ging. Still he was not yet ready to give in. He
rather liked the idea the more he thought of it, but he felt that he
had other duties, and much to occupy him at home, especially if he
perfected his silent motor.

"Will you go?" asked Mr. Period, picking up his fountain pen and check
book, that he had laid aside when he walked over to Tom, just before
the giant grasped him. "Say you will."

The young inventor was silent a moment. He thought over the many
adventures he had gone through--in the caves of ice, in the city of
gold, escaping from the giants, and the red pygmies--He went over the
details of his trips through the air, of the dangers under the seas, of
those he had escaped from on Earthquake Island. Surely e was entitled
to a little rest at home.

And yet there was a lure to it all. A certain fascination that was hard
to resist. Mr. Period must have seen what was going on in Tom's mind,
for he said:

"I know you're going. I can see it. Why, it will be just the very thing
you need. You'll get more fame out of this thing than from any of your
other inventions. Come, say you'll do it.

"I'll tell you what I'll do!" he went on eagerly. "After you make the
camera, and take a lot of films, showing strange and wonderful scenes,
I'll put at the end of each film, next to my picture, your name, and a
statement showing that you took the originals. How's that? Talk about
being advertised! Why you can't beat it! Millions of people will read
your name at the picture shows every night."

"I am not looking for advertisements," said Tom, with a laugh.

"Well, then, think of the benefit you will be to science," went on Mr.
Period quickly. "Think of the few people who have seen wild animals as
they are, of those who have ever seen an earthquake, or a volcano in
action. You can go to Japan, and get pictures of earthquakes. They have
them on tap there. And as for volcanoes, why the Andes mountains are
full of 'em. Think of how many people will be thankful to you for
showing them these wonderful scenes."

"And think of what might happen if I should take a tumble into a crack
in the earth, or down a hot volcano, or fall into a jungle when there
was a fight on among the elephants," suggested Tom. "My airship might
take a notion to go down when I was doing the photographing," he added.

"No. Nothing like that will happen to Tom Swift," was the confident
answer of the picture man. "I've read of your doings. You don't have
acci