THE MASTER KEY


Rob was surrounded by a group of natives



Copyright 1901
The Bowen-Merrill Company

PRESS OF
BRAUNWORTH & CO.
BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS
BROOKLYN, N. Y.


To my son

Robert Stanton Baum


CONTENTS

ChapterPage
[I.]Rob's Workshop1
[II.]The Demon of Electricity9
[III.]The Three Gifts18
[IV.]Testing the Instruments29
[V.]The Cannibal Island43
[VI.]The Buccaneers60
[VII.]The Demon Becomes Angry78
[VIII.]Rob Acquires New Powers86
[IX.]The Second Journey97
[X.]How Rob Served a Mighty King104
[XI.]The Man of Science126
[XII.]How Rob Saved a Republic136
[XIII.]Rob Loses His Treasures146
[XIV.]Turk and Tatar160
[XV.]A Battle With Monsters182
[XVI.]Shipwrecked Mariners192
[XVII.]The Coast of Oregon206
[XVIII.]A Narrow Escape214
[XIX.]Rob Makes a Resolution225
[XX.]The Unhappy Fate of the Demon230

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page
[Rob was surrounded by a group of natives of hideous appearance—Frontispiece]
[From his workshop ran a network of wires throughout the house—Headpiece]1
[A quick flash of light almost blinded Rob]6
[A curious being looked upon him from a magnificent radiance—Tailpiece]8
[Scientific men think the people of Mars have been trying to signal us—Headpiece]9
[I am here to do your bidding, said the Demon—Tailpiece]17
[Men have not yet discovered what the birds know—Headpiece]18
[These three gifts may amuse you for the next week—Tailpiece]28
[Rob's action surprised them all—Headpiece]29
["He'll break his neck!" cried the astounded father]36
[The red-whiskered policeman keeled over—Tailpiece]42
[Rob's captors caught up the end of the rope and led him away—Headpiece]43
["If it's just the same to you, old chap, I won't be eaten to-day"—Tailpiece]59
[Rob soared through the air with five Buccaneers dangling from his leg—Headpiece]60
[It was a strange sight to see the pirates drop to the deck and lie motionless]66
[When night fell his slumber was broken and uneasy—Tailpiece]77
[When Rob had been kissed by his mother, he gave an account of his adventures—Headpiece]78
[Rob sat staring eagerly at the Demon—Tailpiece]85
[The Being drew from an inner pocket something resembling a box—Headpiece]86
[These spectacles will indicate the character of every one you meet—Tailpiece]96
[Rob is in truth a typical American boy—Headpiece]97
[Rob placed the indicator to a point north of east and began his journey—Tailpiece]103
[A crowd assembled, all shouting and pointing toward him in wonder—Headpiece]104
[A man rushed toward it, but the next moment he threw up his hands and fell unconscious]108
[Rob reached the entrance of the palace, only to face another group of guardsmen]114
[Rob only smiled in an amused way as he marched past them—Tailpiece]125
[A tremendous din and clatter nearly deafened him—Headpiece]126
[The eyes of the Frenchman were actually protruding from their sockets]128
[From an elevation of fifty feet or more Rob overlooked a pretty garden—Headpiece]136
[Placing the record so that the President could see clearly, Rob watched the changing expressions upon the great man's face]140
[Rob experienced a decided sense of relief as he mixed with the gay populace—Tailpiece]145
[Beneath him stretched a vast sandy plain, and speeding across this he came to a land abounding in vegetation—Headpiece]146
["Those fellows seem to be looking for trouble"]150
[Uttering cries of terror and dismay, the three Turks took to their heels]158
[Rob was miserable and unhappy, and remained brooding over his cruel fate—Tailpiece]159
[The Tatars arrived swiftly and noiselessly—Headpiece]160
[The Turk rose slowly into the air, with Rob clinging to him with desperate tenacity]176
[Without more ado Rob mounted into the air, leaving the Turk staring after him—Tailpiece]181
[Coming toward him was an immense bird—Headpiece]186
[With one last scream the creature tumbled downward to join its fellow—Tailpiece]191
[During the next few hours Rob suffered from a severe attack of homesickness—Headpiece]192
[The disappointment of the sailors was something awful to witness]196
[As they slowly mounted into the sky the sailor gave a squeal of terror—Tailpiece]205
[Rob mounted skyward, to the unbounded amazement of the fishermen, who stared after him—Headpiece]206
[Rob hovered over the great tower of the Lick Observatory until he attracted the excited gaze of its inhabitants—Tailpiece]213
[Finding himself upon the lake front, Rob hunted up a vacant bench and sat down to rest—Headpiece]214
[As he started downward he saw the old gentleman looking at him with a half-frightened, half-curious expression—Tailpiece]224
[At precisely ten o'clock Rob reached the front door of his own house—Headpiece]225
[Rob boldly ascended the stairs, entered the workshop and closed and locked the door—Tailpiece]229
[The Demon sank into a chair nerveless and limp, but still staring fearfully at the boy—Headpiece]230
[A flash of white light half-stunned and blinded Rob. When he recovered himself the Demon had disappeared—Tailpiece]245