Produced by Anthony Matonac TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS or The Secret of Phantom Mountain By Victor Appleton CONTENTS CHAPTER I A SUSPICIOUS JEWELER II A MIDNIGHT VISIT III A STRANGE STORY IV ANDY FOGER GETS A FRIGHT V A MYSTERIOUS MAN VI MR. DAMON IS ON HAND VII MR. PARKER PREDICTS VIII OFF FOR THE WEST IX A WARNING BY WIRELESS X DROPPING THE STOWAWAY XI A WEARY SEARCH XII THE GREAT STONE HEAD XIII ON PHANTOM MOUNTAIN XIV WARNED BACK XV THE LANDSLIDE XVI THE VAST CAVERN XVII THE PHANTOM CAPTURED XVIII BILL RENSHAW WILL HELP XIX IN THE SECRET CAVE XX MAKING THE DIAMONDS XXI FLASHING GEMS XXII PRISONERS XXIII BROKEN BONDS XXIV IN GREAT PERIL XXV THE MOUNTAIN SHATTERED--CONCLUSION CHAPTER I--A SUSPICIOUS JEWELER âWell, Tom Swift, I don't believe you will make any mistake if you buy that diamond,â said the jeweler to a young man who was inspecting a tray of pins, set with the sparkling stones. âIt is of the first water, and without a flaw.â âIt certainly seems so, Mr. Track. I don't know much about diamonds, and I'm depending on you. But this one looks to be all right.â âIs it for yourself, Tom?â âEr--no--that is, not exactly,â and Tom Swift, the young inventor of airships and submarines, blushed slightly. âAh, I see. It's for your housekeeper, Mrs. Baggert. Well, I think she would like a pin of this sort. True, it's rather expensive, but--â âNo, it isn't for Mrs. Baggert, Mr. Track,â and Tom seemed a bit embarrassed. âNo? Well, then, Tom--of course it's none of my affair, except to sell you a good stone, But if this brooch is for a young lady, I can't recommend anything nicer. Do you think you will take this; or do you prefer to look at some others?â âOh, I think this will do, Mr. Track. I guess I'll take--â Tom's words were interrupted by a sudden action on the part of the jeweler. Mr. Track ran from behind the showcase and hastened toward the front door. âDid you see him, Tom?â he cried. âI wonder which way he went?â âWho?â asked the lad, following the shopkeeper. âThat man. He's been walking up and down in front of my place for the last ten minutes--ever since you've been in here, in fact, and I don't like his looks.â âWhat did he do?â âNothing much, except to stare in here as if he was sizing my place up.â âSizing it up?â âYes. Getting the lay of the land, so he or some confederate could commit a robbery, maybe.â âA robbery? Do you think that man was a thief?â âI don't know that he was, Tom, and yet a jeweler has to be always on the watch, and that isn't a joke, either, Tom Swift. Swindlers and thieves are always on the alert for a chance to rob a jewelry store, and they work many games.â âI didn't notice any particular man looking in here,â said Tom, who still held the diamond brooch in his hand. âWell I did,â went on the jeweler. âI happened to glance out of the window when you were looking at the pins, and I saw his eyes staring in here in a suspicious manner. He may have a confederate with him, and, when you're gone, one may come in, and pretend to want to look at some diamonds. Then, when I'm showing him some, the other man will enter, engage my attention, and the first man will slip out with a diamond ring or pin. It's often done.â âYou seem to have it all worked out, Mr. Track,â observed the lad, with a smile. âHow do you know but what I'm in with a gang of thieves, and that I'm only pretending to want to buy a diamond pin?â âOh, I guess I haven't known you, Tom Swift, ever since you were big enough to toddle, not to be sure about what you're up to. But I certainly didn't like the looks of that man. However, let's forget about him. He seems to have gone down the street, and, after all, perhaps I was mistaken. Just wait until I show you a few more styles before you decide. The young lady may like one of these,â and the jeweler went to another showcase and took out some more trays of brooches. âWhat makes you think she's a young lady, Mr. Track?â asked the lad. âOh, it's easy guessing, Tom. We jewelers are good readers of character. I can size up a young fellow coming in here to buy an engagement or a wedding ring, as soon as he enters the door. I suppose you'll soon be in the market for one of those, Tom, if all the reports I hear about you are true--you and a certain Mary Nestor.â âI--er--I think I don't care for any of these pins,â spoke Tom, quickly, with a blush. âI like the first lot best. I think I'll take the one I had in my hand when that man alarmed you. Ha! That's odd! What did I do with it?â Tom looked about on the showcase, and glanced down on the floor. He had mislaid the brooch, but the jeweler, with a laugh, lifted it out of a tray a moment later. âI saw you lay it down,â he said. âWe jewelers have to be on the watch. Here it is. I'll just put it in a box, and--â With an exclamation, Mr. Track gave a hasty glance toward his big show window. Tom looked up, and saw a man's face peering in. At the sight of it, he, too, uttered a cry of surprise. The next instant the man outside knocked on the glass, apparently with a piece of metal, making a sharp sound. As soon as he heard it, the jeweler once more sprang from behind the showcase, and leaped for the door crying: âThere's the thief! He's trying to cut a hole through my show window and reach in and get something! It's an old trick. I'll get the police! Tom, you stay here on guard!