"
"But I haven't--quite," said Ned.
"What's missing?" asked his chum, as they got back in the
tank.
"Well, I'd like to make sure that the fellow who ran from
the factory was the same one I saw sneaking out of the barn.
I believe he was, and I believe that Simpson's crowd
engineered this whole thing."
"I believe so, too," Tom agreed. "The next thing is to
prove it. But that will keep until later. The main thing is
we've got our tank, and now I'm going to get her ready for
France."
"Will she be in shape to ship soon?" asked Ned.
"Yes, if nothing more happens. I've got a few little
changes and adjustments to make, and then she'll be ready
for the last test--one of long distance endurance mainly.
After that, apart she comes to go to the front, and we'll
begin making 'em in quantities here and on the other side."
"Good!" cried Ned. "Down with the Huns!"
Without further incident of moment they went back to the
headquarters of the tank, and soon the great machine was
safe in the shop where she had been made.
The next two weeks were busy ones for Tom, and in them he
put the finishing touches on his machine, gave it a long
test over fields and through woods, until finally he
announced:
"She's as complete as I can make her! She's ready for
France!"
Chapter XIX
Tom is Missing
With Tom Swift's announcement, that his tank was at last
ready for real action, came the end of the long nights and
days given over on the part of his father, himself, and his
men to the development and refinement of the machine, to
getting plans and specifications ready so that the tanks
could be made quickly and in large numbers in this country
and abroad and to the actual building of Tank A.
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