by Victor Appleton
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"A few shots for them to remember us by!" cried Mr. Durban, as he sent more of the paralyzing electric currents into the red imps. Their yell of rage had now turned to shouts of terror, for the gleaming beam of light frightened them more than did the airship, or the bullets of the white men. The red pygmies fled to their huts.
"I guess we gave them a lesson," remarked Tom, as he started the propellers and sent the ship on through the night.
"Why, Tom! You're hurt!" cried Ned, who came into the pilot house at that moment, and saw blood on his chum.
"Only a scratch," the young inventor declared.
"It's more than that," said Mr. Durban who looked at it a little later. "It must be bound up, Tom."
And, while Ned steered the ship back to the jungle clearing whence they had come to make the night attack, Tom's wound was dressed.
Meanwhile the two missionaries had been well taken care of. They were given other garments, even some dresses being provided for Mrs. Illingway, for when the voyage was begun Tom had considered the possibility of having a woman on board, and had bought some ladies' garments. Then, having cast down to earth the ill-smelling skins which formed their clothes while captives, Mr. and Mrs. Illingway, decently dressed, thanked Tom and the others over and over again.
"We had almost given up hope," said the lady, "when we saw them drive you back after the first attack. Oh, it is wonderful to think how you saved us, and in an airship!" and she and her husband began their thanks over again.
A good meal was prepared by Mr. Damon, for the rescuers and rescued ones were hungry, and since they had been held prisoners the two missionaries had not been given very good food.
"Oh, it hardly seems possible that we are eating with white men again," said Mr. Illingway, as he took a second cup of coffee, "hardly possible!"
"And to see electric lights, instead of a camp-fire," added his wife. "What a wonderful airship you have, Tom Swift."
"Yes, it's pretty good," he admitted. "It came in useful to-night, all right."
They were now far enough from the savages, and the pygmies' fires, which had been set aglow anew when the attack began, could no longer be observed.
"We'll land at the place where we camped before," said Tom, who had again assumed charge of the ship, "and in the morning we'll start for civilization."
"No can get two other white men?" suddenly asked Tomba, who had been sitting, gazing at his recovered master and mistress. "Fly-ship go back, an' leave two white mans here?" the black asked.
"What in the world does he mean?" demanded Tom. "Of course we're not going to leave any of our party behind!"
"Let me question him," suggested Mr. Illingway, and he began to talk to the African in his own tongue. A rapid conversation followed, and a look of amazement spread over the faces of the two missionaries, as they listened.
"What is it?" asked Mr. Durban. "What does Tomba say?"
"Why the pygmies have two other white men in captivity," said Mr. Illingway. "They were brought in yesterday, after you were driven away. Two white men, or, rather a white man and a youth, according to Tomba. They are held in one of the huts near where we were, but tied so they couldn't escape in the confusion."
"How does Tomba know this?" asked Mr. Damon.
"He says," translated Mr. Illingway, after more questioning of the black, "that he heard the red pygmies boasting of it after we had escaped. Tomba says he heard them say that, though we were gone, and could not be killed, or sacrificed, the other two captives would meet that horrible fate."
"Two other white captives in the hands of the red imps!" murmured Tom. "We must rescue them!"
"You're not going to turn back now, are you?" asked Mr. Durban.
"No, but I will as soon as I look the ship over. We'll come back to-morrow. And we'll have to make a day attack or it will be too late to save them. Two other white captives! I wonder who they can be."