â and before the lad could utter a protest, the jeweler had opened the door, and was speeding down the street in the gathering darkness. Tom stared about him in some bewilderment. He was left alone in charge of a very valuable stock of jewelry, the owner of which was racing after a supposed thief, crying: âPolice! Help! Thieves! Stop him, somebody!â âThis is a queer go,â mused Tom. âI wonder who that man was? He looked like somebody I know, and yet I can't seem to place his face. I wonder if he was trying to rob the place? Maybe there's another one--a confederate--around here.â This thought rather alarmed Tom, so he went to the door, and looked up and down the street. He could see no suspicious characters, but in the direction in which the jeweler was running there was a little throng of people, following Mr. Track after the man who had knocked on the window. âI wish I was there, instead of here,â mused the lad. âStill I can't leave, or a thief might come in. Perhaps that was the game, and one of the gang is hanging around, hoping the store will be deserted, so he can enter and take what he likes.â Tom had read of such cases, and he at once resolved that he would not only remain in the jewelry shop, but that he would lock the door, which he at once proceeded to do. Then he breathed easier. The town of Shopton, in the outskirts of which Tom lived with his father, and where the scene above narrated took place, was none too well lighted at night, and the lad had his doubts about the jeweler catching the oddly-acting man, especially as the latter had a good start. âBut some one may head him off,â reasoned Tom. âThough if they do catch him, I don't see what they can prove against him. Hello, here I am carrying this diamond pin around. I might lose it. Guess I'll put it back on the tray.â He replaced in the proper receptacle one of the pins he had been examining when the excitement occurred. âI wonder if Mary will like that?â he said, softly. âI hope she does. Perhaps it would be better if she could come here herself and pick out one--â Tom's musing was suddenly interrupted by a sharp tattoo on the glass door of the jewelry shop. With a start, he looked up, to see staring in on him the face of the man who had been there before--the man of whom the jeweler was even then in chase. âWhy--why----â stammered Tom. The man knocked again. âTom--Tom Swift!â he called. âDon't you know me?â âKnow you--you?â repeated the lad. âYes--don't you remember Earthquake Island--how we were nearly killed there--don't you remember Mr. Jenks?â âMr. Jenks?â Tom was so startled that he could only repeat words after the strange man, who was talking to him from outside the glass door. âYes, Mr. Jenks,â was the reply. âMr. Barcoe Jenks, who makes diamonds. I saw you in the store about to buy a diamond--I wanted to tell you not to--I'll give you a better diamond than you can buy--I just arrived in this place--I must have a private talk with you--Come out--I'll share a wonderful secret with you.â A flood of memory came to Tom. He did recall the very strange man who walked around Earthquake Island--where Tom and some friends had been marooned recently--walked about with a pocketful of what he said were diamonds. Now Barcoe Jenks was here. âI must see you privately, Tom Swift,â went on Mr. Jenks, as he once more tapped on the glass. âDon't waste money buying diamonds, when you and I can make better ones. Where can I have a talk with you? I--â Mr. Jenks suddenly looked down the dimly-lighted street. âThey're coming back!â he cried. âI don't want to be seen. I'll call at your house later to-night--be on the watch for me--until then--good-by!â He waved his hand, and was gone in an instant. Tom stood staring at the glass door. He hardly knew whether to believe it or not--perhaps it was all a dream. He pinched himself to make sure that he was awake. Very substantial flesh met his thumb and finger, and he felt the pain. âI'm awake all right,â he murmured. âBut Barcoe Jenks here--and still talking that nonsense about his manufactured diamonds. I think he must be crazy. I wonder--â Once more the lad's musing was interrupted. He heard a murmur of excited voices outside the store, on the street. Then the door of the jewelry shop was tried. Mr. Track's face was pressed against the glass. âOpen the door! Let me in, Tom!â he called. âI've caught the thief,â and as the lad unlocked the portal he saw that the jeweler held by the arm a ragged lad. âAh; you scoundrel! I've caught you!â cried the diamond merchant, shaking the small chap, while Tom looked on, more mystified than ever. CHAPTER II--A MIDNIGHT VISIT While Mr. Track, the jeweler, and several citizens, attracted by the chase after the supposed thief, are crowded into the store, anxious to hear explanations of the strange affair, I will take the opportunity to tell you something of Tom Swift, the lad who is to figure in this story. Many of you have already made his acquaintance, when he has been speeding about in his airship or fast electric runabout, and to others we will state that our hero first made his bow to the public in the book called âTom Swift and His Motor-Cycle,â the initial volume of this series. In that story there was related how Tom made the acquaintance of an odd individual, named Mr. Wakefield Damon, who was continually blessing himself, some part of his anatomy, or his possessions. Mr. Damon was riding a motor-cycle, and it started to climb a tree, to his pain and fright. Afterward Tom purchased the machine, and had many adventures on it, including a chase after a gang of men who had stolen a valuable patent model belonging to