each other, and
their clashes afforded Tom and his friends a good deal of amusement.

While the young inventor was in his bath the giant strode back into the
bedroom, out of which Rad had scurried by another door, and proceeded
to report the result of his night watch about the premises.

He had not much to tell. In fact, after Tom had gone into the house
Koku had seen nobody lurking about at all. The fact remained that,
earlier in the evening, somebody had made a close surveillance of the
Swift house, but the mysterious marauder had not come back.

"All right, Koku. Keep your eyes open. I expect that enemy may return
sometime. Too bad," he added to himself, "that I didn't get a better
look at him."

"Koku know him next time," declared the giant.

"Why! you didn't even see him this time," cried Tom.

"See him boots. See marks him boots make. Know him boots. Waugh!"

"'Waugh!' yourself," returned Tom, shaking his head. "You are
altogether too sure, Koku. You couldn't tell a man from his bootprints
in the mud."

"Koku know," said the giant, just as confidently. "Wait. Him
catch--see--show Master."

"Don't you go to grabbing every stranger who comes around the house or
the works for a spy, and make me trouble. Remember now."

Koku nodded gravely and went away. When he met Rad suddenly in the hall
with Mr. Swift's breakfast tray, the giant said "boo!" and almost cost
the old colored man the loss of the tray.

"Dat big el'phant ought to be livin' in a barn," declared Rad. "Look
at dat spear he come near runnin' me t'rough wid! If he had, yo' could
ha' driv a tipcart full o' rubbish in after it. Lawsy me!"

But an hour later when Tom and his father started for the offices of
the Swift Construction Company down the street, Rad and Koku were
sitting before an enormous breakfast in the back kitchen and chatting
together as companionably as ever.

The old inventor and his son arrived at the offices of the Swift
Construction Company not long ahead of Mr. Richard Bartholomew. Tom had
merely found time to read over the contract that had been jointly
prepared by Ned Newton and the firm's legal advisers, before the
railroad man came.

"No getting out of the provisions of that paper, Tom," Ned had
whispered, when he saw Mr. Bartholomew coming into the outer office.
"Is this your man?"

"Yes."

"A sharp looking little fellow," commented Ned. "But even if he were
bent on tricking us, this contract would hold him.