"Well, it moved around and then it started for the fence nearest me, where I was up in the tree. I thought it might have seen me, even though it was gettin' dark, and it might bust through; so I ran!"
"Hum! Well, you surely were seeing things," murmured Ned, but, while he made light of what the boy told him, the young bank clerk was thinking: "What is Tom up to now?"
Chapter VII
Up a Tree
"Want to come and have a look?" asked Harry, as Ned paused in the patch of woods, which were in deeper darkness than the rest of the countryside, for night was fast falling.
"Have a look at what?" asked Ned, who was thinking many thoughts just then.
"At the elephant I saw back of the Swift factory. I wouldn't be skeered if you came along."
"Well, I'm going over to see Tom Swift, anyhow," answered Ned, "so I'll walk that way. You can come if you like. I don't care about spying on other people's property—"
"I wasn't spyin'!" exclaimed Harry quickly. "I just happened to look. And then I seen something."