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