Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice

OR

The Wreck of the Airship

by VICTOR APPLETON

CONTENTS

 I ERADICATE IN AN AIRSHIP II ANDY FOGER'S TRIPLANE III ABE IS DECEIVED IV TOM GETS THE MAP V GRAVE SUSPICIONS VI ANDY'S AIRSHIP FLIES VII READY FOR THE TRIP VIII A THIEF IN THE NIGHT IX A VANDAL'S ACT X TOM IS HELD UP XI OFF FOR THE FROZEN NORTH XII PELTED BY HAILSTONES XIII A FRIGHTENED INDIAN XIV THE RIVAL AIRSHIP XV THE RACE XVI THE FALL OF THE ANTHONY XVII HITTING THE ICE MOUNTAIN XVIII A FIGHT WITH MUSK OXEN XIX THE CAVES OF ICE XX IN THE GOLD VALLEY XXI THE FOGERS ARRIVE XXII JUMPING THE CLAIM XXIII ATTACKED BY NATIVES XXIV THE WRECK OF THE AIRSHIP XXV THE RESCUE-CONCLUSION

CHAPTER I

ERADICATE IN AN AIRSHIP

"Well, Massa Tom, am yo' gwine out in yo' flyin' machine ag'in to-day?"

"Yes, Rad, I think I will take a little flight. Perhaps I'll go overto Waterford, and call on Mr. Damon. I haven't seen very much ofhim, since we got back from our hunt after the diamond-makers. "

"Take a run clear ober t' Waterfield; eh, Massa Tom?"

"Yes, Rad. Now, if you'll help me, I'll get out the Butterfly, andsee what trim she's in for a speedy flight. "

Tom Swift, the young inventor, aided by Eradicate Sampson, thecolored helper of the Swift household, walked over toward a smallshed. 

A few minutes later the two had rolled into view, on its threebicycle wheels, a trim little monoplane--one of the speediest craftof the air that had ever skimmed along beneath the clouds. It wasbuilt to carry two, and had a very powerful motor. 

"I guess it will work all right, " remarked the young inventor, forTorn Swift had not only built this monoplane himself, but was theoriginator of it, and the craft contained many new features. 

"It sho' do look all right, Massa Tom. "

"Look here, Rad, " spoke the lad, as a sudden idea came to him, "you've never ridden in an airship, have you?"

"No, Massa Tom, an' I ain't gwine to nuther!"

"Why not?"

"Why not? 'Case as how it ain't healthy; that's why!"

"But I go in them frequently, Eradicate. So does my father. You'veseen us fly often enough, to know that it's safe. Why, look at thenumber of times Mr. Damon and I have gone off on trips in thislittle Butterfly. Didn't we always come back safely?"

"Yes, dat's true, but dere might come a time when yo' WOULDN'T comeback, an' den where'd Eradicate Sampson be? I axes yo' dat--whar'd Ibe, Massa Tom?"

"Why, you wouldn't be anywhere if you didn't go, of course, " and Tomlaughed. "But I'd like to take you for a little spin in thismachine, Rad. I want you to get used to them. Sometime I may needyou to help me. Come, now. Suppose you get up on this seat here, andI promise not to go too high until you get used to it. Come on, itwill do you good, and think of what all your friends will say whenthey see you riding in an airship. "

"Dat's right, Massa Tom. Dey suah will be monstrous envious obEradicate Sampson, dat's what dey will. "

It was clear that the colored man was being pursuaded somewhatagainst his will. Though he had been engaged by Tom Swift and hisfather off and on for several years, Eradicate had never shown anydesire to take a trip through the air in one of the several craftTom owned for this purpose. Nor had he ever evinced a longing for atrip under the ocean in a submarine, and as for riding in Tom'sspeedy electric car--Eradicate would as soon have sat down withthirteen at the table, or looked at the moon over the wrongshoulder. 

But now, somehow, there was a peculiar temptation to take his youngemployer at his word. Eradicate had seen, many times, the youthfulinventor and his friends make trips in the monoplane, as well as inthe big biplane and dirigible balloon combined--the RED CLOUD. Tomand the others had always come back safely, though often they metwith accidents which only the skill and daring of the daringaeronaut had brought to a safe conclusion. 

"Well, are you coming, Rad?" asked Tom, as he looked to see if theoil and gasoline tanks were filled, and gave a preliminary twirl tothe propeller. 

"Now does yo' t'ink it am puffickly safe, Massa Tom?" and thecolored man looked nervously at the machine. 

"Of course, Rad. Otherwise I wouldn't invite you. But I won't takeyou far. I just want you to get used to it, and, once you have madea flight, you'll want to make another. "

"I don't nohow believe I will, Massa Tom, but as long as you haveaxed me, an' as yo' say some of dem proud, stuck-up darkies inShopton will be tooken down a peg or two when de sees me, vhy, Iwill go wif yo', Massa Tom. "

"I thought you would. Now take your place in the little seat next towhere I'm going to sit. All start the engine and jump in. Now sitperfectly still, and, whatever you do, don't jump out. The ground'spretty hard this morning. There was a frost last night. "

"I knows dere was, Massa Tom. Nope, I won't jump. I-I-Oh, golly, Massa Tom! I guess I don't want to go-let me out!"

Eradicate, his heart growing fainter as the time of starting drewnearer, made as if he would leave the monoplane, in which he hadtaken his seat. 

"Sit still!" yelled Tom. At that instant he started the propeller. The motor roared like a salvo of guns, and streaks of fire could beseen shooting from one cylinder to the other, until there was aperfect blast of explosions. 

The speed of the propeller increased as the motor warmed up. Tom ranto his seat and opened the gasoline throttle still more, advancingthe spark slightly. The roar increased. The lad darted a look atEradicate. The colored man's face was like chalk, and he wasgripping the upright braces at his side as though his salvationdepended on them. 

"Steady now" spoke Tom, yelling to be heard above the racket. "Herewe go. "

The Butter-fly was moving slowly across the level stretch of groundwhich Tom used for starting his airships. The propeller was now ablur of light. The explosions of the motor became a steady roar, thenoise from one cylinder being merged into the blast from the othersso rapidly that it was a continuous racket. 

With a whizz the monoplane shot across the ground. Then, with aquick motion, Tom tilted the lifting planes, and, as gracefully as abird, the little machine mounted upward on a slant until, coming toa level about two hundred feet above the earth, Tom sent it straightahead over the roof of his house. 

"How's this, Rad?" he cried. "Isn't it great?"

"It--it--er--bur-r-r-r! It's--it's mighty ticklish, Massa Tom-dat'sde word--it suah am mighty ticklish!"

Tom Swift laughed and increased the speed. The Butterfly dartedforward like some hummingbird about to launch itself upon a flower, and, indeed, the revolutions of the propeller were not unlike thevibrations of the wings of that marvelous little creature. 

"Now for some corkscrew twists!" cried the young inventor. "Here wego, Rad!"

With that he began a series of intricate evolutions, making figuresof eight, spirals, curves, sudden dips and long swings. It wasmasterwork in handling a monoplane, but Eradicate Sampson, as he satcrouched in the seat, gripping the uprights until his hands ached, was in no condition to appreciate it. Gradually, however, as he sawthat the craft remained up in the air, and showed no signs of falling, the fears of the colored man left him. He sat up straighter. 

"Don't you like it, Rad?" cried Tom. 

This time the answer came with more decision. 

"It suah am great, Massa Tom! I'm--I'm beginnin' t' like it. Whoop!I guess I do like it! Now if some of dem stuck-up coons could seeme--"

"They'd think YOU were stuck up; eh, Rad? Stuck up in the air!"

"Dat's right, Massa Tom. Ha! Ha! I suah am stuck up in de air! Ha!Ha!"

By this time Tom had guided the machine away from the village, andthey were flying over the fields, some distance from his house. Thecolored man was beginning to enjoy his experience very much. 

Suddenly, just as Tom was trying to get a bit more speed out of themotor, the machine stopped. The cessation of the racket was almostas startling as a loud explosion would have been. 

"Just my luck!" cried Tom. 

"What's de matter?" asked Eradicate, anxiously. 

"Motor's stalled, " replied the young inventor. 

"An', by golly, we's falling!" yelled the colored man. 

Naturally, with the stopping of the propeller, there was no furtherstraight, forward motion to the monoplane, and, following the law ofnature, it began to drop toward the earth on a slant. 

"We's fallin'! We'll be killed!" yelled the negro. 

"It's all right, I'll just vol-plane back to earth, " spoke Tom, calmly. "I've often done it before, higher up than this. Sit still, Rad, I'm volplaning back to the ground. "

"An' I'll JUMP back to de ground; dat's what I'll do. I ain't goin't' wait until I falls, no sah! An' I ain't gwine t' do none ob datball-playin' yo' speak ob, Massa Swift. It's no time t' play ballwhen yo' life am in danger. I'se gwine t' jump. "

"Sit still!" cried Tom, for the colored man was about to spring fromhis seat. "There's no danger! I didn't say anything about playingball. I said I'd VOL-PLANE back to the earth. We'll be thereshortly. I'll take you down safe. Sit still, Rad!"

He spoke so earnestly that the fears of his colored passenger werequelled. With a quick motion Tom threw up the head planes, to checkthe downward sweep. The Butterfly shot forward on a gradual slant. Repeating this maneuver several times, the young inventor finallybrought his machine to within a short distance of the earth, and, also, considerably nearer his own home. 

"I wonder if we can make it?" he murmured, measuring the distancewith his eye. "I think so. I'll shoot her up a bit and then let herdown on a long slant. Then, with another upward tilt, I ought tofetch it. "

The monoplane tilted upward. Eradicate gave a cry of terror. It wasstilled at a look from Tom. Once more the air machine glidedforward. Then came another long dip, another upward glide and theButterfly came gently to earth almost on the very spot whence it hadflown upward a few minutes before. 

Eradicate gave one mad spring from his seat, almost before thebicycle wheels had ceased revolving, as Tom jammed on the earth-brake. 

"Here, where are you going, Rad?" cried the lad. 

"Whar am I goin'? I'se goin' t' see if mah mule Boomerang am safe. He's de only kind ob an airship I wants arter dis!" and the coloredman disappeared into the shack whence came a loud "hee-haw!"

"Oh, pshaw! Wait a minute, Rad. I'll soon have the motor fixed, andwe'll make another try. I'll take you over to Mr. Damon's with me. "

"No, sah, Massa Tom. Yo' don't catch dis coon in any mo' airships. Mah mule am good enough fo' me!" shouted Eradicate from the safeharbor of the mule's stable. 

Tom laughed, and turned to inspect the motor. As he was looking itover, to locate the trouble, the door of the house opened and apleasant-faced woman stepped out. 

"Oh, Tom, " she called. "I looked for you a moment ago, and youweren't here!"

"No, Mrs. Baggert, " Tom replied, waving his hand in greeting to thehousekeeper, "Rad and I just came back--quite suddenly--sooner thanwe expected to. Why? Did you want me?"

"Here's a letter that came for you, " she went on. 

Tom tore open the envelope, and rapidly scanned the contents of themissive. 

"Hello!" he ejaculated half aloud. "It's from Abe Abercrombie, thatminer I met when we were after the diamond-makers! He says he is onhis way east to get ready to start on the quest for the Alaskanvalley of gold, in the caves of ice. I had almost forgotten that Ipromised to make the attempt in the big airship. How did this lettercome, Mrs. Baggert?" he asked. 

"By special delivery. The messenger brought it a few minutes ago. "

"Then we may see Abe any day now. Guess I'd better be looking overthe RED CLOUD to see if it's in shape for a trip to the Arcticregions. "

Tom's attention for the moment was taken off his little monoplane, and his memory went back to the strange scenes in which he and hisfriends had recently played a part, in searching for the cave of thediamond-makers on Phantom Mountain. He recalled the promise he hadmade to the old miner. 

"I wonder if he expects us to start for Alaska with winter comingon?" thought Tom. 

His musings were suddenly interrupted by the entrance into the yard, surrounding the aeroplane shed, of a lad about his own age. 

"Hello, Ned Newton!" called Tom, heartily. 

"Hello, yourself, " responded Ned. "I've got a day off from the bank, and I thought I'd come over and see you. Say, have you heard thelatest?"

"No. What is it?"

"Andy Foger is building an airship. "

"Andy Foger building an airship?"

"Yes, he says it will beat yours. "

"Humph! It will, eh? Well, Andy can do as he pleases as long as hedoesn't bother me. I won't be around here much longer, anyhow. "

"Why not, Tom?"

"Because I soon expect to start for the far north on a strangequest. Come on in the shed, and I'll tell you about it. We're goingto try to locate a valley of gold, and I guess Andy Foger won'tfollow me there, even if he does build an airship. "

Tom and his chum started toward the shed, the young inventor stillholding the letter that was to play such an important part in hislife within the next few months. And, had he only known it, thebuilding of Andy Foger's airship was destined to be fraught withmuch danger to our hero. 

CHAPTER II

ANDY FOGER'S TRIPLANE

"Going to look for a valley of gold, eh?" remarked Ned Newton as heand Tom took seats in a little room, fitted up like a den, where theyoung inventor frequently worked out the details of the problemsthat confronted him. "Where is this valley, Tom? Anywhere so I couldhave a chance at it?"

"It's up in Alaska. Just where I don't know, but Abe Abercrombie, the old miner whom we met when out in Colorado this summer, says hecan find it if we circle around in the airship. So I'm going to takea chance. I'll tell you all about it. "

And, while Tom is doing this, I will take the opportunity to moreformally introduce to my new readers our hero and his friends. 

Tom Swift was an inventor of no little note, in spite of his youth. He lived with his father, Barton Swift, who was also an inventor, onthe outskirts of the village of Shopton, New York State. Tom'smother was dead, and Mrs. Baggert had kept house for him and hisfather since he was a child. Garret Jackson, an expert machinist, was also a member of the household, and as has been explained, Eradicate Sampson, who took that name because, as he said he"eradicate de dirt, " was also a sort of retainer. He lived in alittle house on the Swift grounds, and did odd jobs about the place. 

In the first book of the series, entitled "Tom Swift and His MotorCycle, " there was related how the lad became possessed of one ofthose speedy machines, after Mr. Wakefield Damon had come to griefon it. Mr. Damon was an eccentric man, who was always blessinghimself, some part of his anatomy, or some of his possessions. 

After many adventures on his motor-cycle, Tom Swift went throughsome surprising happenings with a motor-boat be bought. After thathe built an airship, the RED CLOUD, and later he and his fatherconstructed a submarine, in which they went under the ocean insearch of sunken treasure, enduring many perils and much danger. 

Tom Swift's electric runabout, which he built after returning homefrom the submarine trip, proved to be the speediest car on the road. The experience he acquired in making this machine stood him in goodstead, when (as told in the sixth volume, "Tom Swift and HisWireless Message") the airship in which he, Mr. Damon and a friendof the latter's (who had built the craft) were wrecked on EarthquakeIsland. There Tom was marooned with some refugees from a wreckedsteam yacht, among whom were Mr. And Mrs. Nestor, father of a girlof whom Tom thought a great deal. 

With parts from the wrecked electric airship the youth rigged up aplant, and sent wireless messages from the island. The castawaysnearly lost their lives in the earthquake shocks, but a steamer, summoned by Tom's wireless call, arrived in time to save them, justas the island disappeared beneath the sea. 

In the seventh book of the series, entitled "Tom Swift Among theDiamond Makers" there was related the adventures of himself and hisfriends when they tried to solve the mystery of Phantom Mountain. 

Among the castaways of Earthquake Island was a Mr. Barcoe Jenks anda Professor Ralph Parker. Mr. Jenks was a strange man, and claimedto have some valuable diamonds, which he said were made by a gang ofmen hidden in a cave in the Rocky Mountains. Tom did not believethat the diamonds were real, but Mr. Jenks soon proved that theywere. 

He asked Tom to aid him in searching for the cave of the diamondmakers. Mr. Jenks had been there once--in fact, he had been offereda partnership in the diamond-making business, but, after he had paidhis money, he had been drugged, and carried secretly from the cavebefore he had a chance to note its location. 

But he, together with Tom, Mr. Damon and the scientist Mr. Parker, who correctly predicted the destruction of Earthquake Island, setout in the RED CLOUD to find the diamond makers. They did find them, after many hardships, and were captured by the gang. How Tom and hisfriends escaped from the cave, after they had seen diamonds made bya powerful lightning flash, and how they nearly lost their livesfrom the destruction of Phantom Mountain, is fully set down in thebook. 

Sufficient to say now, that, though they had a general idea of howthe precious stones were made, by the power of the lightning, theyoung inventor and his friends were never quite able to accomplishit, and the secret remained a secret. But they had secured somediamonds as they rushed from the cave (Mr. Damon grabbing them up)and these were divided among Tom and the others. 

Just as they were ready to come home in the airship, our friendswere met by an old miner, Abe Abercrombie, who spoke of a valley ofgold in Alaska, which was the story Tom related to Ned Newton, asthe two chums sat in the den of the airship shed. 

"Then you don't know all the details about the gold valley, Tom?"remarked Ned, as the young inventor showed his chum the letter thathad just arrived. 

"No, not all of them. At the time this miner met us I was anxious toget back East, for we had been away so long I knew dad would beworried. But I listened to part of Abe's story, and half promised togo in partnership in this quest for gold. He was to furnishinformation about the hidden valley, and I was to supply theairship. I expect Abe to come along at any time, now, and then I'llhear more particulars. "

"Will you go all the way in the airship?"

"Well, I hadn't thought of that. I could ship it to the nearestplace by rail, I suppose, and go on from there. That's a detail tobe considered later. I'll talk it over with Abe. "

"Who are going?"

"I don't know that even. I suppose Mr. Damon would feel slighted ifI left him out. And perhaps Mr. Parker, that gloomy scientist, whois always predicting terrible accidents, will be glad to go along. Then Abe may have some friend he wants to take. "

"By Jinks! But you certainly do have swell times, Tom Swift!"exclaimed Ned Newton, enviously. "I wish I could go and have a tryat that valley of gold!"

"Why don't you come along, Ned?"

"Do you really mean it?"

"Of course. "

"But I don't believe I could get away from the bank. "

"Oh, dad and Mr. Damon could fix that. They're directors, you know. Come along, I'd be delighted to have you. Will you?"

"I'll think about it. Jinks! But I sure would like to go. Do youthink you can find the valley?"

"Well, there's no telling. We generally do succeed in finding whatwe go after, even if we didn't get the diamond secret. I'm anxiousto have Abe come, now, though until I got his letter I had almostforgotten about my promise to him. But, say, what's this you told meabout Andy Foger making an airship?"

"It's true, though I haven't seen it. Jake Porter was telling meabout it. Andy's built a big shed in his yard, and he and somecronies of his, including Pete Bailey and Sam Snedecker, are workingin there night and day. They've hired a couple of machinists, too. Mr. Foger is putting up the cash, I guess. Say, that was quite ascare you gave Andy on your monoplane, one day. "

"Yes, the big bully! and I'd like to scare him worse. But say, doyou know I'd like to get a look at his airship. I wonder what sortof a craft it is?"

"We can see it easily enough. "

"How?"

"Why, the back part of the shed where he and the others are workingis close to our fence. There are some holes in our fence and if youcome there, maybe you can look in. "

"I can't see through the side of the shed, though. "

"Yes, you can. "

"How?"

"Why, there's a big window, for light, in the back part of it. Ihappened to notice it the other day. I didn't look in, because Iwasn't much interested, but I saw that one could peer over the topof our fence right into the shop where Andy is working. Want to tryit?"

Tom hesitated a moment. 

"Well, it seems rather an odd thing to do, " he said. "But I wouldlike to see what sort of a flying machine Andy is making, just formy own satisfaction. He may be infringing on some of my patents, andif he is, I'll stop him. Once or twice he's been sneaking around myshed here. I don't believe in sneaking, but I know he wouldn't letme in if I asked him, so I guess it's the only way. I'll go withyou, Ned. "

"All right. We'll see if we can get a glimpse of Andy's queershebang through the window. "

The two chums left Tom's shop, and were soon in the yard of NedNewton's house. As he had said, the big shed in Andy's premises cameclose up to the fence, and there was a window through which onemight gaze. The casement did not appear to be curtained. 

"I'll get a ladder so we can climb up to the top of the fence, andlook over, " spoke Ned, as he and Tom went out into the yard back ofhis house. The fence was high up on an embankment. 

A little later Tom and his chum were gazing into the shop windowfrom the ladder. 

"Why, it's a triplane--a big triplane!" he exclaimed. 

"What's a triplane?" asked Ned, who didn't have much time to studythe different types of airships. 

"It's one that has three sets of planes, one above the other. Abiplane has two sets of planes, and a monoplane only one. Triplanesare larger, and, as far as I've been able to learn, not assatisfactory as either the biplanes or monoplanes. But that's notsaying Andy's won't be a success. They certainly are busy in there, though! Andy is flying around like a hen scratching for her littlechickens!"

"See anything of his cronies?"

"Yes, Pete and Sam are hammering away. There are a couple of men, too. "

"Yes, the machinists. Oh, I guess Andy expects great things from hisairship. "

"Have you heard what he's going to do with it, Ned? Make flights forpleasure, or exhibit it?"

"No, I haven't heard. Look out, Tom, the ladder is slipping!"

As Ned spoke this warning, the window of the airship shed, throughwhich they were looking, was suddenly raised. The ugly face of AndyFoger peered out. He caught sight of Tom and Ned. 

"Get away from there, you spies!" he yelled. "Get away from there, Tom Swift! You're trying to steal some of my ideas! Get away or I'llmake you. Sam, bring me my gun! Pete, go tell my father to comehere! I'll show Ned Newton and Tom Swift they can't bother me!"

Andy was dancing about in a rage. His two cronies crowded behind himto the window just as the ladder on which Tom and Ned were standingslipped along the fence. 

"Jump, Ned!" yelled Tom Swift, as he leaped away to escape beingentangled in the rungs. 

The young inventor came to the ground with a jar that shook him upconsiderably, while Ned, who had grasped the top board of the fence, remained hanging there by his hands, his feet dangling in the air. 

"Whack his fingers, Andy!" yelled Pete Bailey. "Get a long stick andwhack Ned's fingers! That will make him drop off!"

Tom Swift heard, and labored desperately to raise the ladder toenable Ned to get down, for his chum seemed to be afraid to drop. 

CHAPTER III

ABE IS DECEIVED

Raising a ladder alone is rather an awkward job. Tom found this sowhen he tried to aid his friend Ned. But, being a muscular lad, theyoung inventor did finally succeed in getting the ladder up againstthe fence where the bank clerk could reach it. 

Whack! Down upon the top board came a stick wielded by Andy Fogerfrom the rear window of his shop. 

"Wow!" cried Ned, for the blow had been close to his fingers. "Hurryup with that ladder, Tom. "

"There it is! But why don't you drop?"

"Too far. I can't reach the ladder now!"

"Yes, you can. Stretch a bit!"

"Whack!" Once more the stick descended on the fence, this time stillcloser to Ned's clinging hands. 

"Hit him good, Andy!" cried Sam Snedecker, "Give me a shot at him!"

"I will not. I want to attend to him myself. You go tell my father, and he'll have Tom Swift arrested for trying to sneak in and getsome of my airship ideas!"

By this time Ned's wiggling feet had found the topmost rung of theladder. The next moment he was rapidly descending it, and, when onthe ground, he and Tom carried it away, to prevent its use by theenemy. 

"Whew!" exclaimed the young inventor. "I had no idea they would kickup such a row!"

"Me either. Did you hurt yourself when you jumped, as the ladderfell?"

"No. Did they hit your hands?"

"Came mighty near it. Well, I s'pose it serves us right, yet if Ican't look over my own back fence it's a pity!"

"Of course we can, only I'd just as soon they hadn't seen us. However--hello! there's Andy looking over here, now. "

The mean face of the bully now topped the fence. It was evident thathe had crawled from the window of his shop. 

"What are you trying to get into my place for, Tom Swift?" hedemanded. 

"I wasn't trying to get in, Andy Foger. "

"Well, you were looking in. "

"Only doing as you've done over at my shop, several times, Andy. Iwanted to see what sort of an airship you were building. "

"Trying to get some ideas for your own, I guess, " sneered Andy. 

Tom did not think it worth while to answer this taunt. 

"I could have you arrested for this, " went on Andy, who felt boldernow that he was reinforced by Sam and Pete on either side of him ashe looked over the fence into Ned's yard. 

"Arrested for what?" demanded the bank clerk. 

"For trespassing on my father's premises, " went on Andy. 

"We weren't on your premises, " declared Ned. "We were on our side ofthe fence all the while. "

"Well, you were looking over in my yard. "

"A cat may look at a king, you know, Andy, " Tom reminded the bully. 

"Yah! Think you're smart, don't you! Well, you can't steal any of myideas for an airship. They're all patented, and I'll soon be makinglonger and higher flights than you ever dreamed of! I'll show youwhat a real airship is, Tom Swift! Monoplanes and biplanes are outof date. The only thing that's any good is a triplane. If mine workswell--and I'm sure it will--I may build a quadruplane!"

