Tom Swift in Captivity

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Now there was nothing remarkable about this city or native town. It
was just like any other in the wilder parts of South America or
Africa. There was a central place, where, doubtless, the natives
gathered on market days, and from this the huts of the inhabitants
stretched out in irregular lines, like streets. Off to one side of
the "market square," as Tom called it, was a large hut, surrounded
by several smaller ones, and from the manner in which it was laid
out, and decorated, it was evident that this was the "palace" of the
king, or chief ruler.

"Say, look at that fellow!" cried Ned, pointing to a giant who was
just entering the "palace" as Tom dubbed the big hut. "He LOOKS
eleven feet if he's an inch."

"I believe you!" cried Tom. "Say, I wonder how big the king is?"

"I don't know, but he must be a top-notcher. I wonder what will
happen to us?"

Oom, who had Tom and his party in charge, led them to the "palace"
and it was evident that they were going to be presented to the chief
or native king. Back of our friends stretched out their pack train,
the beasts carrying the boxes and bales. Surrounding them were
nearly all the inhabitants of the giants' town, and when the
cavalcade had come to a halt in front of the "palace," Oom raised
his voice in a mighty shout. It was taken up by the populace, and
then every one of them knelt down.

"I guess His Royal Highness is about to appear," said Tom grimly.

"Yes, maybe we'd better kneel, too," spoke Ned.

"Not much! We're citizens of the United States, and we don't kneel
to anybody. I'm going to stand up."

"So am I!" said Mr. Damon.

An instant later the grass mat that formed the front door of the
"palace" was drawn aside, and there stood confronting our hero and
his friends, the King of Giant Land. And a mighty king was he in
size, for he must have been a shade over ten feet tall, while on
either side of him was a man nearly as big as himself.

Once more Oom boomed out a mighty shout and, kneeling as the giants
were, they took it up, repeating it three times. The king raised his
hand as though in blessing upon his people, and then, eyeing Tom and
his three friends he beckoned them to approach.

"He wants to see us at close range," whispered the young inventor.
"Come on, Ned and Mr. Damon. Trail along, Eradicate."

"Good--good land ob massy!" stammered the colored man. And then the
little party advanced into the "palace" of the giant king.

CHAPTER XVI

THE RIVAL CIRCUS MAN

Tom Swift gazed fearlessly into the face of the giant ruler who
confronted him. The young inventor said later that he had made up
his mind that to show no fear was the only way of impressing the big
king, for surely no show of strength could have done it. With one
hand the giant could have crushed the life from our hero. But
evidently he had no such intentions, for after gazing curiously at
the four travelers who stood before him, and looking for some time
at the honest, black face of Eradicate, the king made a motion for
them to sit down. They did, upon grass mats in the big hut that
formed the palace of the ruler.

It was not a very elaborate place, but then the king's wants were
few and easily satisfied. The place was clean, Tom was glad to note.

The king, who was addressed by his subjects as Kosk, as nearly as
Tom could get it, asked some questions of Oom, who seemed to be the
chief of the hunters. Thereupon the man who had looked into Tom's
and Ned's tent that morning, and who had followed them into the
palace, began a recital of how he had found the little travelers.
Though Tom and his friends could not understand a word of the
language, it was comparatively easy to follow the narrative by the
gestures used.

Then the king asked several questions, others of the hunting party
were sent for and quizzed, and finally the ruler seemed satisfied,
for he rattled off a string of talk in his deep, booming voice.

Truly he was a magnificent specimen of manhood, being as I have
said, about ten feet tall, and built in proportion. On either side
of him, upon rude benches covered with soft jaguar skins, sat two
men, evidently his brothers, for they looked much like the king. One
was called Tola and the other Koku, for the ruler addressed them
from time to time, and seemed to be asking their advice.

"They're making up their minds what to do with us," murmured Tom. "I
only hope they let us stay long enough to learn the language, and
then I can make an offer to take one back to the United States with
me."

"Jove! Wouldn't it be great if you could get the king!" exclaimed
Ned.

"Oh, that's too much, but I'd like one of his brothers. They're each
a good nine feet tall, and they must be as strong as horses."

