Chapter 12 Tom Swift and His Sky Train by Victor Appleton
MIXED ORDERS
Almost frozen with horror to the spot where he stood, Tom Swift took several seconds to galvanize himself into action. After that first warning call to Koku to desist, the young inventor could not seem to frame any words. His tongue was as if paralyzed as he saw the giant raise the unfortunate Daniel high in the air, over his head, ready for the death throw.
Then, when at last he found he could move, the tragedy was averted in such a simple manner that, later, Tom had to laugh. For honest, black Eradicate, coming out of the hangar of the Eagle, and beholding the giant with the uplifted Daniel, gave a shrill chuckle of mirth and said:
“When yo’ all gits froo wif him, big boy, let me have a shot at him! He done sass me, too!”
“What black man’s mean?” asked Koku, pausing suspiciously. He and Rad did not get along any too well together.
“I means,” went on Eradicate, still chuckling, obviously unaware of the impending tragedy, “when yo’ all gits done wif spankin’ Mistah Daniel-in-de-lion-den, dat I wants t’ say suffun t’ him!”
This was too much for the slow brain of the giant. Turned for the moment from his purpose of wreaking swift vengeance on the little man who had dared to push him, Koku lost track of his intention of dashing Daniel to the ground. He had always been jealous of Eradicate, as the black man had disliked the giant to do anything for Tom. So when Koku found that Eradicate had some interest in Daniel, the giant’s wrath was turned from Daniel to Eradicate.
Slowly Koku lowered the form of Daniel, almost stiff from fright and terror, to the ground. So awful had been his experience that Daniel was unable to stand upright when Koku let go of him. He would have fallen, had not Tom Swift run to his side to support him.
“What does this mean?” the young inventor sternly asked.
“I—I don’t know,” Daniel faintly answered. “He made a rush for me—I tried to push him away and then he grabbed me. Oh, what a terrible giant!”
His version was not in strict accord with the truth, but Tom passed that for the moment to ask Koku what he meant by such conduct.
Koku’s wrath, always of but a moment’s duration, and seldom at that, was now turned on Eradicate.
“Koku chuck black mans over fence!” muttered the giant as he made a rush for the Negro. Eradicate knew better than to stand his ground. With incoherent mutterings, Tom’s old servant ran around the garage, even in his crippled rheumatic condition being able easily to elude the lumbering giant who strode after him. With the two out of the way, Tom, well knowing that Koku could never catch Eradicate, and that the giant’s wrath would soon vanish, turned his attention to Daniel.
“What brought all this on?” Tom asked as he saw that his office-helper was slowly getting some red back into his pale cheeks.
“I don’t know, Mr. Swift,” was the reply. “I wanted to go into the hangar, on your orders, to take some measurements of the Eagle in readiness for the new sky train tests when the big gliders come, but when I started to go in, this giant of yours wouldn’t let me. Said I had to have a paper from you—a pass I suppose he meant.”
“That’s right, yes,” said Tom. “But I didn’t tell you to go into the hangar, Daniel.”
“You told me to take some of the Eagle measurements.”
“I meant from the blue prints in the office. You can easily do it from them. Always, just before an important test of any of my machines of air, earth or water, I have them carefully guarded, either by Koku or some of my men. Koku was acting on my orders not to admit anyone, even you, without a pass from me. And you did not ask for one.”
“I didn’t think I needed it—just to take measurements.”
“If I had wanted you to take measurements directly from the Eagle I would have told you so and given you a permit to enter the hangar,” Tom said. “Evidently you misunderstood me, and it is lucky Koku and Rad had their little dispute when they did or I don’t like to think of what might have happened to you, Daniel.”
“I don’t like to think of it myself, Mr. Swift,” said Daniel. “It was a terrible experience!”
“I can well believe that. I never knew Koku to act like this. I must have a talk with him.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t bother,” said Daniel with a nervous little laugh. “I’m all right now and it was just a mixup. Let it drop.”
“I’ll see,” was all Tom answered. “And now you had better get at the blue prints. We are not making much progress on my sky train of late. Too many things have happened.”
“Well, I’m glad it didn’t happen that your giant let me fall after he raised me up,” said Daniel with another laugh as he walked back to the office.
As Tom expected, he soon found his giant with the usual good-natured smile on his big face. He had given up chasing Eradicate and seemed to have forgotten that he ever was angry at Daniel or wanted to chastise the black man.
“Koku, why did you start to throw the little man down?” asked Tom, speaking in Koku’s own language which he had learned while a captive in the land of giants. It was much easier to understand Koku when he used his own tongue.
“Because, Master,” the big man explained, “you told me to guard your ship of the air and let no one in. A little while ago I heard a noise at the back door, and I went there to find this little man trying to come in. I told him please to go away and he did. Then, later, I found him at the front door, saying you told him to come in. I asked for the paper as you told me. He had none. But he tried to go past me and when I stopped him, he shoved me. Nobody can push Koku—only you, Master,” said the giant humbly, and there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “Did I do right?”
“You did right, Koku, to keep the little white man out,” said Tom. “Obey my orders always—none are to go in to the Eagle without a pass from me.”
Tom knew that the Eagle was safe from being damaged as long as Koku was on guard, and he decided to make the hangar the headquarters of the giant from now on.
“I can’t quite figure Daniel out,” Tom murmured as he went back to his office. “He doesn’t seem stupid and yet I’m sure I told him to take the Eagle measurements from the blue prints. Why did he try to force his way into the garage? I must watch that man, now that my sky train is almost ready for a real test.”
It was the middle of the next week, when Tom Swift, after several flights had practically completed the mechanism for sending a glider aloft, in the tow of a small plane, and after having it attached to the rear of his sky train, that he decided the time had come for a real tryout. He mentioned this to Ned.
“You mean with the big passenger gliders?” asked Ned.
“Yes,” Tom replied. “Are they in yet?”
“Why, no, they haven’t come,” Ned answered. “I understood they weren’t to be shipped by the National concern until later in the month.”
“Who told you that?” asked Tom a bit sharply.
“Why, Daniel, your new helper. I was speaking to him about the gliders yesterday.”
“And he said the gliders weren’t to arrive until later?”
“That’s right—the end of the month.”
“Whew!” whistled Tom. “There’s something wrong here! Get me the National Aircraft Company on the long distance telephone!” he said to his office boy. When the connection was made Tom did some fast talking into the telephone.
“What’s that?” Ned heard his chum ask. “You have a letter from me saying to delay delivery until the end of the month? Nonsense! You knew I was in a hurry for those gliders! Yes, I’ll look up the order and my last letter to you. I’ll call you back. Miss Mapes!” Tom called to his stenographer. “Get me all the late correspondence with the National people and a copy of the original order for gliders.” When these had been laid before him Tom scanned them carefully and said, triumphantly: “There, I knew they were wrong! In my last letter I distinctly stated that the gliders were to be here at the very latest the end of this week. I can’t see how they interpret that as next month.”
“Oh, but there was another letter sent them after this,” said Miss Mapes.
“There was?” cried Tom. “Who dictated it?”
“Mr. Daniel. He said you told him to.”
There was a grim look on Tom Swift’s face.