



Produced by Anthony Matonac









TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA

or

Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures


by

VICTOR APPLETON




CONTENTS

CHAPTER


     I  A STRANGE OFFER
    II  A MAN IN THE SNOW BANK
   III  TOM MAKES UP HIS MIND
    IV  HELD FAST
     V  TOM GETS A WARNING
    VI  TRYING THE CAMERA
   VII  WHAT THE CAMERA CAUGHT
  VIII  PHOTOS FROM THE AIRSHIP
    IX  OFF FOR INDIA
     X  UNEXPECTED EXCITEMENT
    XI  AN ELEPHANT STAMPEDE
   XII  THE LION FIGHT
  XIII  A SHOT IN TIME
   XIV  IN A GREAT GALE
    XV  SNAPPING AN AVALANCHE
   XVI  TELEGRAPH ORDERS
  XVII  SUSPICIOUS STRANGERS
 XVIII  THE NATIVE BATTLE
   XIX  A HEAVY LOSS
    XX  AFTER THE ENGLISHMEN
   XXI  THE JUNGLE FIRE
  XXII  A DANGEROUS COMMISSION
 XXIII  AT THE VOLCANO
  XXIV  THE MOLTEN RIM
   XXV  THE EARTHQUAKE--CONCLUSION




TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA


CHAPTER I

A STRANGE OFFER


"Some one to see you, Mr. Tom."

It was Koku, or August, as he was sometimes called, the new giant
servant of Tom Swift, who made this announcement to the young inventor.

"Who is it, Koku?" inquired Tom, looking up from his work-bench in the
machine shop, where he was busy over a part of the motor for his new
noiseless airship. "Any one I know? Is it the 'Blessing Man?'" for so
Koku had come to call Mr. Damon, an eccentric friend of Tom's.

"No, not him. A strange man. I never see before. He say he got quick
business."

"Quick business; eh? I guess you mean important, Koku," for this
gigantic man, one of a pair that Tom had brought with him after his
captivity in "Giant Land," as he called it, could not speak English
very well, as yet. "Important business; eh, Koku?  Did he send in his
card?"

"No, Mr. Tom. Him say he have no card. You not know him, but he very
much what you call--recited."

"Excited I guess you mean, Koku. Well, tell him to wait a few minutes,
and I'll see him. You can show him in then. But I say, Koku," and Tom
paused as he looked at the big man, who had attached himself to our
hero, as a sort of personal helper and bodyguard.

"Yes, Mr. Tom; what is it?"

"Don't let him go poking around the shop. He might look at some of my
machines that I haven't got fully patented yet. Is he in the front
office?"

"That's where him am. He be lookin' at pictures on the walls."

"Oh, that's all right then. Just keep him there. And, Koku, don't let
him come back in the shop here, until I get ready to see him. I'll ring
the bell when I am."

"All right, Mr. Tom."

Koku, very proud of his mission of keeping guard over the strange
visitor, marched from the room with his big strides, his long arms and
powerful hands swinging at his sides, for Koku, or August, as Tom had
rechristened him, and as he often called him (for it was in the month
of August that he had located the giants) was a very powerful man. A
veritable giant, being extremely tall, and big in proportion.

"Be sure. Don't let him in here, Koku!" called Tom, in an additional
warning, as his new servant left the main shop.

"Sure not!" exclaimed Koku, very earnestly.

"I don't know who he may be," mused Tom, as he began putting away the
parts to his new noiseless motor, so that the stranger could not see
them, and profit thereby. "It looks rather funny, not sending in his
name. It may be some one who thinks he can spring a trick on me, and
get some points about my inventions, or dad's.

"It may even be somebody sent on by Andy Foger, or his father.  I can't
be too careful. I'll just put everything away that isn't fully covered
by patents, and then if he wants to infringe on any of the machines I
can sue him."

Tom looked about the shop, which was filled with strange machinery,
most of which had been made by himself, or his father, or under their
combined directions. There was a big biplane in one corner, a small
monoplane in another, parts of a submarine boat hanging up overhead,
and a small, but very powerful, electric auto waiting to have some
repairs made to it, for on his last trip in it Tom Swift had suffered a
slight accident.

"There, I guess he can't see anything but what I want him to," mused
Tom, as he put away the last part of a new kind of motor, from which he
hoped great things. "Let's see, yes, it's out of sight now. I wish Ned
Newton, or Mr. Damon were here to be a witness in case he starts
anything. But then I have Koku, even if he doesn't speak much English
yet. If it comes to blows--well, I wouldn't want that giant to hit me,"
finished Tom with a laugh, as he rang the bell to announce to his
servant that the visitor might be shown in.

There was a sound outside the door that separated the business office
from the main shop, and Tom heard Koku exclaim:

"Hold on! Wait! I go first. You wait!"

"What's the matter with me going ahead?" demanded a quick, snappy
voice. "I'm in a hurry, and--"

"You wait! I go first," was the giant's reply, and then came the sound
of a scuffle.

"Ouch! Say! Hold on there, my man! Take your hand off my shoulder!
You're crushing me with those big fingers of yours!"

This was evidently the visitor remonstrating with the giant.

"Humph! I guess Koku must have grabbed him," said Tom softly.  "I don't
like that sort of a visitor. What's his hurry getting in here?" and our
hero looked about, to see if he had a weapon at hand in case of an
attack. Often cranks had forced their way into his shop, with pet
inventions which they wanted him to perfect after they had themselves
failed. Tom saw a heavy iron bar at hand, and knew this would serve to
protect him.

"You come after me!" exclaimed Koku, when the voice of the other had
ceased. "Do you stand under me?"

"Oh, yes, I understand all right. I'll keep back. But I didn't mean
anything. I'm just in a hurry to see Tom Swift, that is all.  I'm
always in a hurry in fact. I've lost nearly a thousand dollars this
morning, just by this delay. I want to see Mr. Swift at once; and have
a talk with him."

"Another crank, I guess," mused Tom. "Well, I'm not going to waste much
time on him."

A moment later the door opened, and into the shop stepped Koku,
followed by a short, stout, fussy little man, wearing a flaming red
tie, but otherwise his clothes were not remarkable.

"Is this Mr. Tom Swift?" asked the stranger, as he advanced and held
out his hand to the young man.

"Yes," answered Tom, looking carefully at the visitor. He did not seem
to be dangerous, he had no weapon, and, Tom was relieved to note that
he did not carry some absurd machine, or appliance, that he had made,
hoping to get help in completing it. The youth was trying to remember
if he had ever seen