In contrast to some giants of history, whose only claim to notoriety
lay in their height, these giants were very powerful. Many giants
have flabby muscles, but these of South America were like athletes.
Tom realized this when there suddenly entered the audience chamber a
youth of about our hero's age, but fully seven feet tall, and very
big. He was evidently the king's son, for he wore a jaguar skin,
which seemed to be a badge of royalty. He had seemingly entered
without permission, to see the curious strangers, for the king spoke
quickly to him, and then to Tola, who with a friendly grin on his
big face lifted the lad with one hand and deposited him in a room
that opened out of the big chamber.

"Did you see that!" cried Ned. "He lifted him as easily as you or I
would a cat, and I'll bet that fellow weighed close to four hundred
pounds, Tom."

"I should say so! It's great!"

The audience was now at an end, and Tom thought it was about time to
make some sort of a present to the king to get on good terms with
him. He looked out of the palace hut and saw that their pack animals
were close at hand. Nearby was one that had on its back a box
containing a phonograph and some records.

Making signs that he wanted to bring in some of his baggage, Tom
stepped out of the hut, telling his friends to wait for him. The
king and the other giants watched the lad curiously, but did not
endeavor to stop him.

"I'm going to give him a little music," went on the young inventor
as he adjusted the phonograph, and slipped in a record of a lively
dance air. His motions were curiously watched, and when the
phonograph started and there was a whirr of the mechanism, some of
the giants who had crowded into the king's audience chamber, showed
a disposition to run. But a word of command from their ruler stopped
them.

Suddenly the music started and, coming forth as it did from the
phonograph horn, in the midst of that hut, in which stood the
silence-awed giants, it was like a bolt of lightning from the clear
sky.

At first the king and all the others seemed struck dumb, and then
there arose a mighty shout, and one word was repeated over and over
again. It sounded like "Chackalok! Chackalok!" and later Tom learned
that it meant wizard, magician or something like that.

Shout after shout rent the air, and was taken up by those outside,
for through the open door the strains of music floated. The giants
seemed immensely pleased, after their first fright, and suddenly the
king, coming down from his throne, stood with his big ear as nearly
inside the horn as he could get it.

A great grin spread over his face and then, approaching Tom, he
leaned over, touched him once on the forehead, and uttered a word.
At this sign of royal favor the other giants at once bowed to Tom.

"Say," cried Ned, "you've got his number all right! You're one of
the royal family now, Tom."

"It looks like it. Well, I'm glad of it, for I want to be on
friendly terms with His Royal Highness."

Once more the king addressed Tom, and the head hunter, motioning to
Tom and his friends, led them out of the palace, and to a large hut
not far off. This, he made himself understood by signs, was to be
their resting place, and truly it was not a bad home, for it was
well made. It had simple furniture in it, low couches covered with
skins, stools, and there were several rooms to it.

Calling in authorative tones to his fellow hunters, Tom had them
take the packs off the beasts of burdens and soon the boxes, bales
and packages were carried into the big hut, which was destined to be
the abiding place of our friends for some time. The animals were
then led away.

"Well, here we are, safe and sound, with all our possessions about
us," commented Tom, when all but Oom had withdrawn. "I guess we'll
make out all right in giant land. I wonder what they have to eat? Or
perhaps we'd better tackle some of our own grub."

He looked at Oom, who laughed gleefully. Then Tom rubbed his
stomach, opened his mouth and pointed to it and said: "We'd like to
eat--we're hungry!"

Oom boomed out something in his bass voice, grinned cheerfully, and
hurried out. A little later he came back, and following him, a
number of giant women. Each one bore a wooden platter or slab of
bark which answered for a plate. The plates were covered with broad
palm leaves, and when they had been set down on low benches, and the
coverings removed, our friends saw they had food in abundance.

There was some boiled lamb, some roasted fowls, some cereal that
looked like boiled rice, some sweet potatoes, a number of other
things which could only be guessed at, and a big gourd filled with
something that smelled like sweet cider.

"Say, this is a feast all right, after what we've been living on!"
cried Tom.

Once more Oom laughed joyfully, pointing to the food and to our
friends in turn.

"Oh, we'll eat all right!" exclaimed Tom. "Don't worry about that!"

The good-natured giant showed them where they could find rude wooden
dishes and table implements, and then he left them alone. It was
rather awkward at first, for though the bench or table looked low in
comparison to the size of the room, yet it was very high, to allow
for the long legs of the giants getting under it.

"If we stay here long enough we can saw off the table legs," said
the young inventor. "Now for our first meal in giant land."

They were just helping themselves when there arose a great shouting
outside.

