Part 11 (1/2)

”I was not! You were the clown. I was part of the elephant. The front end, I think.”

”Oh. so you were. I'm thinking of another one. But what are you up to now? Is it a big magic lantern?”

Ned came over toward the bench, in front of which Tom stood, fitting together sheets of heavy bra.s.s in the form of a big square box. In one side there was a circular opening, and there were various wheels and levers on the different sides and on top. The interior contained parobolic curved mirrors.

”It's a SORT of a lantern, and I hope it's going to do some MAGIC work,” explained Tom with a smile. ”But it isn't the kind of magic lantern you mean. It won't throw pictures on a screen, but it may show some surprising pictures to us--that is if you come along, and I think you will.”

”Talking riddles; eh?” laughed Ned. ”What's the answer?”

”Smugglers.”

”I thought you were talking about a lantern.”

”So I am, and it's the lantern that's going to show up the smugglers, so you can call it a smuggler's magic lantern if you like.”

”Then you're going after them?”

This conversation took place several days after the raid on the Foger house, and after Tom's accidental discovery of how to make a new kind of searchlight. In the meantime he had not seen Ned, who had been away on a visit.

”Yes, I've made up my mind to help Uncle Sam,” spoke Tom, ”and this is one of the things I'll need in my work. It's going to be the most powerful searchlight ever made--that is, I never heard of any portable electric lights that will beat it.”

”What do you mean, Tom?”

”I mean that I'm inventing a new kind of searchlight, Ned. One that I can carry with me on my new noiseless airs.h.i.+p, and one that will give a beam of light that will be visible for several miles, and which will make objects in its focus as plain as if viewed by daylight.”

”And it's to show up the smugglers?”

”That's what. That is it will if we can get on the track of them.”

”But what did you mean when you said it would be the most powerful portable light ever made.”

”Just what I said. I've got to carry this searchlight on an airs.h.i.+p with me, and, in consequence, it can't be very heavy. Of course there are stationary searchlights, such lights as are in lighthouses, that could beat mine all to pieces for candle power, and for long distance visibility. But they are the only ones.”

”That's the way to do things, Tom! Say, I'm going with you all right after those smugglers. But where are some of those powerful stationary searchlights you speak of?”

”Oh, there are lots of them. One was in the Eiffel Tower, during the Paris Exposition. I didn't see that, but I have read about it.

Another is in one of the twin lighthouses at the Highlands, on the Atlantic coast of New Jersey, just above Asbury Park. That light is of ninety-five million candle power, and the lighthouse keeper there told me it was visible, on a clear night, as far as the New Haven, Connecticut, lighthouse, a distance of fifty miles.”

”Fifty miles! That's some light!” gasped Ned.

”Well, you must remember that the Highlands light is up on a very high hill, and the tower is also high, so there is quite an elevation, and then think of ninety-five million candle power--think of it!”

”I can't!” cried Ned. ”It gives me a head-ache.”

”Well, of course I'm not going to try to beat that,” went on Tom with a laugh, ”but I am going to have a very powerful light.” And he then related how he had accidently discovered a new way to connect the wires, so as to get, from a dynamo and a storage battery a much stronger, and different, current than usual.

”I'm making the searchlight now,” Tom continued, ”and soon I'll be ready to put in the lens, and the carbons.”

”And then what?”

”Then I'm going to attach it to my noiseless airs.h.i.+p, and we'll have a night flight. It may work, and it may not. If it does, I think we'll have some astonis.h.i.+ng results.”