"I wish you luck, " spoke Tom, with a shrug of his shoulders. 

"Well, you won't have any luck if you come around here any more, "went on Pete Bailey. "We'll be on the watch for you fellows, now, and we'll cover this window, so you can't see in. "

"That's what we will, " agreed Andy, and Sam Snedecker shook his headvigorously to indicate that he, too, approved of this. 

"Come on, " spoke Tom in a low tone to Ned, "I've seen enough. "

The two chums moved toward Ned's house, followed by the jeers andmocking laughter of Andy and his cronies. 

"Can't you get back at them in some way?" asked Ned, for he did notlike to see himself or his friend apparently vanquished by thebully. 

"He laughs best who laughs last, Ned. "

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that when Andy tries to fly in his triplane it will be ourturn to laugh. "

"Won't it fly?"

"Never, the way he has it rigged up. It didn't take but one look totell me that. He's working on altogether the wrong principle. Waituntil he tries to go up, and then we'll have some fun with him. "

"Then you got a good view of it through the window?"

"I saw all I wanted to. But say, I was about to take a little tripin my monoplane, to see my friend Mr. Damon, when Abe's letterarrived, and you came along with your news. I started to takeEradicate, but he backed out. Don't you want to come?"

"Sure, I'll go along. "

Ned had often ridden in the trim Butterfly, though the trips had notbeen so frequent that he was tired of them. A little later, Tom, having adjusted the motor that had stalled before, compelling him tovol-plane back to earth, the two chums were sailing through the airtoward Waterford. 

"Why, bless my shoe laces!" cried Mr. Damon, as they alighted in theyard of his house, about an hour later. "I didn't expect you, Tom. But I'm glad to see you!"

"And I to meet you again. I guess you know Ned Newton. "

"Ah, yes. How d'ye do, Ned? Bless my appetite! but it's quitechilly. We'll soon have winter. Won't you come in and have some hotchocolate?"

The boys were glad to accept the invitation, and as they weredrinking the beverage, which Mrs. Damon made for them, Tom told ofthe receipt of the letter from the old miner, and also hisexperience in seeing Andy's airship. 

"Why, bless my pocketbook!" cried Mr. Damon. "I had no idea we'dever hear from Abe Abercrombie again. And so he is really coming on, to tell us about the valley of gold?"

"So he says, " replied Tom. "I was wondering if you'd like to go, Mr. Damon. "

"Go? Why, bless my very topknot! Of course I would. I'll go withyou--only--only, " and he leaned forward and whispered cautiously, "don't speak so loudly. My wife might hear you!"

"Doesn't she want you to go off in the airship any more?" asked Tom. 

"Well, she'd rather I wouldn't. But she's going on a visit to hermother, soon, and then I think will come my opportunity to takeanother trip with you. A valley of gold in Alaska, eh? Up where theicebergs and caves of ice are. Say, Tom, I know some one else whowould be glad to go. "

"Who?" inquired the young inventor, though he had an idea to whomhis friend referred. 

"Mr. Parker! You know he's taken up his residence in Waterford, now, and only the other day he spoke to me about wishing he could go tothe far north. He has some new theory--"

"About the destruction of something or other; hasn't he, Mr. Damon?"interrupted Tom, with a smile. 

"That's it, exactly, my boy. Bless my coffeepot! But Mr. Parker hasan idea that the whole northern part of this continent will soon beburied thousands of feet deep under an icy avalanche, and he wantsto be there to see it. I know he'd like to go with us, Tom. "

The young inventor made a little gesture of dissent, but as he knewMr. Damon, who was very eccentric himself, had taken a great likingto the gloomy scientist, Tom did not feel like refusing. So he said:

"All right, Mr. Damon. If we go, and I think we shall, we'll expectyou and Mr. Parker. I'll let you know the result of Mr. Abercrombie's visit, and I needn't request you to keep quiet aboutit. If there is a valley of gold in Alaska, we don't want everyoneto know about it. "

"No, of course not, Tom Swift. I'll keep silent about it. Bless myliverpin! But I'll be glad to on the move again, even if it istoward the Arctic regions. "

After some further talk, Tom and Ned took their departure, makinggood time back to Shopton in the speedy monoplane. 

For several days after that Tom busied himself about his big airshipthe RED CLOUD, for it needed quite a few repairs after the long tripto the mountains where the diamond makers had been discovered intheir cave. 

"And if we're going up amid the ice and snow, " reasoned Tom, "I'vegot to make some different arrangements about the craft, and providefor keeping warmer than we found necessary when we went west. "

So it was that Tom had no time to learn anything further about AndyFoger's airship, even had our hero been so inclined, which he wasnot. He looked for Abe Abercrombie any day now, for though the oldminer had given no date as to when he would arrive, he had said, inhis letter, that it would be soon. 

It was one day, nearly a week after Tom's attempt to make Eradicatelike aeroplaning, that there might have been seen, coming along theShopton road, which led toward Tom's house, the figure of a grizzledold man. His clothes were rather rough, and he carried a valise thathad, evidently, seen much service. There was that about him whichproclaimed him for a westerner--a cattleman or a miner. 

He walked slowly along, murmuring to himself. 

"Wa'al, I might better have taken one of them wagons at th' depot, "he said, "than t' try t' walk. It's quite a stretch out t' TomSwift's house. I hope I find him home. "

He trudged on, and, a little later, his gaze was attracted by alarge shed, in the rear of a white house the pretentious appearanceof which indicated that persons of wealth owned it. 

"I guess that must be the place, " he remarked. "That shed is bigenough to hold the airship. Now to present myself. "

As he walked up the front path of the house, he was met by one ofthe gardeners, who was raking up the leaves. 

"Is this the airship place?" asked the miner. 

"Yes, that's where the young master is making his triplane, "answered the man. 

"Is he in?"

"Yes, I guess so. You can walk right back to the shed. "

The miner did so. Through the open door of the building he had aglimpse of big stretches of wings, propellers, rudders, and somemachinery. 

"That's it, " he murmured, "though it looks some different than Iremembered it. However, maybe Tom's changed it about. I wonder wherehe is?"

As he spoke a lad came from the shed to meet him--a lad on whoseface there was a look of suspicion. 

"What do you want?" he demanded. 

"I'm lookin' for Tom Swift, " was the simple reply. "But I take ityou're one of his partners in this airship business. I guess he musthave told you about me. I'm Abe Abercrombie, the miner, and I'vecome to show him the way to that valley of gold in Alaska. "

At the mention of Tom Swift's name, Andy Foger, for it was he, hadstarted to utter a denial. But, at the next words of the miner, andas Mr. Abercrombie mentioned "gold" and "Alaska, " there came acunning look over Andy's face. 

"Tom Swift isn't here just now, " he said, wondering how he couldturn to advantage the unexpected visit, and the impendinginformation that the guileless old man was about to give under themistaken idea that Andy was Tom's friend. 

"That's all right, I reckon he'll be along presently. You'll do justas well, I reckon. You're in partnership with him, I take it. Sothis is the place where he makes his airships, eh? It's a big one, "and Mr. Abercrombie looked in at the odd triplane of Andy's--for theairship was almost finished. 

"But it'll need to be big if we're to go to Alaska in it, " went onthe miner. "It's quite a journey t' th' valley where th' gold is. Noway t' get t' it except by an airship. An' here I be an' ready tostart, I've brought th' map of th' place, jest as I promised. Hereit is, better take good care of it. Now, let's talk business, " andthe miner, having guilelessly handed Andy Foger a folded parchment, sat down on a box at the door of the airship shed, and placed hisheavy valise on the ground beside him. 

"What's this?" asked the bully, wondering whether he had heardaright. 

"It's the map of th' valley of gold--directions how t' git there, an' all that. I guess it's plain enough. Now, when can we start?"

Andy did not know what to say. Fate had, most unexpectedly, placedin his hands a valuable paper. The miner had made a mistake. Andy'shouse was on the same road as was Tom's and, seeing the airshipshed, had deceived the aged man. He had not expected to find twoairship manufactories in the same village. 

"The map of the valley of gold, " murmured Andy, as he put it in hispocket. 

"Yes, jest as I told Tom about when I met him out West. I said I'dbring it with me, an' I did. When will Tom be back? He never spokeof you, though I reckoned he'd have to have some help in makin' hisairships. Where is he?"

"He--he--" stammered Andy. He did not know what to say. 

At that instant Tom Swift himself passed by in the road. He had beenover to Shopton on an errand. One look into the yard of Andy's houseshowed to our hero the old miner sitting at the door of the airshipshed. 

"Mr. Abercrombie--Abe!" cried Tom, almost, before he thought. 

"Hello, Tom! I got here!" cried the miner, heartily. "I was jesttalking to your partner. "

"My partner!" spoke Tom in amazement

"Yes--partner in th' airship business. I should think you'd needabout three partners to build these machines!"

"My partner! Andy Foger isn't my partner!" cried Tom, wondering whatwould happen next. "I have no partner! If he said he was he deceivedyou!"

"No partner? Ain't he your partner?" cried Mr. Abercrombie. "Why, Ithought he was. I told him about th' valley of gold--I--I--give himthe map--"

"The map?"

"Yes, the map t' tell how to get there. He's got it!"

There was a mocking smile on Andy's face. 

"Give that map back at once!" cried Tom, sternly, now understandingsomething of the situation. "Hand it over at once, Andy Foger!"

"I will--when I get ready! He gave it to me!" cried the bully, andthen, before either Tom or Abe could stop him, Andy darted into thebig shed, and slammed shut the door. 

CHAPTER IV

TOM GETS THE MAP

For a few seconds Tom was so surprised at the sudden action of thebully that he could neither move nor speak. Then, crying out acommand to halt, the young inventor took after his enemy. 

"The scamp!" he cried. "The nerve he has! To deceive Abe Abercrombiein that fashion! Wait until I get hold of him!"

"What's it all about?" asked the old miner, who, being a slowthinker had not understood all that had happened. "What's up, TomSwift?"

"Haven't time to tell you now, " flung back the running lad over hisshoulder. "I've got to catch Andy! Then I'll explain. He's trying toget ahead of us. I guess, but we'll stop him!" Thereupon Tom flunghimself against the door of the airship shed. The young inventorfound the portal bolted, though it vibrated with the impact of hisbody. 

"Come out of there, Andy Foger!" cried Tom, pounding on the door. "Come out, or I'll get an officer, and have you arrested!"

There was no answer. 

"Come out, I say!" repeated Tom. 

"Around th' back! Try th' back door!" suggested the miner, who hadhastened to Tom's side. "Maybe he's run out that way!"

Tom listened. There was no movement in the shop. Then the younginventor sprinted around the side. He was just in time to see thebully running away over the lots and fields in the rear of hisfather's premises. Andy had climbed out of the back window of theshed, into which Tom and Ned had peered that day, had climbed thehigh fence, dropped down on the other side, and was now running awaywith all the speed he could muster. 

"Come back--!" began Tom, and then he realized that his enemy couldnot hear him. The bully was too far away. At the same time our herorealized that it would be useless to give chase, for Andy had toomuch of a start. There was nothing to do but to turn back, and Tomknew that his delay in trying to gain an entrance at the front doorhad given Andy the very opportunity he needed to escape at the rear. 

"Well, this is a bad turn of affairs, " remarked the lad, as he facedthe puzzled miner. 

"What is, Tom?"

"Him having that map. It shows the location of the valley of gold, doesn't it, and tells how to get there?"

"That's what it does!"

"How did Andy happen to get it?"

"Jest as I told you. I was on my way t' your house, havin' inquiredat th' post-office, an' the man said that at your place there was abig shed, where you kept your airships. I come along, an', ofcourse, when I see this house, an' the shed, an' had a glimpse ofth' airship, I, of course, thought it was your place. An', thoughyou'd never told me about it, I thought maybe this lad was inbusiness with you. So, like a blamed young tenderfoot, I blurted outmy business afore I thought, an' handed him the map for safekeepin'. He took it, too, that's the worst of it. "

"Yes, that's the worst of it, " agreed Tom, "But I'll get it back, ifI have to cause his arrest, and search his whole house. "

"But he runned away, Tom. "

"Oh, he'll come back. Was there only one copy of the map of thevalley, Abe?" asked Tom, anxiously. 

"Yep; only one. "

"Could you make another?"

"No, not if you was to pay me a million dollars! You see I ain't nodrawer, an' this map, while I made part of it, was mostly made by myold partner, who was with me when we discovered th' valley of gold, an' was druv back by th' savage Eskimos an' Indians, an' by th'terrible cold. My partner made th' best part of th' map, an' he'sdead, poor fellow. "

"I see. That's too bad! Then you can't make a duplicate map?"

"Nary a one. But can't you do somethin'? It were amazin' stupid ofme, old Abe Abercrombie, t' be took in by a boy like him! Can't youdo somethin'?"

"I'm going to try, " announced Tom determinedly, as he swung ontoward the Foger house. "I'll cause his arrest if he doesn't give itup. "

A few minutes later Tom Swift and Abe confronted Mr. Foger. The richman, father of the bully, was rather surprised at the visit from theyoung inventor, for the two were not friends. 

"Well, what can I do for you, Tom Swift?" asked the banker, for hefelt a certain coldness toward our hero, since the latter haddefeated him in an effort to wreck a financial institution in whichTom and his father were interested. 

"Mr. Foger, " spoke Tom, sternly, "your son has just stolen a mapbelonging to this gentleman, " and he indicated Abe. 

"My son stolen a map!" exclaimed Mr. Foger. "How dare you make suchan accusation, Tom Swift?"

"I dare, because it's true! And, unless that map is returned to meat my house to-night I shall swear out a warrant for Andy's arrest. "

"You'd never dare do that!"

"Wait and see!" spoke Tom, firmly. "I will give your son, or you, exactly five hours to return that map--if it isn't back in my handsby then, I'll get a warrant!"

"Preposterous! Stuff and nonsense!" blustered Mr. Foger. "My sonnever stole anything!"

"He stole this map, and there is plenty of evidence, " went on Tom, as he detailed the circumstances. 

Mr. Foger hemmed and hawed, and affected not to believe thatanything of the kind could have happened. But Tom was firm, and AbeAbercrombie backed up his statements, until even the banker began towaver. 

"Very well, " he announced at length, "I will look into this matter, and if I find that my son has anything of yours, you shall have itback. But I cannot believe it. Perhaps he took it as a joke. "

"In which case, " spoke Tom grimly, "he will find that he has carriedthe joke too far, " and with that he and the miner left the Fogerhome. 

"It's all my fault, " bewailed Abe, as he and our hero trudged ontoward the Swift household. 

"No, it wasn't, Abe, " declared Tom. "Any one would have beendeceived by such tactics as Andy used--that is any stranger. And youdidn't expect to find two airship sheds so close together. "

"No. That's right, I didn't. That's what threw me off th' track. "

"Andy only recently began work on his triplane. I don't know whathis object is, and I don't care. Just now I'm more concerned aboutgetting back this map. "

"I hope we do get it. "

"Oh, we will. I'm going to start off on my own hook, to find Andy. But first I'll take you to my house. "

The old miner was soon telling his story to Mr. Swift, thehousekeeper and Garret Jackson. They expressed their surprise atAndy's daring act. But Tom didn't do much more talking. 

"I'm going out to find Andy, " he declared, "and when I do--" Hedidn't finish his sentence, but they all knew what he meant. 

But the bully was in none of his usual haunts, though Tom visitedthem all. Nor was Andy at the homes of either of his cronies. 

"Well, if I don't find him, I shall certainly swear out thewarrant, " decided Tom. "I'll give him until night, and then I'llcall on the police. "

Still he did not give up, but went to several other places whereAndy might be found. He had about given up, as it was getting towardlate afternoon, when, as he came out of a billiardroom, where thebully was in the habit of spending much of his time, Tom saw the ladof whom he was in search. 

"Hold on there, Andy Foger!" cried the young inventor. "I want tosee you!"

"What about?"

"You know very well. Where's that map you stole?"

"I haven't got it. "

"Take care!" and Tom, with a quick step was beside the bully, andhad grasped him firmly by the arm. 

"You let me alone, Tom Swift!" cried Andy. 

"Where's that map?" and Tom gave Andy's arm a wrench. 

"It's at your house; that's where it is! I just took it back. It wasonly a joke. "

"A joke, eh? And you took it back?"

"Yes, I did. Now you let me go!"

"I will when I find out if you're telling me the truth or not, AndyFoger. You come with me!"

"Where?"

"To my house. I want to see if that map's there. "

"Well, you'll find that it is, and you'd better let me go! My fathertold me to take the map back, and I did. You let me go!"

Andy struggled to get loose, but Tom had too tight a grip. There wassomething, too, in the manner of our hero that warned Andy not totrifle with him. So, concluding that discretion was the better partof valor, Andy walked sullenly along toward Tom's home, the younginventor never relaxing the grip on his enemy's arm. 

They reached the Swift home. Still holding his captive, Tom rang thebell. His father came to the door, followed by Abe Abercrombie. 

"Is the map back?" asked the young inventor, anxiously. 

"Yes, Andy brought it here a few minutes ago, " announced Mr. Swift. 

"Is it the right one, Abe?" inquired Tom. 

"Yep, Tom. I made sure of that as soon as I laid my eyes on it. It'sth' right one. "

"Then you can go, Andy Foger, " announced our hero, "and if I evercatch you in another trick like this, I'll take the law into my ownhands. Clear out, now!"

"You wait! I'll get even with you, " muttered the bully, as he fleddown the front walk, as though afraid Tom would, even then, put histhreat into execution. 

"Did he damage the map any?" asked the lad, as he followed hisfather and Abe into the house. 

"Nary a bit, " answered the old miner. "It's jest th' same as it was. There it is, " and he spread a crinkled sheet of tough parchment infront of Tom. It was covered with a rude drawing, and with names ofplaces scrawled on it. 

"So that's the map, eh?" murmured Tom, eagerly scanning it. 

"That's it, an' here's th' valley of gold, " went on Abe, as heplaced one rough finger on a certain spot. "Right there--hello!" hecried, as he peered more closely at the parchment. "That ink spotwasn't there when I had th' map, a few hours ago. "

"What ink spot?" asked Tom, anxiously. 

"That one, " and the miner indicated a small one near the edge of themap. "That was never there!"

"It looks as if it was recently made, " added Mr. Swift, who wassomething of a chemist. 

"An ink spot-freshly made, " murmured Tom, "Dad--Abe, I can guesswhat's happened!"

"What?" demanded the miner. 

"Andy Foger made a copy of this map while it was in his possession, and now he knows where the valley of gold is as well as we do! Hemay get there ahead of us!"

CHAPTER V

GRAVE SUSPICIONS

Tom's announcement took them all by surprise. For a moment no oneknew what to say, while the young inventor looked more closely atthe parchment map. 

"Do you really think he has dared to make a copy of it?" asked Mr. Swift. 

"I do, " answered his son. "That ink spot wasn't there when Abe gavehim the map; was it?"

"No, " replied the miner. 

"And it couldn't get on in Andy's pocket, " went on Tom. "So he musthave had it open near where there was ink. "

"His fountain pen might have leaked, " suggested Mr. Jackson. 

"In that case the ink spot would be on the outside of the map, andnot on the inside, " declared Tom, with the instinct of a detective. "Unless he had the map folded in his pocket with the inside surfaceon the outside, the ink couldn't have gotten on. Besides, Andyalways carries his fountain pen in his upper vest pocket, and thatpocket is too small to hold the map. No, I'm almost positive thatAndy or his father have sneakingly made a copy of this map!"

"I'm sorry to have to admit that Mr. Foger is capable of such anact, " spoke Mr. Swift, "but I believe it is true. "

"And here is another thing, " went on the young inventor, who was nowclosely scanning the parchment through a powerful magnifying glass, "do you see those tiny holes here and there, Mr. Jackson?"

"Yes, " answered the engineer. 

"Were they there before, Abe?" went on Tom, calling the old miner'sattention to them. 

"Nary a one, " was the answer. "It looks as if some one had beensticking pins in th' map. "

"Not pins, " said Tom, "but the sharp points of a pair of dividers, or compasses, for measuring distances. Andy, or whoever made a copyof the map, used the dividers to take off distances with. Thisclinches it, in my mind. "

"But what can you do?" asked Tom's father. 

"I don't know, " answered the young inventor. "It would be of littleuse to go to Andy. Naturally he would deny having made a copy of themap, and his father would, also. Even though I am sure they have acopy, I don't see how I am going to make them give it up. It's ahard case. There's only one thing I see to do. "

"What's that?" asked Abe. 

"Start for Alaska as soon as possible, and be first on hand at thevalley of gold. "

"Good!" cried the miner. "That's the way to talk! We'll start off atonce. I know my way around that country pretty well, an' even thoughwinter is coming on, I think we can travel in th' airship. That'sone reason why I wanted t' go in one of these flyin' machines. Winter is no time to be in Alaska, but if we have an airship wewon't mind it, an' it's the best time t' keep other people away, forth' ordinary miner or prospector can't do anythin' in Alaska inwinter--that is away up north where we're goin'. "

"Exactly where are we going?" asked Tom. "I have been so excitedabout discovering Andy's trick that I haven't had much time toconsider where we're bound for nor what will be the best plan tofollow. "

"Well, we're goin' to a region about seven hundred an' fifty milesnorthwest from Sitka, " explained the old miner, as he pointed outthe location on the map. "We'll head for what they call th' SnowMountains, an' th' valley of gold is in their midst. It's just overth' Arctic circle, an' pretty cold, let me tell you!"

"You'll be warm enough in Tom's airship, with the electric stovesgoing, " commented Mr. Jackson. 

"Well, we'll need t' be, " went on the miner. "Th' valley is full ofcaves of ice, an' it's dangerous for th' ordinary traveler. In factan airship was the only way I saw out of th' difficulty when I wasthere. "

"Then you have been to the valley of gold?" asked Tom. 

"Well, not exactly TO it, " was the reply, "but I was where I couldsee it. That was in th' summer, though of course the summer thereisn't like here. I'll tell you how it was. "

The miner settled himself more comfortably in his chair, and resumedhis story. 

"It was two year ago, " he said, "that me an' Jim Mace started toprospect in Alaska. We didn't have much luck, an' we kept on workin'our way farther north until we come to these Snow Mountains. Thenour supplies gave out, an' if it hadn't been for some friendlyEskimos I don't know what we would have done. Jim and me we gave 'emsome trinkets an' sich, and th' Indians began talkin' of a wonderfulvalley of gold, where th' stuff lay around in chunks on top of theground. "

"Me and Jim pricked up our ears at that, so to speak, an' we wantedto see th' place. After some delay we was taken to th' top of a bigcrag, some distance away from where we had been stopping with thefriendly Eskimos, or Indians, as I call 'em. There, away down below, was a valley--an' a curious sort of a valley it were. It seemedfilled with big bubbles--bubbles made of solid banks of snow or ice, an' we was told, me an' Jim was, that these were caves of ice, an'that th' gold was near these caves. "

"Well, of course me an' my partner wanted to go down the worst way, an' try for some gold, but th' Indians wouldn't let us. They said itwas dangerous, for th' ice caves were constantly fallin' in, an'smashin' whoever was inside. But to prove what they said about th'gold, they sent one of their number down, while we waited on th'side of th' mountain. "

"Did he get any gold?" asked Tom, eagerly. 

For answer the old miner pulled from his pocket a few yellowpebbles--little stones of dull, gleaming yellow. 

"There's some of th' gold from amid th' caves of ice, " he remarkedsimply. "I kept 'em for a souvenir, hopin' some day I might git backthere. Well, Jim an' me watched th' Indian going down into th'valley. He come back in about three hours, havin' only gone to th'nearest cave, an' he had two pockets filled with these little chunksof solid gold. They gave me an' Jim some, but they wouldn't hear ofus goin' t' th' valley by ourselves. "

"Then a bad storm come up, an' we had t' hit th' trail for home--theIndians' home, I mean--for Jim an' I was far enough away from ours. "

"Well, t' make a long story short, Jim an' me tried every way weknowed t' git t' that valley, but we couldn't. It come off colderan' colder, an' th' tribe of Indians with whom we lived was attackedby some of their enemies, an' driven away from their campin'grounds. Jim an' me, we went too, but not before Jim had drawed thismap on a piece of dog-skin we found in one of the huts. We had anidea we might get back, some day, an' find the valley, so we'd needa map t' go by. But poor Jim never got back. He got badly frozenwhen the Indians drove us an' our friends away, an' he never gotover it. He died up there in th' ice, an' we buried him. I took th'map, an' when spring come, I made a hike out of that country. Fromthen until now I've been plannin' how t' git t' that valley, an' th'only way I seen was an airship. Then, when I was prospectin' aroundout in Colorado I saw Tom's machine hidden in th' trees, an' Iwaited until he come along, which part you know as well as I do, "finished Abe. 

"And that's the story of the valley of gold, " spoke Mr. Swift. 

"That's all there is to it, " assented Abe, simply. 

"Do you think there is much gold there?" asked Tom. 

