"
Tom was carefully examining the bomb, as Ned had correctly
named it. The bank clerk, now that he was assured by his chum
that the, object had done all the harm it could, approached
closer.
What he saw was merely a hollow shell of iron, with a small
opening in it, as though intended for a place through which to
put a charge of explosives and a fuse.
"But there was no explosion, Tom," explained Ned.
"I know it," said Tom quietly. "It wasn't an explosive bomb.
Smell that!"
He held the object under Ned's nose so suddenly that the young
bank clerk jumped back.
"Oh, don't get nervous," laughed Tom. "It can't hurt you now.
But what does that smell like?"
Ned sniffed, sniffed again, thought for a moment, and then
sniffed a third time.
"Why," he said slowly, "I don't just know the name of it, but
it's that funny stuff you mix up sometimes to put in the oxygen
tanks when we go up in the rarefied atmosphere in the balloon or
airship."
"Manganese and potash," spoke Tom. "That and two or three other
things that form a chemical combination which goes off by itself
of spontaneous combustion after a certain time.
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