Mr. Swift after him.

"Sorry. I'd like to but can't. Got a big contract I must close in New
York to-morrow morning. I've ordered a special train to be at the
Shopton station in half an hour, and I must catch that. Good night!"
and Mr. Period hurried away.

"Say, he's a hustler all right!" exclaimed Ned.

"Yes, and I've got to hustle if I invent that camera," added Tom. "It's
got to be a specially fast one, and one that can take pictures from a
long distance. Electricity is the thing to use, I guess."

"Then you are really going off on this trip. Tom?" asked his father,
rather wistfully.

"I'm afraid I am," replied his son. "I thought I could stay at home for
a while, but it seems not."

"I was in hopes you could give me a little time to help me on my
gyroscope invention," went on the aged man. "But I suppose it will keep
until you come back. It is nearly finished."

"Yes, and I don't like stopping work on my noiseless motor," spoke Tom.
"But that will have to wait, too."

"Do you know where you are going?" inquired Ned.

"Well, I'll have to do considerable traveling I suppose to get all the
films he wants. But once I'm started I'll like it I guess. Of course
you're coming, Ned."

"I hope so."

"Of course you are!" insisted Tom, as if that settled it. "And I'm sure
Mr. Damon will go also. I haven't seen him in some time. I hope he
isn't ill."

Tom started work on his Wizard Camera, as he called it, the next
day--that is he began drawing the designs, and planning how to
construct it. Ned helped him, and Koku was on hand in case he was
needed, but there was little he could do, as yet. Tom made an
inspection of his shop the morning after the chicken thief scare, but
nothing seemed to have been disturbed.

A week passed, and Tom had all the plans drawn for the camera. He had
made several experiments with different forms of electricity for
operating the mechanism, and had decided on a small, but very powerful,
storage battery to move the film, and take the pictures.

This storage battery, which would be inside the camera, would operate
it automatically. That is, the camera could be set up any place, in the
jungle, or on the desert, it could be left alone, and would take
pictures without any one being near it. Tom planned to have it operate
at a certain set time, and stop at a certain time, and he could set the
dials to make this time any moment of the day or night. For there was
to be a powerful light in