"I believe I could see a bird perched there, if there was one!" exclaimed Tom enthusiastically. "That certainly is a wonderful light. With larger carbons, better parobolic mirrors, a different resistance box, better connections, and a more powerful primary current there is no reason why I could not get a light that would make objects more plainly visible than in the daytime, even in the darkest night, and at a great distance."
"But what would be the object of such a light, Tom?"
"To play upon the smugglers, dad, and catch them as they come over the border in the airship."
"Smugglers, Tom! You don't mean to tell me you are going away again, and after smugglers?"
"Well, dad, I've had an offer, and I think I'll take it. There's no money in it, but I think it is my duty to do my best for Uncle Sam. The one thing that bothered me was how to get a view of the airship at night. This searchlight has solved the problem--that is if I can make a permanent invention of this accident, and I think I can."
"Oh, Tom, I hate to think of you going away from home again," said his father a bit sadly.
"Don't worry, father. I'm not going far this time. Only to the Canadian border, and that's only a few hundred miles. But I want to see if I can cut the current off, and turn it on again. When a thing happens by accident you never know whether you can get just exactly the same conditions again."
Tom shut off the current from the dynamo, and the powerful beam of light died out. Then he turned it on once more, and it glowed as brightly as before. He did this several times, and each time it was a success.
"Hurrah!" cried Tom. "To-morrow I'll start on my latest invention, a great searchlight!"