"I wonder what's up now?" asked Tom, pausing with upraised fork.

"Maybe the king is coming to see us," suggested Ned.

"I'll look," volunteered Mr. Damon, as he went to the door. Then he
called quickly:

"Tom! Ned! Look! It's that minister we met on the ship--Reverend
Josiah Blinderpool! How in the world did he ever get here? And how
strangely he's dressed!"

Well might Mr. Damon say this, for the supposed clergyman was
attired in a big checked suit, a red vest, a tall hat and white
canvas shoes. In fact he was almost like some theatrical performer.

The gaudily-dressed man was accompanied by two natives, and all rode
mules, and there were three other animals, laden with packs on
either side.

"What's his game?" mused Ned.

The answer came quickly and from the man himself. Riding forward
toward the king's hut or palace, while the populace of wondering
giants followed behind, the man raised his voice in a triumphant
announcement.

"Here at last!" he cried. "In giant land! And I'm ahead of Tom Swift
for all his tricks. I've got Tom Swift beat a mile."

"Oh, you have!" shouted our hero with a sudden resolve, as he
stepped into view. "Well, you've got another guess coming. I'm here
ahead of you, and there's standing room only."

"Tom Swift!" gasped the rival circus man. "Tom Swift here in ahead
of me!"

CHAPTER XVII

HELD CAPTIVES

There was a great commotion among the giants. Men, women and
children ran to and fro, and a number of the largest of the big men
could be seen hurrying into the palace hut of King Kosk. If the
arrival of Tom and his friends had created a surprise it was more
than doubled when the circus man, and his small caravan, advanced
into the giants' city. His approach had been unheralded because the
giants were so taken up with Tom and his party that no one thought
to guard the paths leading into the village. And, as a matter of
fact, the giants were so isolated, they were so certain of their own
strength, and they had been unmolested so many years, that they did
not dream of danger.

As for our hero, he stood in the hut gazing at his rival, while Hank
Delby, in turn, stared at the young inventor. Then Hank dismounted
from his mule and approached Tom's hut.

"Bless my railroad ticket!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "This is a curious
state of affairs! What in the world are we to do, Tom?"

"I don't know, I'm sure. We'll have to wait until we see what HE
does. He's been following us all along. He was that fake minister on
the boat. It's a wonder we didn't get on to him. I believe he's been
trying to learn our secret ever since Mr. Preston warned us about
him. Now he's here and he'll probably try to spoil our chances for
getting a giant so that he may get one for himself. Perhaps Andy
Foger gave him a tip about our plans."

"But can't we stop him?" asked Ned.

"I'm going to try!" exclaimed Tom grimly.

"Here he comes," spoke Mr. Damon quickly. "I wonder what he wants?"

Hank Delby had started toward the big hut that sheltered our
friends, while the gathered crowd of curious giants looked on and
wondered what the arrival of two white parties so close together
could mean.

"Well, what do you want?" asked Tom, when, his rival had come within
speaking distance.

"There's no use beating about the bush with you, Tom Swift," was the
frank answer. "I may as well out with it. I came after a giant, and
I'm going to get one for Mr. Waydell."

"Then you took advantage of our trail, and followed us?" asked the
young inventor.

"Oh, you can put it that way if you like," replied Delby calmly. "I
HAVE followed you, and a hard time I've had of it. I tried to do it
quietly, but you got on to my tricks. However it doesn't matter. I'm
here now, and I'm going to beat you out if I can."

"I remember now!" exclaimed Ned whispering in Tom's ear, "he was
disguised as one of the mule drivers and you fired him because he
had a revolver. Don't you remember, Tom?"

"That's right!" exclaimed the young inventor as he noted the face
and form of Delby more closely. Then our hero added: "You played a
low-down trick, Mr. Delby, and it won't do you any good. I caught
you trying to sneak along in my company and I'll catch you again.
I'm here first, and I've got the best right to try and get a giant
for Mr. Preston, and if you had any idea of fair play--"

"All's fair in this business, Tom Swift," was the quick answer. "I'm
going to do my best to beat you, and I expect you to do your best to
beat me. I can't speak any fairer than that. It's war between us,
from now on, and you might as well know it. One thing I will promise
you, though, if there's any danger of you or your party getting hurt
by these big men I'll fight on your side. But I guess they are too
gentle to fight."

"We can look after ourselves," declared Tom. "And since it's to be
war between us look out for yourself."

