“Is that what makes you look so blue?” asked Ned.

“That’s it.  I can’t seem to find a way by which to take up the recoil, and the force of it, from all the guns I want to carry, will just about tear my ship to pieces, I figure.”

“Then you haven’t actually tried it out yet?” asked Ned.

“Not the guns, no.  I have the warship of the air nearly done, but I’ve worked out on paper the problem of the guns far enough so that I know I’m up against it.  It can’t be done, and an aerial warship without guns wouldn’t be worth much, I’m afraid.”

“I suppose not,” agreed Ned.  “And is it only the recoil that is bothering you?”

“Mostly.  But come, take a look at my latest pet,” and Tom arose to lead the way to another shed, a large one in the distance, toward which he waved his hand to indicate to his chum that there was housed the wonderful invention.

The two chums crossed the yard, threading their way through the various buildings, until they stood in front of the structure to which Tom had called attention.

“It’s in here,” he said.  “I don’t mind admitting that I’m quite proud of it, Ned; that is, proud as far as I’ve gone.  But the gun business sure has me worried.  I’m going to talk it off on you.  Hello!” cried Tom suddenly, as he put a key in the complicated lock on the door, “someone has been in here.  I wonder who it is?”

Ned was a little startled at the look on Tom’s face and the sound of alarm in his chum’s voice.

CHAPTER II A FIRE ALARM

Tom Swift quickly opened the door of the big shed.  It was built to house a dirigible balloon, or airship of some sort.  Ned could easily tell that from his knowledge of Tom’s previous inventions.

“Something wrong?” asked the young bank clerk.

“I don’t know,” returned Tom, and then as he looked inside the place, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, it’s you, is it, Koku?” he asked, as a veritable giant of a man came forward.

“Yes, master, it is only Koku and your father,” spoke the big chap, with rather a strange accent.

“Oh, is my father here?” asked Tom.  “I was wondering who had opened the door of this shed.”

“Yes, Tom,” responded the elder Swift, coming up to them, “I had a new idea in regard to some of those side guy wires, and I wanted to try it out.  I brought Koku with me to use his strength on some of them.”

“That’s all right, Dad.  Ned and I came out to wrestle with that recoil problem again.  I want to try some guns on the craft soon, but—­”

“You’d better not, Tom,” warned his father.  “It will never work, I tell you.  You can’t expect to take up quick-firing guns and bombs in an airship, and have them work properly.  Better give it up.”

“I never will.  I’ll make it work, Dad!”

“I don’t believe you will, Tom.  This time you have bitten off more than you can chew, to use a homely but expressive statement.”