CHAPTER XXI
THE JUNGLE FIRE
"Well, Tom, I don't seem to see anything of them," remarked Ned thatafternoon, as he sat in the bow of the air craft, gazing from time totime through the powerful glasses.
"No, and I can't understand it, either," responded the young inventor,who had come forward to relieve his chum. "They didn't have much thestart of us, and they'll have to travel very slowly. It isn't as ifthey could hop on a train; and, even if they did, I could overtake themin a short time. But they have to travel on foot through the jungle,and can't have gone far."
"Maybe they have bullock carts," suggested Mr. Damon.
"The trail isn't wide enough for that," declared Tom. "We've come quitea distance now, even if we have been running at low speed, and wehaven't seen even a black man on the trail," and he motioned to therude path below them.
"They may have taken a boat and slipped down that river we crossed alittle while ago," suggested Ned.
"That's so!" cried Tom. "Why didn't I think of it? Say! I'm going toturn back."
"Turn back?"
"Yes, and go up and down the stream a way. We have time, for we caneasily run at top speed on the return trip. Then, if we don't seeanything of them on the water, we'll pick up the trail again. Put heraround, Ned, and I'll take the glasses for a while."
The Flyer was soon shooting back over the same trail our friends hadcovered, and, as Ned set the propellers going at top speed, they werequickly hovering over a broad but shallow river, which cut through thejungle.
"Try it down stream first," suggested Tom, who was peering through thebinoculars. "They'd be most likely to go down, as it would be easier."
Along over the stream swept the airship, covering several miles.
"There's a boat!" suddenly exclaimed Mr. Nestor, pointing to a nativecanoe below them.
"Bless my paddle wheel! So it is!" cried Mr. Damon. "I believe it'sthem, Tom!"
"No, there are only natives in that craft," answered the young inventora moment later, as he brought the binoculars into focus. "I wish itwas them, though."
A few more miles were covered down stream, and then Tom tried theopposite direction. But all to no purpose. A number of boats were seen,and several rafts, but they had no white men on them.
"Maybe the Englishmen disguised themselves like natives, Tom,"suggested Ned.
Our hero shook his head.
"I could see everything in the boats, through these powerful glasses,"he replied, "and there was nothing like my camera. I'd know that a mileoff. No, they didn't take to this stream, though they probably crossedit. We'll have to keep on the way we were going. It will soon be night,and we'll have to camp. Then we'll take up the search to-morrow."
It was just getting dusk, and Tom was looking about for a good place toland in the jungle, when Ned, who was standing in the bow, cried:
"I say, Tom, here's a native village just ahead. There's a good placeto stop, and we can stay there over night."
"Good!" exclaimed Tom. "And, what's more, we can make some inquiries asto whether or not the Englishmen have passed here. This is great!Maybe we'll come out all right, after all! They can't travel atnight--or at least I don't believe they will--and if they have passedthis village we can catch them to-morrow. We'll go down."
They were now over the native town, which was in a natural clearing inthe jungle. The natives had by this time caught sight of the bigairship over them, and were running about in terror. There was not aman, woman or child in sight when the Flyer came down, for theinhabitants had all fled in fright.
"Not much of a chance to make inquiries of these folks," said Mr.Nestor.
"Oh, they'll come back," predicted Tom. "They are naturally curious,and when they see that the thing isn't going to blow up, they'll gatheraround. I've seen the same thing happen before."
Tom proved a true prophet. In a little while some of the men beganstraggling back, when they saw our friends walking about the airship,as it rested on the ground. Then came the children, and then the women,until the whole population was gathered about the airship, staring atit wonderingly. Tom made signs of friendship, and was lucky enough tofind a native who knew a few French words. Tom was not much of a Frenchscholar, but he could frame a question as to the Englishmen.
"Oui!" exclaimed the native, when he understood. Then he rattled offsomething, which Tom, after having it repeated, and making signs to theman to make sure he understood, said meant that the Englishmen hadpassed through the village that morning.
"We're on the right trail!" cried the young inventor. "They're only aday's travel ahead of us. We'll catch them to-morrow, and get my cameraback."
The natives soon lost all fear of the airship, and some of the chiefmen even consented to come aboard. Tom gave them a few trifles forpresents, and won their friendship to such an extent that a great feastwas hastily gotten up in honor of the travelers. Big fires werelighted, and fowls by the score were roasted.
"Say, I'm glad we struck this place!" exclaimed Ned, as he sat on theground with the others, eating roast fowl. "This is all to the chickensalad!"
"Things are coming our way at last," remarked Tom. "We'll start thefirst thing in the morning. I wish I had my camera now. I'd take apicture of this scene. Dad would enjoy it, and so would Mrs. Baggert.Oh, I almost wish I was home again. But if I get my camera I've got alot more work ahead of me."
"What kind?" asked Ned.
"I don't know. I'm to stop in Paris for the next instructions from Mr.Period. He is keeping in touch with the big happenings of the world,and he may send us to Japan, to get some earthquake pictures."
The night was quiet after the feast, and in the morning Tom and hisfriends sailed off in their airship, leaving behind the wondering andpleased natives, for our hero handed out more presents, of small valueto him, but yet such things as the blacks prized highly.
Once more they were flying over the trail, and they put on more speednow, for they were fairly sure that the men they sought were ahead ofthem about a day's travel. This meant perhaps twenty miles, and Tomfigured that he could cover fifteen in a hurry, and then go over theremaining five slowly, so as not to miss his quarry.
"Say, don't you smell something?" asked Ned a little later, when theairship had been slowed down. "Something like smoke?"
"Humph! I believe I do get an odor of something burning," admitted Tom,sniffing the atmosphere.
"Bless my pocket book!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "look down there, boys!"He pointed below, and, to the surprise of the lads, and no less ofhimself, he saw many animals hurrying back along the jungle trail.
There were scores of deer, leaping along, here and there a tawny lion,and one or two tigers. Off to one side a rhinoceros crashed his waythrough the tangle, and occasionally an elephant was seen.
"That's queer," cried Ned. "And they're not paying any attention toeach other, either."
"Something is happening," was Mr. Nestor's opinion. "Those animals arerunning away from something."
"Maybe it's an elephant drive," spoke Tom. "I think--"
But he did not finish. The smell of smoke suddenly became stronger,and, a moment later, as the airship rose higher, in response to achange in the angle of the deflecting rudder, which Ned shifted, all onboard saw a great volume of black smoke rolling toward the sky.
"A jungle fire!" cried Tom. "The jungle is burning! That's why theanimals are running back this way."
"We'd better not go on!" shouted Ned, choking a bit, as the smokerolled nearer.
"No, we've got to turn back!" decided Tom. "Say, this will stop theEnglishmen! They can't go on. We'll go back to the village we left, andwait for them. They're trapped!" And then he added soberly: "I hope mycamera doesn't get burnt up!"
Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera; Or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures Page 21