Tom Swift in Captivity
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Victor Appleton >> Tom Swift in Captivity
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"And there's the king himself!" exclaimed Ned. "He's standing in the
door of his royal hut."
"Better yet!" cried Tom. "Are those wires all connected, Ned?"
"Yes," answered his chum, after a quick inspection.
"Then here she goes!" cried Tom, as he pressed the button.
Instantly the hut, in which the bomb had been placed, arose in the
air. The roof was lifted off, the sides spread out and there was a
great flash of fire and a puff of smoke.
Then as the smoke cleared away Ned cried out:
"Look, Tom! Look! You've blown a hole in the hut next to the one you
destroyed!"
"Yes, and bless my check book!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "some one is
running out of it. A white man, Tom! A white man!"
"It's Poddington! Poor Jake Poddington. We've found him at last!
This way, Mr. Poddington! This way! Mr. Preston sent us to rescue
you!" cried Tom.
CHAPTER XXI
A ROYAL CONSPIRACY
Howls of terror, cries of anger, and a rushing to and fro on the
part of the giants, followed the latest trick of Tom Swift to
impress them with his power. But to all this the young inventor and
his friends paid no attention. Their eyes were fixed on the ragged
figure of the white man who was rushing toward their hut as fast as
his legs, manacled as they were, would let him.
"Come on! Come on!" cried Tom.
"Look out!" yelled Ned. "Some of the giants are after him, Tom!"
Several of the big men, after their first fright, had recovered
sufficiently to pursue the captive so strangely released by the
explosion.
"Hand me an electric rifle, Ned!" cried Tom,
"Bless my shoe laces!" cried Mr. Damon. "You're not going to kill
any of the giants; are you, Tom?"
"Well, I'm not going to let them capture Jake Poddington again," was
the quick answer, "but I guess if I stun a few of them with the
electric bullets that will answer."
Poddington (for later the white captive did prove to be the missing
circus man) ran on, and close behind him came two of the giants,
taking long strides. Tom aimed his electric rifle at the foremost
and pulled the trigger. There was no sound, but the big man crumpled
up and fell, rolling over and over. With a yell of rage his
companion pressed on, but a moment later, he, too, went down, and
then the others, who had started in pursuit of their recent captive,
turned back.
"I thought that would fix 'em," murmured Tom gleefully.
In another five seconds Poddington was inside the hut, gasping from
his run. He was very thin and pale, and the sudden exertion had been
too much for him.
"Water--water!" he gasped, and Mr. Damon gave him some. He sank on
one of the skin-covered benches, and his half-exhausted breath
slowly came back to him.
"Boys," he gasped. "I don't know who you are, but thank heaven you
came just in time. I couldn't have stood it much longer. I heard you
yell something about Preston. Is it possible he sent you to find
me?"
"Partly that and partly to get a giant," explained Tom. "We didn't
know you were in that hut, or we'd never have blown up the one next
to it, though we suspected you might be held captive somewhere
around here, from the queer way the giants acted when we asked about
you."
"And so you blew up that hut?" remarked the circus agent. "I thought
it was struck by lightning. But it did me a good turn. I was chained
to the wall of the hut next door, and your explosion split the beam
to which my chains were fastened. I didn't lose any time running
out, I can tell you. Oh, but it's good to be free once more and to
see someone my own size!"
"How did you get here, and why did they keep you a prisoner?" asked
Tom. Then Poddington told his story, while Ned and Mr. Damon aided
Tom in filing off the rude iron shackles from his wrists and ankles.
As Mr. Preston had heard, Jake Poddington had started for giant
land. But he lost his way, his escort of natives deserted him, just
as Tom's did, and he wandered on in the jungle, nearly dying. Then,
merely by accident, he came upon giant land, but he had the
misfortune to incur the anger of the big men who took him for an
enemy. They at once made him a prisoner, and had kept him so ever
since, though they did not harm him otherwise, and gave him good
food.
"I think they were a bit afraid of me in spite of my small size,"
explained the circus man. "I never thought to be rescued, for,
though I figured that Mr. Preston might hear of my plight, he could
never find this place. How did you get here?"
Then Tom told his story, and of how they themselves were held
captives because of the treachery of Hank Delby.
"That's just like him!" cried Poddington. "He was always mean, and
always trying to get the advantage of his rivals. But I'm glad I'm
with you. With what stuff you have here it oughtn't to be difficult
to get away from giant land."