"Plenty of it--for th' pickin' up, " replied the miner. "Around th'caves of ice it's full of it, but, of course, it's dangerous. An'th' only way t' git t' it, an' pass th' savage Indians that are allaround in th' mountains about th' valley, is t' fly over their headsin th' airship. "

"Then that's what we'll do, " decided Tom. 

"Will you go all the way in the RED CLOUD?" inquired Mr. Jackson. 

"No, I think I'll send the airship on ahead to some point inWashington--say Seattle, " replied Tom, "put it together there, andstart for the Snow Mountains. In Seattle we can get plenty ofsupplies and stores. It will be a good point to start from, and willsave us a long, and perhaps dangerous, flight across the UnitedStates. "

"I think that will be the best plan, " agreed Mr. Swift. "But whatabout Andy--do you think he'll try to follow--or try to get ahead ofyou now that he has a copy of the map?"

"He may, " answered Tom. "But I have a little trick I'm going to workon Andy. I will try to learn whether he really has a copy of themap, though I'm practically certain of it. Then I'll decide what'sbest to do. "

"In th' meanwhile, will you be gettin' ready?" asked Abe. "I'd liket' start as soon as we can, for it's awful cold there, the longeryou wait, at this time of th' year. "

"Yes, I'll start right to work, getting the RED CLOUD in readinessto be shipped, " promised Tom. 

CHAPTER VI

ANDY'S AIRSHIP FLIES

"Hello, Tom, have you heard the news?" asked Ned Newton, of theyoung inventor, a few days later. 

"What news, Ned? I declare I've been so busy thinking out the bestplan to ship the RED CLOUD to Seattle that I haven't been over totown. What's going on? Have they decided to build a new church inShopton, or something like that?"

"Oh, this about Andy Foger's airship. "

"Andy's airship, eh? Is he still working on it?"

"It's all done, so Sam Snedecker was telling me last night, andto-day Andy is going to try to fly it. "

"You don't mean it!"

"Sure thing. Let's go over and watch him. "

"He might make a fuss, same as he did when we looked in the windowof his shed. "

"He can't make any fuss now. He's got to take his machine out to flyit, and anybody that wants to can look on. Didn't he watch you makeflights often enough?"

"That's so. Where is the trial flight going to take place?"

"In the big meadow. Come on over. "

"Guess I will. I can't do much more now. I've been getting someboxes and crates made in which to pack the RED CLOUD. I'll have totake her all apart. "

"Then you're really going to hunt for the valley of gold?"

"Sure thing. How about you going, Ned? I spoke to dad about it, andhe said he'd see that you could have a leave of absence. "

"Yes, that part's all right. The bank president told me today Icould take a vacation any time I wanted it. In fact that's what Icame over to see you about. I want to thank your father. "

"Then you're going?"

"I sure am, Tom! Won't it be great! I hope I can get a little goldfor myself! My folks didn't take very much to the notion of me goingoff in an airship, but I told them how often you'd gone on trips, and come safely back, so they finally gave their consent. When areyou going to start?"

"Oh, in about two weeks. Did I tell you about Andy and the map?"

"No. What trick has he been up to now?"

Thereupon Tom related his suspicions concerning the bully, and alsohinted to Ned of a certain ruse he intended to work on Andy when hegot the chance. 

"Well, if you're ready, suppose we go over and see if Andy's airshipwill really fly, " suggested Ned, after a while. "I'm doubtfulmyself, and I'd just like to see him come to grief, after the manymean things he's done to you. "

"Well, " spoke Tom slowly, "I don't know as I wish him any bad luck, but I certainly hope he doesn't use his airship to try to beat usout in the hunt for the valley of gold. "

"Do you think he might?"

"It's possible. But never mind about that now. Come on, we'll goover to the big meadow. "

The two chums walked along together, talking of many things. Tomtold of some communication he had had with Mr. Damon, in whichletters the eccentric man had inquired as to when the trip forAlaska would be undertaken. 

"Then he's going?" asked Ned. 

"Oh, yes, it wouldn't seem natural to go without some of Mr. Damon'sblessings. But I think he's going to bring a friend with him. "

"Who?"

"Mr. Ralph Parker. "

"That gloomy scientist, who is always predicting such terriblethings going to happen?"

"That's the gentleman. You met him once, I believe Mr. Damon saysMr. Parker wants to do some scientific studying in the far north, soI've already counted on him as one of our party. Well, perhaps hewon't do so much predicting this trip. "

A little later Tom and Ned came to a big open field. They saw quitea crowd gathered in it, but no sign of an airship. 

"Guess Andy hasn't arrived, " spoke Tom. 

"No; very likely he's found out that something is wrong with hismachine, and he isn't going to risk it. "

But almost as Ned spoke, there sounded cries of excitement from thecrowd, and, a little later, something big and white, with manywing-shaped stretches of canvas sticking out from all sides, was seenturning into the big meadow from the broad highway that led toAndy's house. 

"There she is!" cried Ned. 

"There's something, at any rate, " conceded Tom, as he hastened hissteps. "It's a queer-looking aeroplane, though. My! he's got enoughwings to it!"

"Yes, it's Andy's sure enough, " went on Ned "There he is in front, giving orders like a major-general, and Sam and Pete are helpinghim. Let's get closer. "

They followed the crowd, which was thronging about the airship thatAndy Foger had made, Tom had a glimpse of the machine. It was a formof triplane, with three tiers of main wings, and several other setsof planes, some stationary and some capable of being moved. Therewas no gas-bag feature, but amidships was a small, enclosed cabin, which evidently held the machinery, and was designed to affordliving quarters. In some respects the airship was not unlike Tom's, and the young inventor could see that Andy had copied some of hisideas. But Tom cared little about this. 

"Do you think it will go up?" asked Ned. 

"It looks to me to be too heavy, and his propellers seem too small, "answered Tom. "He's got to have a very powerful motor to make allthat bulk fly. "

The people were crowding in closer around the airship, for the newsthat Andy was to attempt a flight had spread about town. 

"Now keep back--all of you!" ordered the bully, with a show ofanger. "If any one damages my airship I'll have him arrested! Keepback, now, or I won't fly!"

"Reminds me of a little kid saying he won't play if he can't havehis own way, " whispered Ned to Tom. 

"Hello, Andy, give us a ride!"

"Going above the clouds?"

"When are you coming back?"

"Bring down a snowstorm!"

"Be careful that you don't fall!"

These were some of the things shouted at Andy, for he had fewfriends among the town lads, on account of his mean ways. 

"Keep quiet--all of you!" he ordered. "Get back. You might get hurtwhen I start the motor. I'm going to make a flight soon, " he addedproudly. "Sam, you come over here and hold this end. Pete, you goback to the rear. Simpson, you get inside and help me with themotor. Henderson, you get ready to shove when I tell you. "

These last orders were to the two machinists whom Andy had engagedto help him, and the bully gave himself no end of airs andimportance as he bustled about. 

Tom could not help but admit that Andy's machine was a big affair. There was a great stretch of wings and planes, several rudders otherappliances for which the young inventor could not exactly fathom ause. He did not think the machine would fly far, if at all. But Andywas hurrying here and there, getting the triplane in place on alevel stretch of ground, as if he intended to capture some greatprize. 

"Are you going to tackle him about stealing a copy of that map?"asked Ned. 

"I will if I get a chance, " answered Tom, in a low voice. 

He got his opportunity a few minutes later. Andy, hurrying here andthere, came face to face with the young inventor. 

"Hello, Andy, " spoke Tom, good-naturedly. "So you're going to make aflight, eh?"

"Yes, I am, and I s'pose you came around to see if you could get anyideas; didn't you?" sneered Andy. 

"Of course, " admitted Tom, with an easy laugh. "My airship doesn'tfly, you know, Andy, and I want to see what's wrong with it. "

There was a laugh in the crowd, at this, for Tom's success was wellknown. 

"Are you going to Alaska?" suddenly asked Tom, in a low voice, ofthe bully. 

"To Alaska? I--I don't--I don't know what you mean?" stammered Andy, as he turned aside. 

"Yes, you do know what I mean, " insisted Tom. "And I want to tellyou that the map you have won't be of much use to you. Why, do youthink, " he went on, "that Abe would carry the real map around withhim that way? It's easy to make a copy look like an original, Andy, and also very easy to put false distances and directions on a mapthat may fall into the hands of an enemy. "

The shot told. Andy's face turned first red and then pale. 

"A--a false map!" he stammered. "Wrong directions?"

"Yes--on the copy you made of the map you took from Mr. Abercrombie, " went on Tom. 

"I--I didn't make any--Oh, I'm not going to talk to you!" blusteredAndy. "Get out of my way! I'm going to fly my airship. "

The bully pushed past Tom, and started toward the triplane. But Tomhad found out what he wanted to know. Andy had made a copy of themap. From now on there would be every danger that the bully wouldmake an effort to get to the valley of gold. 

But other matters held Andy's attention now. He wanted to try hisairship. With the help of his two cronies, and the machinists, themachine was gone over, oiled up, and finally, after several falsestarts, the motor was set going. 

It made a terrific racket, and the whole machine vibrated as thoughit would shake apart. 

"He hasn't got if well enough braced, " said Tom to Ned. 

"Out of the way, now, everybody!" yelled Andy. "Keep away or you'llget hurt! I'm going up!"

He climbed into the cabin of the craft, and took his position at thesteering-wheel. The speed of the motor, its racket and its stream ofsparks increased. 

"Let go!" cried Andy to those who were holding his craft. 

They released their hold. The triplane moved slowly across theground, gathered speed, and, then, under the impulse of the powerfulpropellers, ran rapidly over the meadow. 

"Hurrah! There he goes!" cried Sam. 

"Yes! Now he's going to fly, " proudly added Pete Bailey, the othercrony of the bully. 

"He'd better fly soon, then, or he'll be in the ditch, " said Tomgrimly, for a little, sluggish stream crossed the meadow not farfrom where Andy had started. 

The next instant, thinking he had momentum enough, Andy tilted hiselevation plane. The clumsy triplane rose into the air and shotforward. 

"There he goes!" cried Sam. 

"Hurrah!" yelled the crowd. 

Andy had gone up about ten feet, and was making slow progress. 

"I guess Tom Swift isn't the only one in Shopton who can build anairship!" sneered Pete Bailey. 

"Look! Look!" yelled Ned. "He's coming down!"

Sure enough, Andy's machine had reached the end of her flight. Themotor stopped with something between a cough and a wheeze. Downfluttered the aeroplane, like some clumsy bird, down into the ditch, settling on one side, and then coming to rest, tilted over at asharp angle. Andy was pitched out, but landed on the soft mud, forthere had been a thaw. He wasn't hurt much, evidently, for he soonscrambled to his feet as the crowd surged toward him. 

"Well, he flew a little way, " observed Ned, grimly. 

"But he came down mighty soon, " added Tom. "I thought he would. Hismachine is too big and clumsy. I've seen enough. Come on, Ned. We'llget ready to go to Alaska. Andy Foger will never follow us in thatmachine. "

But Tom was soon to find out how much mistaken he was. 

CHAPTER VII

READY FOR THE TRIP

Andy Foger stood looking at his tilted airship. His clothes werecovered with mud from the ditch, some of the muck had splashed overhis face so that he was a pitiable looking object. 

"What's the matter?" panted Pete Bailey. 

"Are you hurt?" asked Sam Snedecker. 

The two cronies had hurried to the side of the bully. 

"Matter? Can't you see what's the matter?" demanded Andy wrathfully. "The machine came down, that's what's the matter! Why didn't youfellows fix the motor better?" he shouted at the two machinists asthey came running up, followed by the crowd. 

"Fix it better? The motor was all right, " declared the tallermachinist. "Any of them are likely to stop unexpectedly. "

"Well, I didn't think mine would, " came from Andy. "Now look at myairship! It's all busted!"

"No, it isn't hurt much, " said the other man, after criticallylooking it over. "We can fix it, and you'll fly yet, Andy. "

"I hope I do, if only to fool Tom Swift, " declared the bully, as hewiped some of the mud from his face. "Come on, now, help me wheelthe machine back, and I'll try it again. "

Andy made another attempt, but this time the machine did not evenrise off the ground, and then, amid the jeers of the crowd, thediscomfited lad took his aeroplane back to the shed in the rear ofhis house. 

"I'll fix it yet, and make a long flight, " he declared. "I'll showTom Swift he can't laugh at me!"

"You'll make a long flight eh?" asked one of the machinists. "Wherewill you go?"

"Never mind, " answered Andy, with a knowing wink. "I've got a planup my sleeve--my father and I are going to do something that willastonish everybody in Shopton, " and then Andy, with many nods andwinks, went into the shed, where he began giving orders about theairship. He wanted the motor changed, and one of the machinists madesome suggestions about the planes, which, he said, would give betterresults. 

As for Tom and Ned, they strolled away, satisfied that in Andy Fogerthey would not have a very dangerous rival, as far as airships wereconcerned. 

Tom thought matters over during the next few days. He was nowsatisfied that Andy had a copy of the map, and, as far as he couldsee, there was no way of getting it from him, for he could not proveto the satisfaction of the legal authorities that the bully actuallyhad it. 

"We'll just have to take a chance, that's all, " decided the younginventor in talking matters over with his father, Ned, and AbeAbercrombie. "If Andy and some of his crowd trail after us, we'lljust have to run away from them and get to the valley first. "

"If they do get there, they won't find it very easy traveling Ireckon, " remarked Abe. "They'll get all they want of the caves ofice. But hadn't we better get a hustle on ourselves, Tom?"

"Yes, we will soon start now. I have the RED CLOUD all packed up forshipment to Seattle. We will send it on ahead, and then follow, forit will take some time to get there, even though it's going by fastfreight. "

"What about Mr. Damon?" asked Ned. "When is he coming?"

"There's no telling, " responded Tom. "He may be on hand any minute, and, again, he may only show up just as we are starting. I haven'theard from him in the last day or two. "

At that moment there was a knock on the private office in theaeroplane shed, where Tom, Ned and Abe Abercrombie were talking. 

"Who's there?" asked Tom. 

"It's me, " answered a voice recognizable as that of the colored manEradicate. 

"What is it, Rad?" asked Tom. 

"Why I jest thought I'd tell you dat de blessin' man am comin' downde road. "

"The blessing man?" repeated Tom. "Oh, you mean Mr. Damon. "

"Yais, sah, dat's jest who I done mean. An' dere's anodder gen'manwif him. "

"Mr. Parker, I expect, " spoke Tom. "Well, tell them to come in here, Rad. "

"Yais, sah. Dey's comin' up de path now, so dey is. "

The next moment Tom and the others heard a voice saying:

"Why, bless my necktie! The RED CLOUD is gone!" Mr. Damon had peeredinto the shed, and had not seen the airship, for Tom had it packedup. "I wonder if Tom Swift has gone away? Bless my top-knot, Mr. Parker, I hope We're not too late!"

"Indeed I hope not, " added the scientist. "I wish to make a study ofthe caves of ice. I think perhaps they may be working south, and, intime, this part of the country may be covered deep under a frozenblanket. "

"Cheerful, isn't he, Ned?" asked Tom, with a smile. Then, going tothe door of the shed he called out: "Here we are, Mr. Damon. Glad tosee you, Mr. Parker. " This last wasn't exactly true, but Tom wantedto be polite. 

"Bless my collar button, Tom! But what has become of the airship?"asked Mr. Damon, as he looked about the shed, and saw only a numberof boxes and crates. 

"Taken apart, and packed up, ready for the trip to the valley ofgold and the caves of ice, " replied the young inventor, and then hebriefly told of their plans. 

"Well, that's a good idea, " declared the eccentric man. "Mr. Parkerand I are ready to go whenever you are, Tom. "

"Then we'll start very soon. I will get all our supplies in Seattle. Now, to discuss details, " and, after Mr. Parker and Mr. Damon hadbeen made acquainted with the old miner, who told his story inbrief, they began a discussion of the prospective trip. 

Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker took up their residence in Tom's house, andwhile the eccentric man busied himself in helping our hero, Ned andAbe Abercrombie in getting ready for the trip to Alaska, the gloomyscientist went about making "observations" as he called them, with aview to predicting what might happen in the near future. 

He was particularly anxious to get up north, among the caves of ice, and, several times he repeated his statement that he believed themass of ice in Alaska was working down toward the south. But no onepaid much attention to him, though Tom recalled, not without alittle shudder, that Mr. Parker had correctly predicted thedestruction of Earthquake Island, and also the landslide on PhantomMountain. 

The airship was finally sent off, being forwarded to Seattle insections, where it could easily be put together. The matter of AndyFoger having a duplicate map of the valley of gold was discussed, but it was agreed that nothing could be done about it. So Tom andthe others devoted all their energies to getting in shape for theirprospective journey. 

Mr. Swift was invited to go, but declined on the ground that he hadseveral inventions to perfect, nor could Mr. Jackson go, as he wasneeded to help his employer. So Tom, Ned, Mr. Damon, Mr. Parker andAbe Abercrombie made up the party. Tom arranged to send wirelessmessages to his father from the airship once they were started offtoward the valley of gold, and over the frozen north. 

One evening, when Tom had been to pay a last visit to Mary Nestor, as he was coming past the Foger premises he saw a number of largevans, loaded with big packing cases coming out of the banker's yard. 

"Hum! I wonder if they're moving?" mused our hero. "If they arethey're taking a queer time for it. " He paused a moment to look atthe procession of vans. As he did so he heard the voice of AndyFoger. 

"Now, I want you men to be careful of everything!" the bully calledout arrogantly. "If you break anything I'll sue you for damages!"

"Oh, that cub makes me sick!" exclaimed one of the drivers as hecame opposite Tom. 

"What are you moving--eggs, that you have to be so careful?" askedthe young inventor, in a low voice. 

"Eggs? No! But it might just as well be, " was the growling answer. "He's shipping an airship, all taken to pieces, and he has nervousprostration for fear it will be broken. I don't believe the oldthing's any good, anyhow. "

"An airship--Andy Foger sending away his airship?" gasped Tom. "Where to?"

"Some place in Alaska, " was the startling reply. "Pitka or Sitka, orsome such place like that. It's all in these boxes, G'lang there!"this to his horses. 

"Andy sending his airship to Alaska!" murmured Tom in dismay. "Thenhe surely is going to make a try for that valley of gold!"

He turned away, while the snarling voice of the bully rang out onthe night, urging the drivers to be very careful of the boxes andcrates on their trucks. 

CHAPTER VIII

A THIEF IN THE NIGHT

Tom Swift hardly knew what to think. He had scarcely believed, inspite of the fact that he was sure Andy had a copy of the map, thatthe bully would actually make an effort to go to the valley of gold. 

"And in that airship of his, too, " mused Tom. "Well, there's oneconsolation, I don't believe he'll go far in that, though it doessail better than when he made his first attempt. Well, if he's goingto try to beat us, it's a good thing I know it We can be preparedfor him, now. "

Tom, after watching the big vans for a few minutes, turned and kepton toward his home. 

There was more than surprise on the part of Mr. Damon and the otherswhen Tom told his news. There was alarm, for there was a feelingthat Mr. Foger and his son might adopt unscrupulous tricks. 

"But what can we do?" asked Mr. Swift

"Whitewash him!" exclaimed Eradicate Sampson, who had overheard partof the conversation. "Dat's what I'd do t' him an' his father, too!Dat's what I would! Fust I'd let mah mule Boomerang kick him a bit, an' den, when he was all mussed up, I'd whitewash him!" That was thecolored man's favorite method of dealing with enemies, but, ofcourse, he could not always carry it out. 

However, after considering the matter from all sides, it was decidedthat nothing could be done for the present. 

"Let them go, " said Tom, "I don't believe they'll ever find thevalley of gold. I fancy I threw a scare into Andy, talking as I didabout the map. "

"Well, even if the Fogers do get the gold, " said Mr. Parker calmly, "they cannot take away the caves of ice, and it is in them that I ammost interested. I want to prove some of my new theories. "

"And we need the gold, " said Tom, in a low voice; "don't we, Abe?"

"That's what we do, Tom, " answered the old miner. 

Preparations were now practically completed for their trip toSeattle by rail. Tom made some inquiries in the next few daysregarding the Fogers, but only learned that the father and son hadleft town, after superintending the shipment of their airship. 

"Well, we start to-day, " remarked Tom, as he arose one morning. "Intwo weeks, at most, we ought to be hovering over the valley, Abe. "

"I hope so? Tom. You've got the map put away safely, have you?"

"Sure thing. Are you all ready?"

"Yes. "

"Then we'll start for the depot right after breakfast. " Theadventurers had arranged to take a local train from Shopton, and geton a fast express at one of the more important! stations. 

Good-byes were said, Mr. Swift, Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Baggert andEradicate waving their adieus from the porch as Tom and the othersstarted for the depot. Miss Mary Nestor had bidden our hero farewellthe previous night--it being a sort of second good-bye, for Tom wasa frequent caller at her house, and, if the truth must be told herather disliked to leave the young lady. 

Tom found a few of his friends at the station, who had gatheredthere to give him and Ned BON-VOYAGE. 

"Bring us back some nuggets, Tom, " pleaded Arthur Norton. 

"Bring me a musk-ox if you can shoot one, " suggested one. 

"A live bear or a trained Eskimo for mine, " exclaimed another. 

Tom laughingly promised to do the best he could. 

"I'll send you some gold nuggets by wireless, " said Ned Newton. 

It was almost time for the train to arrive. In the crowd on theplatform Tom noticed Pete Bailey. 

"He must feel lost without Andy, " observed the young inventor toNed. 

"Yes, I wonder what he's hanging around here for?"

They learned a moment later, for they saw Pete going into thetelegraph office. 

"Must be something important for him to wire about, " observed Ned. 

Tom did not answer. The window of the office was slightly open, though the day was cool, and he was listening to the clicks of thetelegraph instrument, as the operator sent Pete's message. Tom wasfamiliar with the Morse code. What was his surprise to hear themessage being sent to Andy Foger at a certain hotel in Chicago. Andthe message read:

"Tom Swift's party leaving to-day. "

"What in the world does that mean?" thought Tom, but he did not tellNed what he had picked up as it went over the wire. "Why should Andywant to be informed when we leave? That's why Pete was hangingaround here! He had been instructed to let Andy know when we leftfor Seattle. There's something queer back of all this. "

Tom was still puzzling over the matter when their train roiled inand he and the others got aboard. 

"Well, we're off!" cried Ned. 

"Yes; we're off, " admitted Tom, and, to himself he added: "Notelling what will happen before we get there, though. "

The trip to Chicago was without incident, and, on arrival in theWindy City, Tom was on the lookout for Andy or his father, but hedid not see them. He made private inquiries at the hotel mentionedin Pete's telegram, but learned that the Fogers had gone on. 

"Perhaps I'm worrying too much, " thought Tom. But an event thatoccurred a few nights later, when they were speeding across thecontinent showed him that there was need of great precaution. 

On leaving Chicago, Tom had noticed, among the other passengerstraveling in the same coach as themselves, a man who seemed to beclosely observing each member of the party of gold-hunters. He was aman with a black mustache, a mustache so black, in fact, that Tom atonce concluded that it had been dyed. This, in itself, was not much, but there was a certain air about the man--a "sporty" air--whichmade Tom suspicious. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if that man was a gambler, Ned, " he said tohis chum, one afternoon, as they were speeding along. The man inquestion was several seats away from Tom. 

"He does look like one, " agreed Ned. 

"I needn't advise you not to fall in with any of his invitations toplay cards, I suppose, " went on Tom, after a pause. 

"No, indeed, it's something I don't do, " answered Ned, with a laugh. "But it might be a good thing to speak to Abe Abercrombie about him. If that man's a sharper perhaps Abe knows him, or has seen him, forAbe has traveled around in the West considerable. "

"We'll ask him, " agreed Tom, but the miner, when his attention wascalled to the man, said he had never seen him before. 

"He does look like a confidence man, " agreed Abe, "but as long as hedoesn't approach us we can't do anything, and don't need to worry. "

There was little need to call the attention of either Mr. Damon orMr. Parker to the man, for Mr. Damon was busy watching the scenery, as this trip was a new one to him, and he was continually blessingsomething he saw or thought of. As for Mr. Parker, he was puzzlingover some new theories he had in mind, and he said little to theothers. 

On the night of the same day on which Tom had called specialattention to the man with the black mustache, our hero went to hisberth rather late. He had sent some telegrams to his father and oneto Miss Nestor, and, when he turned in he saw the "gambler, " as hehad come to call him, going into the smoking compartment of thecoach. Though Tom thought of the man as a gambler, there was noevidence, as yet, that he was one, and he had made no effort toapproach any of our friends, though he had observed them closely. 

How long Tom had been asleep he did not know, but he was suddenlyawakened by feeling his pillow move. At first he thought it wascaused by the swaying of the train, and he was about to go to sleepagain, when there came a movement that he knew could not have beencaused by any unevenness of the roadbed. 

Then, like a flash there came to Tom's mind the thought that underhis pillow, in a little leather case he had made for it, was themap, showing the location of the valley of gold. 

