ending the shipment of their airship.

"Well, we start to-day," remarked Tom, as he arose one morning. "In
two weeks, at most, we ought to be hovering over the valley, Abe."

"I hope so? Tom. You've got the map put away safely, have you?"

"Sure thing. Are you all ready?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll start for the depot right after breakfast." The
adventurers had arranged to take a local train from Shopton, and get
on a fast express at one of the more important stations.

Good-byes were said, Mr. Swift, Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Baggert and
Eradicate waving their adieus from the porch as Tom and the others
started for the depot. Miss Mary Nestor had bidden our hero farewell
the previous night--it being a sort of second good-bye, for Tom was
a frequent caller at her house, and, if the truth must be told he
rather disliked to leave the young lady.

Tom found a few of his friends at the station, who had gathered
there to give him and Ned BON-VOYAGE.

"Bring us back some nuggets, Tom," pleaded Arthur Norton.

"Bring me a musk-ox if you can shoot one," suggested one.

"A live bear or a trained Eskimo for mine," exclaimed another.

Tom laughingly promised to do the best he could.

"I'll send you some gold nuggets by wireless," said Ned Newton.

It was almost time for the train to arrive. In the crowd on the
platform Tom noticed Pete Bailey.

"He must feel lost without Andy," observed the young inventor to
Ned.

"Yes, I wonder what he's hanging around here for?"

They learned a moment later, for they saw Pete going into the
telegraph office.

"Must be something important for him to wire about," observed Ned.

Tom did not answer. The window of the office was slightly open,
though the day was cool, and he was listening to the clicks of the
telegraph instrument, as the operator sent Pete's message. Tom was
familiar with the Morse code. What was his surprise to hear the
message being sent to Andy Foger at a certain hotel in Chicago. And
the message read:

"Tom Swift's party leaving to-day."

"What in the world does that mean?" thought Tom, but he did not tell
Ned what he had picked up as it went over the wire. "Why should Andy
want to be informed when we leave? That's why Pete was hanging
around here! He had been instructed to let Andy know when we left
for Seattle. There's something queer back of all this."

Tom was still puzzling over the matter when their train roiled in
and he and the others got aboard.

"Well, we