"But I want a giant," insisted Tom. "I told Mr. Preston I'd bring
him back one, and I'm going to do it."
"You can't!" cried the circus man. "They won't come with you, and
it's almost impossible to make a prisoner of one. You'd better
escape. I want to get away from giant land. I've had enough."
"We'll get away," said Tom confidently, "and we'll have a giant or
two when we go."
"You'll have some before you go I guess!" suddenly interrupted Ned.
"There's a whole crowd of 'em headed this way, and they've got
clubs, bows and arrows and those blow guns! I guess they're going to
besiege us."
"All right!" cried Tom. "If they want to fight we can give 'em as
good as they send. Ned, you and Mr. Damon and I will handle the
electric rifles. Eradicate, use your shotgun, and fire high. We
don't want to hurt any of the big men. We'll merely stun them with
the electric bullets, but the noise of Rad's gun will help some."
"What can I do?" asked Mr. Poddington.
"You're too weak to do much," replied Tom. "You just keep on the
lookout, and tell us if they try any surprises. I guess we can
handle 'em all right."
With shouts and yells the big men came on. Evidently their
indifference toward their captives had turned to anger because of
the freeing of Poddington, and now they were determined to use harsh
measures. They advanced with wild yells, brandishing their clubs and
other weapons, while the weird sound of the tom-toms and natives
drums added to the din.
When a short distance from the hut the giants stopped, and began
firing arrows and darts from the blow guns.
"Look out for those!" warned Tom. "They probably are poisoned, and a
scratch may mean death. Give 'em a few shots now, Ned and Mr. Damon!
Rad, give 'em a salute, but fire high!"
"Dat's what I will, Massa Tom!"
The gun of the colored man barked out a noisy welcome, and, at the
same time three giants fell, stunned by the electric bullets, for
the rifles were adjusted to send out only mild charges.
Thrice they charged, and each time they were driven back, and then,
finding that the captives were ever ready for them, they gave up the
attempt to overwhelm them, and hurried away, many going into the
king's hut. His royal majesty did not show himself during the fight.
"Well, I guess they won't try that right away again," remarked Tom,
as he saw the stunned giants slowly arouse themselves and crawl
away. "We've taught them a lesson."
They felt better after that, and then, when they had eaten and
drank, they began to consider ways and means of escape. But Tom
would not hear of going until he could get at least one giant for
the circus.
"But you can't!" insisted Mr. Poddington.
"Well, it's too soon to give up yet," declared Tom. "I'd like to
take the king's two brothers with me."
"By Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Poddington, "I never thought of that. There
is just a bare chance. Did you know that the two brothers, who are
twins, dislike the king, for he is younger than they, and he
practically took the throne away from them. They should rule jointly
by rights. If we could enlist Tola and Koku on our side we might win
out yet."
"Then we'll try!" exclaimed Tom.
Jake Poddington, who had been a captive in the giant city long
enough to know something of its history, and had learned to talk the
language, explained how Kosk had ursurped the throne. His brothers
were subject to him, he said, but several times they had tried in
vain to start a revolution. To punish them for their rebellious
efforts the king made them his personal servants, and this explained
why he sent them to see the tricks Tom performed.
"If we could only get into communication with the big twins," went
on the circus man, "we could offer to take them with us to a country
where they would be bigger kings than their brother is here. It's a
royal conspiracy worth trying."
"Then we'll try it!" cried Tom enthusiastically.
CHAPTER XXII
THE TWIN GIANTS
Daring indeed was the scheme decided on by the captives, and yet its
very boldness might make it possible for them to carry it out. The
king would never suspect them of plotting to carry off his two royal
brothers, and this made it all the easier to lay their plans. In
this they were much helped by Poddington, who knew the language and
who had made a few friends among the more humble people of the
village, though none dared assist him openly.
"The first thing to do," said the circus man, "is to get into
communication with the twins."
That proved harder than they expected, for a week passed, and they
did not have a glimpse of Tola and Koku. Meanwhile the giant guard
was still maintained about the hut night and day. No more food was
given the prisoners, and they would have starved had not Tom
possessed a good supply of his own provisions. It was evidently the
intention of the king to starve his captives into submission.
"Suppose you do get those big brothers to accompany you, Tom?" asked
Ned one day. "How are you going to manage to get away, and take them
with you?"
"My aeroplane!" answered Tom quickly. "I've got it all planned out.
