CHAPTER XX
THE LONE CAPTIVE
The murmurs of astonishment that greeted Tom's seemingly marvelousfeat of strength was even greater than that which had marked histrick with the electric battery. The giants stared at him as thoughthey feared the next moment he might suddenly turn upon them andhurl them about like ten-pins.
"You see, it is easy when one knows the white man's magic," spokeTom, making many gestures to help along. "Go tell your king that itis not well that he keeps us prisoners here, for if he does not soonlet us go the magic may break loose and destroy his palace!"
There was a gasp of dismay from the giants at this bold talk.
"Better go easy, Tom," counseled Ned.
"I'm tired of going easy," replied the young inventor. "Somethinghas got to happen pretty soon, or it will be all up with us. I'mgetting weary of being cooped up here. Not that the king doesn'ttreat us well, but I don't want to be a prisoner. I want to get outand see if we can't arrange to take a couple of these giants backfor Mr. Preston. That Delby sneak has things all his own way."
And this was so, for the circus man had poisoned the king's mindagainst Tom and his friends, representing (as our hero learnedlater) that the first arrivals in giant land were dangerous people,and not to be trusted. On his own part, Hank Delby intimated that hewould always be a friend to the king, would teach him many of thewhite man's secrets, and would make him powerful. Thus the circusman was making plans for his own ends, and he was scheming to get acouple of giants for himself, who he intended to hurry away, leavingTom and his friends to escape as best they could.
And Delby had brought with him some novelties in the way of toys andmachinery that seemed greatly to take the fancy of the king. Tomrealized this when he saw his rival free to come and go, and onereason why our hero did the experiments just related was so that theking might hear of them, and wonder.
"Go tell the king that, strong as he is, I am stronger," went on Tomboldly to the giant guards. "I am not afraid of him."
"Bless my war club, Tom, aren't you a little rash to talk that way?"asked Mr. Damon.
"No. As I said, I want things to happen. If I can only get the kingcurious enough to come here I can show him things to open his eyes.I'll work the miniature circus, and explain that some of hissubjects can take part in a real one if they will come with us. Iwant to beat this Delby at his own game."
"That's the stuff!" cried Ned. "Stick to it, Tom. I'll help you, andwe'll get a giant or two yet. And maybe we can get some news of poorJake Poddington."
"I intend to make inquiries about him, now that these guards are alittle more friendly," said Tom. "It may be that he is a prisoner inthis very village."
The giant guards, now that they had gotten over their fright attheir own inability to raise the bar while Tom had lifted it withone finger, again crowded around, asking that the trick be repeated.Tom did it, with the same result.
None of the giants could move the iron, yet Tom had no difficulty indoing so. Of course my readers have already guessed how the trickwas done. It was worked by a strong magnet, hidden in the floor. Ata signal from Tom, Ned would switch on the current. The iron wouldbe held fast and immovable, but when Tom himself went to raise itNed would cut off the electricity and the bar was lifted as easilyas an ordinary piece of iron. But simple as the trick was, itimpressed the giants. Then Tom did some other stunts for them,simple experiments in physics, that every High School lad has donein class.
"I want to get these guards friendly with me," he explained. "Intime the news will reach the king and he'll be so curious that he'llcome here and then--well, we'll see what will happen."
But this did not take place as soon as Tom desired. In fact, thegiants were very slow to act. The guards did get quite friendly, andevery day they wanted the same two first tricks performed overagain. Tom did them many times, wondering when the king would come.
Then he played a bold game, and made open inquiries about a whiteman, one like the king's captives, who might have come to giant landabout a year previous.
"Is there a lone white captive here?" asked Tom.
The giant guard to whom he directed his question gave a start, forTom could now speak the language fairly well, and, after the firstindication of surprise, the guard muttered something to hiscompanions. There was a startled ejaculation, a curious glance atthe captives, and then--silence. The guards filed silently away,and, a little later, could be seen going in the king's big hut.
"By Jove, Tom!" cried Ned. "You touched 'em that time. There'ssomething up, as sure as you're born!"
