creek were flooded, but were not carried away.

The following day some of the officers of the water company paid a
visit to Tom, to thank him for what he had done. But for him they would
have been responsible for great property damage, and loss of life might
have followed.

They intended to rebuild the dam, they said, on a new principle, making
it much stronger.

"And," said the president, "we will have an emergency outlet gate into
that valley you so providentially opened for us, Mr. Swift. Then, in
time of great rain, we can let the water out slowly as we need to."

Tom's chief anxiety, now, was to bring his perfected gun to the notice
of the United States Government officials. To have them accept it, he
knew he must give it a test before the ordnance board, and before the
officers of the army and navy. Accordingly he prepared for this.

He ordered several new projectiles, some of a different type from those
heretofore used, and leaving Koku and Ned in charge of the gun, went
back to Shopton to superintend the manufacture of an additional supply
of his explosive. He took care, too, that no spies gained access to it.

Then, with a plentiful supply of ammunition and projectiles, Tom
resumed his practice in the lonely valley. He had, in the meanwhile,
sent requests to the proper government officials to come and witness
the tests.

At first he met with no success, and he learned, incidentally, that
General Waller had built a new gun, the merits of which he was also
anxious to show.

"It's a sort of rivalry between us," said Tom to Ned.

But, in a way, fortune favored our hero. For when General Waller tested
his new gun, though it did not burst, it did not come up to
expectations, and its range was not as great as some of the weapons
already in use.

Then, too, Captain Badger acted as Tom's friend at court. He "pulled
wires" to good advantage, and at last the government sent word that one
of the ordnance officers would be present on a certain day to witness
the tests.

"I wish the whole board had come," said Tom. "Probably they have only
sent a young fellow, just out of West Point, who will turn me down.

"But I'm going to give him the surprise of his life; and if he doesn't
report favorably, and insist on the whole board coming out here, I'll
be much disappointed."

Tom made his preparations carefully, and certainly Captain Waydell, the
young officer who came to represent Uncle Sam, was impressed. Tom sent