Tom Swift and His Air Glider | Page 9

this platinum. Have you set a price on it? It is worth much more than the ordinary kind."
"The price is nothing to you," replied the Russian, with a smile. "I am only too glad to help you fix your aeroplane. Will it take long? I should like to watch you."
"Come along," invited Tom. "I can soon have it going again, and I'll give you a ride, if you like."
"No, thank you, I'm hardly up to that yet, though I may be some day. The machine I made never flew well and I had several bad falls."
Tom and Ned worked rapidly on the magneto, and soon had replaced the defective bits of platinum.
"If the Russians had such a machine as this maybe they could have gotten to that mine," suggested Ned, who was very proud of Tom's craft.
"It would be useless in the terrific winds, I fear," answered Ivan Petrofsky. "But now I care little for the mine. It is my brother whom I want to save. He must be in some of the Siberian mines, and if I had such a craft as this I might be able to rescue him."
Tom Swift dropped the file he was using. A bright light sparkled in his eyes. He seemed strangely excited.
"Mr. Petrofsky!" he cried, "would you let me have a try at finding your brother, and would you come with me?"
"Would I?" asked the Russian eagerly. "I would be your debtor for life, and I would always pray for you, if you could help me to save my brother Peter."
"Then we'll have a try at it!" cried Tom. "I've got a different airship than this--one in which I can travel three thousand miles without coming down. I haven't had any excitement since I got back from the city of gold. I'm going to Russia to help you rescue your brother from exile, and I'm also going to have a try for that lost platinum treasure!"
"Thank heaven, there is some hope for poor Peter at last," murmured Mr. Petrofsky earnestly.
"You never can get to the platinum mine," said Ned. The winds will tear your airship to pieces."
"Not the kind I'm going to make," declared Tom. "It's going to be an air glider, that will fairly live on high winds. Ho! for Siberia and the platinum mines. Will you come?"
"I don't know what you mean by an air glider, Tom Swift, but I'll go to help rescue my brother," was the quick answer, and then, with the light of a daring resolve shining in his eyes, the young inventor proceeded to get his aeroplane in shape for the trip back to Shopton.
CHAPTER III
THE HAND OF THE CZAR
"Then you won't take a ride with me to-day. asked the young inventor, of the Russian, as he completed the repairs to the magneto. "I'd like to have you meet my father, and a friend of his, Mr. Damon. Most likely he'll go to Siberia with us, if his wife will let him. I'd like to talk some plans over with you."
"I shall certainly call on you," answered Ivan Petrofsky, "but," he added with a smile, "I think I should prefer to take my first ride in your larger airship--the one that doesn't come down so often."
"Well, perhaps it is a little easier on an amateur," admitted Tom. "If you'll come over to our house at any time I'll take you out in it, or I'll call for you."
"I'll come over in a few days," answered the escaped exile. "Then I'll tell you all I know of the locality where the platinum mine is located, and we can make our plans. In the meanwhile don't say anything about what I have told you."
"Why?" asked Ned quickly.
Mr. Petrofsky approached closer to the lads, and in a low voice said:
"I am not sure about it, but of late I think I have been shadowed. I have seen strange men in the village near here and they have eyed me rather suspiciously. Then, too, I have surprised several men around my house. I live here all alone, you know, and do most of my own work, a woman coming in occasionally to clean. But I don't like these suspicious characters hanging about.
"Who do you think they are?" asked Tom
"I'm almost afraid to think, but from my past experience I think--nay, I fear--they may be spies, or agents of the Russian government"
"Spies!" cried Ned.
"Hush. Not so loud," cautioned Mr. Petrofsky. "They may even now be in hiding, especially since your aeroplane landed so near my house. They may see something suspicious even in that."
"But why should the Russian government set spies on you?" asked Tom in a low voice.
"For two reasons. I am an escaped exile, and I am not a citizen of the United States. Therefore I may be sent back