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

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER XXII

  THE TWIN GIANTS

  Daring indeed was the scheme decided on by the captives, and yet itsvery boldness might make it possible for them to carry it out. Theking would never suspect them of plotting to carry off his two royalbrothers, and this made it all the easier to lay their plans. Inthis they were much helped by Poddington, who knew the language andwho had made a few friends among the more humble people of thevillage, though none dared assist him openly.

  "The first thing to do," said the circus man, "is to get intocommunication with the twins."

  That proved harder than they expected, for a week passed, and theydid not have a glimpse of Tola and Koku. Meanwhile the giant guardwas still maintained about the hut night and day. No more food wasgiven the prisoners, and they would have starved had not Tompossessed a good supply of his own provisions. It was evidently theintention of the king to starve his captives into submission.

  "Suppose you do get those big brothers to accompany you, Tom?" askedNed one day. "How are you going to manage to get away, and take themwith you?"

  "My aeroplane!" answered Tom quickly. "I've got it all planned out.You and I with Mr. Damon, Mr. Poddington and Eradicate will skipaway in the aeroplane. We can put it together in here, and I've gotenough 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 setoff through the woods afoot. We'll meet them in a certain place--wherethere's a good land mark which we can easily distinguish from theaeroplane. We'll take what stuff we can with us, and leave the resthere. Oh, it can be done, Ned."

  "But when you start out with the aeroplane they'll make a rush andoverwhelm us."

  "No, for I'll do it so quickly that they won't have a chance. I'mgoing to saw through the beams of one side of this hut. To the rearthere is level ground that will make a fine starting place. Wheneverything 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 pickup the giant brothers out in the woods, and travel to civilizationagain."

  "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 Poddingtonmanaged to get word to the royal twins that he and the othercaptives would like to see them privately. Then they had to wait foran answer.

  In the meanwhile the giants tried several times to surprise Tom andhis friends by attacks, but the captives were on the alert, and theelectric rifles drove them back.

  One night nearly all the guards were observed to be absent. Therewere 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'stheir big annual feast. Even the king goes to it. They were justgetting over it when I struck here last year, and maybe that's whatset 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 uswhen the feast is at its height," was the reply.

  Anxiously they waited, and in order that the royal brothers mightcome in unobserved, if they did conclude to speak to the captives,Tom and his companions hung some pieces of canvas over the windowsand doors, and had only a single light burning.

  It was at midnight that a cautious knock sounded at the side of thehut and Tom glided to the main door. In the shadows he saw the tworoyal 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 thebrothers entered the hut.

  How Jake persuaded them to throw in their fortunes with the captivesthe circus man hardly knew himself. Perhaps it was due as much asanything to the dislike they felt toward the king, and the mean wayhe had treated them.

  "Come, and you will be kings among the small men in our country,"invited Poddington. The brothers looked at each other, talkedtogether in low tones, and then Koku exclaimed:

  "We will come, and we will help you to escape. We have spoken, andwe will talk with you again."

  Then they glided out into the darkness, while from afar came thesounds of revelry at the big feast.