Mr. Swift. Mr. Swift and his son were both inventors. They lived together in a fine house in the suburbs of Shopton, New York, and with them dwelt Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper (for Tom's mother was dead), and also Garret Jackson, an expert engineer, who aided the young inventor and his father in perfecting many machines. There was also another semi-member of the household, to wit, Eradicate Sampson, an eccentric colored man, who owned a mule called Boomerang. Eradicate did odd jobs around the place, and the mule assisted his owner--that is when the mule felt like it. In the second volume of the series, entitled âTom Swift and His Motor-Boat,â there was related the incidents following a pursuit after a gang of unprincipled men, who sought to get possession of some of Mr. Swift's patents, and it was while in this boat that Tom, his father, and a friend, Ned Newton, rescued from Lake Carlopa a Mr. John Sharp, who fell from his burning balloon. Mr. Sharp was a skilled aeronaut, and after his recovery he joined Tom in building a big airship, called the Red Cloud. Tom's adventures in this craft are set down in detail in the third volume of the series, called âTom Swift and His Airship.â Not only did he and Mr. Sharp and Mr. Damon make a great trip, but they captured some bank robbers, and incidentally cleared themselves from the imputation of having looted the vault of seventy-five thousand dollars, which charge was fostered by a certain Mr. Foger, and his son Andy, who was Tom's enemy. Not satisfied with having conquered the air, Tom and his father set to work to gain a victory over the ocean. They built a boat that could navigate under water, and, in the fourth book of the series, called âTom Swift and His Submarine Boat,â you will find an account of how they went under the ocean to secure a sunken treasure, and the fight they had with their enemies who sought to get it away from them. They went through many perils, not the least of which was capture by a foreign warship. In the fifth book, entitled âTom Swift and His Electric Runabout,â there was told the story of a wonderfully speedy electric automobile the young inventor constructed, and how he made a great race in it, and saved from ruin a bank, in which his father and Mr. Damon were interested. Tom's ability as an inventor had, by this time, become well known. One day, as related in a volume called âTom Swift and His Wireless Message,â he received a letter from a Mr. Hosmer Fenwick, of Philadelphia, asking his aid in perfecting an airship which the resident of the Quaker City had built, but which would not work. In his small monoplane, the Butterfly, Tom and Mr. Damon went to Philadelphia, as Mr. Damon was acquainted with Mr. Fenwick. Tom carefully inspected the Whizzer which was the name of Mr. Fenwick's airship, and, after some difficulties, succeeded in getting the electric craft in shape to make a flight. Tom, Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick started to make a trip to Cape May in the Whizzer, but were caught in a terrific storm, and blown out to sea. The wind became a hurricane, the airship was disabled, and wrecked in mid-air. When it fell to earth it landed on one of the small West Indian islands, but what was the terror of the three castaways to find that the island was subject to earthquake shocks. But the earth-tremors were not the only surprise in store for Tom and his two friends, On the island they found five men and two ladies, who, by strange chance, had been stranded there when the yacht Resolute, owned by Mr. George Hosbrook, was wrecked in the same storm that disabled the airship. Mr. Hosbrook, a millionaire, was taking a party of friends to the West Indies. When the castaways (among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Amos Nestor, parents of Mary Nestor, a girl of whom Tom was very fond) found that there was danger of the island being destroyed in an earthquake, they were in despair. There seemed no way of being rescued, as the island was out of the line of regular ship travel. Tom, however, was resourceful. With the electrical apparatus from the wrecked airship, he built a wireless plant, and sent messages for help, broadcast over the ocean. They were finally heard, and answered, by an operator on board the steamer Camberanian, which came on under forced draught, and rescued Tom and his friends. It was only just in time, for, no sooner had they gotten aboard the steamer in lifeboats, than the whole island was destroyed by an earthquake shock. But Tom, the parents of Mary Nestor, Mr. Damon, Mr. Fenwick, and all the others, got safely home. Among the survivors from the yacht Resolute was a Mr. Barcoe Jenks, who now, most unexpectedly, had confronted Tom through the glass window of the jewelry store. Mr. Jenks was a peculiar man. Tom discovered this on Earthquake Island. Mr. Jenks carried with him some stones which he said were diamonds. He asserted that he had made them, but Tom did not know whether or not to believe this. When it seemed that the castaways would not be saved Mr. Jenks offered Tom a large sum in these same diamonds for some plan whereby he might escape the earthquakes. Mr. Jenks said there was a certain secret in connection with the manufactured diamonds that he had to solve--that he had been defrauded of his rights--and that a certain Phantom Mountain figured in it. But Tom, at that time, paid little attention to Mr. Jenks' talk. The time was to come, however, when he would attach much importance to it. When this story opens, Tom was more interested in Mr. Barcoe Jenks than in any one else, and was wondering what he wanted to see him about. The young inventor could not quite understand how Mr. Track, the jeweler, could come back with a lad he suspected of being a thief, when the person who had acted so suspiciously, and who had knocked on the glass, was the queer man, Mr. Jenks. âYes, Tom I caught him,â the jeweler went on. âI chased after him, and nabbed him. It was hard work, too, for I'm not a good runner. Now, you little rascal, tell me why you tried to rob my store?