CHAPTER XX
THE FIGHT
Surprise, for the moment, held Tom and the others speechless. To beanswered in English, poor and broken as it was, by a native African,was strange enough, but when this same African was found aboard theairship, in the midst of the jungle, at midnight, it almost passedthe bounds of possibility.
"Tomba!" mused Tom, wondering where he had heard that name before."Tomba?"
"Of course!" cried Mr. Anderson, suddenly. "Don't you remember?That's the name of the servant of Mr. and Mrs. Illingway, whoescaped and brought news of their capture by the pygmies. That's whoTomba is."
"Yes, but Tomba escaped," objected Mr. Durban. "He went to the whitesettlements with the news. How comes he here?"
"We'll have to find out," said Tom, simply. "Tomba, are you there?"he called, as he fired another illuminating charge. It disclosed theblack man standing up on the deck, and looking at them appealingly.
"Yes, Tomba here," was the answer. "Oh, you be English, Tomba know.Please help Missy and Massy Illingway. Red devils goin' kill 'empretty much quick."
"Come in!" called Tom, as he turned on the electric lights in theairship. "Come in and tell us all about it. But how did you gethere?"
"Maybe there are two Tombas," suggested Ned.
"Bless my safety razor!" cried Mr. Damon "perhaps Ned is right!"
But he wasn't, as they learned when they had questioned the African,who came inside the airship, looking wonderingly around at the manystrange things he saw. He was the same Tomba who had escaped themassacre, and had taken news of the capture of his master andmistress to the white settlement. In vain after that he had tried toorganize a band to go back with him to the rescue, but the whites inthe settlement were too few, and the natives too timid. Then Tomba,with grief in his heart, and not wanting to live while themissionaries whom he had come to care for very much, were captives,he went back into the jungle, determined, if he could not help them,that at least he would share their fate, and endeavor to be of someservice to them in their captivity.
After almost unbelievable hardships, he had found the red pygmies,and had allowed himself to be captured by them. They rejoicedgreatly in the possession of the big black man, and for some strangereason had not killed him. He was allowed to share the captivity ofhis master and mistress.
Time went on, and the pygmies did not kill their prisoners. Theyeven treated them with some kindness but were going to sacrificethem at their great annual festival, which was soon to take place.Mr. and Mrs. Illingway, Tomba told our friends in his brokenEnglish, had urged him to escape at the first opportunity. They knewif he could get away he would travel through the jungle. They couldnot, even if they had not been so closely guarded that escape wasout of the question.
But Tomba refused to go until Mr. Illingway had said that perhaps hemight get word to some white hunters, and so send help to thecaptives. This Tomba consented to do, and, watching his chance, hedid escape. That was several nights ago, and he had been travelingthrough the jungle ever since. It was by mere accident that he cameupon the anchored airship, and his curiosity led him to board her.The rest is known.
"Well, of all queer yarns, this is the limit!" exclaimed Tom, whenthe black had finished. "What had we better do about it?"
"Get ready to attack the red pygmies at once!" decided Mr. Durban."If we wait any longer it may be too late!"
"My idea, exactly," declared Mr. Anderson.
"Bless my bowie-knife!" cried Mr. Damon. "I'd like to get a chanceat the red imps! Come on, Tom! Let's start at once."
"No, we need daylight to fight by," replied Tom, with a smile at hisfriend's enthusiasm. "We'll go forward in the morning."
"In the airship?" asked Mr. Damon.
"I think so," answered Tom. "There can be no advantage now in tryingto conceal ourselves. We can move upon them from where we are soquickly that they won't have much chance to get away. Besides itwill take us too long to make our way through the jungle afoot. For,now that the escape of Tomba must be known, they may kill thecaptives at once to forestall any rescue."
"Then we'll move forward in the morning," declared Mr. Durban.
They took Tomba with them in the airship the next day, though heprayed fervently before he consented to it. But they needed him topoint out the exact location of the pygmies' village, since it wasnot the one the hunter-scout had been near.
The Black Hawk sailed through the air. On board eager eyes lookeddown for a first sight of the red imps. Tomba, who was at Tom's sidein the steering tower, told him, as best he could, from time totime, how to set the rudders.
"Pretty soon by-em-by be there," said the black man at length. "Passober dat hill, den red devils live."
"Well, we'll soon be over that hill," announced Tom grimly. "I guesswe'd better get our rifles ready for the battle."
"Are you going to attack them at once?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Well," answered the young inventor, "I don't believe we ought tokill any of them if we can avoid it. I don't like to do such a thingbut, perhaps we can't help ourselves. My plan is to take the airshipdown, close to the hut where the missionaries are confined. Tombacan point it out to us. If we can rescue them without bloodshed, somuch the better. But we'll fight if we have to."
Grimly they watched as the airship sailed over the hill. Thensuddenly there came into view a collection of mud huts on a vastplain, surrounded by dense jungle on every side. As the travelerslooked, they could see little creatures running wildly about. Evenwithout a glass it could be noted that their bodies were coveredwith a curious growth of thick sandy hair.
"The red pygmies!" cried Tom. "Now for the rescue!"
Eagerly Tomba indicated the hut where his master and mistress wereheld. Telling his friends to have their weapons in readiness, Tomsteered the airship toward the rude shelter whence he hoped to takethe missionaries. Down to the ground swiftly shot the Black Hawk.Tom checked her with a quick movement of the deflecting rudder, andshe landed gently on the wheels.
"Mr. Illingway! Mrs. Illingway! We have come to rescue you!" yelledthe young inventor, as he stepped out on the deck, with his electricrifle in his hand. "Where are you? Can you come out?"
The door of the hut was burst open, and a white man and woman,recognizable as such, even in the rude skins that clothed them,rushed out. Wonder spread over their faces as they saw the greatairship. They dropped on their knees.
The next instant a swarm of savage little red men surrounded them,and rudely bore them, strugglingly, back into the hut.
"Come on!" cried Tom, about to leap to the ground. "It's now ornever! We must save them!"
Mr. Durban pulled him back, and pointed to a horde of the red-hairedsavages rushing toward the airship. "They'd tear you to pieces in aminute!" cried the old hunter. "We must fight them from the ship."
There was a curious whistling sound in the air. Mr. Durban lookedup.
"Duck, everybody!" he yelled. "They're firing arrows at us! Getunder shelter, for they may be poisoned!"
Tom and the others darted into the craft. The arrows rattled on deckin a shower, and hundreds of the red imps were rushing up to givebattle. Inside the hut where the missionaries were, it was nowquiet. Tom Swift wondered if they still lived.
"Give 'em as good as they send!" cried Mr. Durban. "We will have tofire at them now. Open up with your electric rifle, Tom!"
As he spoke the elephant hunter fired into the midst of thescreaming savages. The battle had begun.