by the
moon's gleam, but the men in the car, not hearing any noise, did not
look up, so they were unconscious of this aerial espionage.

"Look! Look!" exclaimed Tom in a low voice to his companions. "Doesn't
that seem suspicious?"

CHAPTER XXV

THE GOLD TOOTH

Eagerly Mr. Damon and the government agent leaned over and looked down.
In the moonlight they saw the same sight that had attracted Tom Swift.
The touring car, the two men in front, and the huddled, bound figure in
the back.

"Can you go down, Tom, without letting them hear you?" asked Mr. Damon,
using a low voice, as if fearful the men in the automobile would hear
him.

"I guess so," answered the young inventor. "I can land nearer to the
cabin than Jackson and I did, and then we can see what these fellows
are up to. It looks suspicious to me. That is, unless they're some of
the Secret Service men, and have made a capture," he added to Mr.
Terrill.

"Those aren't any of Uncle Sam's men," declared the agent. "That is,
unless the bound one is. I can't see him very well. Better go down,
and we'll see if we can surprise them."

"My plan," voiced Tom.

Quickly he shifted the rudder, and then, shutting off the motor, as he
wanted to volplane down, he headed his craft for an open spot that
showed in the bright moonlight. By this time the automobile and its
occupants were out of sight behind a clump of trees, but Tom and his
companions felt sure of the destination of the men--the deserted cabin
in the wood.

As silently as a wisp of grass falling, the big craft came down on a
level spot, and then, leaping out, the young inventor and his two
companions crept along the path toward the cabin. Mr. Terrill was
armed, Tom carried a flashlight, while Mr. Damon picked up a heavy club.

As soon as he came near a place where he thought the marks of the
automobile wheels would show, Tom flashed his light.

"I thought so!" he exclaimed, as he saw the square, knobby tread marks
left by the tires. "It's the same gang, or some of them in the same
car. If we can only capture them!"

"The Secret Service men ought to do that," returned Mr. Terrill, but,
as it developed later, they were not on hand, though through no fault
of theirs.

On and on crept Tom and the two men, until they came within sight of
the cabin. They saw a light gleaming in it, and Tom whispered:

"Now we have them! Work our way up quietly and make them surrender, if
we find they're what w