â and the diamond merchant shook the lad roughly. âI--I didn't try to rob your store,â was the timid answer. âWell, perhaps you didn't, exactly, but your confederates did. Why did you rap on the glass, and why were you staring in so intently?â âI wasn't lookin' in.â âWell, if it wasn't you, it was some one just like you. But why did you run when I raced down the street?â âI--I don't know,â and the lad began to snivel. âI--I jest ran--that's all--'cause I see everybody else runnin', an' I thought there was a fire.â âHa! That's a likely story! You ran because you are guilty! I'm going to hand you over to the police.â âDid he get anything, Mr. Track?â asked one of the men who had joined the jeweler in the chase. âNo, I can't say that he did. He didn't get a chance. Tom Swift was in here at the time. But this fellow was only waiting for a chance to steal, or else to aid his confederates.â âBut, if he didn't take anything, I don't see how you can have him arrested,â went on the man. âOn suspicion; that's how!â asserted Mr. Track. âWill some one get me a constable?â âI wouldn't call a constable,â said Tom, quietly. âWhy not?â âBecause that isn't the person who looked in your window.â âHow do you know, Tom?â âBecause that person came back while you were out. I saw him.â âYou saw him? Did he try to steal any of my diamonds, Tom?â âNo, I guess he doesn't need any.â âWhy not?â There was wonder in the jeweler's tone. âWhy, he claims he can make all he wants.â âMake diamonds?â âSo he says.â âWhy, he must be crazy!â and Mr. Track laughed. âPerhaps he is,â admitted Tom, âI'm only telling you what he says. He's the person who acted so suspiciously. He came back here, I'm telling you, while you were running down the street, and spoke to me.â âOh, then you know him?â The jeweler's voice was suspicious. âI didn't at first,â admitted Tom. âBut when he said he was Mr. Barcoe Jenks, I remembered that I had met him when I was cast away on Earthquake Island.â âAnd he says he can make diamonds?â asked Mr. Track. âWhat did he want of you?â and the jeweler looked at Tom, quizzically. âHe wanted to have a talk with me,â replied the lad, âand when he saw me in your store, he tried to attract my attention by knocking on the glass.â âThat's a queer way to do,â declared Mr. Track. âWhat did he want?â âI don't know exactly,â answered Tom, not caring to go into details just then. âBut I'm sure, Mr. Track, that you've got the wrong person there. That lad never looked in the window, nor knocked on the glass.â âThat's right--I didn't,â asserted the captive. The jeweler looked doubtful. âWhy did you run?â he asked. âI told you, I thought there was a fire.â âThat's right, I don't believe he's the fellow you want,â put in another man. âI was standing on the corner, near White's grocery store, and I noticed this lad. That was before I heard you yelling, and saw you coming, and then I joined in the chase. I guess the man you were after got away, Track.â âHe did,â asserted Tom. âHe came back here, a little while ago, and he ran away just now, as he heard you coming.â âWhere did he go?â asked the jeweler, eagerly. âI don't know,â answered Tom. âOnly you've got the wrong lad here.â âWell, perhaps I have,â admitted the diamond merchant. âYou can go, youngster, but next time, don't run if you're not guilty.â âI thought there was a fire,â repeated the lad, as he hurriedly slipped through the crowd in the store, and disappeared down the dark street. âWell, I guess the excitement's all over, and, anyhow, you weren't robbed, Track,â said a stout man, as he left the store. The others soon followed, and Tom and the jeweler were once more alone in the shop. âCan you tell me something about this man, Tom?â asked Mr. Track, eagerly. âSo he really makes diamonds. Who is he?â âI'd rather not tell--just now,â replied the young inventor. âI don't take much stock in him, myself. I think he's visionary. He may think he has made diamonds, and he may have made some stones that look like them. I'm very skeptical.â âIf you could bring me some, Tom, I could soon tell whether they were real or not. Can you?â The lad shook his head. âI don't expect to see Mr. Jenks again,â he said. âHe talked rather wildly about waiting to meet me, but that man is odd--crazy, perhaps--and I don't imagine I'll see him. He's harmless, but he's eccentric. Well, there was quite some excitement for a time.â âI should say there was. I thought it was a plan to rob me,â and the jeweler began putting away the diamond pins. In fact, the excitement so filled the minds of himself and Tom that neither of them thought any more of the object of the lad's visit, and the young inventor departed without purchasing the pin he had come after. It was not until he was out on the street, walking toward his home, that the matter came back to his mind. âI declare!