"Don't worry!" exclaimed Tom's rival with a laugh. "I've gone
through a lot to get here, and I'm not going to give up without a
struggle. I guess--"

But he did not finish his sentence for at that moment Oom, the big
hunting giant, came up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and
pointed to the king's hut, motioning to indicate that Mr. Delby was
wanted there.

"Very good," said the circus agent in what he tried to make sound
like a jolly voice, "I'm to call on his majesty; am I? Here's where
I beat you to it, Tom Swift."

Tom did not answer, but there was a worried look on his face, as he
turned to join his friends in the big hut. And, as he looked from a
window, and saw Delby being led into the presence of Kosk, Tom could
hear the strains of the big phonograph he had presented to the king.

"I guess his royal highness will remain friends with us," said Ned
with a smile, as he heard the music. "He can see what a lot of
presents and other things we have, and as for that Delby, he doesn't
seem to have much of anything."

"Oh, I haven't shown half the things I have as yet," spoke Tom. "But
I don't like this, just the same. Those giants may turn from us, and
favor him on the slightest pretence. I guess we've got our work cut
out for us."

"Then let's plan some way to beat him," suggested Mr. Damon. "Look
over your goods, Tom, and make the king a present that will bind his
friendship to us."

"I believe I will," decided the young inventor and then he and Ned
began overhauling the boxes and bales, while a crowd of curious
giants stood without their hut, and another throng surrounded the
palace of the giant king.

"There goes Delby out to get something from his baggage," announced
Ned, looking from the window. Tom saw his rival taking something
from one of the packs slung across the back of a mule. Soon the
circus agent hurried back into the king's hut, and a moment later
there was heard the strains of a banjo being picked by an
unpracticed hand. It was succeeded by a rattling tune played in good
style.

"Bless my fiddlestick!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "Does your phonograph
have a banjo record, Tom?"

"No." was the somewhat hesitating answer of the young inventor.
"Delby who can play a banjo himself must have given Kosk one for a
present, and, like a child, the king is amused by the latest
novelty. So far he has scored one on us," he added, as once more
they heard the unmelodious strains of the banjo slowly picked. "The
king is evidently learning to play the instrument, and he'd rather
have that than a phonograph, which only winds up."

"But haven't you some other things you can give the king to off-set
the banjo?" asked Mr. Damon.

"Plenty of them," replied Tom. "But if I give him--say a toy steam
engine, for I have one among our things--what is to prevent Delby
giving him some other novelty that will take his attention? In that
way we'll sea-saw back and forth, and I guess Delby has had more
experience in this business than I have. It's going to be a question
which of us gets a giant."

"Bless my reserved seat ticket!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I never heard
of such a thing! But, Tom, I'm sure we'll win out."

"Get something startling to give the king," advised Ned, and Tom
began opening one of the boxes that had been transported with such
labor from the coast.

"Delby had much better luck with his mule drivers than we did Tom,"
remarked Ned as he saw the two natives standing by the pack animals
of the rival circus man. "They evidently didn't get scared off by
the giants."

"No, but probably he didn't tell them where they were headed for.
Though, as a matter of fact, I don't believe any one has anything to
fear from these big men. All they ask is to be let alone. They're
not at all warlike, and I don't believe they'd attack the other
natives. But probably their size makes them feared, and when our
drivers heard the word 'giant' they simply wilted."

"Guess you're right. But come on, Tom. If we're going to make the
king a present that will open his eyes, and get him on our side
instead of Delby's, we'd better be getting at it."

"I will. This is what I'm going to give him," and Tom brought out
from a box a small toy circus, with many performing animals and
acrobats, the whole being worked by a small steam engine that burned
alcohol for fuel. A little water put in the boiler of the toy
engine, a lighting of the alcohol wick and there would be a toy that
even a youngster of the United States might be proud to own.

"Mah land a massy!" exclaimed Eradicate as Tom got the apparatus
ready to work. "Dat shore will please him!"

"It ought to," replied the young inventor. "Come on, now I'm ready."

Delby had not yet come from the king's hut, and as Tom and his
friends, bearing the new toy, were about to leave the structure that
had been set aside for their use, they saw a crowd of the giant men
approaching. Each of the big men carried a club and a spear.

"Bless my eye glasses!" gasped Mr. Damon. "Something is wrong. What
can it be?"

