Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon | Page 3

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The Etext was prepared for Project Gutenberg by Anthony Matonac

TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON OR The Longest Shots on
Record

CONTENTS


CHAPTER I
ON A LIVE WIRE II "WE'LL TAKE A CHANCE!" III PLANNING
A BIG GUN IV KOKU'S BRAVE ACT V OFF TO SANDY HOOK
VI TESTING THE WALLER GUN VII THE IMPOSSIBLE OCCURS

VIII A BIG PROBLEM IX THE NEW POWDER X SOMETHING
WRONG XI FAILURE AND SUCCESS XII A POWERFUL BLAST
XIII CASTING THE CANNON XIV A NIGHT INTRUDER XV
READY FOR THE TEST XVI A WARNING XVII THE BURSTING
DAM XVIII THE DOPED POWDER XIX BLOWING DOWN THE
BARRIER XX THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS XXI OFF FOR
PANAMA XXII AT GATUN LOCKS XXIII NEWS OF THE MINE
XXIV THE LONGEST SHOT XXV THE LONG-LOST MINE

TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON


CHAPTER I
ON A LIVE WIRE
"Now, see here, Mr. Swift, you may think it all a sort of dream, and
imagine that I don't know what I'm talking about; but I do! If you'll
consent to finance this expedition to the extent of, say, ten thousand
dollars, I'll practically guarantee to give you back five times that sum
"I don't know, Alec, I don't know," slowly responded the aged inventor.
"I've heard those stories before, and in my experience nothing ever
came of them. Buried treasure, and lost vessels filled with gold, are all
well and good, but hunting for an opal mine on some little-heard-of
island goes them one better."
"Then you don't feel like backing me up in this matter, Mr. Swift?"
"No, Alec, I can't say I do. Why, just stop and think for a minute.
You're asking me to put ten thousand dollars into a company, to fit out
an expedition to go to this island--somewhere down near Panama, you
say it is--and try to locate the lost mine from which, some centuries ago,
opals and other precious stones came. It doesn't seem reasonable."
"But I'm sure I can find the mine, Mr. Swift!" persisted Alec Peterson,
who was almost as elderly a man as the one he addressed. "I have the

old documents that tell how rich the mine once was, how the old
Mexican rulers used to get their opals from it, and how all trace of it
was lost in the last century. I have all the landmarks down pat, and I'm
sure I can find it. Come on now, take a chance. Put in this ten thousand
dollars. I can manage the rest. You'll get back more than five times
your investment."
"If you find the mine--yes."
"I tell you I will find it! Come now, Mr. Swift," and the visitor's voice
was very pleading, "you and your son Tom have made a fortune for
yourselves out of your different inventions. Be generous, and lend me
this ten thousand dollars."
Mr. Swift shook his head.
"I've heard you talk the same way before, Alec," he replied. "None of
your schemes ever amounted to anything. You've been a fortune-hunter
all your life, nearly; and what have you gotten out of it? Just a bare
living."
"That's right, Mr. Swift, but I've had bad luck. I did find the lost gold
mine I went after some years ago, you remember."
"Yes, only to lose it because the missing heirs turned up, and took it
away from you. You could have made more at straight mining in the
time you spent on that scheme."
"Yes, I suppose I could; but this is going to be a success--I feel it in my
bones."
"That's what you say, every time, Alec. No, I don't believe I want to go
into this thing."
"Oh,