CHAPTER XXV
TOM'S GIANT--CONCLUSION
"I don't see anything of them, do you?"
"No, and yet this is the place where they said they'd meet us."
It was Tom who asked the question, and Ned who answered it. It wasthe day after their sensational escape from the giants' prison, andthey were circling about in the aeroplane which had been the meansof getting them away from giant land. For they were safely away fromthat strange and terrible place, and they were now seeking the twogiant brothers who had promised to meet them at a certain big hill.
For an hour that night Tom and his friends had traveled on the wingsof the Lark and when a rising moon showed them a level spot for alanding, they had gone down and made a camp. They had provisionswith them, and plenty of blankets and it was so warm that moreshelter was not necessary.
The next day, leaving Mr. Damon, Eradicate and the circus man in thetemporary camp, Tom and Ned had gone aloft to see if they could pickup the giant twins, who were to meet them and have some mules readyfor the journey back to civilization.
"Well, we're in no great hurry," went on Tom, after vainly scanningthe ground below. "They may not have traveled as fast as we thoughtthey could, and the mules may have given trouble. We'll stick aroundhere a day or so, and--"
"Look!" suddenly exclaimed Ned. "Didn't you see something movingthen."
"Where?"
"By that big dead tree."
Tom took a look through a pair of field glasses, while Ned steeredthe aeroplane. Then the young inventor cried:
"It's all right. It's one of the giants, but I can't tell which one.Ned, I believe they're hiding because they're afraid of us. They'venever seen an aeroplane in action before. I'm going down."
Quickly and gracefully the Lark was volplaned to a level place nearthe dead tree. No one was in sight, and Tom, after looking about,called:
"Tola! Koku! Where are you? It is I, Tom Swift! We have escaped!Where are you? Don't be afraid!"
There was a moment's silence, and then two big forms rushed from thedense bushes, one of them--Koku--advancing to Tom, and catching himup in what was meant for a loving hug.
"Oh, I say now, Koku!" cried the young inventor, with a laugh. "I'vegot ribs, you know. Easy on that squeeze!"
The two giant twins laughed too, and they were immensely pleased tosee their friends again, both talking at once and so fast that noteven the circus man could catch what they said.
"Have you got the mules?" asked Tom, for he knew that much dependedon the animals. "Is everything all right?"
"All right," answered Koku, the talk being conducted in the languageof the giants of which Tom was now fairly a master when it wasspoken slowly. Then the brothers explained that they had gottensafely away, had gathered up the mules, and with a supply of food,had hidden the beasts in a nearby valley. The giant twins werewaiting for Tom to arrive, but, though they had seen the aeroplanesin the hut they had no idea that it could fly so nearly like a bird,and when they saw it hovering over them they had become frightened,and hidden, until Tom's voice had reassured them.
"Well, get the animals," advised Tom, after he had told of the fightof the night before, and the escape. "I'll go find the others andwe'll start from here. Then we'll hike for the United States as fastas we can."
Mr. Damon, Eradicate and the circus man were soon brought to theplace where the giant brothers had made their camp, and it wasdecided to remain there a few days until the aeroplane could betaken apart for transportation, for Tom had no idea of abandoningit. Of course it could not be packed up very well, as there were noboxes or bales at hand. But it was made small enough so that theparts could be slung across the backs of several mules, there beinga number of the pack animals available, some being the same ones Tomhad purchased after his native escort had deserted him.
It was the morning they had decided to begin their march for thecoast. Everything was in readiness, they had some food, and with theshotguns and the electric rifles which they had brought along, theycould get game. All their other things, save a few necessaries, hadbeen left behind. Eradicate, as he had always done, rode his mule upbeside Tom, to look after his young master.
Suddenly Koku, who seemed to have become very fond of Tom, strodeforward and took his place on the other side of the mule ridden bythe young inventor.
"Me stay by you," he said with a grin on his big face. "Me like you!Me take care of you, Tom--be your servant. Him too old," and hemotioned to Eradicate.
"Eh! What's dat yo' done said?" gasped the colored man. "Me too old?Looky heah, giant man, I'd hab yo' know dat I's been in de Swiftfambly a good many years, an' I's jest as spry as I eber was. I kinlook after Massa Tom as good as eber. Now yo' git back where yo'belongs, giant man, an' doan't let me heah no mo' ob dat foolishnesstalk. Nobody waits on Massa Tom Swift but me. Does yo' heah dat,giant man?"
"Me Tom's man!" exclaimed the big fellow, and in fairly goodEnglish. Tom laughed. He had no idea the giant had picked up anywords.
"Go on away!" cried Eradicate.
