Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat | Page 9

suppose so," assented Mr. Swift nervously. "Come into the house."
Mr. Berg left Tom's side and advanced to where Mr. Swift was
standing. Together the two emerged from the now fast darkening shop
and went toward the house.
"Who is he?" asked Mr. Sharp of the young inventor in a whisper.
"I don't know," replied the lad; "but, whoever he is, dad seems afraid of
him. I'm going to keep my eyes open."

Chapter Three
Mr. Berg is Astonished
Following his father and the stranger whom the aged inventor had
addressed as Mr. Berg, Tom and Mr. Sharp entered the house, the lad
having first made sure that Garret Jackson was on guard in the shop
that contained the sub marine.
"Now," said Mr. Swift to the newcomer, "I am at your service. What is
it you wish?"
"In the first place, let me apologize for having startled you and your
friends," began the man. "I had no idea of sneaking into your workshop,
but I had just arrived here, and seeing the doors open I went in. I heard
no one about, and I wandered to the back of the place. There I
happened to stumble over a board--"
"And I heard you," interrupted Tom.
"Is this one of your employees?" asked Mr. Berg in rather frigid tones.
"That is my son," replied Mr. Swift.
"Oh, I beg your pardon." The man's manner changed quickly. "Well, I
guess you did hear me, young man. I didn't intend to hark my shins the
way I did, either. You must have taken me for a burglar or a sneak
thief."
"I have been very much bothered by a gang of unscrupulous men," said
Mr. Swift, "and I suppose Tom thought it was some of them sneaking
around again."
"That's what I did," added the lad. "I wasn't going to have any one steal
the secret of the submarine if I could help it."
"Quite right! Quite right!" exclaimed Mr. Berg. "But my purpose was
an open one. As you know, Mr. Swift, I represent the firm of Bentley &

Eagert, builders of submarine boats and torpedoes. They heard that you
were constructing a craft to take part in the competitive prize tests of
the United States Government, and they asked me to come and see you
to learn when your ship would be ready. Ours is completed, but we
recognize that it will be for the best interests of all concerned if there
are a number of contestants, and my firm did not want to send in their
entry until they knew that you were about finished with your ship. How
about it? Are you ready to compete?"
"Yes," said Mr. Swift slowly. "We are about ready. My craft needs a
few finishing touches, and then it will be ready to launch."
"Then we may expect a good contest on your part," suggested Mr.
Berg.
"Well," began the aged inventor, "I don't know about that."
"What's that?" exclaimed Mr. Berg.
"I said I wasn't quite sure that we would compete," went on Mr. Swift.
"You see, when I first got this idea for a submarine boat I had it in
mind to try for the Government prize of fifty thousand dollars."
"That's what we want, too," interrupted Mr. Berg with a smile.
"But," went on Tom's father, "since then certain matters have come up,
and I think, on the whole, that we'll not compete for the prize after all."
"Not compete for the prize?" almost shouted the agent for Bentley &
Eagert. "Why, the idea! You ought to compete. It is good for the trade.
We think we have a very fine craft, and probably we would beat you in
the tests, but--"
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," put in Tom. "You have only seen the
outside of our boat. The inside is better yet."
"Ah, I have no doubt of that," spoke Mr. Berg, "but we have been at the
business longer than you have, and have had more experience. Still we

welcome competition. But I am very much surprised that you are not
going to compete for the prize, Mr. Swift. Very much surprised, indeed!
You see, I came down from Philadelphia to arrange so that we could
both enter our ships at the same time. I understand there is another firm
of submarine boat builders who are going to try for the prize, and I
want to arrange a date that will he satisfactory to all. I am greatly
astonished that you are not going to compete."
"Well, we were going to," said Mr. Swift, "only we have changed our
minds, that's all. My son and I have other plans."
"May I ask what they are?" questioned Mr. Berg.
"You may," exclaimed Tom quickly; "but I don't believe we