ll as explosives and chemicals, in
addition to the store of carbide.

But the fire was now too hot to enable much to be done in the way of
salvage. One or two small things were carried out from a little
addition to the main structure, and then the rescuers were driven back
by the heat of the flames, as well as by the rolling clouds of black
smoke.

"Keep away!" warned Mr. Swift. "It will explode soon. Keep back!"

"That's right!" added Mr. Damon. "Bless my powder-horn! We may all be
going sky-high soon, and without aid from any of Tom Swift's
aeroplanes, either."

Warned by the aged inventor, the throng of men began slowly moving away
from the immediate neighborhood of the blazing shed. Though it may
seem to the reader that some time has elapsed since the first sounding
of the alarm, all that I have set down took place in a very short
period--hardly three minutes elapsing since Tom and the others came
rushing out of the aerial warship building.

Suddenly a cry arose from the crowd of men near the red shed. Ned, who
stood ready with several lines of hose, in charge of Koku, Eradicate
and others, to turn them on the airship shed, in case of need, looked
in the direction of the excited throng.

The young bank clerk saw a strange sight. From the top of the dirigible
balloon shed a long, black, cigar-shaped body arose, floating gradually
upward. The very roof of the shed slid back out of the way, as Tom
pressed the operating lever, and the dirigible was free to rise--as
free as though it had been in an open field.

"He's going up!" cried Ned in surprise. "Making an ascent at a time
like this, when he ought to stay here to fight the fire! What's gotten
into Tom, I'd like to know? I wonder if he can be--"

Ned did not finish his half-formed sentence. A dreadful thought came
into his mind. What if the sudden fire, and the threatened danger, as
well as the prospective loss that confronted Tom, had affected his mind?

"It certainly looks so," mused Ned, as he saw the big balloon float
free from the shed. There was no doubt but that Tom was in it. He could
be seen standing within the pilot-house, operating the various wheels
and levers that controlled the ship of the air.

"What can he be up to?" marveled Ned. "Is he going to run away from the
fire?"

Koku, Eradicate and several others were attracted by the sight of the
great dirigible, now a considerable distance up in the air. Certainly
it looked as though Tom