“Kill you!” shouted Tom. “Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m perfectly rational!” sneered Kilborn. “But I make that charge. A charge of attempting my life! Tom Swift dropped from his airship a Chinaman on my head, severely injuring me.”
And then it came to Tom and Ned what the rascal meant. He was referring to the time he had set the Chinese bandits on to wreck the Air Monarch. One of the bandits had been carried up by catching hold of a rope as Tom sent his craft aloft, but the frightened fellow had loosed his hold and dropped on Kilborn’s head.
“Arrest Tom Swift!” again demanded the Red Arrow pilot.
As he hastened forward, so did the police officer, accompanied by a number of others.
“I am sorry,” said the officer to Tom, “that I shall have to take you into custody. There must be a hearing, but probably, since no one was really killed, you will be admitted to bail.”
“You mean that I must submit to arrest and probably lose a day, if not more, arranging for bail on this untrue charge?” asked Tom indignantly.
“Such is the law,” was the answer.
“It’s a foolish law!” cried Ned. “It was Kilborn’s own fault that the Chinese bandit dropped on him. He sent them to attack us!”
“I did nothing of the sort!” declared Kilborn brazenly.