He sat up suddenly, and made a lunge for the pillow. He felt a handbeing hurriedly withdrawn. Tom made a grab for it, but the fingersslipped from his grasp. 

"Here! Who are you!" cried Tom, endeavoring to peer through thedarkness. 

"It's all right--mistake, " murmured a voice. 

Tom leaned suddenly forward and parted the curtains of his berth. There was a dim light burning in the aisle of the car. By the gleamof it the young inventor caught sight of a man hurrying away, and hefelt sure the fellow who had put his hand under his pillow was theman with the black mustache. He confirmed this suspicion a momentlater, for the man half turned, as if to look back, and the youthsaw the mustache. 

"He--he was after my map!" thought Tom, with a gasp. 

He sat bolt upright. What should he do? To raise an alarm now, hefelt, would only bring a denial from the man if he accused him. There might also be a scene, and the man might get very indignant. Then, too, Tom and his friends did not want their object made known, as it would be in the event of Tom raising an outcry and statingwhat was under his pillow. 

He felt for the map case, opened it and saw, in the gleam of thelight, that it was safe. 

"He didn't get it anyhow, " murmured our hero. "I guess I won't sayanything until morning, though he did come like a thief in the nightto see if he could steal it. "

Tom glanced to where his coat and other clothing hung in the littleberth-hammock, and a hasty search showed that his money and ticketwere safe. 

"It was the map he was after all right, " mused Tom. "I'll have atalk with Mr. Damon in the morning about what's best to do. That'swhy the fellow has been keeping such a close watch on us. He wantedto see who had the map. "

Then another thought came to Tom. 

"If it was the map he was after, " he whispered to himself, "he mustknow what it's about Therefore the Fogers must have told him. I'llwager Andy or his father put this man up to steal the map. Andy'safraid he hasn't got a copy of the right one. This is getting moreand more mysterious! We must be on our guard all the while. Well, I'll see what I'll do in the morning. "

But in the morning the man with the black mustache was not aboardthe train, and on inquiring of the conductor, Tom learned that themysterious stranger had gotten off at a way station shortly aftermidnight. 

CHAPTER IX

A VANDAL'S ACT

"Bless my penknife!" exclaimed Mr. Daman, the next morning, when hehad been told of Tom's experience in the night, "things are comingto a pretty pass when our enemies adopt such tactics as this! Whatcan we do, Tom? Hadn't you better let one of us carry the map?"

"Oh, I guess not, " answered the young inventor. "They have had onetry at me, and found that I wasn't napping. I don't believe they'lltry again. No, I'll carry the map. "

Tom concealed it in an old wallet, as he thought it was less likelyto attract attention there than in the new case he formerly used. Still he did not relax his vigilance, and his sleep for the next fewnights was uneasy, as he awakened several times, thinking he felt ahand under his pillow. 

At length Ned suggested that one of them sit up part of the night, and keep an eye on Tom's berth. This was agreed to, and they dividedthe hours of darkness into watches, each one taking a turn atguarding the precious map. But they might have spared themselves thetrouble, for no further attempt was made to get it. 

"I'd just like to know what Andy Foger's plans are?" said Tom oneafternoon, as they were within a few miles of Seattle. "He certainlymust have made up his mind quickly, after he saw the map, aboutgoing in search of the gold. "

"Maybe his father proposed it, " suggested Ned. "I heard, in ourbank, that Mr. Foger has lost considerable money lately, and he mayneed more. "

"I shouldn't wonder. Well, if they are going to Sitka, Alaska, toassemble their ship, I think they'll have trouble, for supplies areharder to get there than in Seattle. But we'll soon be on our wayourselves, if nothing happens. I hope all the parts of the RED CLOUDarrive safely. "

They did, as Tom learned a few hours later, when they had taken uptheir quarters in a Seattle hotel, and he had made inquiries at therailroad office. In the freight depot were all the boxes and cratescontaining the parts of the big airship, and by comparison with alist he had made, the young inventor found that not a single partwas missing. 

"We'll soon have her together again, " he said to his friends, "andthen we'll start for Alaska. "

"Where are you going to assemble the airship?" asked Mr. Damon. 

"I've got to hire some sort of a big shed, " explained Tom. "I heardof one I think I can get. It's out at the fair grounds, and was usedsome time ago when they had a balloon ascension here. It will bejust what I need. "

"How long before we can start for the gold valley?" asked the oldminer anxiously. 

"Oh, in about a week, " answered the lad, "that is, if everythinggoes well. "

Tom lost no time in getting to work. He had the different parts ofhis airship carted to the big shed which he hired. This building wason one edge of the fair grounds, and there was a large, level spacewhich was admirably adapted for trying the big craft, when once moreit was put together. 

The gold-seekers worked hard, and to such good purpose that in threedays most of the ship was together once more, and the RED CLOUDlooked like herself again. Tom hired a couple of machinists to aidhim in assembling the motor, and some of the gas appliances andother apparatus. 

"Ha! Bless my rubber shoes!" cried Mr. Damon in delight, as helooked at the big craft "This is like old times, Tom!"

"Yes, indeed, " agreed our hero. 

"Are you going to give it a preliminary tryout?" asked Ned. 

"Oh, yes, I think we can do that to-morrow, " replied Tom. "I want toknow that everything is in good working shape before I trust theship on the trip to the frozen north. There are several problems Iwant to work out, too, for I think I will need a different kind ofgas up where the temperature is so low. "

"It certainly is cold up here, " agreed Ned, for they were now muchfarther north than when they were in Shopton, and, besides, winterwas coming on. It was not the best time of the year to journey intoAlaska, but they had no choice. To delay, especially now, might meanthat their enemies would get ahead of them. 

"We'll be warm in the airship, though; won't we?" asked Abe. 

"Oh, yes, " answered Tom. "We'll be warm, and have plenty to eat. Which reminds me that I must begin to see about our stock ofprovisions and other supplies, for we'll soon be on our way. "

Work on the airship was hastened to such good advantage the next twodays that it was in shape for a trial flight, and, one afternoon, the RED CLOUD was wheeled from the shed out into big field, the gaswas generated, and the motor started. 

There was a little hitch, due to the fact that some of the machineadjustments were wrong, but Tom soon had that remedied and then, with the big propellers whirling around, the airship was sentscudding across the field. 

Another moment and it rose like a great eagle, and sailed throughthe air, while a small crowd that had daily gathered in the hope ofseeing a flight, sent up a cheer. 

"Does it work all right?" asked Ned anxiously, as he stood in thepilothouse beside his chum. 

"As good as it did in Shopton, " answered the young inventor, proudly. 

"Bless my pocketbook! but that's lucky, " exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Thenwe can soon start, eh?"

"As soon as we are stocked up, " replied the lad. 

Tom put the airship through a number of "stunts" to test herstability and the rudder control, much to the delight of thegathering throng. Everything was found to work well, and afterascending to a considerable height, to the no small alarm of the oldminer, Tom made a quick descent, with the motor shut off. The REDCLOUD conducted herself perfectly, and there was nothing else to bedesired. 

She was sent down to earth and wheeled back into the shed, and notwithout some difficulty, for the crowd, which was now very large, wanted to get near enough to touch the wonderful craft. 

"To-morrow I'll arrange about the supplies and provisions, and we'llstock her up, " said Tom to his companions. "Now you folks had bettergo back to the hotel. "

"Aren't you coming?" asked Ned. 

I'm going to bunk here in the shed to-night, said the younginventor. 

"What for?"

"I can't take any chances now that the RED CLOUD is in shape forflying. Some of the Foger crowd might be hanging around, and breakin here to damage her. "

"But the watchman will be on guard, " suggested Ned, for since thehiring of the shed, the young inventor had engaged a man to remainon duty all night. 

"I know, " answered Tom Swift, "but I'm not going to take anychances. I'll stay here with the watchman. "

Ned offered to share the vigil with his chum, and, after someobjection Tom consented. The others went back to the hotel, promising to return early in the morning. 

Tom slept heavily that night, much heavier than he was in the habitof doing. So did Ned, and their deep breathing as they lay in theirstaterooms, in the cabin of the airship, told of physical weariness, for they had worked hard to re-assemble the RED CLOUD. 

The watchman was seated in a chair just inside the big door of theshed, near a small stove in which was a fire to take off the chillof the big place. The guard had slept all day, and there was noexcuse for him nodding in the way that he did. 

"Queer, how drowsy I feel, " he murmured several times. "It's only alittle after midnight, too, " he added, looking at his watch, "GuessI'll walk around a bit to rouse myself. "

He firmly intended to do this, but he thought he would wait just afew minutes more, and he stretched out his legs and got comfortablein the chair. 

Three minutes more and the watchman was asleep--sound asleep, whilea strange, sweet, sickish odor seemed to fill the atmosphere abouthim. 

There was a noise at the door of the shed, a door in which therewere several cracks. A man outside laid aside something that lookedlike an air pump. He applied one eye to a crack, and looked in onthe sleeping watchman. 

"He's off, " the man murmured. "I thought he'd never get to sleep!Now to get in and dose those two lads! Then I'll have the place tomyself!"

There was a clicking noise about the lock on the shed door. It wasnot a very secure lock at best, and, under the skilful fingers ofthe midnight visitor, it quickly gave way. The man entered. He gaveone look at the slumbering watchman, listened to his heavybreathing, and then went softly toward the airship, which looked tobe immense in the comparatively small shed--taking up nearly all thespace. 

The intruder peered in through the cabin windows where Ned and Tomwere asleep. Once more there was in the atmosphere a sickish odor. The man again worked the instrument which was like a small air pump, taking care not to get his own face too near it. Presently hestopped and listened. 

"They're doped, " he murmured. He arose, and took from his mouth andnose a handkerchief saturated with some chemical that had renderedhim immune to the effects of the sleep-producing that he hadgenerated. "Sound asleep, " he added. Then, taking out a long, keenknife, the vandal stole toward where the great wings of the REDCLOUD stretched out in the dim light like the pinions of a bird. There was a ripping, tearing, rending sound, as the vandal cut andslashed, but Tom, Ned and the watchman slumbered on. 

CHAPTER X

TOM IS HELD UP

Tom Swift stirred uneasily in his heavy sleep. He dreamed that hewas again in his berth in the railroad car, and that the thief wasfeeling under his pillow for the map. Only, this time, there seemedto be hands feeling about his clothing, trying to locate his innerpockets. 

The lad murmured something unintelligible, but he did not awaken. The fumes prevented that. However, his movements showed that theeffect of the drug was wearing off. It was intended only fortemporary use, and it lasted less time than it would otherwise havedone in a warmer, moister climate, for the cold, crisp air thatpenetrated the shed from outside dispelled the fumes. 

"Guess I'd better not chance it, " murmured the intruder. "He may nothave it on him, and if I go through all his pockets I'll wake himup. Anyhow, I've done what they paid me for. I don't believe they'llsail in this airship. "

The vandal gave one glance at the sleeping lads, and stole from thecabin of the craft. He looked at his work of ruin, and then tiptoedpast the slumbering watchman. A moment later and he was outside theshed, hurrying away through the night. 

Several hours after this Mr. Damon and the old miner were poundingon the door of the shed. Mr. Parker, the scientist, had remained atthe hotel, for he said he wanted to work out a few calculationsregarding some of his theories. 

"I thought we'd find them up by this time, " spoke the eccentric man, as he again knocked on the door. "Tom said he had lots to do to-day. "

"Maybe they are working inside, and can't hear our knocks, "suggested Abe. "Try th' door. "

"Bless my heart! I never thought of that, " exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Ibelieve I will. "

The door swung open as he pushed it, for it had not been locked whenthe intruder left. The first thing Mr. Damon saw was the watchman, still asleep in his chair. 

"Bless my soul!" the old man shouted. "Look at this, Abe!"

"Something's wrong!" cried the miner, sniffing the air. "There'sbeen crooked work here! Where are the boys?"

Mr. Damon was close to the airship. He looked in the cabin window. 

"Here they are, and they're both asleep, too!" he called. "And--blessmy eyeglasses! Look at the airship! The planes and wings areall cut and slashed! Something has happened! The RED CLOUD is allbut ruined!"

Abe hastened to his side. He looked at the damage done, and a fiercelook came over his face. 

"The Fogers again!" he murmured. "We'll pay 'em back for this! Butfirst we must see to the boys!"

They needed small attention, however. The opening of the big doorhad let in a flood of fresh air, and this dispelled the last of thefumes. The watchman was the first to revive. The sleep caused by thechemical, sprayed from the air-pump by the vandal, had beensucceeded by a natural slumber, and this was the case with Ned andTom. They were soon aroused, and looked with wonder, not unmixedwith rage, at the work done in the night. 

Every one of the principal planes of the airship, each of therudders, and some of the auxiliary wings had been cut by a sharpknife--some in several places. The canvas hung in shreds andpatches, and the trim RED CLOUD looked like some old tramp airshipnow. Tom could scarcely repress a groan. 

"Who did it?" he gasped. 

"And with us here on guard!" added Ned. 

"I--I must have fallen asleep, " admitted the watchman in confusion. 

"You were all asleep, " said Mr. Damon. "I couldn't rouse you!"

"And there was th' smell of chloroform, or something like it in th'shed, " added the miner. 

"But look at the airship!" groaned Tom. 

"Is it ruined--can't we go to the valley of gold?" asked Ned. 

Tom did not answer for a few minutes. He was walking around lookingat his damaged craft. The sleepy feeling was rapidly leaving him, aswell as Ned and the watchman. 

"Bless my watch chain!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "What an ugly, meanpiece of work. Can you repair it, Tom?"

"I think so, " was the hesitating answer. "It is not as bad as Ifeared at first. Luckily the gas-bag has not been touched, for, ifit had, we could hardly have repaired it. I can fix the wings andthe rudders. The propellers have not been damaged, nor has the motorbeen touched. I think they must have made another attempt to takethe map off me, " he went on, as he looked at several pockets thathad been turned inside out. 

An examination of the door showed how the lock had been forced, andthe adventurers could easily guess the rest. But who the midnightvandal was they could not tell, though Tom and the others were sureit was some one hired by the Fogers. 

"They wanted to delay us, " said Tom. "They thought this would holdus back, but it won't--for long. We'll get right to work, and makenew planes and rudders. Fortunately the framework isn't hurt any. "

Once Tom got into action nothing held him back. He hardly wanted tostop for meals. New canvas was ordered, and that very afternoon someof the damaged wings had been repaired. In the meanwhile the storesand provisions that had been ordered were arriving, and, under thedirection of the miner and Mr. Damon were put in the RED CLOUD. Tomand Ned, with the help of a man they hired, worked diligently toreplace the damaged planes and rudders. Mr. Parker came out to theairship shed, but he was of little use as a helper, for he wascontinually stopping to jot down some memoranda about an observationhe thought of, or else he would lay aside his tools to go outside, look at the weather, and make predictions. 

But Tom and the others labored to such good advantage that in threedays they had repaired most of the damage done. Luckily the vandalhad cut and slashed in a hurry, and his malicious work was only halfaccomplished. There was no clue to his identity. 

No trace was seen of the Fogers, and Tom hardly expected it, for hethought they were in Sitka by this time. Nor were any suspiciouspersons seen hanging around the shed. The adventurers left theirrooms at the hotel, and took up their quarters in the airship thatwould soon be their home for many days. They wanted to be where theycould watch the craft, and two guards were engaged. 

"We'll start to-morrow, " Tom announced gaily one evening when, aftera hard day's work the last of the damaged planes had been repaired. 

"Start fer th' valley of gold?" asked the miner. 

"Yes. Everything is in good shape now. I want to go into town, tosend some messages home, telling dad we'll soon be on our way, and Ialso want to get a few things. "

"Shall I come?" asked Ned. 

"No, I'd rather you'd stay here, " spoke Tom, in a low voice. "Wecan't take any more chances of being delayed, and, as it's prettywell known that we'll sail to-morrow, the Foger crowd may try somemore of their tricks. No, I'll go to town alone, Ned. I'll soon beback, however. You stay here. "

Both Tom came nearly never coming back. As he was returning fromsending the messages, and purchasing a few things he needed for thetrip, he passed through a dark street. He was walking along, thinking of what the future might hold for him and his companions, after they reached the caves of ice, when, just as he got to a highboard fence, surrounding some vacant lots, he heard some one whisperhoarsely:

"Here he comes!"

The young inventor was on his guard instantly. He jumped back toavoid a moving shadow, but was too late. Something struck him on theback of his head, and he felt his senses leaving him. He struggledagainst the feeling, and he realized, even in that exciting moment, that the thick collar of his heavy overcoat, which he had turned upbecause of a cold wind, had, perhaps, saved him from a broken skull. 

"Hold him!" commanded another voice. "I'll go through him!"

The packages dropped from Tom's nerveless fingers. He felt himselfsinking down, in spite of his fierce determination not to succumb. He felt several hands moving rapidly about his body, and then hestruck blindly out at the footpads. 

CHAPTER XI

OFF FOR THE FROZEN NORTH

Tom Swift felt as if he was struggling in some dream or nightmare. He felt strong hands holding him and saw evil faces leering at him. 

Then gradually his brain cleared. His muscles, that had beenweakened by the cowardly blow, grew strong. He felt his fist landheavily on some one's face. He heard a smothered gasp of pain. 

Then came the sound of footsteps running--Tom heard the "ping" of apoliceman's night-stick on the sidewalk. 

"Here come the cops!" he heard one voice exclaim. 

"Did you get it?" asked another. 

"No, I can't find it. Cut for it now!"

They released the young inventor so suddenly that he staggered aboutand almost fell. 

The next moment Tom was looking into the face of a big policeman, who was half supporting him. 

"What's the matter?" asked the officer. 

"Hold-up, I guess, " mumbled the lad. "There they go!" he pointedtoward two dark forms slipping along down the dimly-lighted street. 

The officer drew his revolver, and fired two shots in the air, butthe fleeing figures did not stop. 

"How did it happen?" asked the policeman. "Did they get anythingfrom you?"

"No--I guess not, " answered Tom. He saw the packages containing hispurchases lying where they had fallen. A touch told him his watchand pocketbook were safe. The precious map was in a belt about hiswaist, and that had not been removed. "No, they didn't getanything, " he assured the officer. 

"I came along too quick for 'em, I guess, " spoke the bluecoat. "Thisis a bad neighborhood. There have been several hold-ups here oflate, but I was on the job too soon for these fellows. Hello, Mike, "as another officer came running up in answer to the shots and theraps of the night-stick. "Couple of strong-arm-men tackled thisyoung fellow just now. I saw something going on as I turned thecorner, and I rapped and ran up. They went down that way. I fired at'em. You take after 'em, Mike, and I'll stay here. Don't believe youcan land 'em, but try! I came up too quick to allow 'em to getanything, though. "

Tom did not contradict this. He knew, however, that, had the men whoattacked him wished to take his watch or money, they could have doneit several times before the officer arrived. 

"It was the map they were after, " thought Tom, "not my watch ormoney. This is more of the Foger's work. We must get away fromhere. "

The policeman inquired for more particulars from Tom, who relatedhow the hold-up had taken place. The young inventor, however, saidnothing about the map he carried, letting the officer think it wasan ordinary attempt at robbery, for Tom did not want any referencein the newspapers to his search for the valley of gold. 

Presently the other policeman returned, having been unable to getany trace of the daring men. The two bluecoats wanted to accompanyTom back to the airship shed, for his own safety, but he declaredthere was no more danger, and, after having given his name, so thatthe affair might be reported at headquarters, he was allowed to goon his way. His head ached from the blow, but otherwise he wasunhurt. 

"Those fellows have been keeping watch for me, " the lad reasoned, ashe walked quickly toward the airship shed. "They must have beenshadowing me, and they hid there until I came back. Andy Foger andhis father must be getting desperate. I think I know why, too. Thatlittle dig I gave Andy about his map is bearing fruit. He begins tothink it's the wrong map, and he wants to get hold of the right one. Well, they shan't if I can help it. We'll be away from here in themorning. "

There was indignation and some alarm among Tom's friends when hetold his story a little later that night. 

"Bless my walking-stick!" cried Mr. Damon. "You'll need a bodyguardafter this. "

"I'd just like t' git my hands on them fellers!" exclaimed the oldminer. "I'd show 'em!" and a look at his rugged frame and hismuscular arms and gnarled hands showed Tom and Ned that in the eventof a fight they could count much on Abe Abercrombie. 

"I am glad there will be no more delays, and that we will soon bemoving northward, " spoke Mr. Parker, a little later. "I am anxiousto confirm my theory about the advance of the ice crust, I met a manto-day who had just returned from the north of Alaska. He said thata severe winter had already set in up there. So I am anxious to getto the ice caves. "

"So am I, " added Tom, but it was for a different reason. 

They were all up early the next morning, for there were severalthings to look after before they started on the trip that mightbring much of danger to the adventurers. Under Tom's direction, moregas was generated, and forced into the big bag. A last adjustmentwas made of the planes, wing tips and rudders, and the motor wasgiven a try-out. 

"I guess everything is all right, " announced the young inventor. "We'll take her out. "

The RED CLOUD was wheeled from the big shed, and placed on the openlot, where she would have room to rush across the ground to acquiremomentum enough to rise in the air. Tom, whenever it was practical, always mounted this way, rather than by means of the lifting gas, as, in the event of a wind, he would have better control of theship, while it was ascending into the upper currents of air, thanwhen it was rising like a balloon. 

"All aboard!" cried the lad, as he looked to see that the course wasclear. Early as it was, there was quite a crowd on hand to witnessthe flight, as there had been every day of late, for the populationof Seattle was curious regarding the big craft of the air. 

"Let her go!" cried Ned Newton, enthusiastically. 

Tom took his place in the steering-tower, or pilothouse, which wasforward of the main cabin. Ned was in the engine-room, ready to giveany assistance if needed. Mr. Damon, Mr. Parker and Abe Abercrombiewere in the main cabin, looking out of the windows at the rapidlyincreasing throng. 

"Here we go!" cried the young inventor, as he pulled the leverstarting the motor, There was a buzz and a hum. The powerfulpropellers whirred around like blurs of light. Forward shot thegreat airship over the ground, gathering speed at every revolutionof the blades. 

Tom tilted the forward rudder to lift the ship. Suddenly it shotover the heads of the crowd. There was a cheer and some applause. 

"Off for the frozen north!" cried Ned, waving his cap. 

Tom shifted the rudder, to change the course of the airship. Mr. Damon was gazing on the crowd below. 

"Tom! Tom!" he cried suddenly. "There's the man with the blackmustache--the man who tried to rob you in the sleeping-car!" Hepointed downward to some one in the throng. 

"He can't get us now!" exclaimed Tom, as he increased the speed ofthe RED CLOUD, and then, taking up a telescope, after setting theautomatic steering gear, Tom pointed the glass at the person whomMr. Damon had indicated. 

CHAPTER XII

PELTED BY HAILSTONES

"Yes, that's the man all right, " observed the lad. "But if he camehere to have another try for the map, he's too late. I hope we don'tland now until we are in the valley of gold. " Tom passed thetelescope to Ned, who confirmed the identification. 

"Perhaps he came to see if we started, and then he'll report to AndyFoger or his father by telegraph, " suggested Mr. Damon. 

"Perhaps, " admitted Tom. "Anyhow, we're well rid of our enemies--atleast for a time. They can't follow us up in the air. " He turnedanother lever and the RED CLOUD shot forward at increased speed. 

"Maybe Andy will race us, " suggested Ned. 

"I'm not afraid of anything his airship can do, " declared Tom. "Idon't believe it will even get up off the ground, though he did makea short flight before he packed up to follow us. It's a wonder hewouldn't think of something himself, instead of trying to patternafter some one else. He tried to beat me in building a speedingautomobile, and now he wants to get ahead of me in an airship. Well, let him try. I'll beat him out, just as I've done before. "

They were now over the outskirts of Seattle, flying along about athousand feet high, and they could dimly make out curious crowdsgazing up at them. The throng that had been around the airship shedhad disappeared from view behind a little hill, and, of course, theman with the black mustache was no longer visible, but Tom felt asif his sinister eyes were still gazing upward, seeking to discernthe occupants of the airship. 

"We're well on our way now, " observed Ned, after a while, duringwhich interval he and Tom had inspected the machinery, and found itworking satisfactorily. 

"Yes, and the RED CLOUD is doing better than she ever did before, "said Tom. "I think it did her good to take her apart and put hertogether again. It sort of freshened her up. This machine is myspecial pride. I hope nothing happens to her on this journey to thecaves of ice. "

"If my theory is borne out, we will have to be careful not to getcaught in the crush of ice, as it makes its way toward the south, "spoke Mr. Parker with an air as if he almost wished such a thing tohappen, that he might be vindicated. 

"Oh, we'll take good care that the RED CLOUD isn't nipped betweentwo bergs, " Tom declared. 

But he little knew of the dire fate that was to overtake the REDCLOUD, and how close a call they were to have for their very lives. 

"No matter what care you exercise, you cannot overcome the awfulpower of the grinding ice, " declared the gloomy scientist. "Ipredict that we will see most wonderful and terrifying sights. "

"Bless my hatband!" cried Mr. Damon, "don't say such dreadfulthings, Parker my dear man! Be more cheerful; can't you?"

