—I want to surprise all the rest, even Stanley.” ”

“ Crabtree can’t follow her.”
“That might be a good thing, Dora,” answered Dick, and then he had to turn his attention to running the touring car. Although the automobile was built for but seven, all had crowded in, Sam sitting in front on Tom’s lap, and the ladies and girls occupying the tonneau.
The run to the farm took but a few minutes, Dick “letting the machine out” in a manner that made the ladies gasp.
“Never rode so fast in my life, on a country road!” declared Mrs. Laning, on alighting. “It was like a train!”
“Oh, that was nothing,” answered Tom. “We can go twice as fast if we want to.” ”

“ Stanhope!” whispered Dick.
“I only want to scare ’em,” muttered the captain of the steam tug.
The motor boat gathered headway rapidly, and soon was out of range of the pistol. The Rovers saw that the craft contained Tad Sobber, Jim Pally, Josiah Crabtree and Mrs. Stanhope and another woman, probably Mrs. Sobber.
“Wonder what has become of Koswell, Larkspur and that Darkingham,” said Sam.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care, just now!” returned Dick. “Captain, we must follow that boat without delay. If they get out of our sight we may never get another chance to rescue Mrs. Stanhope!” ”

“ He was sure that the Stanhope fortune had in some manner fallen into the hands of Tad Sobber, and he wondered if that rascal would be able to get away with it.
“If he does it will be a sad blow to both the Stanhopes and the Lanings,” he said to his brothers. “They were planning to get much good out of that money.”
“It will be especially hard on the Lanings,” said Tom, soberly. “For they are not as wealthy as the Stanhopes.”
All of the boys worked with a will, and Jack Ness and the man who had rowed him to camp aided as much as they could. ”

“ It’s the Sobber crowd, with Dick!” murmured Sam.
“I don’t think they are going to aid us,” returned Tom.
A few words passed between Sobber, Crabtree, and Pally, and then while two of the evildoers held Dick the third cut his bonds.
[267]
“Now, then, you can join your brothers!” cried Sobber, and gave Dick a shove that sent him headlong. Down he came with a tremendous splash, and then the waters of the pool closed over him.
“You cowards!” shouted Tom, in a rage. “I shouldn’t treat a dog that way!”
“You shut your mouth!” yelled back Tad Sobber. “It serves you right—for following us.” ”

“ He managed to get to first base with ease, while Dick, on the alert, slid to the home plate just before the ball came in.
“That gives us five runs, anyway!” was Stanley’s comment. “Now, Spud, see what you can do.”
“Here is where I knock one across the river and back,” declared Spud Jackson, as he came forward with a bat. “Better chase your men away out,” he added to Frank Holden.
“They can use nets,” answered the pitcher with a grin.
Spud had a ball and a strike called on him and then met the leather and sent it to the shortstop. Tom had to run for second and he legged it with might and main. ”