“But it hasn’t.  On the contrary, it has given a current of peculiar strength and intensity—­a current that would seem to be made especially for searchlights.  Dad, I’m on the edge of a big discovery.”

“I believe you, Tom,” said his father.  “That certainly is a queer way for wires to be connected.  How do you account for it?”

“I can’t.  That is unless some one meddled with the connections after I made them.  That must be it.  I’ll ask Rad and Koku.”  Just then the giant came in.  “Koku, did you touch the wires?” asked Tom.

“Well, Mr. Tom, I didn’t mean to.  I accidentally pulled one out a while ago, when I was waiting for the thief to come, but I put it right back again.  I hope I did no damage.”

“No, on the contrary, you did a fine thing, Koku.  I never would have dared make such connections myself, but you, not knowing any better, did just the right thing to make an almost perfect searchlight current.  It is wonderful!  Probably for any other purpose such a current would be useless, but it is just the thing for a great light.”

“And why do you need such a powerful light, Tom?” asked Mr. Swift.  “Why, it is of extraordinary brilliancy, and it goes for several miles.  Look how plainly you can pick out the trees on Nob’s Hill,” and he pointed to an elevation some distance away from the Swift homestead, across the woods and meadows.

“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.