Tom Swift in Captivity, Or, A Daring Escape By Airship

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER XIV

  IN GIANT LAND

  When it first became sure that San Pedro and the other natives haddeserted--fled in the night, for fear of the giants--there was areactionary feeling of despondency and gloom among Tom and his threefriends. But the boldness and energy of the young inventor, hisvigorous words, his determination to proceed at any cost to theunknown land that lay before them--these served as a tonic, andafter a few moments, Ned, Mr. Damon, and even Eradicate looked atthings with brighter spirits.

  "Do you really mean it, Tom?" asked Ned. "Will you go on to giantland?"

  "I surely will, if we can find it. Why, we found the city of goldall alone, you and Mr. Damon and I, and I don't see why we can'tfind this land, especially when all we have to do is to marchforward."

  "But look at the lot of stuff we have to carry!" went on Ned, wavinghis hand toward the heap of packs that the mule drivers had leftbehind.

  "Bless my baggage check, yes!" added Mr. Damon. "We can never do it.Tom. We had better leave it here, and try to get back tocivilization."

  "Never!" cried Tom. "I started off after a giant, and I'm going toget one, if I can induce one of the big men to come back with me.I'm not going to give up when we're so close. We can get more packanimals, I'm sure. I'm going to have a try for it. If I can't speakthe language of these natives I can make signs. Come on, Ned, we'llpay a morning visit to the chief."

  "I'll come along," added Mr. Damon.

  "That's right," replied the young inventor. "Rad, you go stand guardover our stuff. Some of the natives might not be able to withstandtemptation. Don't let them touch anything."

  "Dat's what I won't, Massa Tom. Good land a massy! ef I sees any ob'em lay a finger on a pack I'll shoot off my shotgun close to derears, so I will. Oh, ef I only had Boomerang here, he could carrymos' all ob dis stuff his own se'f."

  "You've got a great idea of Boomerang's strength," remarked Tom witha laugh, as he and Ned and Mr. Damon started for the big hut wherethe chief lived.

  "Do you really think San Pedro and the others left because they wereafraid of the giants we might meet?" asked Ned.

  "I think so," answered his chum.

  "Bless my toothpick!" gasped Mr. Damon. "In that case maybe we'dbetter be on the lookout ourselves."

  "Time enough to worry when we get there," answered the younginventor. "From what the circus man said the giants are notparticularly cruel. Of course Mr. Preston didn't have muchinformation to go on, but--well, we'll have to wait--that's all. ButI'm sure San Pedro and the others were in a blue funk and vamoosedon that account."

  "Hey, Massa Tom!" suddenly called Eradicate. "Heah am a letter Ifound on de baggage," and he ran forward with a missive, rudelyscrawled on a scrap of paper.

  "It's from San Pedro," remarked Tom after a glance at it, "and itbears out what I said. He writes that he and his men never suspectedthat we were going after the giants, or they would never have comewith us. He says they are very sorry to leave us, as we treated themwell, but are afraid to go on. He adds that they have taken enoughof our bartering goods to make up their wages, and enough food tocarry them to the next village."

  "Well," finished Tom. as he folded the paper, "I suppose we can'tkick, and, maybe after all, it will be for the best. Now to see ifthe chief can let us have some mules."

  It took some time, by means of signs, to make the chief understandwhat had happened, but, when Tom had presented him with a little toythat ran by a spring, and opened up a pack of trading goods, whichhe indicated would be exchanged for mules, or other beasts ofburden, the chief grinned in a friendly fashion, and issued certainorders.

  Several of his men hurried from the big hut, and a little later,when Tom was showing the chief how to run the toy, there was a soundof confusion outside.

  "Bless my battle axe!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hope that's not anotherwar going on."

  "It's our new mules!" cried Ned, taking a look. "And some cows and abony horse or two, Tom. We've drawn a rich lot of pack animals!"

  Indeed there was a nondescript collection of beasts of burden. Therewere one or two good mules, several sorry looking horses, and anumber of sleepy-eyed steers. But there were enough of them to carryall the boxes and bales that contained the outfit of our friends.

  "It might be worse," commented Tom. "Now if they'll help us pack upwe'll travel on."

  More sign language was resorted to, and the chief, after anotherpresent had been made to him, sent some of his men to help put thepacks on the animals. The steers, which Tom did not regard with muchfavor, proved to be better than the mules, and by noon our friendswere all packed up again, and ready to take the trail. The chiefgave them a good dinner,--as native dinners go,--and then, aftertelling them that, though he had never seen the giants it had longbeen known that they inhabited the country to the north, he waveda friendly good-bye.

