CHAPTER XXIII
THE RESCUE
"Can you make out the hut, Tom?" asked Ned, as he stood at hischum's side in the steering tower, and gazed downward on the silentvillage.
"Not very clearly. Suppose you take a look through the night-glasses.Maybe you'll have better luck."
Ned peered long and earnestly.
"No, I can't see a thing." he said. "It all looks to be a confusedjumble of huts. I can't tell one from the other. We'll have to golower."
"I don't want to do that," objected Tom. "If this attack succeeds atall, it will have to be sharp and quick. If we go down where theycan spot us, and work our way up to the hut where the captives are,we'll run the chance of an attack that may put us out of business."
"Yes, we ought to get right over the hut, and then make a suddenswoop down," admitted Ned, "but if we can't see it--"
"I have it!" cried Tom suddenly. "Tomba! That African can see in thedark like a cat. Why, just before we started I dropped a wrench, andI didn't have any matches handy to look for it. I was groping aroundin the dark trying to get my hands on it, and you know it was prettyblack in the jungle. Well, along come Tomba. And he spotted it atonce and picked it up. We'll call him here and get him to point outthe hut. He can tell me how to steer."
"Good!" cried Ned, and the black was soon standing in the pilothouse. He comprehended what was wanted of him, and peered down,seeking to penetrate the darkness.
"Shall I go down a little lower?" asked Tom.
For a moment Tomba did not answer. Then he uttered an exclamation ofpleasure.
"Me see hut!" he said, clutching Tom's arm. "Down dere!" He pointed,but neither Tom nor Ned could see it. However, as Tomba was nowgiving directions, telling Tom when to go to the left or the right,as the wind currents deflected they were certain of soon reachingthe place where Mr. and Mrs. Illingway were concealed, if they werestill alive.
The Black Hawk was moving slowly, and was not under as good controlas if she had been making ninety miles an hour. As it was desired toproceed as quietly as possible, the craft was being used as adirigible balloon, and the propellers were whirled around by meansof a small motor, worked by a storage battery. While not much powerwas obtained this way, there was the advantage of silence, which wasvery necessary. Slowly the Black Hawk sailed on through the night.In silence the adventurers waited for the moment of action. They hadtheir weapons in readiness. Mr. Durban was to work the electricrifle, as all Tom's attention would be needed at the machinery. Assoon as the craft had made a landing he was to leap out, carrying arevolver in either hand, and, followed by Tomba, would endeavor togain entrance to the hut, break through the flimsy grass-wovencurtain over the doorway, and get Mr. and Mrs. Illingway out. Ned,Mr. Damon and the other two men would stand by to fire on the redpygmies as soon as they commenced the attack, which they wouldundoubtedly do as soon as the guards of the captives raised thealarm.
The airship was in darkness, for it would have been dangerous toshow a light. Some wakeful dwarf might see the moving illuminationin the sky, and raise a cry.
"Mos' dere," announced Tomba at length. And then, for the firsttime, Ned and Tom had a glimpse of the hut. It stood away from theothers, and was easy to pick out in daylight, but even the darknessoffered no handicap to Tomba. "Right over him now," he suddenlycalled, as he leaned out of the pilot house window, and looked down."Right over place. Oh, Tomba glad when he see Missy an' Massy!"
"Yes, I hope you do see them," murmured Tom, as he pulled the leverwhich would pump the gas from the inflated bag, and compress it intotanks, until it was needed again to make the ship rise. Slowly theBlack Hawk sank down.
"Get ready!" called Tom in a low voice.
It was a tense moment. Every one of the adventurers felt it, and allbut Tom grasped their weapons with tighter grips. They were ready tospring out as soon as a landing was made. Tom managed the machineryin the dark, for he knew every wheel, gear and lever, and could haveput his hand on any one with his eyes shut. The two loaded revolverswere on a shelf in front of him. The side door of the pilot housewas ajar, to allow him quick egress.
Tomba, armed with a big club he had picked up in the jungle, wasready to follow. The black was eager for the fray to begin, thoughhow he and the others would fare amid the savages was hard to say.
Still not a sound broke the quiet. It was very dark, for nearly allthe camp fires, over which the nightly feast had been prepared, wereout. The hut could be dimly made out, however.
Suddenly there was a slight tremor through the ship. She seemed toshiver, and bound upward a little.
"We've landed!" whispered Tom. "Now for it! Come on, Tomba!"
The big black glided after the lad like a shadow. With his twoweapons held in readiness our hero went out on deck. The others,with cocked rifles, stood ready for the attack to open. It had beendecided that as soon as the first alarm was given by the dwarfs,which would probably be when Tom broke into the hut, the firingwould begin.
"Open!" called Tom to Tomba, and the big black dashed his clubthrough the grass curtain over the doorway of the hut. He fairlyleaped inside, with a cry of battle on his lips.
"Mr. Illingway! Mrs. Illingway!" called Tom, "We've come to saveyou. Hurry out. The airship is just outside!"
He fired one shot through the roof of the hut, so that the flashwould reveal to him whether or not the two missionaries were in theplace. He saw two forms rise up in front of him, and knew that theywere the white captives he had observed daring the former attack.
"Oh, what is it?" he heard the woman ask.
"A rescue! Thank the dear Lord!" answered her husband fervently."Oh, whoever you are, God bless you!"
"Come quickly!" cried Tom, "we haven't a moment to lose!"
He was speaking to absolute blackness now, for it was darkerimmediately following the revolver flash than before. But he felt aman's hand thrust about his arm, and he knew it was Mr. Illingway.
"Take your wife's hand, and follow me," ordered Tom. "Come, Tomba!Are there any of the red pygmies in here?"
He had not seen any at the weapon's flash, but his question wasanswered a moment later, for there arose from within and without thehut a chorus of wild yells. At the same time Tom felt small armsgrasp him about the legs.
"Come on!" he yelled. "They're awake and after us!"
The din outside increased. Tom heard the rifles of his friendscrack. He saw, through the torn door curtain, the flashes of fire.Then came a blue glare, and Tom knew that Mr. Durban was using theelectric weapon.
By these intermittent gleams Tom managed to see sufficiently tothrust Mr. and Mrs. Illingway ahead of him. Tomba was at their side.The yells inside the hut were almost deafening. All the red dwarfsleft to guard the captives had awakened, and they could see wellenough to attack Tom. Fortunately they had no weapons, but theyfairly threw themselves upon the sturdy lad, trying to pull himdown.
"Go on! Go on!" he yelled to the captives, fairly pushing themalong. Then, knowing they were out of the way, he turned and firedhis two revolvers as fast as he could pull the triggers, into thevery faces of the red imps who were seeking to drag him down. Againand again he fired, until he had emptied both cylinders of hisweapons.
He felt the grasps of the fiendish little men relax one by one. Tomfinally dragged himself loose, and staggered out of the hut. Thecaptives and Tomba were right in front of him. At the airship, whichloomed up in the flashes from the guns and electric rifle, Tom'sfriends were giving battle. About them swarmed the hordes ofsavages, with more of the imps pouring in every moment.
"Get aboard!" cried Tom to the missionaries. "Get on the airship,and we'll move out of this!"
He felt a stinging pain in his neck, where an arrow struck him. Hetore the arrow out, and rushed forward. Fairly pushing Mr. and Mrs.Illingway up on deck before him, Tom followed. Tomba was caperingabout his master and mistress, and he swung his big club savagely.He had not been idle, and many a red imp had gone down under hisblows.
"Rescued! Resc
ued!" murmured Mr. Illingway, as Tom hastened to thepilot house to start the motor.
Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle; Or, Daring Adventures in Elephant Land Page 23