"Science cannot be cheerful when foretelling events of a direnature, " was the response. "I would not do my duty if I did not holdto my theories. "

"Well, just hold to them a little more closely, " suggested Mr. Damon. "Don't tell them to us so often, and have them get on ournerves, Parker, my dear man. Bless my nail-file! be more cheerful. And that reminds me, when are we going to have dinner, Tom?"

"Whenever you want it, Mr. Damon. Are you going to act as cookagain?"

"I think I will, and I'll just go to the galley now, and see aboutgetting a meal. It will take my mind off the dreadful things Mr. Parker says. "

But if the gloomy scientific man heard this little "dig" he did notrespond to it. He was busy jotting down figures on a piece of paper, multiplying and dividing them to get at some result in a complicatedproblem he was working on, regarding the power of an iceberg inproportion to its size, to exert a lateral pressure when slidingdown a grade of fifteen per cent. 

Mr. Damon got an early dinner, as they had breakfasted almost atdawn that morning, in order to get a good start. The meal was muchenjoyed, and to Abe Abercrombie was quite a novelty, for he hadnever before partaken of food so high up in the air, the barographof the RED CLOUD showing an elevation of a little over twelvethousand feet. 

"It's certainly great, " the old miner observed, as he looked downtoward the earth below them, stretched out like some great reliefmap. "It sure is wonderful an' some scrumptious! I never thought I'dbe ridin' one of these critters. But they're th' only thing t' gitt' this hidden valley with. We might prospect around for a year, andbe driven back by the Indians and Eskimos a dozen times. But withthis we can go over their heads, and get all the gold we want. "

"Is there enough to give every one all he wants?" asked Tom, with aquizzical smile. "I don't know that I ever had enough. "

"Me either, " added Ned Newton. 

"Oh, there's lots of gold there, " declared the old miner. "The thingto do is to get it and we can sure do that now. "

The remainder of the day passed uneventfully, though Tom castanxious looks at the weather as night set in, and Ned, noting hischum's uneasiness, asked:

"Worrying about anything, Tom?"

"Yes, I am, " was the reply. "I think we're in for a hard storm, andI don't know just how the airship will behave up in these northernregions. It's getting much colder, and the gas in the bag iscondensing more than I thought it would. I will have to increase ourspeed to keep us moving along at this elevation. "

The motor was adjusted to give more power, and, having set it sothat it, as well as the rudders, would be controlled automatically, Tom rejoined his companions in the main cabin, where, as nightsettled down, they gathered to eat the evening meal. 

Through the night the great airship plowed her way. At times Tomarose to look at some of the recording instruments. It was growingcolder, and this further reduced the volume of the gas, but as thespeed of the ship was sufficient to send her along, sustained by theplanes and wings alone, if necessary, the young inventor did notworry much. 

Morning broke gray and cheerless. A few flakes of snow fell. Therewas every indication of a heavy storm. They were high above adesolate and wild country now, hovering over a sparsely settledregion where they could see great forests, stretches of snow-coveredrocks, and towering mountain crags. 

The snow, which had been lazily falling, suddenly ceased. Tom lookedout in surprise. A moment later there came a sound as if some giantfingers were beating a tattoo on the roof of the main cabin. 

"What's that!" cried Ned. 

"Bless my umbrella! has anything happened?" demanded Mr. Damon. 

"It's a hail storm!" exclaimed Tom. "We've run into a big hailstorm. Look at those frozen stones! They're as big as hens' eggs!"

On a little platform in front of the steering-house could be seenfalling immense hailstones. They played a tattoo on the woodenplanks. 

"A hail storm! Bless my overshoes!" cried Mr. Damon. 

"A hail storm!" echoed Mr. Parker. "I expected we would have one. The hailstones will become even larger than this!"

"Cheerful, " remarked Tom in a low voice, with an apprehensive lookat Ned. 

"Is there any danger?" asked his chum. 

"Danger? Plenty of it, " replied the young inventor. "The frozenparticles may rip open the gas bag. " He stopped suddenly and lookedat a gage on the wall of the steering-tower--a gage that showed thegas pressure. 

"One compartment of the bag has been ripped open!" cried Tom. "Thevapor is escaping! The whole bag may soon be torn apart!"

The noise of the pelting hailstones increased. The roar of thestorm, the bombardment of the icy globules, and the moaning of thewind struck terror to the hearts of the gold-seekers. 

"What's to be done?" yelled Ned. 

"We must go up, to get above the storm, or else descend and findsome shelter!" answered Tom. "I'll first see if I can send the shipup above the clouds!"

He increased the speed of the motor so that the propellers would aidin taking the ship higher up, while the gas-generating machine wasset in operation to pour the lifting vapor into the big bag. 

CHAPTER XIII

A FRIGHTENED INDIAN

The violence of the hail storm, the clatter of the frozen pellets asthey bombarded the airship, the rolling, swaying motion of the craftas Tom endeavored to send it aloft, all combined to throw thepassengers of the RED CLOUD into a state of panic. 

"Bless my very existence!" cried Mr. Damon, "this is almost as badas when we were caught in the hurricane at Earthquake Island!"

"I am sure that this storm is but the forerunner of some direcalamity!" declared Mr. Parker. 

"I'm afraid it's all up with us, " came from Abe Abercrombie, as helooked about for some way of escape. 

"Do you think you can pull us through, Tom?" asked Ned Newton, who, not having had much experience in airships had yet to learn Tom'sskill in manipulating them. 

The young inventor alone seemed to keep his nerve. Coolly and calmlyhe stood at his post of duty, shifting the wing planes from momentto moment, managing the elevation rudder, and, at the same time, keeping his eye on the registering dial of the gas-generatingmachine. 

"It's all right, " said Tom, more easily than he felt. "We are goingup slowly. You might see if you can induce the gas machine to do anybetter, Mr. Damon. We are wasting some of the vapor because of theleak in the bag, but we can manufacture it faster than it escapes, so I guess we'll be all right. "

"Mr. Parker, may I ask you to oil the main motor? You will see theplaces marked where the oil is to go in. Ned, you help him. Here, Abe, come over here and give me a hand. This wind makes the ruddershard to twist. "

The young inventor could not have chosen a better method ofrelieving the fears of his friends than by giving them something todo to take their minds off their own troubles. They hurried to thetasks he had assigned to them, and, in a few minutes, there were nomore doubts expressed. 

Not that the RED CLOUD was out of danger, Far from it. The storm wasincreasing in violence, and the hailstones seemed to double innumber. Then, too, being forced upward as she was, the airship's bagwas pelted all the harder, for the speed of the craft, added to thevelocity of the falling chunks of hail, made them strike on thesurface of the ship with greater violence. 

Tom was anxiously watching the barograph, to note their height. TheRED CLOUD was now about two and a half miles high, and slowlymounting upward. The gas machine was working to its fullestcapacity, and the fact that they did not rise more quickly told Tom, more plainly than words could have done, that there were severaladditional leaks in the gas-bag. 

"I'll take her up another thousand feet, " he announced grimly. "Then, if we're not above the storm it will be useless to gohigher. "

"Why?" asked Ned, who had come back to stand beside his chum. 

"Because we can't possibly get above the storm without tearing theship to pieces. I had rather descend. "

"But won't that be just as bad?"

"Not necessarily. There are often storms in the upper regions whichdo not get down to the surface of the earth, snow and hail stormsparticularly. Hail, you know, is supposed to be formed by drops ofrain being hurled up and down in a sort of circular, spiral motionthrough alternate strata of air--first freezing and then warm, whichaccounts for the onion-like layers seen when a hailstone is cut inhalf. "

"That is right, " broke in Mr. Parker, who was listening to the younginventor. "By going down this hail storm may change into a harmlessrain storm. But, in spite of that fact, we are in a dangerousclimate, where we must expect all sorts of queer happenings. "

"Nice, comfortable sort of a companion to have along on a gold-huntingexpedition, isn't He?" asked Tom of Ned, making a wry faceas Mr. Parker moved away. "But I haven't any time to think of that. Say, this is getting fierce!"

Well might he say so. The wind had further increased in violence, and while the storm of hailstones seemed to be about the same, themissiles had nearly doubled in size. 

"Better go down, " advised Ned. "We may fall if you don't. "

"Guess I will, " assented Tom. "There's no use going higher. I doubtif I could, anyhow, with all this wind pressure, and with thegas-bag leaking. Down she is!"

As he spoke he shifted the levers, and changed the valve wheels. Inan instant the RED CLOUD began to shoot toward the earth. 

"What's happened? What in th' name of Bloody Gulch are we upag'in'?" demanded the old miner, springing to his feet. 

"We're going down--that's all, " answered Tom, calmly, but he was farfrom feeling that way, and he had grave fears for the safety ofhimself and his companions. 

Down, down, down went the RED CLOUD, in the midst of the hail storm. But if the gold-seekers had hoped to escape the pelting of thefrozen globules they were mistaken. The stones still seemed toincrease in size and number. The gas machine register showed asudden lack of pressure, not due to the shutting off of theapparatus. 

"Look!" cried Ned, pointing to the dial. 

"Yes--more punctures, " said Tom, grimly. 

"What's to be done?" asked Mr. Damon, who had finished the task Tomallotted to him. "Bless my handkerchief! what's to be done?"

"Seek shelter if the storm doesn't stop when we get to the earthlevel, " answered Tom. 

"Shelter? What sort of shelter? There are no airship sheds in thisdesolate region. "

"I may be able to send the ship under some overhanging mountaincrag, " answered the young inventor, "and that will keep off thehailstones. "

Eagerly Tom and Ned, who stood together in the pilothouse peeredforward through the storm. 

The wind was less violent now that they were in the lower currentsof air, but the hail had not ceased. 

Suddenly Tom gave a cry. Ned looked at him anxiously. Had some newcalamity befallen them? But Tom's voice sounded more in relief thanin alarm. The next instant he called:

"Look ahead there, Ned, and tell me what you see. "

"I see something big and black, " answered the other lad, after amoment's hesitation. "Why, it's a big black hole!" he added. 

"That's what I made it out to be, " went on Tom, "but I wanted to besure. It's the opening to a cave or hole in the side of themountain. I take it. "

"You're right, " agreed Ned. 

"Then we're safe, " declared Tom. 

"Safe? How?"

"I'm going to take the RED CLOUD in there out of the storm. "

"Can you do it? Is the opening big enough?"

"Plenty. It's larger than my shed at home, Jove! but I'm glad I sawthat in time, or there would have been nothing left of the gas-bag!"

With skilful hands Tom turned the rudders and sent the airship downon a slant toward the earth, aiming for the entrance to the cave, which loomed up in the storm. When the craft was low enough down sothat the superstructure would not scrape the top of the cave, Tomsent her ahead on the level. But he need have had no fears, for thehole was large enough to have admitted a craft twice the size of theRED CLOUD. 

A few minutes later the airship slid inside the great cavern, aseasily as if coming to rest in the yard of Tom's house. The roof ofthe cave was high over their heads, and they were safe from thestorm. The cessation from the deafening sound of the peltinghailstones seemed curious to them at first. 

"Well, bless my shoelaces! if this isn't luck!" cried Mr. Damon, ashe opened the door of the cabin, and looked about the cave in whichthey now found themselves. It was comparatively light, for theentrance was very large, though the rear of the cavern was in gloom. 

"Yes, indeed, we got to it just in time, '" agreed Tom. "Now let'ssee what sort of a place it is. We'll have to explore it. "

"There may be a landslide, or the roof may come down on our heads, "objected Mr. Parker. 

"Oh, my dear Parker! please be a little more cheerful, " begged Mr. Damon. 

The adventurers followed Tom from the airship, and all but the younginventor gazed curiously at the interior of the cave. His firstthought was for his airship. He glanced up at the gas-bag, and notedseveral bad rents in it. 

"I hope we can fix them, " Tom thought dubiously. 

But the attention of all was suddenly arrested by something thatoccurred just then. From the dark recess of the cavern there soundeda fearful yell or scream. It was echoed back a thousand-fold by therocky walls of the cave, Then there dashed past the little group ofgold-seekers a dark figure. 

"Look out! It's a bear!" shouted Mr. Damon. "A bear! It's an EskimoIndian!" yelled Abe Abercrombie, "an' he's skeered nigh t' death!Look at him run!"

As they gazed toward the lighted entrance of the cave they sawleaping and running from it an Indian who quickly scudded out intothe hail storm. 

"An Indian, " exclaimed Tom. "An Indian in the cave! If there's one, there may be more. I guess we'd better look to our guns. They mayattack us!" and he hurried back into the airship, followed by Nedand the others. 

CHAPTER XIV

THE RIVAL AIRSHIP

Well armed, the adventurers again ventured out into the cave. Butthey need not have been alarmed so soon, for there were no signs ofany more Indians. 

"I guess that one was a stray Eskimo who took shelter in here fromthe storm, " said Abe Abercrombie. 

"Are we in the neighborhood of the Alaskan Indians and Eskimos?"inquired Ned. 

"Yes, there are lots of Indians in this region, " answered the oldminer, "but not so many Eskimos. A few come down from th' north, butwe'll see more of them, an' fewer of th' pure-blooded Indians as weget nearer th' valley of gold. Though t' my mind th' Indians an'Eskimos are pretty much alike. "

"Well, if we don't have to defend ourselves from an attack ofIndians, suppose we look over the airship, " proposed Tom. 

"It's too dark to see very much, " objected Ned. But this wasovercome when Tom started up a dynamo, and brought out a portablesearch-light which was played upon the superstructure of the REDCLOUD. The gas-bag was the only part of the craft they feared for, as the hailstones could not damage the iron or wooden structure andthe planes were made in sections, and in such a manner that rents inthem could easily be repaired. So, in fact, could the gas-bag bemended, but it was harder work. 

"Well, she's got some bad tears in her, " announced Tom as the lightflashed over the big bag. "Luckily I have plenty of the material, and some cement, so I think we can mend the rents, though it willtake some days. Nothing could have been better for us than thiscave. We'll stay here until we're ready to go on. "

"Unless the Indians drive us out, " said Abe, in a low tone. 

"Why, do you think there is any danger of that?" inquired Tom. 

"Well, th' brown-skinned beggars aren't any too friendly, " respondedthe old miner. "Th' one that was in here will be sure to tell th'others of some big spirit that flew into th' cave, an' they'll becrowdin' around here when th' storm's over. It may be we can fight'em off, though. "

"Maybe they won't attack us, " suggested Ned, hopefully. "Perhaps wecan make them believe we are spirits, and that it will be unlucky tointerfere with us. "

"Perhaps, " admitted Abe, "though my experience has been that theseIndians are a bad lot. They haven't much respect for spirits of anykind, an' they'll soon find out we're human. But then, we'll waitan' see what happens. "

"And, in the meantime, have something to eat, " put in Mr. Damon. "Bless my knife and fork! but the hail storm gave me an appetite. "

In fact, there were few things which did not give Mr. Damon anappetite, Tom thought with a smile. But the meal idea was consideredvery timely, and soon the amateur cook was busy in the galley of theairship, whence speedily came savory odors. The electric lights wereswitched on, and the adventurers were quickly made comfortable inthe cave, which so well sheltered the RED CLOUD. Tom completed hisinspection of the craft, and was relieved to find that while therewere a number of small rents, none was very large, and all could bemended in time. 

Abe Abercrombie took a look outside the cave after the meal had beenserved. The old miner declared that they had made a good advance ontheir northern journey for, though he could not tell their exactlocation, he knew by the character of the landscape that they hadpassed the boundaries of Alaska. 

"A few more days' traveling at the rate we came will bring us to theSnow Mountains and the valley of gold, " he said. 

"Well, we won't average such speed as we did during the hail storm, "said Tom. "The wind of that carried us along at a terrific pace. Butwe will get there in plenty of time, I think. "

"Why; is there any particular rush?" asked Ned. 

"There's no telling when the Fogers may appear, " answered the younginventor in a low voice. "But now we must get to work to repairdamage. "

The hail storm had ceased, and, with the passing of the clouds thecave was made lighter. But Tom did not depend on this, for he set uppowerful searchlights, by the gleams of which he and his companionsbegan the repairing of the torn gas-bag. 

They worked all the remainder of that day, and were at it againearly the next morning, making good progress. 

"We can go forward again, in about two days, " spoke Tom. "I want togive the cement on the patches plenty of chance to dry. "

"Then I will have time to go out and make some observations, will Inot?" asked Mr. Parker. "I think this cave is a very old one, and Imay be able to find some evidences in it that the sea of ice isslowly working its way down from the polar regions. "

"I hope you don't, " whispered Ned to Tom, who shook his headdubiously as the gloomy scientist left the cave. 

The weather was very cold, but, in the cavern it was hardly noticed. The adventurers were warmly dressed, and when they did get chillyfrom working over the airship, they had but to go into the well-heatedand cozy cabin to warm themselves. 

It was on the third day of their habitation in the cave, and work onputting the patches on the gas-bag was almost finished. Mr. Parkerhad gone out to make further observations, his previous ones nothaving satisfied him. Tom was on an improvised platform, putting apatch on top of the bag, when he heard a sudden yell, and some onedashed into the cavern. 

"They're coming! They're coming!" cried a voice, and Tom, lookingdown, saw Mr. Parker, apparently in a state of great fear. 

"What's coming?" demanded the young inventor, "the icebergs?"

"No--the Indians!" yelled the scientist. "A whole tribe of them isrushing this way!"

"I thought so!" cried Abe Abercrombie. "Where's my gun?" and hedashed into the airship. 

Tom slid down off the platform. 

"Get ready for a fight!" he gasped. "Where are you, Ned?"

"Here I am. We'd better get to the mouth of the cave, and drive 'emback from there. "

"Yes. If I'd only thought, we could have blockaded it in some way. It's as big as a barn now, and they can rush us if they have a mindto. But we'll do our best!"

The adventurers were now all armed, even to Mr. Parker. Thescientist had recovered from his first fright, when he spied theIndians coming over the snow, as he was "observing" some naturalphenomenon. Tom, even in his excitement, noticed that the professorwas curiously examining his gun, evidently more with a view toseeing how it was made, and on which principle it was operated, rather than to discover how to use it. 

"If it comes to a fight, just point it at the Indians, pull thetrigger, and work that lever, " explained the young inventor. "It'san automatic gun. "

"I see, " answered Mr. Parker. "Very curious. I had no idea theyworked this way. "

"Oh, if I only had my electric rifle in shape!" sighed Tom, as hedashed forward at the side of Ned. 

"Your electric rifle?"

"Yes, I've got a new kind of weapon--very effective. I have italmost finished. It's in the airship, but I can't use it just yet. However, maybe these repeaters will do the work. "

By this time they were at the entrance of the cave, and, looking outthey saw about a hundred Indians, dressed in furs, striding acrossthe snowy plain that stretched out from the foot of the mountain inwhich was the cavern. 

"They're certainly comin' on, " observed Abe, grimly. "Git ready for'em, boys!"

The gold-seekers lined up at the mouth of the cave, with guns intheir hands. At the sight of this small, but formidable force, theIndians halted. They were armed with guns of ancient make, whilesome had spears, and others bows and arrows. A few had grabbed upstones as weapons. 

There appeared to be a consultation going on among them, and, presently, one of the number, evidently a chief or a spokesman, gavehis gun to one of his followers, and, holding his hands above hishead, while he waved a rag that might have once been white, cameforward. 

"By Jove!" exclaimed Tom. "It's a flag of truce! He wants to talkwith us I believe!"

"Bless my cartridges!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Can they speakEnglish?"

"A little, " answered Abe Abercrombie. "I can talk some of theirlingo, too. Maybe I'd better see what they want. "

"I guess it would be a good plan, " suggested Tom, and, accordinglythe old miner stepped forward. The Indian came on, until Abemotioned for him to halt. 

"I reckon that's as far as it'll be healthy for you t' come, " spokeAbe, grimly. "Now what do you fellers want?"

Thereupon there ensued a rapid exchange of jargon between the minerand the Indian. Abe seemed much relieved as the talk went on, untilthere came what seemed like a demand on the part of the dark-huednative. 

"No, you don't! None of that!" muttered Abe. "If you had your wayyou'd take everything we have. "

"What is it? What does he want?" asked Tom in a low voice. 

"Why, the beggar began fair enough, " replied the miner. "He said oneof their number had been in the cave when a storm came an' saw a bigspirit fly in, with men on its back. He ran away an' now others havecome to see what it was. They don't guess it's an airship, forthey've never seen one, but they know we're white folks, an' theyalways want things white folks have got. "

"This fellow is a sort of chief, an' he says the white folks?--that'sus, you know?--have taken th' Indians' cave. He says he doesn'twant t' have any trouble, an' that we can stay here as long as welike, but that we must give him an' his followers a lot of food. Says they hain't got much. Land! Those beggars would eat us out ofeverything we had if we'd let 'em!"

"What are you going to tell them?" inquired Mr. Damon. 

"I'm goin' t' tell 'em t' go t' grass, or words t' that effect, "replied Abe. "They haven't any weapons that amount t' anything, an'we can stand 'em off. Besides, we'll soon be goin' away from here;won't we, Tom?"

"Yes, but--"

"Oh, there's no use givin' in to 'em, " interrupted Abe. "If you give'em half a loaf, they want two. Th' only way is t' be firm. I'lltell 'em we can't accommodate 'em. "

Thereupon he began once more to talk to the Indians in their owntongue. His words were at first received in silence, and then angrycries came from the natives. The chief made a gesture of protest. 

"Well, if you don't like it, you know what you kin do!" declaredAbe. "We've got th' best part of our journey before us, an' we can'tgive away our supplies. Go hunt food if you want it, ye lazybeggars!"

The peaceful demeanor of the Indians now turned to rage. The leaderdropped the rag that had served for a flag of truce, and took backhis gun. 

"Look out! There's going to be trouble!" cried Tom. 

"Well, we're ready for 'em!" answered Abe, grimly. 

There was a moment of hesitation among the natives. Then they seemedto hold a consultation with the chief. It was over shortly. Theybroke into a run, and quickly advanced toward the cave. Tom and theothers held their guns in readiness. 

Suddenly the Indians halted. They gazed upward, and pointed tosomething in the air above their heads. They gave utterance to criesof fear. 

"What is it; another storm coming?" asked Tom. 

"Let's look, " suggested Ned. He and Tom stepped to the mouth of thecave--they went outside. There was little danger from the nativesnow, as their attention was fixed on something else. 

A moment later Tom and Ned saw what this was. 

Floating in the air, almost over the cave, was a great airship--alarge craft, nearly the size of the RED CLOUD. Hardly able tobelieve the evidence of their eyes, Tom and Ned watched it. Whencehad it come? Whither was it going?

"It's a triplane!" murmured Ned. 

"A triplane!" repeated Tom. "Yes--it is--and it's the airship ofAndy Foger! Our rivals are on our track!"

He continued to gaze upward as the triplane shot forward, the noiseof the motor being plainly heard. Then, with howls of fear, theIndians turned and fled. The rival airship had vanquished them. 

CHAPTER XV

THE RACE

Astonished and terrified as the Indians had been at the sight of thebig-winged craft, high in the air above their heads, Tom and theothers were no less surprised, though, of course, their fear was notexactly the same as that of the Alaskan natives. 

"Do you really think that is Andy Foger?" asked Ned, as they watchedthe progress of the triplane. 

"I'm almost sure of it, " replied Tom. "That craft is built exactlyas his was, but I never expected him to have such good luck sailingit. "

"It isn't going very fast, " objected Ned. 

"No, but it can navigate pretty well, and that's something. He musthave hustled to get it together and reach this point with it. "

"Yes, but he didn't have to travel as far as we did, " went on Ned. "He put his ship together at Sitka, and we came from Seattle. "

"Bless my memoranda book!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "The Fogers here!What's to be done about it?"

"Nothing, I guess, " answered Tom. "I'd just as soon they wouldn'tsee us. I don't believe they will. Get back into the cave. We mustuse strategy now to get ahead of them. There will be a race to thevalley of gold. "

"Well, he served us one good turn, anyhow, though he didn't meanto, " put in Abe Abercrombie. 

"How?" asked Mr. Parker, who was still examining his gun, as thoughtrying to understand it. 

"He scared away them pesky natives, " went on the miner. "Otherwisewe might have had a fight, an' while I reckon we could have beat'em, it's best not to fight if you kin git out of it. "

The gold-seekers had withdrawn inside the mouth of the cave, wherethey could watch the progress of the rival airship without beingseen. The Indians had disappeared beyond a snow-covered hill. 

The airship of Andy Foger, for such it subsequently proved to be, floated slowly onward. Its progress was not marked with the speed ofTom's craft, though whether or not the occupants of the ANTHONY (asAndy had vain-gloriously named his craft after himself) werespeeding up their motor, was a matter of conjecture. 

The adventurers held a short consultation, while standing at themouth of the cave watching the progress of the ANTHONY. It rose inthe air, and circled about. 

"He certainly IS trying to pick us up, " declared Ned. 

