Part 7 (2/2)
”Yes, and they went away again!” exclaimed Ned with a laugh. ”They had their trip for nothing. Say, did you see how they stared at Koku?”
”Yes, he's a helper worth having, in cases like these.”
Tom wrote a full account of what had happened and sent it to Mr.
Period. He received in reply a few words, thanking him for his loyalty, and again warning him to be on his guard.
In the meanwhile, work went on rapidly on the Wizard Camera. Briefly described it was a small square box, with a lens projecting from it.
Inside, however, was complicated machinery, much too complicated for me to describe. Tom Swift had put in his best work on this wonderful machine. As I have said, it could be worked by a storage battery, by ordinary electric current from a dynamo, or by hand. On top was a new kind of electric light. This was small and compact, but it threw out powerful beams. With the automatic arrangement set, and the light turned on, the camera could be left at a certain place after dark, and whatever went on in front of it would be reproduced on the moving roll of film inside.
In the morning the film could be taken out, developed, and the pictures thrown on a screen in the usual way, familiar to all who have been in a moving picture theatre. With the reproducing machines Tom had nothing to do, as they were already perfected. His task had been to make the new-style camera, and it was nearly completed.
A number of rolls of films could be packed into the camera, and they could be taken out, or inserted, in daylight. Of course after one film had been made, showing any particular scene any number of films could be made from this ”master” one. Just as is done with the ordinary moving picture camera. Tom had an attachment to show when one roll was used, and when another needed inserting.
For some time after the visit of the rival moving picture men, Tom was on his guard. Both house and shop were fitted with burglar alarms, but they did not ring. Eradicate and Koku were told to be on watch, but there was nothing for them to do.
”Well,” remarked Tom to Ned, one afternoon, when they had both worked hard, ”I think it's about finished. Of course it needs polis.h.i.+ng, and there may be some adjusting to do, but my camera is now ready to take pictures--at least I'm going to give it a test.”
”Have you the rolls of films?”
”Yes, half a dozen of 'em And I'm going to try the hardest test first.”
”Which one is that?”
”The night test. I'm going to place the camera out in the yard, facing my shop. Then you and I, and some of the others, will go out, pa.s.s in front of it, do various stunts, and, in the morning we'll develop the films and see what we have.”
”Why, are you going to leave the camera out, all night?”
”Sure. I'm going to give it the hardest kind of a test.”
”But are you and I going to stay up all night to do stunts in front of it?”
”No, indeed. I'm going to let it take what ever pictures happen to come along to be taken after we get through making some special early ones.
You see my camera will be a sort of watch dog, only of course it won't catch any one--that is, only their images will be caught on the film.
”Oh, I see,” exclaimed Ned, and then he helped Tom fix the machine for the test.
CHAPTER VII
WHAT THE CAMERA CAUGHT
”Well, is she working, Tom?” asked our hero's chum, a little later, when they had set the camera up on a box in the garden. It pointed toward the main shop door, and from the machine came a clicking sound.
The electric light was glowing.
”Yes, it's all ready,” replied Tom. ”Now just act as if it wasn't there. You walk toward the shop. Do anything you please. Pretend you are coming in to see me on business. Act as if it was daytime. I'll stand here and receive you. Later, I'll get dad out here, Koku and Eradicate. I wish Mr. Period was here to see the test, but perhaps it's just as well for me to make sure it works before he sees it.”
<script>