â he exclaimed. âI didn't get that pin for Mary, after all! Well, never mind, I have a week until her birthday, and I can get it to-morrow.â He walked rapidly toward home, for the weather looked threatening, and Tom had no umbrella. He was musing on the happenings of the evening when he reached his house. His father was out, as was Garret Jackson, the engineer; and Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper, was entertaining a lady in the sitting-room, so, as Tom was rather tired, he went directly to his own room, and, a little later got into bed. It was shortly after midnight when he was awakened by hearing a rattling on the window of his room. The reason he was able to fix the time so accurately was because as soon as he awakened he pressed a little electric button, and it illuminated the face of a small clock on his bureau. The hands pointed to five minutes past twelve. âHumph! That sounds like hail!â exclaimed Tom, as he arose, and looked out of the casement. âI wonder if any of the skylights of the airship shed are open? There might be some damage. Guess I'd better go out and take a look.â He had mentally reasoned this far before he had looked out, and when he saw that the moon was brightly shining in a clear sky, he was a bit surprised. âWhy--that wasn't hail,â he murmured. âIt isn't even raining. I wonder what it was?â He was answered a moment later, for a shower of fine gravel from the walk flew up and clattered against the glass. With a start, Tom looked down, and saw a dark figure standing under an apple tree. âHello! Who's there?â called the lad, after he had raised the sash. âIt's I--Mr. Jenks,â was the surprising answer. âMr. Jenks?â repeated Tom. âYes--Barcoe Jenks, of Earthquake Island.â âYou here? What do you want?â âCan you come down?â âWhat for?â âTom Swift, I've something very important to tell you,â was the answer in a low voice, yet which carried to Tom's ears perfectly. âDo you want to make a fortune for yourself--and for me?â âHow?â Tom was beginning to think more and more that Mr. Jenks was crazy. âHow? By helping me to discover the secret of Phantom Mountain, where the diamonds are made! Will you?â âWait a minute--I'll come down,â answered Tom, and he began to grope for his clothes in the dim light of the little electric lamp. What was the secret of Phantom Mountain? What did Mr. Jenks really want? Could he make diamonds? Tom asked himself these questions as he hastily dressed to go down to his midnight visitor. CHAPTER III--A STRANGE STORY âWell, Mr. Jenks,â began Tom, when he had descended to the garden, and greeted the man who had acted so strangely on Earthquake Island, âthis is rather an odd time for a visit.â âI realize that, Tom Swift,â was the answer, and the lad noticed that the man spoke much more calmly than he had that evening at the jewelry shop. âI realize that, but I have to be cautious in my movements.â âWhy?â âBecause there are enemies on my track. If they thought I was seeking aid to discover the secret of Phantom Mountain, my life might pay the forfeit.â âAre you in earnest, Mr. Jenks?â âI certainly am, and, while I must apologize for awakening you at this unseemly hour, and for the mysterious nature of my visit, if you will let me tell my story, you will see the need of secrecy.â âOh, I don't mind being awakened,â answered Tom, good-naturedly, âbut I will be frank with you, Mr. Jenks. I hardly can believe what you have stated to me several times--that you know how diamonds can be made.â âI can prove it to you,â was the quiet answer. âYes, I know. For centuries men have tried to discover the secret of transmuting base metals into gold, and how to make diamonds by chemical means. But they have all been failures.â âAll except this process--the process used at Phantom Mountain,â insisted the queer man. âDo you want to hear my story?â âI have no objections.â âThen let me warn you,â went on Mr. Jenks, âthat if you do hear it, you will be so fascinated by it that I am sure you will want to cast your lot in with mine, and aid me to get my rights, and solve the mystery. And I also want to warn you that if you do, there is a certain amount of danger connected with it.â âI'm used to danger,â answered Tom, quietly. âLet me hear your story. But first explain how you came to come here, and why you acted so strangely at the jewelry store.â âWillingly. I tried to attract your attention at the store, because I saw that you were going to buy a diamond, and I didn't want you to.â âWhy not?â âBecause I want to present you with a beautiful stone, that will answer your purpose as well or better, than any one you could buy. That will prove my story better than any amount of words or argument. But I could not attract your attention without also attracting that of the jeweler. He became suspicious, gave chase, and I thought it best to vanish. I hope no one was made to suffer for what may have been my imprudence.â âNo, the lad whom Mr. Track caught was let go. But how did you happen to come to Shopton?â âTo see you. I got your address from the owner of the yacht Resolute. I knew that if there was one person who could aid me to recover my rights, it would be you, Tom Swift. Will you help me? Will you come with me to discover the secret of Phantom Mountain? If we go, it will have to be in an airship, for in no other way, I think, can we come upon the place, as it is closely guarded. Will you come? I will pay you well.