CHAPTER X
A BIG SPLASH


There was no question in the mind of Tom Swift but that the man
he was running after was guilty of some wrong-doing. In the first
place he was a stranger, and had no right inside the big fence
that surrounded the Swift machine plant. Then, too, the very fact
that he ran away was suspicious.

And this, coupled with the confusion on the part of Bower, and
his proximity to the safe, made Tom fear that some of his plans
had been stolen. These he was very anxious to recover if this
strange man had them, and so he raced after him with all speed.

"Stop! Stop!" called Tom, but the on-racing stranger did not
heed.

The cries of the young inventor soon attracted the attention of
his men, and Jackson and some of the others came running from
their various shops to give whatever aid was needed. But they
were all too far away to give effective chase.

"Bower might have come with me if he had wanted to help,"
thought Tom. But a backward glance over his shoulder did not show
that the new helper was engaging in the pursuit, and he could
have started almost on the same terms as Tom himself.