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.But they've daubed her with green and brown paintcamouflaged her,so to speak until she looks like part of the landscape.What made you suspicious of that particular place?""The green was such a bright one in contrast to the rest of the foliage aroundit.', "That's what struck me," Tom answered, as he continued to drive the Hawkearthward."They thought they were doing a smart trickimitating the tactics ofthe Allies with their tanksbut they must be color blind."Ned took another observation through the glasses.He could see the tank moreeasily now.There she was, fairly well hidden in a clump of bushes and smalltrees on the banks of a river, about a hundred miles away from Shopton.It wasin a wild and desolate country, and only with the airship could the trail havethus been followed.Ned saw that the tank had been daubed with green, yellow, and brown paint, infantastic blotches, to make the big machine blend with the foliage; and, to acertain extent, this had been accomplished.But, as Ned had remarked, the green used was of too vivid a hue.No naturaltree put forth leaves like that, and the glass had further revealed the error."Look, Tom!" suddenly cried Ned."She's moving!"Page 72ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"You're right!" answered the young inventor."They've seen us and are tryingto get away.""But they can't beat your airship, Tom."Tom Swift And His War TankChapter XXV.Foiled84"I know that.But their gameOh, Ned, they're going to wreck her!" cried Tom,and there was anguish in his voice.As the two looked down from their seats In the Hawk they saw the tank, in itsfantastic dress of splotchy paint, leave her lair amid the bushes and trees,and head toward the river.Like some ponderous prehistoric monster about totake a drink, she careened her way toward the stream, which, at this point,ran between high banks."What's the game?" cried Ned."They're going to send her to smash!" cried Tom."She's pretty tough, Tom, butshe'll never stand a tumble down into the river without breaking a lot ofmachinery inside her.""But if they demolish the tank they'll kill themselves, won't they? And Kokuand your men, too, who must be prisoners in her!""They won't risk their own worthless hides, you may be sure of that!"exclaimed Tom."There they go, but they must have left Koku and the others to their fate!""Oh, if they could only get loose and take control now, Tom, they'd save yourtank for you!" shouted Ned."Yes; but they can't, I'm afraid.They may be killed, or so securely boundthat they can't get loose!""Can't you get the Hawk there in time to stop her?""I'm afraid not.By that time she'll have attained top speed and it would betaking our lives in our bands to try to make a flying jump, get inside, andshut off the motors.""Then the tank's got to smash!" said Ned gloomily.Tom did not answer for a moment.He and his chum watched the fleeing figuresrunning away from the war engine.What the plotters had done, as soon as theysaw the aircraft and realized that Tom had discovered them, was to start themotors and leap from the tank, closing the doors after them.Whether or notthey had left Koku and the others prisoners inside remained to be seen.But the tank was plunging her way toward the steep bank of the river, doomed,it seemed, to great damage, if not to destruction."Oh, if we could only halt her!" murmured Ned.Tom Swift was busy with some apparatus on the Hawk.Ned heard the hum of anelectric motor which was connected with the engine, and there soon sounded thecrackle of the wireless."What are you doing? Signaling for help from those inside the tank?" askedNed, for the big machine was fitted to receive and send messages of this sort"I'm trying something more desperate than that," Tom answered.Again the wireless crackled, Tom working it with one hand while, with theother, he guided the aircraft.Ned looked downward with wondering eyes.Tom Swift And His War TankChapter XXV.Foiled85The tank was still plunging her way toward the steep bank of the river.If shetumbled down this, there would be little left of the expensive and complicatedmachinery inside."The rascals did their work well," mused Ned."They've probably gotten all thesecrets they want and now they're going to spoil all Tom's hard work.It's ashame! If only"Page 73ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlNed ceased his musing.Something was taking place down below that he could notexplain.The tank seemed to be slackening her progress.More and more slowlyshe approached the edge of the cliff."Tom! Tom!" yelled Ned."You must have waked some of them up inside andthey've thrown the motors out of gear! Hurrah! She's stopping!""I believe she is!" yelled Tom."Oh, if it only works!"The tank was still moving, though more slowly.Still the crackle of thewireless was heard.And then, just as Tom shut off his own motor and let the Hawk glide on herdownward way in a volplane to earth, the great, ponderous tank came to a stop,on the very edge of the precipice at the foot of which rolled the river."Whew!" whistled Ned, as the aircraft rolled along the ground near the warmachine."That was touch and go, Tom! They stopped her just in time.""You mean the wireless stopped her," said Tom quietly."I'm very much afraidthat if Koku and the others are alive they're still prisoners in the craft.""The wireless!" gasped Ned, as he and his chum got out of the Hawk."Do youmean that you stopped her by wireless, Tom?""That's what I did.It was a desperate chance, but I took it.I had justinstalled in the tank a system of wireless control, so she could be guided assome torpedos and submarines are, by wireless impulses from the shore."Only I'd never given the tank system a tryout.It was all installed, and hadworked perfectly on the small model I constructed.And when I saw her runningaway, out of control as she was, I realized the wireless was the only thingthat would stop her, if that would.It might operate just opposite to what Iwanted, though, and increase her speed.""But I took the chance.I set the airship wireless current to working, andtuned it in to coincide with the control of the tank.Then, by means of thewireless impulse I shut off the motors, which can he stopped or started byhand or by electricity.I shut 'em off.""And only just in time!" cried Ned."Whew, Tom Swift, but that was a closecall!""I realize that myself!" said the young inventor."This is a new idea and hasto be worked out further for our newer tanks.""Gee!" ejaculated Ned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]