  "Well, we'll see what luck we'll have by ourselves," remarked Tom,as he mounted a bony mule, an example followed by Ned, Mr. Damon andEradicate, They had left behind some of their goods, and so did nothave so much to carry. Food they had in condensed form and they weregetting into the more tropical part of the country where gameabounded.

  It was not as easy as they had imagined it would be for, with onlyfour to drive so many animals, several of the beasts werecontinually straying from the trail, and once a big steer, with partof the aeroplane on its back, wandered into a morass and they had tolabor hard to get the animal out.

  "Well, this is fierce!" exclaimed Tom, at the end of the first daywhen, tired and weary, bitten by insects, and torn by jungle briars,they made camp that night.

  "Going to give up?" asked Ned.

  "Not much!"

  They felt better after supper, and, tethering the animals securely,they stretched out in their tents, with mosquito canopies over themto keep away the pestering insects.

  "I've got a new scheme," announced Tom next morning at breakfast.

  "What is it? Going on the rest of the way in the aeroplane?" askedNed hopefully.

  "No, though I believe if I had brought the big airship along I couldhave used it. But I mean about driving the animals. I'm going tomake a long line of them, tying one to the other like the elephantsin the circus when they march around, holding each other's tails.Then one of us will ride in front, another in the rear, and one oneach side. In that way we'll keep them going and they won't strayoff."

  "Bless my button hook!" cried Mr. Damon. "That's a good idea, Tom!"It was carried out with much success, and thereafter they traveledbetter.

  But even at the best it was not easy work, and more than once Tom'sfriends urged him to turn back. But he would not, ever pressing on,with the strange land for his goal. They had long since passed thelast of the native villages, and they had to depend on their ownefforts for food. Fortunately they did not have any lack of game,and they fared well with what they had with them in the packs.

  Occasionally they met little bands of native hunters, and, thoughusually these men fled at the sight of our friends, yet once theymanaged to make signs to one, who, informed them as best he could,that giant land was still far ahead of them.

  Twice they heard distant sounds of native battles and the weirdnoise of the wooden drums and the tom-toms. Once, as they climbed upa big hill, they looked down into a valley and saw a great conflictin which there must have been several thousand natives on eitherside. It was a fierce battle, seen even from afar, and Tom and theothers shuddered as they slipped down over the other side of therise, and out of sight.

  "We'd better steer clear of them," was Tom's opinion; and the othersagreed with him.

  For another week they kept on, the way becoming more and moredifficult, and the country more and more wild. They had fairly tocut their way through the jungle at times, and the only paths wereanimal trails, but they were better than nothing. For the last fivedays they had not seen a human being, and the loneliness was tellingon them.

  "I'd be glad to see even a two-headed giant," remarked Tomwhimsically one ni
ght as they made their camp.

  "Yes, and I'd be glad to hear someone talk, even in the signlanguage," added Ned, with a grin.

  They slept well, for they were very tired, and Tom, who shared histent with Ned, was awakened rather early the next morning by hearingsomeone moving outside the canvas shelter.

  "Is that you, Mr. Damon?" he asked, the odd gentleman having a tentadjoining that of the boys.

  There was no answer.

  "Rad, are you getting breakfast?" asked the young inventor. "Whattime is it?"

  Still no answer.

  "What's the matter?" asked Ned, who had been awakened by Tom'sinquiries.

  Before our hero had a chance to reply the flap of his tent waspulled back, and a head was thrust in. But such a head! It wasenormous! A head covered with a thick growth of tawny hair, and aface almost hidden in a big tawny, bushy beard. Then an arm wasthrust in--an arm that terminated in a brawny fist that clasped agreat club. There was no mistaking the object that gazed in on thetwo youths. It was a gigantic man--a man almost twice the size ofany Tom had ever seen. And then our hero knew that he had reachedthe end of his quest.

  "A giant!" gasped Tom. "Ned! Ned, we're in the big men's country,and we didn't know it!"

  "I--I guess you're right, Tom!"

  The giant started at the sounds of their voices, and then his facebreaking into a broad grin, that showed a great mouth filled withwhite teeth, he called to them in an unknown tongue and in a voicethat seemed to fairly shake the frail tent.