â âPerhaps I had better hear your story,â said the young inventor. âBut first let me suggest that we move farther away from the house. My father, or Mr. Jackson, or the housekeeper, may hear us talking, and it may disturb them. Come with me to my private shop,â and Tom led the way to a small building where he did experimental work. He unlocked the door with a key he carried, turned on the lights, which were run by a storage battery, and motioned Mr. Jenks to a seat. âNow I'll hear your story,â said Tom. âI'll make it as short as possible,â went on the queer man. âTo begin with, it is now several years ago since a poorly dressed stranger applied to me one night for money enough to get a meal and a bed to sleep in. I was living in New York City at the time, and this was midnight, as I was returning home from my club. âI was touched by the man's appearance, and gave him some money. He asked for my card, saying he would repay me some day. I gave it to him, little thinking I would hear from the man again. But I did. He called at my apartments about a week later, saying he had secured work as an expert setter of diamonds, and wanted to repay me. I did not want to take his money, but the fact that such a sorry looking specimen of manhood as he had been when I aided him, was an expert handler of gems interested me. I talked with the man, and he made a curious statement. âThis man, who gave his name as Enos Folwell, said he knew a place where diamonds could be made, partly in a scientific manner, and partly by the forces of nature. I laughed at him, but he told me so many details that I began to believe him. He said he and some other friends of his, who were diamond cutters, had a plant in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, where they had succeeded in making several small, but very perfect diamonds. They had come to the end of their rope, though, so to speak, because they could not afford to buy the materials needed. Folwell said that he and his companions had temporarily separated, had left the mountain where they made diamonds, and agreed to meet there later when they had more money with which to purchase materials. They had all agreed to go out into civilization, and work for enough funds to enable them to go on with their diamond making. âI hardly knew whether to believe the man or not, but he offered proof. He had several small, but very perfect diamonds with him, and he gave them to me, to have tested in any way I desired. âI promised to look into the matter, and, as I was quite wealthy, as, in fact I am now, and if I found that the stones he gave me were real, I said I might invest some money in the plant.â âWere the diamonds good?â asked Tom, who was beginning to be interested. âThey were--stones of the first water, though small. An expert gem merchant, to whom I took them, said he had never seen any diamonds like them, and he wanted to know where I got them. Of course I did not tell him. âTo make a long story short, I saw Folwell again, told him to communicate with his companions, and to tell them that I would agree to supply the cash needed, if I could share in the diamond making. To this they agreed, and, after some weeks spent in preparation, a party of us set out for Phantom Mountain.â âPhantom Mountain?â interrupted Tom. âWhere is it?â âI don't know, exactly--it's somewhere in the Rockies, but the exact location is a mystery. That is why I need your help. You will soon understand the reason. Well, as I said, myself, Folwell and the others, who were not exactly prepossessing sort of men, started west. When we got to a small town, called Indian Ridge, near Leadville, Colorado, the men insisted that I must now proceed in secret, and consent to be blindfolded, as they were not yet ready to reveal the secret of the place where they made the diamonds. âI did not want to agree to this, but they insisted, and I gave in, foolishly perhaps. At any rate I was blindfolded one night, placed in a wagon, and we drove off into the mountains. After traveling for some distance I was led, still blindfolded, up a steep trail. âWhen the bandage was taken off my eyes I saw that I was in a large cave. The men were with me, and they apologized for the necessity that caused them to blindfold me. They said they were ready to proceed with the making of diamonds, but I must promise not to seek to discover the secret until they gave me permission, nor was I to attempt to leave the cave. I had to agree. âNext they demanded that I give them a large sum, which I had promised when they showed me, conclusively, that they could make diamonds. I refused to do this until I had seen some of the precious stones, and they agreed that this was fair, but said I would have to wait a few days. âWell, I waited, and, all that while, I was virtually a prisoner in the cave. All I could learn was that it was in the midst of a great range, near the top, and that one of the peaks was called Phantom Mountain. Why, I did not learn until later. âAt last one night, during a terrific thunder storm, the leader of the diamond makers--Folwell--announced that I could now see the stones made. The men had been preparing their chemicals for some days previous. I was taken into a small chamber of the cave, and there saw quite a complicated apparatus. Part of it was a great steel box, with a lever on it. âWe will let you make some diamonds for yourself,â Folwell said to me, and he directed me to pull the lever of the box, at a certain signal. The signal came, just as a terrific crash of thunder shook the very mountain inside of which we were. The box of steel got red-hot, and when it cooled off it was opened, and was given a handful of white stones. âWere they diamonds?