He had his answer a moment later. With a firm but gentle motion the
chief giant shoved our four friends back into the hut, and then
pulled the grass mat over the opening. Then, as Tom and the others
could see by looking from a crack, he and several others took their
position in front, while other giants went to the various windows,
stationing themselves outside like sentries around a guard house.

"Bless my--" began Mr. Damon, but words failed him.

"We're prisoners!" gasped Ned.

"It looks like it," admitted Tom grimly. "Evidently Delby has
carried out his threat and set the king against us. We are to be
held captives here, and he can do as he pleases. Oh, why didn't I
think sooner."

CHAPTER XVIII

TOM'S MYSTERIOUS BOX

The young inventor walked slowly back to the middle of the hut--a
prison now it was--and sat down on a bench. The others followed his
example, and the elaborate toy, with which they had hoped to win the
king's favor, was laid aside. For a moment there was silence in the
structure--a silence broken only by the pacing up and down of the
giant guards outside. Then Eradicate spoke.

"Massa Tom," began the aged negro, "can't we git away from heah?"

"It doesn't seem so, Rad."

"Can't we shoot some of dem giants wif de 'lectric guns, an' carry a
couple ob 'em off after we stun 'em like?"

"No, Rad; I'm afraid violent measures won't do, though now that you
speak of the guns I think that we had better get them ready."

"You're not going to shoot any of them, are you, Tom?" asked Mr.
Damon quickly.

"No, but if they continue to turn against us as easily as they have,
there is no telling what may happen. If they attack us we will have
to defend ourselves. But I think they are too gentle for that,
unless they are unduly aroused by what misstatements Hank Delby may
make against us."

"Misstatements?" inquired Ned.

"Yes. I don't doubt but what he told the king a lot of stuff that
isn't true, to cause his majesty to make us captives here. Probably
he said we came to destroy the giant city with magic, or something
like that, and he represented himself as a simple traveler. He's
used to that sort of business, for he has often tried to get ahead
of Mr. Preston in securing freaks or valuable animals for the
circus. He wants to make it look bad for us, and good for himself.
So far he has succeeded. But I've got a plan."

"What is it?" asked Mr. Damon.

"I'll tell you when I've got it more worked out. The thing to do now
is to get in shape to stand off the giants if they should attack us.
This hut is pretty strong, and we can risk a siege in here. Let's
arrange the boxes and bales into a sort of breastwork, and then
we'll take the electric rifles inside."

This was soon done, and, though there was considerable noise
attending the moving about of the boxes and bales, the giant guards
did not seem at all alarmed. They did not even take the trouble to
stop the work, though they looked in the windows. In a short time
there was a sort of hollow square formed in the middle of the big
main room, and inside of this our friends could give battle.

"And now for my plan of teaching these giants a lesson," said Tom,
when this work was finished. "Ned, help me open this box," and he
indicated one with his initials on in red letters.

"That's the same one you saved from the fire in the ship," commented
Ned.

"Yes, and I can't put it to just exactly the use I intended, as the
situation has changed--for the worse I may say. But this box will
answer a good purpose," and Tom and Ned proceeded to open the
mysterious case which the young inventor had transported with such
care.

"Bless my cannon cracker!" exclaimed Mr. Damon who watched them.
"You're as careful of that as if it contained dynamite."

"It does contain something like that," answered Tom. "It has some
blasting powder in, and I was going to use it to show the giants how
little their strength would prevail against the power which the
white man could secure from some harmless looking powder. There are
also a lot of fireworks in the box, and I intend to use them to
scare these big men. That's why I was so afraid when I heard that
there was a blaze near my box. I was worried for fear the ship would
be blown up. But I can't use the blasting powder--at least not now.
But we'll give these giants an idea of what Fourth of July looks
like. Come on, Ned, we'll take a look and see from which window it
will be safest to set off the rockets and other things, as I don't
want to set fire to any of the grass huts."

Eradicate and Mr. Damon looked on wonderingly while Tom and his chum
got out the packages of fireworks which had been kept safe and dry.
As for the giant guards, if they saw through the windows what was
going on, they made no effort to stop Tom.

Tom had brought along a good collection of sky rockets, aerial
bombs, Roman candles and similar things, together with the blasting
powder. The latter was put in a safe place in a side room, and then,
with some boards, the young inventor and his chum proceeded to make
a sort of firing stand. One big window opened out toward a vacant
stretch of woods into which it would not be dangerous to aim the
fireworks.

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