You and I with Mr. Damon, Mr. Poddington and Eradicate will skip
away in the aeroplane. We can put it together in here, and I've got
enough gasolene to run it a couple of hundred miles if necessary."
"But the giants--you can't carry them in it."
"No, and I'm not going to try. If they'll agree to go they can set
off through the woods afoot. We'll meet them in a certain place--
where there's a good land mark which we can easily distinguish from
the aeroplane. We'll take what stuff we can with us, and leave the
rest here. Oh, it can be done, Ned."
"But when you start out with the aeroplane they'll make a rush and
overwhelm us."
"No, for I'll do it so quickly that they won't have a chance. I'm
going to saw through the beams of one side of this hut. To the rear
there is level ground that will make a fine starting place. When
everything is ready, say some night, we'll pull the side wall down,
start the aeroplane out as it falls, and sail away. Then we'll pick
up the giant brothers out in the woods, and travel to civilization
again."
"By Jove! I believe that will work!" cried the circus man.
"Bless my corn plaster, I think so myself!" added Mr. Damon.
"But first we've got to get the brothers to agree," went on Tom,
"and that is going to be hard work."
It was not so difficult as it was tedious. Through an aged woman,
with whom he had made friends when a captive, Jake Poddington
managed to get word to the royal twins that he and the other
captives would like to see them privately. Then they had to wait for
an answer.
In the meanwhile the giants tried several times to surprise Tom and
his friends by attacks, but the captives were on the alert, and the
electric rifles drove them back.
One night nearly all the guards were observed to be absent. There
were not more than half a dozen scattered about the hut.
"I wonder what that means?" asked Tom, who was puzzled.
"I know!" exclaimed Jake Poddington after a moment's thought. "It's
their big annual feast. Even the king goes to it. They were just
getting over it when I struck here last year, and maybe that's what
set them so against me. Boys, this may be our chance!"
"How?" asked Ned.
"The king's brothers may find an opportunity to come and talk to us
when the feast is at its height," was the reply.
Anxiously they waited, and in order that the royal brothers might
come in unobserved, if they did conclude to speak to the captives,
Tom and his companions hung some pieces of canvas over the windows
and doors, and had only a single light burning.
It was at midnight that a cautious knock sounded at the side of the
hut and Tom glided to the main door. In the shadows he saw the two
royal brothers, Tola and Koku.
"Here they are!" whispered Tom to Jake Poddington, who came forward.
"Come!" invited the circus man in the giants' tongue, and the
brothers entered the hut.
How Jake persuaded them to throw in their fortunes with the captives
the circus man hardly knew himself. Perhaps it was due as much as
anything to the dislike they felt toward the king, and the mean way
he had treated them.
"Come, and you will be kings among the small men in our country,"
invited Poddington. The brothers looked at each other, talked
together in low tones, and then Koku exclaimed:
"We will come, and we will help you to escape. We have spoken, and
we will talk with you again."
Then they glided out into the darkness, while from afar came the
sounds of revelry at the big feast.
CHAPTER XXIII
A SURPRISE IN THE NIGHT
Tom and his friends could scarcely believe their good fortune. It
seemed incredible that they should have induced two of the biggest
giants to accompany them back, and, not only that, but that they had
the promise of the strong men to aid them.
"Now we must get busy," declared Tom, when their visitors had gone.
"We've got lots of work to do on the aeroplane, and we must try out
the engine. Then we've got to fix the side of the hut so it will
fall out when we're ready for it. And we've got to plan how to meet
the giants later in the forest."
"Yes," agreed the circus man, "and we must take care that Hank Delby
doesn't spoil our plans."
Then ensued busy days. In the seclusion of their hut the prisoners
could work undisturbed at the aeroplane, which had been almost
assembled.
The engine was installed and tried, and, when the motor began its
thundering explosions, there was consternation among the giants, who
had again surrounded the hut to see that the prisoners did not
escape.
Meanwhile Delby seemed to be unusually active. He could be observed
going in and out from his hut to that of the king, and he often
carried large bundles.
"He's making himself solid with his royal highness," declared Tom.
"Well, if all goes right, we won't have to worry much longer about
what he does."
"If only those twin giants don't fail us," put in Ned.
"Oh, you can depend on them," said Mr. Poddington. "These giants are
curious creatures, but once they give their word they stick to it."
He told much about the strange big men, confirming Tom's theory that
favorable natural conditions, for a number of generations, had
caused ordinary South American natives to develope into such large
specimens.