"Well, we'll start out after him to-morrow, " decided Tom. "I thinkall the patches will hold then. "

They resumed work on the RED CLOUD, and that night Tom announcedthat they would start in the morning. Meanwhile Andy's craft haddisappeared from sight. There was no further evidence of theIndians. 

"I don't reckon they'll come back, " spoke Abe, grimly. "They thinkwe are sure-enough spirits, now, able to call creatures out of theair whenever we want 'em. But still we must be on our guard. "

As Mr. Parker was not of much service in helping on the airship heagreed to be a sort of guard and took his place just outside thecave, where he could make "observations, " and, at the same timewatch for the reappearance of Indians. They had little fear of anattack at night, for Abe said the Alaskans were not fond ofdarkness. 

The cold seemed to increase, and, even in the sheltered cave theadventurers felt it. There were several heavy flurries of snow thatafternoon, and winter seemed setting in with a vengeance. Thedaylight, too, was not of long duration, for the sun was well southnow, and in the far polar regions it was perpetual night. 

After a brief inspection of the ship the next morning, following agood night's rest, when they were not disturbed by any visits fromthe natives, Tom announced that they would set sail. The day was aclear one, but very cold, and the gold-seekers were glad of theshelter of the warm cabin. 

The RED CLOUD was wheeled from the cave, and set on a level place. There was not room enough to make a flying start, and ascend bymeans of the planes and propellers, so the gas-bag method was used. The generating machine was put in operation, and soon the big redbag that hovered over the craft began to fill. Tom was glad to seethat none of the several compartments leaked. The bag had been wellrepaired. 

Suddenly the RED CLOUD shot up in the air. Up above the toweringsnow-covered crags it mounted, and then, with a whizz and a roar, the propellers were set going. 

"Once more northward bound!" cried Tom, as he took his place in thepilothouse. 

"And we'll see if we can beat Andy Foger there, " added Ned. 

All that morning the RED CLOUD shot ahead at good speed. The crafthad suffered no permanent damage during her fight with the hailstorm, and was as good as ever. They ate dinner high in the air, while sailing over a great stretch of whiteness, where the snow laymany feet deep on the level, and where great mountain crags were socovered with the glistening mantle and a coating of ice as toresemble the great bergs that float in the polar sea. 

"I wouldn't want to be wrecked here, " said Ned, with a shudder, ashe looked down. "We'd never get away. Does any one live down there, Abe?"

"Yes, there are scattered tribes of Indians and Alaskan natives. They live by hunting and fishing, and travel around by means of dogsledges. But it's a dreary life. Me an' my partner had all we wantedof it. An airship for mine!"

"I wonder what's become of Andy?" spoke Tom, that afternoon. "Ihaven't sighted him, and I've been using the powerful telescope. Ican't pick him up, though he can't be so very far ahead of us. "

"Let me try, " suggested Ned. "Put her up a bit, Tom, where I canlook down. Andy won't dare go very high. Maybe I can sight him. "

The RED CLOUD shot upward as the young inventor shifted theelevation rudder, and the bank clerk, with the powerful glass to hiseye, swept the space below him. For half an hour he looked in vain. Then, with a little start of surprise he handed the glass to hischum. 

"See what you make that out to be, " suggested Ned. "It looks like abig bird, yet I haven't seen any other birds to-day. "

Tom looked. He peered earnestly through the telescope for a minute, and then cried:

"It's Andy's airship! He's ahead of us! We must catch him! Ned, youand Mr. Damon speed up the motor! The race is on!"

In a few minutes the great airship was hurling herself throughspace, and, in less than ten minutes Andy's craft could be made outplainly with the naked eye. Fifteen minutes more and the RED CLOUDwas almost up to her. Then those aboard the ANTHONY must have caughtsight of their pursuers, for there was a sudden increase in speed onthe part of the unscrupulous Foger crowd, who sought to steal amarch on Tom and his friends. 

"The race is on!" repeated the young inventor grimly, as he pulledthe speed lever over another notch. 

CHAPTER XVI

THE FALL OF THE ANTHONY

Had it not been for what was at stake, the race between the two bigairships would have been an inspiring one to those aboard Tom'scraft. As it was they were too anxious to overcome the unfairadvantage taken by Andy to look for any of the finer points in thecontest of the air. 

"There's no denying that he's got a pretty good craft there, "conceded Tom, as he watched the progress of his rival. "I neverthought Andy Foger could have done it. "

"He didn't do very much of it, " declared Ned. "He hired the bestpart of that made. Andy hasn't any inventive ideas. He probably saidhe wanted an airship, and his dad put up the money and hired men tobuild it for him. Andy, Sam and Pete only tinkered around on it. "

Later Tom and his chum learned that this was so--that Mr. Foger hadengaged the services of an expert to make the airship. This man hadbeen taken to Sitka with the Fogers, and had materially aided themin re-assembling the craft. 

"Do you think he can beat us?" asked Ned, anxiously. 

"No!" exclaimed Tom, confidently. "There's only one craft that canbeat my RED CLOUD and that's my monoplane the BUTTERFLY. But I havein mind plans for a speedier machine than even the monoplane. However I haven't any fear that Andy can keep up to us in thiscraft. I haven't begun to fly yet, and I'm pretty sure, from the wayhis is going, that he has used his limit of speed. "

"Then why don't you get ahead of him?" asked Mr. Damon. "Bless mytape-measure! the way to win a race is to beat. "

"Not this kind of a race, " and the young inventor spoke seriously. "If I got ahead of Andy now, he'd simply trail along and follow us. That's his game. He wants me to be the path-finder, for, since Icast a doubt on the correctness of the map, a copy of which hestole, he isn't sure where he's going. He'd ask nothing better thanto follow us. "

"Then what are you going to do if you don't get ahead of him?" askedNed. 

"I'm going to press him close until night, " answered Tom, "and whenit's dark, I'm going to shoot ahead, and, by morning we'll be so faraway that he can't catch up to us. "

"Good idea! That's th' stuff!" cried Abe with enthusiasm. 

"He's a sneak!" burst out Mr. Damon. "I'd like to see him leftbehind. "

Tom carried out his plan. The remainder of the day he hung just onAndy's flank, sometimes shooting high up, almost out of sight, andagain coming down, just to show what the RED CLOUD could do whenpressed. 

As for those aboard the ANTHONY, they seemed to be trying toincrease their speed, but, if that was their object they did nothave much success, for the big, clumsy triplane only labored along. 

"I wonder who he's got with him?" said Ned, as darkness was closingdown. "I can't make out any one by this glass. They stick prettyclosely to the cabin. "

"Oh, probably Andy's father is there, " said "and, perhaps, some ofMr. Foger's acquaintances. I guess Mr. Foger is as anxious to getthis gold as Andy is. "

"He certainly needs money, " admitted Ned. "Jove! but I hope we beathim!"

But alas for Tom's hopes! His plan of waiting until night and thenputting on such speed as would leave Andy behind could not becarried out. It was tried, but something went wrong with the mainmotor, and only half power could be developed. Tom and Ned laboredover it nearly ail night, to no effect, and through the hours ofdarkness they could see the lights from the cabin of the ANTHONYgleaming just ahead of them. Evidently the bully's airship could notmake enough speed to run away from the RED CLOUD, or else it was theplan of the Foger crowd to keep in Tom's vicinity. 

The direction held by Andy's craft was a general northwestern one, and Tom knew, in time, and that very soon, it would bring theANTHONY over the valley of gold. Evidently Andy was placing somefaith in his copy of the stolen map. 

"Once I get this motor in shape I'll soon pull away from him, "announced Tom, about four o'clock that morning, while he and Ned, aided by Mr. Damon, were still laboring over the refractory machine. 

"What are you going to do?" asked Ned. 

"It's too late to carry out my original plan, " went on Tom. "We'regetting so near the place now that I want to be there ahead of everyone else. So as soon as we can, I'm going to push the RED CLOUD forall she's worth, and get to the valley of gold first. If possessionis nine points of the law, I want those nine points. "

"That's the way to talk!" cried Abe. "Once we git on th' ground wekin hold our own!"

It was breakfast time before Tom had the motor repaired, and hedecided to have a good meal before starting to speed up his craft. He felt better after some hot coffee, for he and the others wereweary from their night of labor. 

"Now for the test!" he cried, as he went back to the engine-room. "Here's where we give Andy the go-by, and I don't think he can catchus!"

There was an increasing hum to the powerful motor, the greatpropellers whirled around at twice their former number ofrevolutions, and the airship suddenly shot ahead. 

Those on the ANTHOMY must have been watching for some such move asthat, for, no sooner had Tom's craft begun to creep up on his rivalthan the forward craft also shot ahead. 

But the airship was not built that could compete with Tom's. Like aracer overhauling a cart-horse, the RED CLOUD whizzed through theair. In a spirit of fun the young inventor sent his machine within afew feet of Andy's. He had a double purpose in this, for he wantedto show the bully that he did not fear him, and he wanted to see ifhe could discover who was aboard. 

Tom did catch a glimpse of Andy and his father in the cabin of theANTHONY, and he also saw a couple of men working frantically overthe machinery. 

"They're going to try to catch us!" called Tom to Ned. 

This was evident a moment later, for, after the RED CLOUD had forgedahead, her rival made a clumsy attempt to follow. The ANTHONY didshow a burst of speed, and, for a moment Tom was apprehensive lesthe had underrated his rival's prowess. 

Suddenly Ned, who was looking from a projecting side window of thepilothouse, back toward Andy's ship, cried out in alarm. 

"What's the matter?" shouted Tom. 

"The airship--Andy's--two of the main wings have collapsed!"

Tom looked. It was but too true. The strain under which the ANTHONYhad been put when the machinists increased the speed, had been toomuch for the frame. Two wings broke, and now hung uselessly down, one on either side. The ANTHONY shot toward the snow-covered earth!

"They're falling!" cried Mr. Parker. 

"Yes, " added Tom, grimly, "the race is over as far as they areconcerned. "

"Bless my soul! Won't they be killed?" cried Mr. Damon. 

"There's not much danger, " replied the young inventor. "They canvol-plane back to earth. That's what they're doing, " he added amoment later, as he witnessed the maneuver of the crippled craft. "They're in no danger, but I don't believe they'll get to the valleyof gold this trip!"

Tom was soon to learn how easily he could be mistaken. 

CHAPTER XVII

HITTING THE ICE MOUNTAIN

Onward sped the RED CLOUD. For a moment after the accident to Andy'sship, Tom had slowed up his craft, but he soon went on again, afterhe had satisfied himself that his enemies were in no danger. 

"Don't you think--that is to say--I know they can't expect anythingfrom us, " spoke Mr. Damon, "but for humanity's sake, hadn't webetter stop and help them, Tom?"

"I hardly think so, " replied the young inventor. "In the first placethey would hardly thank us for doing so, and, in the second, I don'tbelieve they need help. They are almost safely down now. "

"I don't just mean that, " went on the odd man. "But they may starveto death. This is a very desolate country over which we aresailing. "

"They must have a supply of food in their ship, " declared Tom, "andthey have brought their plight on themselves. "

"They're in no great danger, " put in Abe. 

"There are plenty of natives around here, an' if the Fogers needfood or aid they can git it by payin' for it. Why, for the sake ofth' parts of their damaged airship, th' Eskimos would take th' wholeparty back t' Sitka and feed 'em well on th' trip. Oh, they're allright. "

"Very well, if you say so, " assented Mr. Damon. He looked back towatch the ANTHONY slowly settling to earth. It came gently down, proving that Tom knew whereof he spoke, when he had said they couldvol-plane down. Before the RED CLOUD was out of sight Tom and hiscompanions saw Andy and his father leave their wrecked craft andventure out on the snow-covered ground. The Fogers gazed enviouslyafter the airship of our hero as they saw him still forging towardthe goal. 

"I guess Andy's stolen map won't be of much use to him, " mused Tom. "Now we can put on all the speed we like, " and with that he shiftedthe gears and levers until the airship was making exceedingly goodtime toward the valley of gold. 

The remainder of that day saw our adventurers pursuing their wayeagerly. At times they were flying high, and again, when Abesuggested that they go down to observe the character of the countryover which they were passing, they skimmed along, just above the bigmountains, which seemed almost like icebergs, so covered were theywith frost and snow. 

They were indeed in a wild and desolate country. Below themstretched a seemingly endless waste of snow and ice--great forestsinterspersed with treeless patches, while now and then they sailedover a frozen lake. 

Once in a while they had glimpses of bands of Indians, dressed infurs, hunting. At such times the natives would look up, on hearingthe noise made by the motor of the airship, and catching a glimpseof what must have seemed to them like some supernatural object, theywould fall down prostrate in amazement and fear. 

"Airships are pretty much of a novelty up here, " remarked Abe with agrim smile. 

The weather was new very cold, and the gold-seekers had to get outtheir heavy fur garments, of which they had brought along a goodlysupply. True, it was warm in the cabin of the airship, but at times, they wanted to venture out on the deck to get fresh air, or to makesome adjustments to the wing planes, and, on such occasions thekeen, frosty air, as it was driven past them by the motion of thecraft, made even the thickest garments seem none too warm. Then, too, it was colder at the elevation at which they flew than down onthe ground. 

Another day found them in a still wilder and more desolate part ofAlaska. There were scarcely any signs of habitation now, and thesnow and ice seemed so thick that even a long summer of sunshinecould hardly have melted it. The hours of daylight, too, weregrowing less and less the farther north they went. 

"Do you think you can pilot us right to the Snow Mountains, Abe?"asked Tom, on the third day after the accident to Andy's airship. "Let's get out the map, and have another look at it. We must begetting near the place now. We'll look at the map. "

The young inventor went to his stateroom where he kept the importantdocument in a small desk, and the others heard him rummaging around. He muttered impatiently, and Ned heard his chum say: "I thought sureI put it in here. " Then ensued a further search, and presently Tomcame out, his face wearing rather a puzzled and worried look, and heasked: "Say, Abe, I didn't give that map back to you; did I?"

"Nope, " answered the miner. "I ain't seen it since just before th'hail storm. We was lookin' at it then. "

"That's when I remember it, " went on Tom, "and I thought I put it inmy desk. I didn't, by any possible chance give it to you; did I, Ned?"

"Me? No, I haven't seen it. "

"That's funny, " went on Tom. "I'll look once more. Maybe it gotunder some papers. "

They heard him rummaging again in his desk. 

"Bless my bank-book!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hope nothing has happenedto that map. We can't find the valley of gold without it. "

Tom came back again. 

"I can't find it. " he said, hopelessly. 

Then ensued a frantic search. Every possible place in the airshipwas looked into, but the precious map did not turn up. 

"Perhaps the Fogers took it, " suggested Mr. Parker, who had helpedin the hunt, in a dreamy sort of fashion. 

"That's not possible, " said Tom. "They haven't been near enough tous since I saw the map last. No, the last time I had it was justbefore the hail storm, and, in the excitement of repairing the ship, I have mislaid it. "

"Maybe it's back there in the big cave, " suggested Ned. 

"It's possible, " admitted the young inventor. "Pshaw! It's verycareless of me!"

"If you think it's in the cave, we'd better go back there and have ahunt for it, " suggested Mr. Damon. "Otherwise we are on a wild-goosechase. "

"Don't go back!" exclaimed old Abe. "I think we can find th' valleyof gold without th' map, now that we have come this far. I sort ofremember th' marks on that parchment, an' we are in the rightneighborhood now, for I kin see some of th' landmarks my partner andI saw. I say, let's keep on! We can cruise around a bit until westrike th' right place. That won't take us so long as it would to goback to the cave. Besides, if we go back, the Fogers may get aheadof us!"

"With their broken airship?" asked Ned

"Can't they repair it?" demanded Abe. 

"Hardly--up in this wild country, " was Tom's opinion. "But perhapsit WILL be just as well to keep on. I have a hazy remembrance of thedistances and directions on the map, and, though it will take longerto hunt out the valley this way, I think we can do it. I can'tforgive myself for my carelessness! I should have kept a copy of themap, or given one of you folks one. "

But they would not hear of him blaming himself, and said it mighthave happened to any one. It was decided that the map must be lostin the big cave, and if it was there it was not likely to be foundby their enemies. 

"We'll jest have t' prospect about a bit, " declared Abe, "only we'lldo it in th' air instead of on th' ground. "

It was dusk when the fruitless search for the map was over, and theysat in the cabin discussing matters. The lights had not yet beenswitched on, and the RED CLOUD was skimming along under theinfluence of the automatic rudders and the propellers. 

"Well, suppose we have supper, " proposed Mr. Damon, who seemed tothink eating a remedy for many ills, mental and bodily. "Bless mydesert-spoon, but I'm hungry!"

He started toward the galley, while Tom went forward to thepilothouse. Hardly had he reached it than there came a terrificcrash, and the airship seemed tossed back by some giant hand. Everyone was thrown off his feet, and the lights which had been turned onsuddenly went out. 

"What's the matter?" cried Ned. 

"Have we hit anything?" demanded Mr. Damon. 

"Hit anything! I should say we had!" yelled Tom. "We've knocked apiece off a big mountain of ice!"

As he spoke the airship began slowly settling toward the earth, forher machinery had been stopped by the terrific impact. 

CHAPTER XVIII

A FIGHT WITH MUSK OXEN

"Can I help you, Tom? What's to be done?" demanded Ned Newton, as herushed to where his chum was yanking on various levers and gearwheels. 

"Wait a minute!" gasped the young inventor. "I want to throw on thestorage battery, and that will give us some light. Then we can seewhat We are doing. " An instant later the whole ship was illuminated, and those aboard her felt calmer. Still the RED CLOUD continued tosink. 

"Can't we do something?" yelled Ned. "Start the propellers, Tom!"

"No, I'll use the gas. I can't see where we're heading for, as thesearchlight is out of business. We may be in the midst of a lot ofbergs. We were flying too low. Just start the gas generatingmachine. "

Ned hurried to obey this order. He saw Tom's object. With the bigbag full of gas the airship would settle gently to earth as easilyas though under the command of the propellers and wing planes. 

In a few minutes the hissing of the machine told that the vapor wasbeing forced into the bag and a little later the downward motion ofthe ship was checked. She moved more and more slowly toward theearth, until, with a little jar, she settled down, and came to rest. But she was on such an uneven keel that the cabin was tilted at anunpleasant angle. 

"Bless my salt-cellar!" cried Mr. Damon. "We are almost standing onour heads!"

"Better that than not standing at all, " replied Tom, grimly. "Now tosee what the damage is. "

He scrambled from the forward door of the cabin, no easy taskconsidering how it was tilted, and the others followed him. It wastoo dark to note just how much damage had been inflicted, but Tomwas relieved to see, as nearly as he could judge, that it wasconfined to the forward part of the front platform or deck of theship. The wooden planking was split, but the extent of the breakcould not be ascertained until daylight. The searchlight connectionshad been broken by the collision, and it could not be used. 

"Now to take a look at the machinery, " suggested the young inventor, when he had walked around his craft. "That is what I am worriedabout more than about the outside. "

But, to their joy, they found only a small break in the motor. Thatwas what caused it to stop, and also put the dynamo out ofcommission. 

"We can easily fix that, " Tom declared. 

"Bless my coffee-spoon!" cried Mr. Damon, who seemed to be runningto table accessories in his blessings. Perhaps it was because it wasso near supper time. "Bless my coffee-spoon! But how did it happen?"

"We were running too low, " declared Tom. "I had forgotten that wewere likely to get among tall mountain peaks at any moment, and Iset the elevation rudder too low. It was my fault. I should havebeen on the lookout. We must have struck the mountain of ice aglancing blow, or the result would have been worse than it is. We'llcome out of it all right, as it is. "

"We can't do anything to-night, " observed Ned. 

"Only eat, " put in Mr. Damon, "and we'll have to take our coffeecups half full, for everything is so tilted that it's like topsy-turveyland. It makes me fairly dizzy!"

But he forgot this in the work of getting a meal, and, though it wasprepared under considerable difficulties, at last it was ready. 

Bright and early the next morning Tom was up making anotherinspection of his ship. He found that even if the forward deck wasnot repaired they could go on, as soon as the motor was in shape, but, as they had some spare wood aboard, it was decided totemporarily repair the smashed platform. 

It was cold work, even wearing their thick garments; but, afterlaboring until their fingers were stiff from the frost, Ned hit onthe idea of building a big fire of some evergreen trees near wherethe ship lay. 

"Say, that's all right!" declared Tom, as the warmth of the blazemade itself felt. "We can work better, now!"

The RED CLOUD was tilted on some rough and uneven ground, in amongsome little hills. On either side arose big peaks, the one inparticular that they had hit towering nearly fifteen thousand feet. 

Everything was covered with snow and ice, and, in fact, the ice wasso thick on the top of the mountains that the crags resembledicebergs rather than stony peaks. The crash of the airship hadbrought down a great section of this solid rock-ice. 

"Do you think we are anywhere near the valley of gold?" asked Mr. Damon that afternoon, when the work was nearly finished. 

"It's somewhere in this vicinity. " declared Abe. "Me an' my partnerpassed through jest such a place as this on our way there. Iwouldn't wonder but what it wasn't more than a few hundred milesaway, now. "

"Then we'll soon be there, " said Tom. "I'll start in the morning. Icould go to-night, but there are a few adjustments I want to make tothe motor, and, besides, I think it will be safer, now that we areamong these peaks, to navigate in daylight, or at least with thesearchlight going. I should have thought of that before. "

"Then, if you're not going to start away at once, " spoke Mr. Parker, "I think I will walk around a bit, and make some observations. Ithink we are now in the region where we may expect a movement of theice. I want to test it, and see if it is traveling in a southerlydirection. If it is not now, it will soon be doing that, and thecoating of ice may reach even as far as New York. "

"Pleasant prospect, " murmured Tom. Then he said aloud: "Well if youare going, Mr. Parker, we'll be with you. I'll be glad of the chanceto stretch my legs, and what more remains to be done, can befinished in the morning. "

Mr. Damon declared that he did not relish a tramp over the ice andsnow, and would stay in the warm cabin, but Tom and Ned, with Abeand Mr. Parker started off. The scientist pointed out what heclaimed were evidences of the impending movement of the ice, whileAbe explained to the lads how the Alaskan Indians of thatneighborhood hunted and fished, and how they made huts of blocks ofice. 

"We are nearing th' Arctic circle, " the old miner said, "and we'llsoon be among th' most savage of the Eskimo tribes. "

"Is there any hunting around here?" asked Ned. 

"Yes, plenty of musk ox, " answered Abe. 

"I wish I'd brought my gun along and could see one of the big beastsnow, " went on Ned. He looked anxiously around, but no game was insight. After a little farther tramp over the icy expanse they alldeclared that they had seen enough of the dreary landscape, andvoted to return to the ship. 

As they neared their craft Tom saw several large, shaggy blackobjects standing in a line on the path the adventurers had come overa little while before. The objects were between the gold-seekers andthe RED CLOUD. 

"What in the world are those?" asked the young inventor. 

"Look to me like black stones, " spoke Ned. 

"Stones?" cried Abe. "Look out, boys, those are musk oxen; and bigones, too! There's a lot of 'em! Make for the ship! If they attackus we're goners!"

The boys and Mr. Parker needed no second warning. Turning so as torush past the shaggy creatures, the four headed toward the ship. 

But if our friends expected to reach it unmolested they weredisappointed. No sooner had they increased their pace than the oxen, with snorts of rage, darted forward. The animals may have imaginedthey were about to be attacked, and determined to make the firstmove. 

"Here they come!" yelled Ned. 

"Sprint for it!" cried Tom. 

"Oh, if I only had my gun!" groaned Abe. 

It was hard work running over the ice and snow, hampered as theywere with their heavy fur garments. They soon realized this, and thepace was telling on them. They were now near to the ship, but thesavage creatures still were between them and the craft. 

"Try around the other way!" directed Tom, They changed theirdirection, but the oxen also shifted their ground, and with loudbellows of rage came on, shaking their shaggy heads and big horns, while the hair, hanging down from their sides and flanks, dragged inthe snow. 

"Right at 'em! Run and yell!" advised the young inventor. "Maybe wecan scare 'em!"

They followed his advice. Yelling like Indians the four rushedstraight for the animals. For a moment only the creatures halted. Then, bellowing louder than ever they rushed straight at Tom and theothers. 

The largest of the oxen, with a sudden swerve, made for Mr. Parker, who was slightly in the lead off to one side. In an instant thescientist was tossed high in the air, falling in a snow bank. 

"Mr. Damon! Mr. Damon!" yelled Tom, frantically. "Get a gun andshoot these beasts!"

The young inventor and his two companions had come to a halt. Theoxen also stopped momentarily. Suddenly Mr. Damon appeared on thedeck of the airship. He held two rifles. Laying one down he aimedthe other at the ox which was rushing at the prostrate Mr. Parker. The eccentric man fired. He hit the beast on the flank, and, with abellow of rage it turned. 

"Now's our time!" yelled Tom. "Head for the ship, I'll get myelectric gun!"

"We can't leave Mr. Parker!" yelled Abe. 