"I believe so myself," agreed the young inventor. "And now to throwa real scare into these giants," he added, as he went to a distantroom of the hut where he had hidden some of the things he had takenfrom his "box of tricks," as Ned dubbed it.
"Bless my necktie!" cried Mr. Damon. "What's up now, Tom."
"I'm going to show these giants that they'd better make friends withus soon, or we may blow their whole town sky-high!" cried Tom. "I'mgoing to use some of the blasting powder--just a pinch, so to speak--andknock an empty hut into slivers. I think that will impress thesefellows. If I can only--"
"Look, Tom!" suddenly cried Ned. "The king's two brothers are cominghere. Something's up. He's sent some of the family to interview us.Get ready to receive them."
"Couldn't be better!" cried the young inventor. "I've been waitingfor this. Now I'll give them a surprise party."
The two big brothers of the king, for such Tom and his friends hadrecently learned was the relationship the giants on either side ofthe "throne" bore to the ruler, were indeed headed toward the hut ofthe captives. They came alone, in their royal garments of jaguarskins, and, standing about the palace hut, could be seen the giantguards who had doubtless carried the news of the question Tom hadasked.
"Come on, Ned, we've got to get busy!" exclaimed Tom. "Connect theelectric battery, and get that magnet in shape. I'm going to make afuse for this blasting powder bomb, and if I can get those royalbrothers to plant it for me, there'll be some high jinks soon."
Tom busied himself in making an improvised bomb, while Ned attendedto the electrical attachments, and Mr. Damon and Eradicate acted asgeneral assistants.
The two giant brothers entered the hut and greeted Tom and theothers calmly. Then they explained that the king had sent them toinvestigate certain stories told by the guard.
"I'll show you!" exclaimed Tom, and he induced them to take hold ofthe handles of the battery. The current was turned on full strength,and from the manner in which the royal brothers writhed and howledTom judged that the experiment was a success.
"With all your strength you can not let go until I move my finger,"the young inventor explained, and it was so. Even the skepticalgiants agreed on that.
"Now I shall show you that I am stronger than you!" exclaimed Tom,and though the giants smiled incredulously so it was, for the magnettrick worked as well as before. There were murmurs of surprise fromthe two immense brothers, and they talked rapidly together.
"I will now show you that I can call the lightning from the sky todo my bidding," went on Tom. "Is that possible to any of yougiants?"
"Never! Never! No man can do it!" cried Tola and Koku together.
"Then watch me!" invited Tom. "Is there an empty hut near here?" heasked. "One that it will do no harm to destroy?"
Tola pointed to one visible from the window of the prison of ourfriends.
"Then take this little ball, with the string attached to it, andplace it in the hut," went on Tom. "Then flee for your lives, forstanding from here, I shall call the lightning down, and you shallsee the hut destroyed."
"Why don't you ask them something about Jake Poddington?" asked Ned.
"Time enough for that after I've shown them what a little powderwill do, when I attach electric wires to it and press a button,"replied Tom. "I've got that bomb fixed so it will go off by anelectric fuse. If they'll only put it in the hut for me. I'd do itmyself, only they won't let me g
o out."
The brothers conferred for a moment and then, seeming to arrive at adecision, Koku, who was slightly the larger, took the bomb, lookedcuriously at it, and walked with it toward the empty hut, theelectric wire being reeled out behind him by Tom.
The bomb was left inside the frail structure, the two brothershurried away, and, standing at a safe distance from the hut of thecaptives, as well as the one that Tom had promised to destroy bylightning, they waved their hands to show that they were ready.
"Bless my admission ticket!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "You've got quitean audience, Tom."
And so he had, for there was a crowd in the market square, anotherthrong about the king's palace, while all about, hidden behind treesor huts, was nearly the whole population of the giant town.
"That's what I want," said the young inventor. "It will be all themore impressive."
"And there's the king himself!" exclaimed Ned. "He's standing in thedoor 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 theair. The roof was lifted off, the sides spread out and there was agreat 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 youdestroyed!"
"Yes, and bless my check book!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "some one isrunning 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 rescueyou!" cried Tom.
Tom Swift in Captivity, Or, A Daring Escape By Airship Page 20