Part 13 (1/2)
”Now that the danger is over,” went on Mr titus, ”suppose we ation, and find out how this boest,” remarked Professor bumper ”Bombs, such as this, do not sprout of themselves on bare decks And I take it this one is explosive”
”Letof explosives”
It needed but a casual examination on the part of one who had done considerable experi with explosives to disclose the fact that it had every characteristic of a dangerous bo out of the fuse had rendered it harone off,” said Tom, ”ould both have been killed, or, at least, badly injured, Mr titus”
”I believe you, Tolad I could be of service, gentlemen,” the scientist remarked, in an easy tone ”Explosives are out of o off Have you any idea how it got here?”
”Not in the least,” said Tom ”But some one must have placed it here, or dropped it behind us”
”Would any one have an object in doing such a thing?” the professor asked
Toton!” murht have done it to get us out of the way, though I would not go so far as to say he e in it, and he only meant to cripple us”
”We'll find out about that,” said Toed Mr titus
”I will,” the young inventor pro your pardon,” he went on to Professor bu of which you know nothing Briefly, there is a certainto interfere in some work in which Mr titus and I are interested, and we think, if he were on board, he ht have placed this bomb where it would injure us”
”Is he here?” asked the professor
”No And that is what e,” said Mr titus
”At one tiht he was here, but I was mistaken”
Tom took the now har the infernal erous as he had at first believed
The boh it held a quantity of explosive, it was of a slow burning kind Had it gone off it would have sent out a sheet of flame that would have severely burned him and Mr
titus, but unless complications had set in death would not have resulted
”They just wanted to disable us,” said the contractor ”That was their game Tom, who did it?”
”I don't know Did you ever see this Professor bumper before?”
”I never did”
”And did it strike you as curious that he should happen to be so near at hand when the boht of that,” adht have dropped it hio so far as to say that,” replied Toood idea to find out all we can of Professor Swyington buate him”
Chapter XI