go to the house, and find no one there. I come out here, and not a soul is about. Tom Swift can't have gone off on another one of

already guessed. He peered into one of the shop win

see Tom there, and yet it looks as if

and turned to see Koku the giant, who was retur

the odd man asked. "Bless m

op I g

ad better look. There doesn

was met by such an outward rush of

ve been some sort of an accident," he cried, as he got his lungs full of f

d rugged nature, and his lungs held such a supply of air, that it took more than mere gas to knock him out. He peered i

ing his breath, for, now that he was inside

Mr. Damon. "You'll be smothere

ied the giant. "I get

thering the lad up in his left arm, as if he were a baby, Koku staggered out into the fresh air

cried the odd m

vercoat of Mr. Damon, which the latter quickly spread on the snow,

weak. We must get a doctor at once. I'll do w

ere was no time for blessing an

where there are some medicines, and I'll try to re

nge, and, just then,

r nerve, and did not get excited. "I'll give Tom some ammonia, and other st

te of his size, was quick, and soon brought the water, into which Mr. Damon put some strong medicine,

the eccentric man. "I gues

ant simply, for he loved

as powerful gas, and a few seconds more in there might have meant the end of Tom. I didn't se

d legs, and held ammonia under his nose. Slowly

re-a

plied Mr. Damon, cheerf

though he did not yet know how he had been saved. The doctor came in at this moment, with a small medical battery, whi

ked, when he had briefly to

ss none of the rest of us could have

t it hard enough to bring it down. Beside, I had it tied to nails, driven into the

ctor grimly. "You've got to stay in bed a wh

an smile. "Otherwise I'd never have Koku," and he looked affectionately

urprised to hear of the accident. As for Eradicate, the poor old colored man was

his request everything had been left just as it was after he had been brought out. Of course the fumes of the gas were soon dissipated,

the two chums walked over to the bench where the young inventor had

ds that had been passed around the shaft, having

m, pointing to o

it?" as

ent on Tom. "They've been cut with a knife, too, and not frayed by vibration against the nail, as might be

suppose any one wanted that s

ould topple over against the bench, and break some of my tools, instruments or machinery. I do delicat

Do you thin

chicken thief, and whom we chased the other n

of Koku, who came out of the shop wi

amiliar," said Tom, as he tore open the missive. "Hello,

p now?" a

picture man," went on the yo

arni

. He

ng to do with these other fellows. And, at the same time, don't give them a hint as to our plans. Don't tell them anything about your new camera. There is a lot of jealousy and rivalry