Efforts were redoubled to find the dangerous “cannon balls,” as Koku called them, and in a short time three more were discovered in various parts of the plant. They were all set with time fuses which had more than an hour yet to run, so the bombs were rendered harmless with no ill effects to the searchers.
But it was when the shadows of evening were falling, and Ned and the others had about given up expectation of finding more bombs, that Ned unexpectedly came across one hidden in a refuse box outside of Tom’s private office.
It needed but an instant’s look to show that this was timed to go off almost immediately, which fact, when Ned discovered it, caused him to shout:
“Look out! This is a live one!”
He hurled it from him, toward a pile of lumber in the shop yard. There was a deafening report—a shower of planks and boards rose in the air and settled back again with a crash, while a cloud of smoke filled the air.
“Just in time!” cried Ned. “If that had gone off here it would have killed all of us.”
And as the echoes of the explosion died away a voice was heard shouting:
“Is any one hurt? Father, are you there? Ned, is any one hurt?”
CHAPTER XIII
AN OMINOUS MESSAGE
Curious, indeed, was the chance, coincidence, or fate—call it what you like—which brought Tom Swift on the scene, in company with Mr. Knowlton in the runabout, just as the bomb which Ned tossed away exploded near the lumber pile. Tom and his friend felt the force of the blast, but, aside from a stunned feeling and the shock, they were unhurt, and after a momentary stopping of the car Mr. Knowlton sent it on again.