第23章

TOM IS LONESOME

"This is certainly the strangest sight I ever saw," remarked Ned, as he and his chum flew nearer and nearer to the smoking and blazing tree."Is the world turning upside down, Tom, when fires start in this fashion?""I fancy it can easily be explained," answered the young inventor."We'll go into that later.Here, Ned, grab hold of that tin can on the floor and take out the screw plug." "What's the idea?""I want you to drop it as nearly as you can right into the midst of the tree that's on fire.""Oh, I get your drift! Well, you can count on me."Ned picked up from the floor of their aeroplane a metal can similar to those Tom used to hold oil or perhaps spare gasoline when he was experimenting on airship speed.The opening was closed with a screw plug, with wings to afford an easier grip.As Ned unscrewed this his nostrils were greeted by an odor that made him gasp.

"Don't mind a little thing like that," cried Tom."Drop it down, Ned! Drop it down! We're going to be right over the tree in another second or two!"Ned leaned over the side of the craft and had a good view of the strange sight.The tree that was on fire was a dead oak of great size, dwarfing the other trees in the grove in which it stood.In common with other oaks this one still retained many of its dried leaves, though it was devoid, or almost devoid, of life.Ned noticed in the branches many irregularly shaped objects, and it appeared to be these that were on fire, blazing fiercely.

"It looks as though some one had tied bundles of sticks in the tree and set them on fire," Ned thought as he poised the opened tin of the evil- smelling compound on the edge of the aeroplane's cockpit.

"Let her go, Ned!" cried Tom."You'll be too late in another second!"Ned raised himself in his seat and threw, rather than let fall, the can straight for the blazing tree.Like a bomb it shot toward earth, and Ned andTom, looking down, could see it strike a limb and break open, the rupture of the can letting loose the liquid contained in it.

And then, before the eyes of Tom and Ned, the fire seemed to die out as a picture melts away on a moving picture screen.The smoke rolled away in a ball-like cloud, and the flames ceased to crackle and roar.

"Well, for the love of molasses! what happened, Tom?" cried Ned, as the young inventor guided his craft about in a big circle to come back again over the tree.He wanted to make sure that the fire was out.

It was!

"What sent that blaze to the happy hunting grounds?" asked Ned.

"My new aerial extinguisher," answered Tom, with justifiable pride in his voice."This fire happened in the nick of time for me, Ned.I had a tin of my new combination in the car, not with any intention of using it, though.I intended to pour it in the new containers I am having made in Newmarket to see if it would corrode them, a thing I wish to avoid.

"But when I saw that tree on fire I couldn't resist the temptation to use my very latest combination of chemicals.It is so recent that I haven't actually tried it on a blaze yet, though I had figured out in theory that it ought to work.And it did, Ned! It worked!""Well, I should say so!" agreed his chum."That blaze was doused for fair.The test could not have been better.But what in the name of a volunteer fire department set that tree to blazing, Tom?""I'll tell you in a moment.I want to make some notes before I forget.That combination seems to be just of the right strength.It did the trick.Here, take the wheel and hold her steady while I jot down some memoranda before they get away from me."Ned was capable of managing an airship, especially under Tom's watchful eye, and as this craft was one with dual controls there was no difficulty in shifting from one steersman to the other.

So while Ned guided, now and then gazing down at the tree from which some smoke still arose, though the fire was all out, Tom made the necessary scientific notes for future amplification.

"And now," observed Ned, as his chum resumed the wheel, "suppose you enlighten me on how that tree came to be on fire--if you didn't set ityourself."