Part 13 (1/2)

”All ready!” came back the answer above the roar and crackle of the flames that made Tom and Ned step back

Would success or failure attend the young inventor's project?

CHAPTER XI

THE BLAZING TREE

To the final word that would send the metal container of powerful che flames He wanted topossible to insure the success of his undertaking

The young inventor never atte into it with his whole energy So he wanted this experiment to succeed

He quickly reviewed, mentally, the co as possible, and he had spared no pains to insure a hot fire, so that the test would not be too simple

”What's the matter, To the word that would send the che I was just uess I haven't”

He paused aarht, and then suddenly cried:

”Let her go!”

”Right!” came back the man's voice, and then a dark object, like a bo from the skeleton fra of the fire in the pit as the extinguisher boht explosion when the bomb broke, as it was intended it should

Toh the pall of smoke which swirled this way and that Here was to come the real test of the device Would the fumes of the liberated chemicals choke the fire, or would it burn on in spite of them? That was the question to be settled for Tom Swift

Almost immediately he had his answer For after a fierce burst of the tongues of fire following the fall of the boration in the pit Great clouds of sreat enerated from the che down of the crackling fire

”Toht combination this time!”

Toerly down into the pit He was about to join with Ned in agreeing that he had, indeed, solved the probleain

”What's this?” asked the young financialto have a second test, Tom?”

”Not that I know of,” was the puzzled answer ”I don't exactly understand this ht to have died a natural death, but now it is breaking out again I think what must have happened is that a quantity of the oil they poured on collected in a pool and didn't get all the effects of the chemicals from the bomb Then the oil started to blaze”

”What can you do about it?” Ned wanted to know

”Oh, I've got another bomb up there,” and Toing arency as this Drop the other one!” To in the pit and again liberating the gas that was supposed to choke any fire

The flames that had started up for the second tie of the pit, cried:

”Hurray, To inventor shook his head ”I'm not quite satisfied,” he reh What I want is a chemical combination that will choke the fire off first shot”