Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope | Page 3

life on another
world, millions of miles away--well, that sounds like a pretty tall order
even for you, Tom Swift!"
[Illustration: "That Sounds Like a Tall Order!"]
"Let's go back in the lab and I'll tell you more about the project."
Tom directed Koku to carry the telescope inside. As the three walked
back, the giant suddenly gave a yell.
"Quick, Master!"
With that the servant let go the big instrument, placing it with a thud
none too gently on the hard ground. In a bound he was off. Tom and
Ned caught a glimpse of someone just disappearing around the edge of
the building. Had the stranger sneaked into the laboratory while Koku's
back was turned?
[Illustration: Koku Bounded Off]
"I hope the space eye isn't smashed!" exclaimed Tom, examining the

instrument. "Or the telescope lens."
Anxiously Ned waited as his chum detached the green disk and held it
up.
"I--I guess it's O.K.," said Tom at length. "I'll test it in the lab and see."
[Illustration: "I Hope the Space Eye Isn't Smashed!"]
At this moment Koku reappeared, saying the intruder had vanished.
Moreover, he was very contrite about having handled the telescope
roughly. In a few seconds the fears of the three vanished. Put to the
electric test, the disk was found to be all right.
"Who do you suppose was sneaking around here?" asked Ned.
"No telling," replied Tom. "But nothing seems to be missing," he added,
glancing around.
[Illustration: "Nothing Seems to Be Missing."]
"I hope you're right," said Ned. "Now tell me more about this green
disk. How did you happen to discover the stuff?"
"As to just what it is," replied the other slowly, "I'm not sure yet. When
I analyzed it, I found a substance absolutely new to chemistry."
"Where did you get it?" asked Ned.
"I scraped it from that meteorite down in Koku's country in South
America."
Ned whistled. "Ever since we found that thing which we called a planet
stone, you've been discovering all sorts of things about it."
[Illustration: "I Scraped It From a Meteorite."]
"Right now I hope to revolutionize the field of astronomy with it," said
Tom.

"Tell me more about this wonderful green substance."
"It may be a new compound or it may be an unknown element. Anyway,
in experimenting with it I found that heat and electricity both change
the stuff. The former has an apparently permanent effect, while an
electric current, as you saw, alters it only temporarily."
[Illustration: "Heat and Electricity Change It."]
"Why didn't you make a big disk? Then you could have tested your
theory right away," stated Ned Newton.
"For two good reasons," replied Tom, opening a drawer and taking out
a small vial filled with yellow powder. "I wasn't sure it would improve
a telescope for one thing, and this is the other." He handed the bottle to
Ned. "This is all I have on hand of the new stuff."
[Illustration: "This Is All I Have."]
"'X,'" murmured Ned, reading the label. "But this powder isn't green.
And why the X?"
"When the stuff is melted and then cooled it changes color," explained
Tom. "As for the X, if you remember your algebra you know that letter
stands for the unknown quantity."
"Too bad you can't make a huge green disk."
[Illustration: "This Powder Isn't Green!"]
"Don't worry about that," smiled his friend. "I'll soon have plenty of the
powder. You haven't forgotten how the natives of Giant Land feared
the meteorite and insisted that we take it away. It seems, however, that
we got but a small piece of it. Evidently when it struck the ground the
thing split, the heavier portion burying itself deep in the earth while the
part we found remained near the surface."
[Illustration: "An Earthquake Caused the Upheaval."]

"About six weeks ago Koku got a letter from his brother, King Amo of
Giant Land, telling of an earthquake which caused the upheaval of the
huge stone. His people think we are great magicians or else witch
doctors, and Amo wrote begging us to take the meteorite from his land.
Of course, I was only too glad to oblige 'em."
"Then you plan going to South America--"
"Bless my passport, but I'm glad to hear that!" exclaimed a voice from
the open doorway. "It seems as if I'm just in time!"
"Mr. Damon!" cried both boys together.
[Illustration: "Mr. Damon!" Cried Both Boys]
A jolly-looking, rather portly gentleman entered, swinging his cane
excitedly. Tom and Ned gave him a warm welcome, for he was a friend
of long standing and had accompanied them on many an expedition to
remote quarters of the globe.
"Come in," invited Tom. "Sit down, Mr. Damon, and tell us the news."
"And what was it you were so tickled to hear