â asked Tom, eagerly. Mr. Jenks held out one hand. In the palm glittered a large stone--ostensibly a diamond. In the rays of the moon it showed all the colors of the rainbow--a beautiful gem. âThat is one of the stones I made--or rather that I supposed I had made,â went on Mr. Jenks. âIt is one of several I have, but they have not all been cut and polished as has this one. âNaturally I was much impressed by what I saw, and, after I had made certain tests which convinced me that the stones in the steel box were diamonds, I paid over the money as I had promised. That was my undoing.â âHow?â âAs soon as the men got the cash, they had no further use for me. The next I remember is eating a rude meal, while we discussed the future of making diamonds. I knew nothing more until I found myself back in the small hotel at Indian Ridge, whence I had gone some time previous, with the men, to the cave in the mountain.â âWhat happened?â asked Tom, much surprised by the unexpected outcome of the affair. âI had been tricked, that was all! As soon as the men had my money they had no further use for me. They did not want me to learn the secret of their diamond making, and they drugged me, carried me away from the cave, and left me in the hotel.â âDidn't you try to find the cave again?â âI did, but without avail. I spent some time in the Rockies, but no one could tell where Phantom Mountain was; in fact, few had heard of it, and I was nearly lost searching for it. âI came back East, determined to get even. I had given the men a very large sum of money, and, in exchange, they had given me several diamonds. Probably the stones are worth nearly as much as the money I invested, but I was cheated, for I was promised an equal share in the profits. These were denied me, and I was tricked. I determined to be revenged, or at least to discover the secret of making diamonds. It is my right.â âI agree with you,â spoke Tom. âBut, up to the time I met you on Earthquake Island, I could form no plan for discovering Phantom Mountain, and learning the secret of the diamond makers,â went on Mr. Jenks. âI carried the gems about with me, as you doubtless saw when we were on the island. But I knew I needed an airship in which to fly over the mountains, and pick out the location of the cave where the diamonds are made.â âBut how can you locate it, if you were blindfolded when you were taken there, Mr. Jenks?â âI forgot to tell you that, on our journey into the mountains, and just before I was carried into the cave, I managed to raise one corner of the bandage. I caught a glimpse of a very peculiarly shaped cliff--it is like a great head, standing out in bold relief against the moonlight, when I saw it. That head of rock is near the cave. It may be the landmark by which we can locate Phantom Mountain.â âPerhaps,â admitted the young inventor. âWhat I want to know is this,â went on Mr. Jenks. âWill you go with me on this quest--go in your airship to discover the secret of the diamond makers? If you will, I will share with you whatever diamonds we can discover, or make; besides paying all expenses. Will you go, Tom Swift?â The young inventor did not know what to answer. How far was Mr. Jenks to be trusted? Were the stones he had real diamonds? Was his story, fantastical as it sounded--true? Would it be safe for Tom to go? The lad asked himself these questions. Mr. Jenks saw his hesitation. âHere,â said the strange man, âI will prove what I say. Take this diamond. I intended it for you, anyhow, for what you did for me on Earthquake Island. Take it, and--and give it to the person for whom you were about to purchase a diamond to-night. But, first of all, take it to a gem expert, and get his opinion. That will prove the truth of what I say, Tom Swift, and I feel sure that you will cast your lot in with mine, and help me to discover the secret of Phantom Mountain, and aid me to get my rights from the diamond makers!â CHAPTER IV--ANDY FOGER GETS A FRIGHT Tom Swift considered a few minutes. On the face of it, the proposition appealed to him. He had been home some time now after his adventures on Earthquake Island, and he was beginning to long for more excitement. The search for the mysterious mountain, and the cave of the diamond makers, might offer a new field for him. But there came to him a certain distrust of Mr. Jenks. âI don't like to doubt your word,â began Tom, slowly, âbut you know, Mr. Jenks, that some of the greatest chemists have tried in vain to make diamonds; or, at best, they have made only tiny ones. To think that any man, or set of men, made real diamonds as large as the ones you have, doesn't seem--well--â and Tom hesitated. âYou mean you can hardly believe me?â asked Mr. Jenks. âI guess that's it,â assented Tom. âI don't blame you a bit!â exclaimed the odd man. âIn fact, I didn't believe it when they told me they could make diamonds. But they proved it to me. I'm ready now to prove it to you.â âI'll tell you what I'll do. Here's this one stone, cut ready for setting. Here's another, uncut,â and Mr. Jenks drew from his pocket what looked like a piece of crystal. âTake them to any jeweler,â he resumed--âto the one in whose place I saw you to-night. I'll abide by the verdict you get, and I'll come here to-morrow night, and hear what you have to say.â âWhy do you come at night?