But the scientist had arisen, and was running toward the RED CLOUD. He did not seem to be much hurt. Mr. Damon fired again, hittinganother beast, but not mortally. 

Once more the herd of shaggy creatures came on, but the adventurerswere now almost at the ship, on the deck of which stood Mr. Damon, firing as fast as he could work the lever and pull the trigger. 

CHAPTER XIX

THE CAVES OF ICE

"Keep on firing! Hold 'em back a few minutes and I'll soon turn myelectric rifle loose on 'em!" yelled Tom Swift as he sprintedforward. "Keep on shooting, Mr. Damon!"

"Bless my powder-horn! I will!" cried the excited man. "I'll fireall the cartridges there are in the rifle!"

Which, at the rate he was discharging the weapon, would not take along time. But it had the effect of momentarily checking the advanceof the creatures. 

Not for long, however. Our friends had barely reached the airship, with Mr. Parker stumbling and slipping on the ice and snow, ere themusk oxen came on again, with loud bellows. 

"They're going to charge the ship! They'll ram her!" yelled NedNewton. 

"I think I can stop them!" cried Tom, who had leaped toward hisstateroom. He came out a moment later, carrying a peculiar-lookinggun, The adventurers had seen it before, but never in operation, asTom had only put some finishing touches on it since undertaking thevoyage to the caves of ice. 

"What sort of a weapon is that?" cried Abe, as he helped Mr. Parkeron board. 

"It's my new electric rifle, " answered the young inventor. "I don'tknow how it will work, as it isn't entirely finished, but I'm goingto try it. "

Putting it to his shoulder he aimed at the leading musk ox, andpulled a small lever. There was no report, no puff of smoke and nofire, yet the big creature, which had been rushing at the ship, suddenly stopped, swayed for a moment, and then fell over in thesnow, kicking in his death agony. 

"One down!" yelled Tom. "My rifle works all right, even if it isn'tfinished!"

He aimed at another ox, and that creature was stopped in its tracks. Mr. Damon had exhausted his cartridges, and had ceased firing, butAbe Abercrombie was ready with his rifle, and opened up on thebeasts. Tom killed another with his electric gun, and Abe shot two. This stopped the advance, and only just in time, for the foremostanimals were already close to the ship, and had they rushed at thefrail hull they might have damaged it beyond repair. 

"Here goes for the big one!" cried Tom, and, aiming at the largestox of the herd, the young inventor pulled the lever. The brute fellover dead, and the rest, terror stricken, turned and fled. 

"Hurrah! That's the stuff!" cried Ned Newton, capering about ondeck. He had hurried to his stateroom and secured his rifle, and, before the musk oxen were out of sight he had killed one, which gavehim great delight. 

"Mighty lucky we drove them away, " declared Abe. "They are terriblesavage at times, an' I reckon we struck one of them times. But say, Tom, what sort of a gun is that you got, anyhow?"

"Oh, it fires electric bullets, " explained our hero. "But I haven'ttime to tell you about it now. Let's get out and skin one of thoseoxen. The fresh meat will come in good, for we've been living oncanned stuff since we left Seattle. We've got time enough before itgets dark. "

They hurried to where the shaggy creatures lay in the snow, and soonthere was enough fresh meat to last a long time, as it would keepwell in the intense cold. Tom put away his electric gun, brieflyexplaining the system of it to his companions. The time was to come, and that not very far off, when that same electric rifle was to savehis life in a remarkable manner, in the wilds of Africa where hewent to hunt elephants. 

In the cozy cabin that night they sat and talked of the day'sadventures. The airship had been slightly lifted up by means of thegas bag, and now rested on a level keel, so it was more comfortablefor the gold hunters. 

"I did not complete my observations about the great snow slide, "remarked Professor Parker, "I trust I will have time to go over theground again to-morrow. "

"We leave early in the morning, " objected Tom. 

"Besides, I don't believe it would be safe to go over that groundagain, " put in Mr. Damon. 

"Bless my gunpowder! But when I saw those savage creatures rushingat you, I thought it was all up with us. Are you hurt, Parker, mydear fellow? I forgot to ask before. "

"Not hurt in the least, " answered the scientist. "My heavy and thickfur garments saved me from the beasts' horns, and I fell in somesoft snow. I was quite startled for a moment. I thought it might bethe beginning of the snow movement. "

"It was an ox movement, " said Ned, in a low voice to Tom. 

Morning saw the travelers again under way, with the Red Cloud nowfloating high enough to avoid the lofty peaks. The weather was clearbut very cold, and Tom, who was in the pilot-house, could see a longdistance ahead, and note many towering crags, which, had the airshipbeen flying low enough, would have interfered with her progress. 

"We'll have to keep the searchlight going all night, to avoid acollision, " he decided. 

"Are we anywhere near the place?" asked Mr. Damon. 

"We're in th' right region, " declared the old miner. "I think we'reon th' right track. I recognize a few more landmarks. "

"There wouldn't have been any trouble if I hadn't lost the map. "complained Tom, bitterly. 

"Never mind about that, " insisted Abe. "We'll find th' place anyhow. But look ahead there; is that another hail storm headin' this way, Tom?"

The young inventor glanced to where Abe pointed. There was a mist inthe air, and, for a time great apprehension was felt, but, in a fewminutes there was a violent flurry of snow and they all breathedeasier. For, though the flakes were so numerous as to completelyshut off the view, there was no danger to the airship from them. Tomsteered by the compass. 

The storm lasted several hours, and when it was over the adventurersfound themselves several miles nearer their destination--at leastthey hoped they were nearer it, for they were going it blind. 

Abe declared they were now in the region of the gold valley. Theycruised about for two days, making vain observations by means ofpowerful telescopes, but they saw no signs of any depression whichcorresponded with the place whence Abe had seen the gold taken from. At times they passed over Indian villages, and had glimpses of theskin-clad inhabitants rushing out to point to the strange sight ofthe airship overhead. Tom was beginning to reproach himself againfor his carelessness in losing the map, and it did begin to took asif they were making a fruitless search. 

Still they all kept up their good spirits, and Mr. Damon concoctedsome new dishes from the meat of the musk oxen. It was about a weekafter the fight with the savage creatures when, one day, as Ned wason duty in the pilothouse, he happened to lock down. What he sawcaused him to call to Tom. 

"What's the matter?" demanded the young inventor, as he hurriedforward. 

"Look down there, " directed Ned. "It looks as if we were sailingover a lot of immense beehives of the old-fashioned kind. "

Tom looked. Below were countless, rounded hummocks of snow or ice. Some were very large--as immense as a great shed in which adirigible balloon could be housed--while others were as small as theice huts in which the Eskimos live. 

"That's rather strange, " remarked Tom. "I wonder--"

But he did not complete his sentence, for Abe Abercrombie, who hadcome to stand beside him, suddenly yelled out:

"The caves of ice! The caves of ice! Now I know where we are! We'reclose to the valley of gold! There are the caves of ice, and justbeyond is th' place we're lookin' for! We've found it at last!"

CHAPTER XX

IN THE GOLD VALLEY

The excited cries of the old miner brought Mr. Damon and Mr. Parkerto the pilothouse on the run. 

"Bless my refrigerator!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Are there more ofthose savage, shaggy creatures down there?"

"No, but we are over th' caves of ice, " explained Abe. "That meanswe are near th' gold. "

"You don't say so!" burst out the scientist. "The caves of ice! NowI can begin my real observations! I have a theory that the caves areon top of a strata of ice that is slowly moving down, and willeventually bury the whole of the North American continent. Let meonce get down there, and I can prove what I say. "

"I'd a good deal rather you wouldn't prove it, if it's going to beanything like it was on Earthquake Island, or out among the diamondmakers. " said Tom Swift. "But we will go down there, to see whatthey are like. Perhaps there is a trail from among the ice caves tothe valley of gold. "

"I don't think so, " said Abe, shaking his head. 

"I think th' gold valley lies over that high ridge, " and he pointedto one. "That's where me an' my partner was, " he went on. "Irecognize th' place now. "

"Well, we'll go down here, anyhow, " decided Tom, and he pulled thelever to let some gas out of the bag, and tilted the deflectionrudder to send the airship toward the odd caves. 

And, curious enough did our friends find them when they had made alanding and got out to walk about them. It was very cold, for onevery side was solid ice. They walked on ice, which was like a floorbeneath their feet, level save where the ice caves rearedthemselves. As for the caverns, they, too, were hollowed out of thesolid ice. It was exactly as though there had once been a levelsurface of some liquid. Then by some upheaval of nature, the surfacewas blown into bubbles, some large and some small. Then the wholething had frozen solid, and the bubbles became hollow caves. In timepart of the sides fell in and made an opening, so that nearly allthe caves were capable of being entered. 

This method of their formation was advanced as a theory by Mr. Parker, and no one cared to dispute him. The gold-seekers walkedabout, gazing on the ice caves with wonder showing on their faces. 

It was almost like being in some fantastic scene from fairyland, thebig ice bubbles representing the houses, the roofs being roundedlike the igloos of the Eskimos. Some had no means of entrance, theouter surface showing no break. Others had small openings, like alittle doorway, while of still others there remained but a smallpart of the original cave, some force of nature having crumbled andcrushed it. 

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" exclaimed Mr. Parker. "It bears out mytheory exactly! Now to see how fast the ice is moving. "

"How are you going to tell?" asked Tom. 

"By taking some mark on this field of ice, and observing a distantpeak. Then I will set up a stake, and by noting their relativepositions, I can tell just how fast the ice field is movingsouthward. " The scientist hurried into the ship to get a sharpenedstake he had prepared for this purpose. 

"How fast do you think the ice is moving?" asked Ned. 

"Oh, perhaps two or three feet a year. " "Two or three feet a year?"gasped Mr. Damon. "Why, Parker, my dear fellow, at that rate it willbe some time before the ice gets to New York. "

"Oh, yes. I hardly expect it will reach there within two thousandyears, but my theory will be proved, just the same!"

"Humph!" exclaimed Abe Abercrombie, "I ain't goin' to worry anymore, if it's goin' t' take all that while. I reckoned, to hear himtalk, that it was goin' t' happen next summer. "

"So did I, " agreed Tom, but their remarks were lost on Mr. Parkerwho was busy making observations. The young inventor and the otherswalked about among the ice caves. 

"Some of these caverns would be big enough to house the RED CLOUD incase of another hail storm, " observed Tom. "That one over therewould hold two craft the size of mine, " and, in fact, probably threecould have gotten in if the opening had been somewhat enlarged, forthe ice cave to which our hero pointed was an immense one. 

As the adventurers were walking about they were startled by aterrific crashing sound. They started in alarm, for, off to theirleft, the top of one of the ice caverns had crashed inward, theblocks of frozen water crushing and grinding against one another. 

"It's a good thing we weren't in there, " remarked Tom, and he couldnot repress a shudder, "There wouldn't have been much left of theRED CLOUD if she had been inside. "

It was a desolate place, in spite of the wild beauty of it, andbeautiful it was when the sun shone on the ice caves, making themsparkle as if they were studded with diamonds. But it was cold andcheerless, and there were no signs that human beings had ever beenthere. Mr. Parker had completed the setting of his stake, and pickedout his landmarks, and was gravely making his "observations, " andjotting down some figures in a notebook. 

"How fast is it moving, Parker?" called Mr. Damon. 

"I can't tell yet, " was the response. "It will require observationsextending over several days before I will know the rate. "

"Then we might as well go on, " suggested Tom. "There is nothing tobe gained from staying here, and I would like to get to the goldvalley. Abe says we are near it. "

"Right over that ridge, I take it to be, " replied the miner. "An' wecan't get there any too soon for me. Those Fogers may git their shipfixed up, an' arrive before we do if we wait much longer. "

"Not much danger, I guess, " declared Ned. 

"Well, we'll go up in the air, and see what we can find, " decidedTom, as he turned back toward the ship. 

They found the "ridge" as Abe designated it, to be a great plateau, over a hundred miles in extent, and they were the better part ofthat day crossing it, for they went slowly, so as not to miss thevalley which the miner was positive was close at hand. Mr. Parkerdisliked leaving the ice caves, but Abe said there were more in thevalley where they were going, and the scientist could renew hisobservations. 

It was getting dusk when Tom, who was peering through a powerfulglass, called out:

"Well, we're at the end of the plateau, and it seems to dip downinto a valley just beyond here. "

"Then that's the place!" cried Abe, excitedly. "Go slow, Tom. "

Our hero needed no such caution. Carefully he sent the airshipforward. A few minutes later they were passing over a large Eskimovillage, the fur-clad inhabitants of which rushed about wildlyexcited at the sight of the airship. 

"There they are! Them's th' beggars!" cried the old miner. "Them'sth' fellows who drove me an' my partner away. But there's th' valleyof gold! I know it now! How t' fill our pockets with nuggets!"

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Mr. Damon. 

"Sartin sure of it!" declared Abe. "Put her down, Tom! Put herdown!"

"All right, " agreed the young inventor, as he shifted the deflectionrudder. The airship began her descent into the valley. The edge ofthe plateau, leading down into the great depression was now blackwith the Eskimos and Indians, who were capering about, gesticulatingwildly. 

"It's quite a surprise party to 'em, " observed Ned Newton. 

"Yes, I hope they don't spring one on us, " added Tom. 

Down and down went the RED CLOUD lower and lower into the valley. 

"There are ice caves there!" cried Mr. Parker, pointing to thecuriously rounded and hollow hummocks. "Lots of them!"

"And larger than the others!" added Mr. Damon. 

The airship was now moving slowly, for Tom wanted to pick out a goodlanding place. He saw a smooth stretch of the ice just ahead of him, in front of an immense ice cave. 

"I'll make for that, " he told Ned. 

A few minutes later the craft had come to rest. Tom shut off thepower and hurried from the pilothouse, donning his fur coat as herushed out. A blast of frigid air met him as he opened the outerdoor of the cabin. Back on the ridge of the plateau he could see thefringe of Indians. 

"Well, we're here in the valley, " he said, as his friends gatheredabout him on the icy ground. 

"An' now for th' gold!" cried Abe, "for it's here that th' nuggetsare--enough for all of us! Come on an' have a hunt for 'em!"

CHAPTER XXI

THE FOGERS ARRIVE

In Spite of the fact that he tried to remain calm, Tom Swift felt awild exultation as he thought of what lay before him and hisfriends. To be in a place where gold could be picked up! where theymight all become fabulously wealthy! where the ground might be seencovered with the precious yellow metal! this was enough to set thenerves of any one a-tingle!

Tom could hardly realize it at first. After many hardships, nolittle danger, and after an attempt on the part of their enemies todefeat them, they had at last reached their goal. Now, as Abe hadsaid, they could hunt for the gold. 

But if they expected to see the precious yellow nuggets lying aboutready to be picked up like so many kernels of corn, they weredisappointed. A quick look all about showed them only a vast extentof ice and snow, broken here and there by the big caves of ice. There were not so many of the latter as at the first place theystopped, but the caverns were larger. 

"Gold--I don't see any gold, " remarked Ned Newton, with adisappointed air. "Where is it?"

"Bless my pocketbook, yes! Where is it?" demanded Mr. Damon. 

"Oh, we've got to dig for it, " explained Abe. "It's only whenthere's been a slight thaw that some of th' pebble nuggets kin beseen. They're under th' ice, an' we've got t' dig for 'em. "

"Does it ever thaw up here?" asked Mr. Parker. "The ice of the cavesseems thick enough to last forever. "

"It does thaw an' melt some, " went on the miner. "But some of th'caves last all through what they call 'summer' up here, though it'smore like winter. We're above th' Arctic circle now, friends. "

"Maybe we can keep on to the Pole, " suggested Ned. 

"Not this trip, " spoke Tom, grimly. "We'll try for the gold, first. "

"Yes, an' I'm goin' t' begin diggin' right away!" exclaimed Abe, ashe turned back into the airship, and came out again with a pick andshovel, a supply of which implements had been brought along. Theothers followed his example, and soon the ice chips were flyingabout in a shower, while the sun shining on them gave the appearanceof a rainbow. 

"Look at those Indians watching us, " remarked Ned to Tom, as hepaused in his chipping of the frozen surface. The young inventorglanced up toward the distant plateau where a fringe of dark figuresstood. The natives were evidently intently watching the gold-seekers. 

"Do you think there's any danger from them. Abe?" asked Tom. 

"Not much, " was the reply. "They made trouble for me an' my partner, but I guess th' airship has scared 'em sufficient, so they won'tcome snoopin' down here, " and Abe fell to at his digging again. 

Mr. Damon was also vigorously wielding a pick, but Mr. Parker likethe true scientist he was, had renewed his observations. Evidentlythe gold had no attractions for him, or, if it did, he preferred towait until he had finished his calculations. 

Vigorously the adventurers wielded their implements, making the icefly, but for an hour or more no gold was discovered. Mr. Damon, after picking lightly at a certain place, would get discouraged, andmove on to another. So did Ned, and Tom, after going down quite away, left off work, and walked over to one of the big ice caves. 

"What's up?" asked Ned, resting from his labors. 

"I was thinking whether it would be safe to put the RED CLOUD inthis ice cave for a shelter, " replied Tom. "There may come up a hailstorm at any time, and damage it. The caves would be just the placefor it, only I'm afraid the roof might collapse. "

"It looks strong, " said Ned. "Let's ask Mr. Parker his opinion. "

"Good idea, " agreed Tom. 

The scientist was soon taking measurements of the thickness of thecave roof, noting its formation, and looking at the frozen floor. 

"I see no reason why this cave should collapse, " he finallyannounced. "The only danger is the movement of the whole valley ofice, and that is too gradual to cause any immediate harm. Yes, Ithink the airship could be housed in the ice cave. "

"Then I'll run her in, and she'll be safer, " decided Tom. "I guesswe three can do it, Ned, and leave Mr. Damon and Abe to keep ondigging for gold. " The airship was so buoyant that it could easilybe moved about on the bicycle wheels on which it rested, and soon, after the lower edge of the opening into the ice cave had beensmoothed down, the RED CLOUD was placed in the novel shelter. 

"Now to continue the search for the yellow nuggets!" cried Ned, andTom went with him, even Mr. Parker condescending to take a pick, now. Abe was the only one who dug steadily in one place. The otherstried spot after spot. 

"You've got t' stick t' one lead until you find somethin', or untilit peters out, " explained the miner. "You must git down to th' dirtbefore you'll find any gold, though you may strike a few grains thathave worked up into th' ice. "

After this advice they all kept to one hole until they had workeddown through the ice to the dirt surface below. But even then, Abe, who was the first to achieve this, found no gold, and the old minerwent to another location. 

All the rest of that day they dug, but with no result. Not even afew grains of yellow dust rewarded their efforts. 

"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Mr. Damon, somewhatfretfully, of Abe, as they ate supper that night in the airship, sheltered as it was in the ice cave. 

"I'm positive of it, " was the reply. "There's gold here, but it willtake some prospectin' t' find it. Maybe th' deposits have beenshifted by th' ice movement, as Mr. Parker says. But it's here, an'we'll git it. We'll try ag'in t'-morrow. "

They did try, but with small success. Laboring all day in the coldthe only result was a few little yellow pebbles that Tom foundimbedded in the ice. But they were gold, and the finding of themgave the seekers hope as they wearily began their task the followingday. The weather seemed even colder, and there was the indication ofa big storm. 

They were scattered in different places on the ice, not far awayfrom the big cave, each one picking away vigorously. Suddenly Abe, who had laboriously worked his way down to the dirt, gave anexultant yell. 

"I've struck it! Struck it rich!" he shouted, leaping about as hethrew down his pick, "Look here, everybody!" He stooped down overthe hole. They all ran to his side, and saw him lifting from alittle pocket in the dirt, several large, yellow pebbles. 

"Gold! Gold!" cried Abe. "We've struck it at last!"

For a moment no one spoke, though there was a wild beating of theirhearts. Then, off toward the farther end of the valley there soundeda curious noise. It was a shouting and yelling, mingled with thesnapping of whips and the howls and barkings of dogs. 

"Bless my handkerchief!" cried Mr. Damon. "What's that?"

They all saw a moment later. Approaching over the frozen snow wereseveral Eskimo sledges, drawn by dog teams, and the native driverswere shouting and cracking their whips of walrus hide. 

"The natives are coming to attack us!" cried Ned. 

Tom said nothing. He was steadily observing the approaching sleds. They came on rapidly. Abe was holding the golden nuggets in hisgloved hands. 

"Get the guns! Where's your electric rifle, Tom?" cried Mr. Damon. 

"I don't believe we'll need the guns--just yet, " answered the younginventor, slowly. 

"Bless my cartridge-belt! Why not?" demanded the eccentric man. 

"Because those are the Fogers, " replied Tom. "They have followedus--Andy and his father! Andy Foger here!" gasped Ned. 

Tom nodded grimly. A few minutes later the sleds had come to a haltnot far from our friends, and Andy, followed by his father, leapedoff his conveyance. The two were clad in heavy fur garments. 

"Ha, Tom Swift! You didn't get here much ahead of us!" exulted thebully. "I told you I'd get even with you! Come on, now, dad, we'llget right to work digging for gold!"

Tom and his companions did not know what to say. 

CHAPTER XXII

JUMPING THE CLAIM

There was a sneering look on Andy's face, and Mr. Foger, too, seemeddelighted at having reached the valley of gold almost as soon as hadour friends. Tom and the others looked at the means by which thebully had arrived. There were four sleds, each one drawn by sevendogs, and in charge of a dark-skinned native. On the two foremostsleds Andy and his father had ridden, while the other two evidentlycontained their supplies. 

For a moment Andy surveyed Tom's party and then, turning to one ofthe native drivers, he said:

"We'll camp here. You fellows get to work and make an ice house, andsome of you cook a meal--I'm hungry. "

"No need build ice house, " replied the native, who spoke Englishbrokenly. 

"Why not?" demanded Andy. 

"Live in ice cave-plenty much ob'em--plenty much room, " went on theEskimo, indicating several of the large caverns. 

"Ha! That's a good idea, " agreed Mr. Foger, "Andy, my son, we havehouses already made for us, and very comfortable they seem, too. We'll take up our quarters in one, and then hunt for the gold. "

Mr. Foger seemed to ignore Tom and his friends. Abe Abercrombiestrode forward. 

"Look here, you Fogers!" he exclaimed without ceremony, "was youcalculatin' on stakin' any claims here?"

"If you mean are we going to dig for gold, we certainly are, "replied Andy insolently, "and you can't stop us. "

"I don't know about that, " went on Abe, grimly. "I ain't goin' t'say nothin' now, about th' way you stole th' map from me, an' made acopy, but I am goin t' say this, an' that is it won't be healthy ferany of you t' git in my way, or t' try t' dig on our claims!"

"We'll dig where we please!" cried Andy. "You don't own thisvalley!"

"We own as much of it as we care to stake out, by right of priordiscovery!" declared Tom, firmly. 

"And I say we'll dig where we please!" insisted Andy. "Hand me apick, " he went on to another of the natives. 

"Wait jest a minute, " spoke Abe calmly, as he put his little storeof nuggets in the pocket of his fur coat, and drew out a bigrevolver. "It ain't healthy t' talk that way, Andy Foger, an' th'sooner you find that out th' better. You ain't in Shopton now, an'th' only law here is what we make for ourselves. Tom, maybe you'dbetter get out th' rifles, an' your electric gun, after all. Itseems like we might have trouble, " and Abe cooly looked to see ifhis weapon was loaded. 

"Oh, of course we didn't mean to usurp any of your rights, my dearfriend!" exclaimed Mr. Foger quickly, and he seemed nervous at thesight of the big revolver, while Andy hastily moved until he wasbehind the biggest of the sledge drivers. "We don't want to violateany of your rights, " went on Mr. Foger. "But this valley is large, and do I understand that you claim all of it?"

"We could if we wanted to, " declared Abe stoutly; "but we'll becontent with three-quarter of it, seein' we was here fust. If youfolks want t' dig fer gold, go over there, " and he pointed to a spotsome distance away. 

"We'll dig where we please!" cried Andy. 

"Oh, will you?" and there was an angry light in Abe's eyes. "Iguess, Tom, you'd better git--"

"No! No! My son is wrong--he is too hasty, " interposed Mr. Foger. "We will go away--certainly we will. The valley is large enough forboth of us--just as you say. Come, Andy!"

The bully seemed about to refuse, but a look at Abe's angry face anda sight of Mr. Damon coming from the cave where the airship was, with a rifle, for the eccentric man had hastened to get his weapon--thissight calmed Andy down. Without further words he and his fathergot back on their sleds, and were soon being driven off to where alarge ice cave loomed up, about a mile away. 

"Good riddance, " muttered the miner, "now we kin go on diggin'without bein' bothered by that little scamp. "

"I don't know about that, " spoke Tom, shaking his head dubiously. "There's always trouble when Andy Foger's within a mile. I'm afraidwe haven't seen the last of him. "

"He'd better not come around here ag'in, " declared Abe. "Queer, howhe should turn up, jest when I made a big strike. "

"They must have come on all the way from where their airship waswrecked, by means of dog sleds, " observed Ned, and the others agreedwith him. Later they learned that this was so; that after theaccident to the ANTHONY, the crew had refused to proceed farthernorth, and had gone back. But Mr. Foger had hired the natives withthe dog teams, and, by means of the copy of the map and with whatknowledge his Eskimos had, had reached the valley of gold. 