Our friends were under quite a nervous tension, for they could not
be sure of what would happen from day to day. They continued to work
on the aeroplane, and then, finding that it would work in the
seclusion of the hut, they were anxious for the time to come when
they could try it in the open.
"Do you think it will carry the five of us with safety?" asked the
circus man, as he gazed rather dubiously at the somewhat frail-
appearing affair.
"Sure!" exclaimed Tom. "We'll get away all right if I can get enough
of a start. Now we must see to opening the side of the hut."
This work had to be done cautiously, yet the prisoners had a certain
freedom, for the guards were afraid to approach too closely.
The supporting and cross beams were sawed through, for Tom had
brought a number of carpenter tools along with him. Then, in the
silence of the night, the two royal brothers brought other beams
that could be put in place temporarily to hold up the roof when the
others were pulled out to allow the aeroplane to rush forth.
In due time all was in readiness for the attempt to escape. The
royal twins had agreed to slip off at a certain signal, and await
Tom and his party in the forest at the foot of a very large hill,
that was a landmark for miles around. The giants could travel fast,
but not as fast as the aeroplane, so it was planned that they were
to have a day and night's start. They would take along food, and
would arrange to have a number of Tom's mules hidden in the woods,
so that our hero and his friends would have means of transportation
back to the coast, after they had ended their flight in the airship.
"I wish we had brought along the larger one, so we could take the
giants with us," said Tom, "but I guess they're strong enough to
walk to the coast. We'll take what provisions we can carry, our
electric rifles, and the rest of the things we'll leave here for the
king, though he doesn't deserve them."
"What do you think Delby will do?" asked Ned.
"Give it up. He's got some plan though. I only hope he doesn't get a
giant. Then ours will be a greater attraction."
Several days passed, and the last of the preparations had been made.
"The giant twins will pretend to go off on a hunting trip to-morrow
morning," said the circus man one night, "but they won't come back.
They'll wait for us at the big hill."
"Then we must escape the following morning," decided Tom. "Well, I'm
ready for it."
From their hut, surrounded as it was still by the giant guards, our
friends watched the royal brothers start off, seemingly on a hunting
expedition.
The day passed slowly. Tom went carefully over the aeroplane, to see
that it was in shape for a quick flight, and he looked to the wall
of the hut--the wall that was to be pulled from place to afford
egress for the air craft.
They went to bed early that night--the night they hoped would be
their last in giant land. It must have been about midnight when Tom
suddenly awoke. He thought he heard a noise outside the hut and in a
moment he had jumped up.
"Repel boarders!" cried Tom.
CHAPTER XXIV
THE AIRSHIP FLIGHT
For a few moments there was confusion inside the hut that was to be
the last stronghold of our friends against the approaching force of
giants. Confusion and not a little fear were mingled, for Tom's
words sent a chill to every heart. Then, after the first panic,
there came a calmer feeling--a feeling that each one would do his
duty in the face of danger and, if he had to die, he would die
fighting.
"Everyone take a window!" yelled Tom. "Don't kill any one if you can
help it. Shoot to disable, Rad. Mr. Poddington, there's an extra
shotgun somewhere about! See if you can find it. We'll use the
electric rifles. Get those Roman candles somebody!"
Tom was like a general giving orders, and once his friends realized
that he was managing things they felt more confidence. Ned grasped
his electric rifle, as did Mr. Damon, and they stood ready to use
them.
"The strongest stunning charge!" ordered the young inventor.
"Something that will lay 'em out for a good while. We'll teach 'em a
lesson!"
BANG!
That was Eradicate's shotgun going off. It had a double load in it,
and the wonder of it was that the barrel did not burst. It sounded
like a small cannon, but it had the good effect of checking the
first rush of giants, for the electric rifles had not yet been
adjusted, and Mr. Poddington, in the light of the single electric
torch that had been left burning, could find neither the spare
shotgun nor the Roman candles.
BANG!
Eradicate let the other barrel go, almost in the faces of the
advancing giants, but over their heads, for he bore in mind Tom's
words not to injure.
"That's the stuff!" cried Tom. "Come on now, Ned, we're ready for
'em!"
But the giants had retreated, and could be seen standing in groups
about the hut, evidently planning what to do next. Then from back in
the village there shone a glare of light.
"Bless my insurance policy! It's a fire!" cried Mr. Damon. "They're
going to burn us out!"