â asked Tom, thinking there was something suspicious in that. âBecause my life might be in danger if I was seen talking to you, and showing you diamonds in the daytime--especially just now. âWhy at this particular time?â âFor the reason that the diamond makers are on my trail. As long as I remained quiet, after their shabby treatment of me, and did not try to discover their secret, they were all right. But, after I realized that I had been cheated out of my rights, and when I began to make an investigation, with a view to discovering their secret whereabouts, I received mysterious and anonymous warnings to stop.â âBut I did not. I came East, and tried to get help to discover the cave of the diamond makers, but I was unsuccessful. I needed an airship, as I said, and no person who could operate one, would agree to go with me on the quest. Again I received a warning to drop all search for the diamond makers, but I persisted, and about a week ago I found I was being shadowed.â âShadowed; by whom?â asked Tom. âBy a man I never remember seeing, but who, I have no doubt, is one of the diamond-making gang.â âDo you think he means you harm?â âI'm sure of it. That is the reason I have to act so in secret, and come to see you at night. I don't want those scoundrels to find out what I am about to do. On my return from Earthquake Island, I again endeavored to interest an airship man in my plan, but he evidently thought me insane. Then I thought of you, as I had done before, but I was afraid you, too, would laugh at my proposition. However, I decided to come here, and I did. It seemed almost providential that my first view of you was in a jewelry shop, looking at diamonds. I took it as a good omen. Now it remains with you. May I call here to-morrow night, and get your answer?â Tom Swift made up his mind quickly. After all it would be easy enough to find out if the diamonds were real. If they were, he could then decide whether or not to go with Mr. Jenks on the mysterious quest. So he answered: âI'll consider the matter, Mr. Jenks. I'll meet you here to-morrow night. In the meanwhile, for my own satisfaction, I'll let an expert look at these stones.â âGet the greatest diamond expert in the world, and he'll pronounce them perfect!â predicted the odd man. âNow I'll bid you goodnight, and be going. I'll be here at this time to-morrow.â As Mr. Jenks turned aside there was a movement among the trees in the orchard, and a shadowy figure was seen hurrying away. âWho's that?â asked the diamond man, in a hoarse whisper. âDid you see that, Tom Swift? Some one was here--listening to what I said! Perhaps it was the man who has been shadowing me!â âI think not. I guess it was Eradicate Sampson, a colored man who does work for us,â said Tom. âIs that you, Rad?â he called. âYais, sah, Massa Tom, heah I is!â answered the voice of the negro, but it came from an entirely different direction than that in which the shadowy figure had been seen. âWhere are you, Rad?â called the young inventor. âRight heah,â was the reply, and the colored man came from the direction of the stable. âI were jest out seein' if mah mule Boomerang were all right. Sometimes he's restless, an' don't sleep laik he oughter.â âThen that wasn't you over in the orchard?â asked Tom, in some uneasiness. âNo, sah, I ain't been in de orchard. I were sleepin' in mah shack, till jest a few minutes ago, when I got up, an' went in t' see Boomerang. I had a dream dat some coon were tryin t' steal him, an' it sort ob 'sturbed me, laik.â âIf it wasn't your man, it was some one else,â said Mr. Jenks, decidedly. âWe'll have a look!â exclaimed Tom. âHere, Rad, come over and scurry among those trees. We just saw some one sneaking around.â âI'll sure do dat!â cried the colored man. âMebby it were somebody arter Boomerang! I'll find 'em.â âI don't believe it was any one after the mule,â murmured Mr. Jenks, âbut it certainly was some one--more likely some one after me.â The three made a hasty search among the trees, but the intruder had vanished, leaving no trace. They went out into the road, which the moon threw into bold relief along its white stretch, but there was no figure scurrying away. âWhoever it was, is gone,â spoke Tom. âYou can go back to bed, Rad,â for the colored man, of late, had been sleeping in a shack on the Swift premises. âAnd I guess it's time for me to go, too,â added Mr. Jenks. âI'll be here to-morrow night, Tom, and I hope your answer will be favorable.â Tom did not sleep well the remainder of the night, for his fitful slumbers were disturbed by dreams of enormous caves, filled with diamonds, with dark, shadowy figures trying to put him into a red-hot steel box. Once he awakened with a start, and put his hand under his pillow to feel if the two stones Mr. Jenks had given him, were still there. They had not been disturbed. Tom made up his mind to find out if the stones were really diamonds, before saying anything to his father about the chance of going to seek Phantom Mountain. And the young inventor wished to get the opinion of some other jeweler than Mr. Track--at least, at first. âThough if this one proves to be a good gem, I'll have Mr. Track set it in a brooch, and give it to Mary for her birthday,â decided the young inventor. âGuess I'll take a run over to Chester in the Butterfly, and see what one of the jewelers there has to say.â In addition to his big airship, Red Cloud, Tom owned
{'title': 'Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers; Or, The Secret of Phantom Mountain by Appleton', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}