"We have certainly struck it rich, " went on Abe, as he went back towhere he had dug the hole. "Now we'd better all begin prospectin'here, for it looks like a big deposit. We'll stake out a largeenough claim to take it all in. I guess Mr. Parker can do that, seein' as how he knows about such things. "

The scientist agreed to do this part of the work, it beingunderstood that all the gold discovered would be shared equallyafter the expenses of the trip had been paid. 

Feverishly Abe and the others began to dig. They did not come uponsuch a rich deposit as the miner had found, but there were enoughnuggets picked up to prove that the expedition would be verysuccessful. 

No more attention was paid to the Fogers, but through the telescopeTom could see that the bully and his father had made a camp in oneof the ice caves, and that both were eagerly digging in the frozensurface of the valley. 

Before night several thousand dollars' worth of gold had been takenout by our friends. It was stored in the airship, and then, aftersuppers the craft's searchlight was taken off, and placed in such aposition in front of the cave of ice so that the beams wouldilluminate the claim staked out by Tom and the others. 

"We'll stand watch an' watch, " suggested Abe, "but I don't thinkthem Fogers will come around here ag'in. "

They did not, and the night passed peacefully. The next day ourfriends were again at work digging for gold. So were the Fogers, ascould be observed through the glass, but it was impossible to seewhether they got any nuggets. 

The gold seemed to be in "pockets, " and that day the ones in thevicinity of the strike first made by Abe were cleaned out. 

"We'll have to locate some new 'pockets, '" said the miner, and theadventurers scattered over the frozen plain to look for otherdeposits of the precious metal. 

Tom and Ned were digging together not far from one another. SuddenlyNed let out a joyful cry. 

"Strike anything?" asked Tom. 

"Something rich, " answered the bank clerk. He lifted from a hole inthe ground a handful of the golden pebbles. 

"It's as good as Abe's was!" exclaimed Tom. "We must stake it out atonce, or the Fogers may jump it. Come on, we'll go back and tellAbe, and get Mr. Parker and Mr. Damon over here. "

The three men were some distance away, and there was no sign of theFogers. Tom and Ned hurried back to where their friends were, leaving their picks and shovels on the frozen ground. 

The good news was soon told, and, with some stakes hastily made fromsome extra wood carried on the airship, the little party hastenedback to where Tom and Ned had made their strike. 

As they emerged from behind a big hummock of ice they saw, standingover the holes which the lads had dug, Andy Foger and his father!Each one had a rifle, and there was a smile of triumph on Andy'sface!

"What are you doing here?" cried Tom, the hot blood mounting to hischeeks. 

"We've just staked out a claim here, " answered the bully. 

"And you deserted it, " put in Mr. Foger smoothly. "I think yourmining friend will tell you that we have a right to take up anabandoned claim. "

"But we didn't abandon it!" declared Tom. "We only went away to getthe stakes. "

"The claim was abandoned, and we have 'jumped' it, " went on Mr. Foger, and he cocked his rifle. "I need hardly tell you thatpossession is nine points of the law, and that we intend to remain. Andy, is your gun loaded?"

"Yes, pa. "

"I--I guess they've got us--fer th' time bein', " murmured Abe, as hemotioned to Tom and the others to come away. "Besides they've gotguns, an' we haven't--but wait, " added the miner, mysteriously. "Ihaven't played all my tricks yet. "

CHAPTER XXIII

ATTACKED BY NATIVES

To state that Tom and his friends were angry at the trick the Fogershad played on them would be putting it mildly. There was righteousindignation in their hearts, and, as for the young inventor he feltthat much blame was attached to him for his neglect in not remainingon guard at the place of the lucky strike while Ned went to call theothers. 

"I guess Andy must have been spying on us, " spoke Ned, "or he wouldnever have known when to rush up just as he did; as soon as weleft. "

"Probably, " admitted Tom, bitterly. 

"But, bless my penholder!" cried Mr. Damon. "Can't we do something, Abe? Won't the law--?"

"There ain't any law out here, except what you make yourself, " saidthe miner. "I guess they've got us for th' time bein'. "

"What do you mean by that?" asked Tom, detecting a gleam of hope inAbe's tone. 

"Well, I mean that I think we kin git ahead of 'em. Come on back toth' ship, an' we'll talk it over. "

They walked away, leaving Andy and his father in possession of therich deposits of gold, and that it was much richer even then thanthe hole Abe had first discovered was very evident. The two Fogerswere soon at work, digging out the yellow metal with the pick andshovels Tom and Ned had so thoughtlessly dropped. 

"What little law there is out here they've got on their side, " wenton Abe, "an' they've got possession, too, which is more. Of coursewe could go at 'em in a pitched battle, but I take it you don't wantany bloodshed?" and he looked at Tom. 

"Of course not, " replied the lad quickly, "but I'd like to meet Andyalone, with nothing but my fists for a little while, " and Tom's eyessnapped. 

"So would I, " added Ned. 

"Perhaps we can find another pocket of gold better than that one, "suggested Mr. Damon. 

"We might, " admitted Abe, "but that one was ours an' we're entitledto it. This valley is rich in gold deposits, but you can't allersput your hand on 'em. We may have t' hunt around for a week until westrike another. An', meanwhile, them Fogers will be takin' our gold!It's not to be borne! I'll find some way of drivin' 'em out. An'we've got t' do it soon, too. "

"You mean if we don't that they'll get all the gold?" asked Mr. Damon. 

"No, I mean that soon it will be th' long night up here, an' wecan't work. We'll have t' go back, an' I don't want t' go back untilI've made my pile. "

"Neither do any of us, I guess, " spoke Tom, "but there doesn't seemto be any help for it. "

They discussed several plans on reaching the ship, but none seemedfeasible without resorting to force, and this they did not want todo, as they feared there might be bloodshed. When night closed inthey could see the gleam of a campfire, kindled by the Foger party, at the gold-pocket, from bits of the scrubby trees that grew in thatfrigid clime. 

"They're going to stay on guard, " announced Tom. "We can't get itaway from them to-night. "

Though Abe had spoken of some plan to regain the advantage theFogers had of them, the old miner was not quite ready to propose it. All the next day he seemed very thoughtful, while going about withthe others, seeking new deposits of gold. Luck did not seem to bewith them. They found two or three places where there were traces ofthe yellow pebbles, but in no very great quantity. 

Meanwhile the Fogers were busy at the pocket Ned had located. Theyseemed to be taking out much of the precious metal. 

"And it all ought to be ours, " declared Tom, bitterly. 

"Yes, and it shall be, too!" suddenly exclaimed. Abe. "I think Ihave a plan that will beat 'em. "

"What is it?" asked Tom. 

"Let's get back to the ship, and I'll tell you, " said Abe. "We can'ttell when one of their natives might be sneakin' in among these icecaves, an' they understand some English. They might give my schemeaway. "

In brief Abe's plan, as he unfolded it in the cabin of the RED CLOUDwas this:

They would divide into two parties, one consisting of Ned and Tom, and the other of the three men. The latter, by a circuitous route, would go to the ice caves where the Fogers had established theircamp. It was there that the Indians remained during the day, whileAndy and his father labored at the gold pocket, for, after the firstday when they had had the natives aid them, father and son hadworked alone at the hole, probably fearing to trust the Indians. Atnight, though either Andy or his father remained on guard, with oneor two of the dusky-skinned dog drivers. 

"But we'll work this trick before night, " said Abe. "We three menwill get around to where the natives are in the ice cave. We'llpretend to attack them, and raise a great row, firing our guns inthe air, and all that sort of thing, an' yellin' t' beat th' band. Th' natives will yell, too, you can depend on that. "

"Th' Fogers will imagine we are tryin' t' git away with their sledsan' supplies, an' maybe their gold, if they've got it stored in th'ice cave. Naturally Andy or his father will run here, an' that willleave only one on guard at th' mine. Then Tom an' Ned can sneak up. Th' two of 'em will be a match for even th' old Foger, if he happenst' stay, an' while Tom or Ned comes up in front, t' hold hisattention, th' other can come up in back, an' grab his arms, if hetries t' shoot. Likely Andy will remain at th' gold hole, an' youtwo lads kin handle him, can't you?"

"Well, I guess!" exclaimed Tom and Ned together. 

The plan worked like a charm. Abe, Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker raised agreat din at the ice cave where the Foger natives were. The soundcarried to the hole where Andy and his father were digging out thegold. Mr. Foger at once ran toward the cave, while Andy, catching uphis gun, remained on the alert. 

Then came the chance of Tom and Ned. The latter coming from hishiding-place, advanced boldly toward the bully, while Tom, making adetour, worked his way up behind. 

"Here! You keep away!" cried Andy, catching sight of Ned. "I seewhat the game is, now! It's a trick!"

"You're a nice one to talk about tricks!" declared Ned, advancingslowly. 

"Keep away if you don't want to get hurt!" yelled Andy. 

"Oh, you wouldn't hurt me; would you?" mocked Ned, who wanted togive Tom time to sneak up behind the bully. 

"Yes, I would! Keep back!" Andy was nervously fingering his weapon. The next instant his gun flew from his grasp, and he went overbackward in Tom's strong grip; for the young inventor, in hissealskin shoes had worked up in the rear without a sound. The nextmoment Andy broke away and was running for his life, leaving Tom andNed in possession of the gold hole, and that without a shot beingfired. A little later the three men, who had hurried away from thecave as Mr. Foger rushed up to see what caused the racket, joinedTom and Ned, and formal possession was taken of their lucky strike. 

"We'll guard it well, now, " decided Tom, and later that day theymoved some supplies near the hole, and for a shelter built an igloo, Eskimo fashion, in which work Abe had had some experience. Then theymoved the airship to another ice cave, nearer their "mine" as theycalled it, and prepared to stand guard. 

But there seemed to be no need, for the following day there was notrace of the Fogers. They and their natives had disappeared. 

"I guess we were too much for them, " spoke Tom. But the sequel wassoon to prove differently. 

It was three days after our friends had regained their mine, duringwhich time they had dug out considerable gold, that toward evening, as Tom was taking the last of the output of yellow pebbles into thecave where the airship was, he looked across the valley. 

"Looks like something coming this way, " observed the young inventor. "Natives, I guess. "

"It is, " agreed Ned, "quite a large party, too!"

"Better tell Abe and the others, " went on Tom. "I don't like thelooks of this. Maybe the sudden disappearance of the Fogers hassomething to do with it. "

Abe, Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker hurried from the ice cave. They hadcaught up their guns as they ran out. 

"They're still coming on, " called Tom, "and are headed this way. "

"They're Indians, all right!" exclaimed Abe. "Hark! What's that?"

It was the sound of shouting and singing. 

Through the gathering dusk the party advanced. Our friends closelyscanned them. There was something familiar about the two leadingfigures, and it could now be seen that in the rear were a number ofdog sleds. 

"There's Andy Foger and his father!" cried Ned. "They've gone andgot a lot of Eskimos to help them drive us away. "

"That's right!" admitted Tom. "I guess we're in for it now!"

With a rush the natives, led by the Fogers, came on. They wereyelling now. An instant later they began firing their guns. 

"It's a fierce attack!" cried Tom. "Into the ice cave for shelter!We can cover the gold mine from there. I'll get my electric gun!"

CHAPTER XXIV

THE WRECK OF THE AIRSHIP

Almost before our friends could retreat into the cave which nowsheltered the RED CLOUD, the attacking natives opened fire. Fortunately they only had old-fashioned, muzzle-loading muskets, and, as their aim was none of the best, there was comparativelylittle danger. The bullets, however, did sing through thefast-gathering darkness with a vicious sound, and struck the heavysides and sloping front of the ice cave with a disconcerting "ping!"

"I don't hear Andy or his father firing!" called Tom, as he and theothers returned the fire of the savage Indians. "I could tell theirguns by the sharper reports. The Fogers carry repeating rifles, andthey're fine ones, if they're anything like the one we took fromAndy, Ned. "

"That's right, " agreed Tom's chum, "I don't believe Andy or hisfather dare fire. They're afraid to, and they're putting the poorignorant natives up to it. Probably they hired them to try to driveus away. "

This, as they afterward learned, was exactly the case. 

The battle, if such it could be called, was kept up. There was abouta hundred natives, all of whom had guns, and, though they were slowto load, there were enough weapons to keep up a constant fusilade. On their part, Tom and the others fired at first over the heads ofthe natives, for they did not want to kill any of the deluded men. Later, though, when they saw the rush keeping up, they fired attheir legs, and disabled several of the Eskimos, the electric gunproving very effective. 

It was now quite dark, and the firing slackened. From their positionin the cave, Tom and the others could command the hole where thegold was, and, as they saw several natives sneaking up to it theyoung inventor and Ned, both of whom were good shots, aimed to havethe bullets strike the ice close to where the Indians were. 

This sort of shooting was enough, and the natives scurried away. Then Tom hit on the plan of playing the searchlight on the spot, andthis effectually prevented an unseen attack. It seemed to discouragethe enemy, too for they did not venture into that powerful glow oflight. 

"They won't do anything more until morning, " declared Abe. "Thenwe'll have it hot an' heavy, though, I'm afeered. Well, we'll havet' make th' best of it!"

They took turns standing guard that night, but no attack was made. The fact of the Fogers coming back with the band of Indians toldTom, more plainly than words, how desperately his enemies would dobattle with them. Anxiously they waited for the morning. 

Several times in the night Mr. Parker was seen roaming aboutuneasily, though it was not his turn to be on guard. Finally Tomasked him what was the matter, and if he could not sleep. 

"It isn't that, " answered the scientist, "but I am worried about theice. I can detect a slight but peculiar movement by means of some ofmy scientific instruments. I am alarmed about it. I fear somethingis going to happen. "

But Tom was too worried about the outcome of the fight he knew wouldbe renewed on the next day, to think much about the ice movement. Hethought it would only be some scientific phenomena that would amountto little. 

With the first streak of the late dawn, the gold-seekers were up, and partook of a hot breakfast, with strong coffee which Mr. Damonbrewed. Tom took an observation from the mouth of the cave. Thesearchlight was still dimly glowing, and it did not discloseanything. Tom turned it off. He thought he saw a movement among theranks of the enemy, who had camped just beyond the gold hole. 

"I guess they're coming!" cried the lad. "Get ready for them!"

The adventurers caught up their guns, and hurried to the entrance ofthe cave. Mr. Parker lingered behind, and was observed to benarrowly scanning the walls of the cavern. 

"Come on, Parker, my dear man!" begged Mr. Damon. "We are in gravedanger, and we need your help. Bless my life insurance policy! but Inever was in such a state as this. "

"We may soon be in a worse one, " was the answer of the gloomyscientist. 

"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Damon, but he hurried on withoutwaiting for a reply. 

Suddenly, from without the cave came a series of fierce yells. Itwas the battle-cry of the Indians. At the same moment there soundeda fusillade of guns. 

"The battle is beginning!" cried Tom Swift, grimly. He held hiselectric gun, though he had not used it very much in the previousattack, preferring to save it for a time of more need. 

As the defenders of the cave reached the entrance they saw the bodyof natives rushing forward. They were almost at the gold hole, withAndy Foger and his father discreetly behind the first row ofEskimos, when, with a suddenness that was startling, there soundedthroughout the whole valley a weird sound!

It was like the wailing of some giant--the sighing of some mightywind. At the same time the air suddenly became dark, and then therecame a violent snow squall, shutting out instantly the sight of theadvancing natives. Tom and the others could not see five feet beyondthe cave. 

"This will delay the attack, " murmured Ned, "They can't see to comeat us. "

Mr. Parker came running up from the interior of the cave. On hisface there was a look of alarm. 

"We must leave here at once!" he cried. 

"Leave here?" repeated Tom. "Why must we? The enemy are out there!We'd run right into them!"

"It must be done!" insisted the scientist. "We must leave the caveat once!"

"What for?" cried Mr. Damon. 

"Because the movement of the ice that I predicted, has begun. It ismuch more rapid than I supposed it would be. In a short time thiscave and all the others will be crushed flat!"

"Crushed flat!" gasped Tom. 

"Yes, the caves of ice are being destroyed! Hark! You can hear themsnapping!"

They all listened. Above the roar of the storm could be made out thenoise of crushing, grinding ice-sounds like cannon being fired, asthe great masses of frozen crystal snapped like frail planks. 

"The ice caves are being destroyed by an upheaval of nature!" wenton Mr. Parker. "This one will soon go! The walls are bulging now! Wemust get out!"

"But the natives! They will kill us!" cried Mr. Damon. "Bless mysoul! what a trying position to be in. "

"I guess the natives are as bad off as we are, " suggested Ned. "They're not firing, and I can hear cries of alarm, I think they'rerunning away. "

There was a lull in the snow flurry, and the white curtain seemed tolift for a moment. The gold-seekers had a glimpse of the natives infull retreat, with the Fogers--father and son--racing panic-strickenafter them. Tom could also see a big cave, just beyond the goldhole, collapse and crumble to pieces like a house of cards. 

"We have no time to lose!" Mr. Parker warned them. "The roof of thiscave is slowly coming down. The sides are collapsing! We must getout!"

"Then wheel out the airship!" cried Tom. "We must save that! Weneedn't fear the natives, now!"

The young inventor hurried to the RED CLOUD calling to Ned and theothers. They hastened to his side. It was an easy matter to move theairship along on the wheels. It neared the opening of the cave. Therumbling, roaring, grinding sound of the ice increased. 

"Why--why!" cried Tom in surprise and alarm, as the craft neared themouth of the ice cavern, "we can't get it out--the opening is toosmall! Yet it came in easily enough!"

"The cave is collapsing--growing smaller every moment!" cried Mr. Parker. "We have only time to save our lives! Run out!"

"And leave the airship? Never!" yelled Tom. 

"You must! You can't save that and your life!"

"Get axes and make the opening bigger!" suggested Ned, who, like hischum, could not bear to think of the destruction of the beautifulcraft. 

"No time! No time!" shouted Mr. Parker, frantically, "We must getout! Save what you can from the ship--the gold--some supplies--theguns--some food--save what you can!"

Then ensued a wild effort to get from the doomed craft what theycould--what they would need if they were to save their lives in thatcold and desolate country. Food, some blankets--their guns--as muchof the gold as they could hastily gather together--their weapons andsome ammunition--all this was carried from the cabin outside thecave. The entrance was rapidly growing smaller. The roof was alreadypressing down on the gas-bag. 

Tom gave one last look at his fine craft. There were tears in hiseyes. He started into the cabin for something he had forgotten. Mr. Parker grabbed him by the arm. 

"Don't go in!" he cried hoarsely. "The cave will collapse in anotherinstant!" He rushed with Tom out of the cavern, and not a moment toosoon. The others were already outside. 

Then with a rush and a roar, with a sound like a great explosion, with a rending, grinding and booming as the great pieces of icecollapsed one against the other, the big ice cave settled in, asdoes some great building when the walls are weakened!

Down crashed the roof of the ice cave! Down upon the RED CLOUD, burying out of sight, forever, under thousands of tons of ice andsnow, the craft which was the pride of Tom Swift's heart! It was theend of the airship!

Tom felt a moisture of tears in his eyes as he stood there in themidst of the snowstorm. 

CHAPTER XXV

THE RESCUE--CONCLUSION

For a few moments after the collapse of the cave, and thedestruction of the airship, on which they depended to take them fromthat desolate land, no one spoke. The calamity had been tooterrible--they could hardly understand it. 

The snow had ceased, and, over the frozen plain, in full retreat, could be seen the band of attacking Indians. They had fled in terrorat the manifestation of Nature. And Nature, as if satisfied at themischief she had wrought, called a halt to the movement of the ice. The roaring, grinding sounds ceased, and there were no morecollapses of caves in that neighborhood. 

"Well, we are up against it, " spoke Tom, softly. "Poor old REDCLOUD! There'll never be another airship like you!"

"We are lucky to have escaped with our lives, " said Mr. Parker. "Another moment and it would have been too late. I was expectingsomething like this--I predicted it. "

But his honor was an empty one--no one cared to dispute it with him. 

"Bless my refrigerator! What's to be done!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. 

"Start from here as soon as possible, " decided Abe. 

"Why, do you think the natives will come back?" asked Ned. 

"No, but we have only a small supply of food, my lad, an' it's hardto git up here. We must hit th' trail fer civilization as soon as wekin!"

"Go back--how; without the airship?" asked Tom, blankly. 

"Walk!" exclaimed the miner, grimly. "It's th' only way!"

They realized that. There was no hope of digging through that massof fantastically piled ice to reach the airship, and, even if theycould have done so, it would have been crushed beyond all hope ofrepair. Nor could they dig down for more food, though what they hadhastily saved was little enough. 

"Well, if we've got to go, we'd better start, " suggested Tom, sadly. "Poor old RED CLOUD!"

"Maybe we can get a little more gold, " suggested Ned. 

They walked over to the hole whence they had taken the yellownuggets. The "pocket" was not to be seen. It was buried out of sightunder tons of ice. 

"We'll get no more gold here, " decided Abe, "if we get safely out ofth' valley, and t' the nearest white settlement, we'll be lucky. "

"Bless my soul! Is it as bad as that!" cried Mr. Damon. 

Abe nodded without speaking. There was nothing else to do. Sadly andsilently they made up into packs the things they had saved, andstarted southward, guided by a small compass the miner had with him. 

It was a melancholy party. Fortunately the weather had turned alittle warmer or they might have been frozen to death. They trampedall that day, shaping their course to take them out of the valley ona side well away from where the hostile natives lived. At night theymade rude shelters of snow and blocks of ice and ate cold victuals. The second day it grew colder, and they were slightly affected bysnow-blindness, for they had lost their dark glasses in the cave. 

Even the gold seemed too great a burden to carry, and they foundthey had more of it than at first they supposed. On the third daythey were ready to give up, but Abe bravely urged them on. Towardthe close of the fourth day, even the old miner was in despair, forthe food they could carry was not such as to give strength andwarmth, and they saw no game to shoot. 

They were just getting ready to go into a cheerless camp for thenight, when Tom, who was a little in advance, looked ahead. 

"Ned, do I see something or is it only a vision?" he asked. 

"What does it look like?" asked his chum. 

"Like Eskimos on sleds. "

"That's what it is, " agreed Ned, after an observation. "Maybe it'sthe Fogers, or some of the savage Indians. "

They halted in alarm, and got out their guns. The little party ofnatives kept coming on toward them. 

Suddenly Abe uttered a cry, but it was one of joy and not fear. 

"Hurrah!" he yelled, "It's all right--they're friendly natives!They're of the same tribe that helped me an' my partner! It's allright, boys, we're rescued now!"

And so it proved. A few minutes later the gold-seekers were on thesleds of the friendly Eskimos, some of whom remembered Abe, and theweary and hungry adventures were being rushed toward the nativevillage as fast as the dogs could run. It was a hunting party thathad come upon our friends just in time. 

Little more remains to be told. Well cared for by the kind Eskimos, Tom and his friends soon recovered their spirits and strength. Theyarranged for dog teams to take them to Sitka, and paid their friendswell for the service, not only in gold, but by presenting what wasof more value, the guns they no longer needed. Tom, however, retained his electric rifle. 

Three weeks after that they were on a steamer bound forcivilization, having bidden their friends the Eskimos good-by. 

"Homeward bound, " remarked Tom, some time later, as they were in atrain speeding across the continent. "It was a great trip, and thegold we got will more than repay us, even to building a new airship. Still, I can't help feeling sorry about the RED CLOUD. "

"I don't blame you, " returned Ned. "Are you going to build anotherairship, Tom?"

"Not one like the RED CLOUD, I think. But I have in mind plans for asort of racing craft. I think I'll start it when I get back home. "

How Tom's plans developed, and what sort of a craft he built will berelated in the next volume of this series, to be called "Tom Swiftand His Sky Racer; or, the Quickest Flight on Record. " In that willbe told how the young inventor foiled his enemies, and how he savedhis father's life. Our friends arrived safely at Shopton in dueseason. They learned that the two Fogers had reached there shortlybefore them. Tom and his party decided not to prosecute them, andthey did not learn the identity of the men who tried to rob Tom ofthe map. 

"But I guess Andy won't go about boasting of his airship any more, "said Ned, "nor of how he got our gold mine away from us. He'll singmighty small for a while. "

The store of gold brought from the North, proved quite valuable, though but for the unforeseen accidents our friends could havesecured much more. Yet they were well satisfied. With his share AbeAbercrombie settled down out West, Mr. Damon gave most of his goldto his wife, Mr. Parker bought scientific instruments with his, Nedinvested his in bank stock, and Tom Swift, after buying a beautifulgift for a certain pretty young lady, used part of the remainder tobuild his Sky Racer. 

And now, for a time, we will take leave of Tom and his friends, andsay good-by.