Koku gave the colored man one look, then, with a good natured grinon his face, he reached over one hand, calmly lifted Eradicate fromhis mule and set him on the ground. Then, with a push, he shoved themule galloping ahead, and took his place at the side of the younginventor.
"Well, what do you know about that?" gasped Ned.
"Bless my coffee cup!" cried Mr. Damon.
Eradicate stood still for a moment, gazing first at his master andthen at the big being who had so ruthlessly plucked him from themule's back, as easily as he would have lifted a child. ThenEradicate, with a trace of tears in his eyes, stretched forth hishands toward Tom, and turned aside. That was too much for our hero.
With one leap he was off his animal, and the next minute he had hisarms around the faithful old colored man.
"By Jove, Rad!" cried Tom, and his own eyes were not dry. "I'm notgoing to be deserted by you in that way. You're just the same asever to me, giant or no giant, and don't you forget it!" and hepatted the old man on the back affectionately.
"Praise de Lord fo' heahin' yo' say dat, Massa Tom," gaspedEradicate. "Praise de dear Lord!"
And then, knowing that he still held a place in his young master'sheart, the colored man was content. And from then on he rode on oneside of Tom, while the giant, Koku, strode along on the other. Hehad established himself as Tom's bodyguard and even though Eradicateinsisted on remaining, Koku would not go away.
"I guess I'll have to keep 'em both," said Tom, with a grin, "butI'm going to change Koku's name."
"What are you going to call him?" asked Ned.
"Let's see, what month is this?"
"August," said Mr. Damon.
"Then August is his name!" exclaimed Tom. "Koku sounds too much likea cocoanut cake. Here, August, shift that package on the whitemule," he called, "it's cutting her back," and the giant, with apleased grin, did as he was bid. And August he was called from thenon.
But my story is getting too long, so I must bring it to a close. Andreally there is not much to tell. The march back to the coast wasfull of hardships, danger and difficulties, but they accomplishedit. The two giants seemed glad that they had left their own countrybehind and they were simple and affectionate beings. Tom made up hismind he would let the circus man have one and keep the other for hispersonal attendant.
They traveled by day, and slept at night, shooting game as theyneeded it. Several times they narrowly escaped getting mixed up inthe native conflicts. Tom had one striking evidence of his giantservant's usefulness. One day he was stalking a small beast, like adeer, when, from a tree overhead, a jaguar sprang down at him. ButKoku--I beg his pardon--August was at hand, and, like Sampson ofold, the giant slew the beast bare-handed, choking it to death.
In fine time our friends reached a native town and the wonder causedby the giants was no less than the amusement of the big men at thethings they saw. They wondered more when they got to a city, and sawmore marvels of the white man's progress.<
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Then Tom and his friends reached the coast, and took a steamer forNew York. The giants created a great sensation, the more when it wasknown that Tom intended to keep one for himself. With thisarrangement Mr. Preston agreed, for he only wanted one as anattraction.
"Couldn't have done it better myself!" the circus proprietor said toTom when he heard the story, and this was high praise from Mr.Preston.
"And you rescued old Jake, too! Well, well! Couldn't have done itbetter myself! I really couldn't!"
"I wonder how our old enemy Delby made out?" asked Mr. Poddington.They heard later that he was driven from giant land, not even beingallowed to take a boy as a specimen. He had worked on the "tip" AndyFoger had given Mr. Waydell, but it failed. When Tom escaped, theking confiscated all the things in the hut, and he was so taken upwith the novelties that he paid no more attention to the circusagent, who had all his trouble, plotting and scheming against Tomfor his pains.
"A giant in the house!" cried Mrs. Baggert, when Tom got home withAugust. "I never heard of such a thing in all my life! Where will hesleep? Not a bed is big enough!"
"We'll give him two beds then," laughed Tom.
And so they did, and August was immensely pleased with his new life.He proved to be very useful, and readily adapted himself tocivilized ways.
Tola, the other giant, made a big sensation when exhibited, and Mr.Preston said he was well worth the fifteen thousand dollars he hadcost.
"Well, Tom, what next?" asked Ned one day, when they had been homeseveral weeks and had told their story over and over again.
"No where!" exclaimed Tom. "I'm going to take a long rest."
But Tom Swift wasn't that kind of a young man, and he was soonactive again. If you care to learn more of his doings you may do soin the next volume of this series, to be called, "Tom Swift and HisElectric Camera; Or Thrilling Adventures While Taking MovingPictures."
And now, for a time, we will take leave of the young inventor andhis new giant servant, to meet them again a little later.
THE END
Tom Swift in Captivity, Or, A Daring Escape By Airship Page 25