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Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, or, the Naval Terror of the Seas by Victor [pseud.] Appleton
page 42 of 206 (20%)

"We'll leave dad here," said Tom, "and do a little
investigating on our own account. We'll look for clues while
they're fresh."

But, it must be confessed, after Tom and Ned had spent the rest
of that day in and about the burned shed, they were little wiser
than when they started. They found the place where the fire bomb
had evidently been placed, right inside the main entrance to the
shed. Tom knew it had been there because there were peculiar
marks on the charred wood, and a certain queer smell of chemicals
that confirmed his belief.

"They put the bomb there to prevent anyone going in at the
first alarm and saving anything," Tom said. "They didn't count on
the roof burning through first, giving me a chance to use the
sand. I made the roof of the red shed flimsy just on that
account, so the force of the explosion if one ever came, would be
mostly upward. You know the expanding gases, caused by an
explosion or by rapid combustion, always do just as electricity
does, seek the shortest and easiest route. In this case I made
the roof the easiest route."

"A lucky provision," observed Ned.

That night Tom had to confess himself beaten, as far as finding
clues was concerned. The empty fire bomb was the only one, and
that seemed valueless.

Close questioning of the workmen failed to disclose anything.
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