"Jove! If they do!" exclaimed Ned.
"We mustn't let 'em!" shouted Tom. "Fire, Ned!"
Together the chums discharged their electric rifles at the enemy and
a number of them fell, stunned, and were carried away by their
companions.
The glaring light approached and now it could be seen that it was
caused by a number of the big men carrying torches of some kind of
blazing wood. It did look as though they intended to fire the prison
hut.
"Give 'em another taste of it!" shouted Ned, and this time the three
electric rifles shot out their streaks of blue flame, for Mr. Damon
had his in action. It was still dark in the hut, for to set aglow
more of the electric torches meant that Tom and his friends would be
exposed to view, and would be the targets for the arrows, or darts
from the deadly blow guns.
Several more of the giants toppled over, and then began a retreat to
some distance, the first squad of fighters going to meet the men who
had come up with the torches. There was no sign of women or
children.
"Shall we fire again?" asked Ned.
"No," answered Tom. "Save your ammunition until they are closer, and
we'll be surer of our marks. Besides, if they let us alone that's
all we ask. We don't want to hurt 'em."
"Bless my gizzard!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I wonder why they attacked
us, anyhow?"
"Maybe it's about the two giant brothers who have not come back,"
suggested Mr. Poddington. "They may imagine that we have them
captive, and they want to rescue them."
"That's so," admitted Tom. "Well, if they had only postponed this
reception for a few hours we'd have been out of their way, and they
wouldn't have had this trouble," and he glanced at the aeroplane,
that stood in the big hut, ready for instant flight.
"They're coming back!" suddenly shouted Ned, and a look from the
half-opened windows showed the giants again advancing.
"I've got the Roman candles!" called Mr. Poddington from a corner
where he had been rummaging in that box of Tom's which contained so
many surprises. "What shall I do with 'em?"
"Let 'em go right in their faces!" yelled Tom. "They won't do much
damage, but they'll throw a scare into the big fellows! Get ready,
Ned!"
"They're dividing!" shouted his chum. "They're coming at us from two
sides!"
"They're only trying to confuse us," decided Tom. "Fire at the main
body!" And with that he opened up with his electric rifle, an
example followed by Mr. Damon and Ned.
With a whizz, and several sharp explosions, the circus man got the
Roman candles into action. The glaring fire of them lighted up the
scene better than did the flaming torches of the giants, and truly
it was a wonderful sight. There, in that lonely hut, in the midst of
a South American jungle, four intrepid white persons, and an aged
but brave negro, stood against hundreds of giants--mighty men, who,
had they come to a personal contact, any one of which would have
been more than a match for the combined strength of Tom and his
party. It was a weird picture that the young inventor looked out
upon, but his heart did not quail.
Giant after giant went down under the fierce rain of the electric
bullets, stunned, but not otherwise injured. There was a shower of
sparks, and a hail of burning balls from the Roman candles, but
still the advance was kept up. Eradicate was banging away with his
shotgun.
"Dis suah am hot work!" cried the colored man, as his hand came in
contact with the barrel. "Wow! It's most RED hot!" he added with a
cry of pain.
"Use the other gun," advised Tom, never turning his head from the
window through which he was aiming. "That one may get choked, and
explode in here."
"All right," answered Eradicate.
"Duck!" yelled Ned with sudden energy. "They're going to fire!" A
number of the giants could be seen fitting arrows to bow strings,
while others raised to their lips the long hollow reeds, from which
the blow guns were made. It was the first time the enemy had fired
and doubtless they had held back because they hoped to capture Tom
and his friends alive. But they did not count on such a stubborn
resistance.
Every one moved away from the windows, and not an instant too soon,
for, a moment later, a shower of arrows and darts came in,
fortunately injuring no one.
Then, above the shouting and yelling of the giants, whose deep, bass
voices had a terrorizing effect, there came the din of the tom-toms,
making a weird combination of sound.
"We've got 'em on the run again!" cried Ned, and so it proved, for
the larger body of giants, who had approached the hut from the front
and two sides, were running back.
"Guess they've given it up," exclaimed Tom. "I'm glad of it, too,
for--"
He paused and glanced behind him. A tiny spurt of flame at the base
of the rear wall of the hut had caught his eye. Instantly the flame
grew larger, and a puff of smoke followed.
"Fire!" cried Ned. "We're on fire!"
"Bless my water bucket!" gasped Mr. Damon. "They've set fire to the
hut!"
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