CHAPTER XXI
A ROYAL CONSPIRACY
Howls of terror, cries of anger, and a rushing to and fro on thepart of the giants, followed the latest trick of Tom Swift toimpress them with his power. But to all this the young inventor andhis friends paid no attention. Their eyes were fixed on the raggedfigure of the white man who was rushing toward their hut as fast ashis legs, manacled as they were, would let him.
"Come on! Come on!" cried Tom.
"Look out!" yelled Ned. "Some of the giants are after him, Tom!"
Several of the big men, after their first fright, had recoveredsufficiently to pursue the captive so strangely released by theexplosion.
"Hand me an electric rifle, Ned!" cried Tom.
"Bless my shoe laces!" cried Mr. Damon. "You're not going to killany of the giants; are you, Tom?"
"Well, I'm not going to let them capture Jake Poddington again," wasthe quick answer, "but I guess if I stun a few of them with theelectric bullets that will answer."
Poddington (for later the white captive did prove to be the missingcircus man) ran on, and close behind him came two of the giants,taking long strides. Tom aimed his electric rifle at the foremostand pulled the trigger. There was no sound, but the big man crumpledup and fell, rolling over and over. With a yell of rage hiscompanion pressed on, but a moment later, he, too, went down, andthen the others, who had started in pursuit of their recent captive,turned back.
"I thought that would fix 'em," murmured Tom gleefully.
In another five seconds Poddington was inside the hut, gasping fromhis run. He was very thin and pale, and the sudden exertion had beentoo much for him.
"Water--water!" he gasped, and Mr. Damon gave him some. He sank onone of the skin-covered benches, and his half-exhausted breathslowly came back to him.
"Boys," he gasped. "I don't know who you are, but thank heaven youcame just in time. I couldn't have stood it much longer. I heard youyell something about Preston. Is it possible he sent you to findme?"
"Partly that and partly to get a giant," explained Tom. "We didn'tknow you were in that hut, or we'd never have blown up the one nextto it, though we suspected you might be held captive somewherearound here, from the queer way the giants acted when we asked aboutyou."
"And so you blew up that hut?" remarked the circus agent. "I thoughtit was struck by lightning. But it did me a good turn. I was chainedto the wall of the hut next door, and your explosion split the beamto which my chains were fastened. I didn't lose any time runningout, I can tell you. Oh, but it's good to be free once more and tosee someone my own size!"
"How did you get here, and why did they keep you a prisoner?" askedTom. Then Poddington told his story, while Ned and Mr. Damon aidedTom in filing off the rude iron shackles from his wrists and ankles.
As Mr. Preston had heard, Jake Poddington had started for giantland. But he lost his way, his escort of natives deserted him, justas Tom's did, and he wandered on in the jungle, nearly dying. Then,merely by accident, he came upon giant land, but he had themisfortune to incur the anger of the big men who took him for anenemy. They at once made him a prisoner, and had kept him so eversince, though they did not harm him otherwise, and gave him goodfood.
"I think they were a bit afraid of me in spite of my small size,"explained the circus man. "I never thought to be rescued, for,though I figured that Mr. Preston might hear of my plight, he couldnever find this place. How did you get here?"
Then Tom told his story, and of how they themselves were heldcaptives because of the treachery of Hank Delby.
"That's just like him!" cried Poddington. "He was always mean, andalways trying to get the advantage of his rivals. But I'm glad I'mwith you. With what stuff you have here it oughtn't to be difficultto get away from giant land."
"But I want a giant," insisted Tom. "I told Mr. Preston I'd bringhim back one, and I'm going to do it."
"You can't!" cried the circus man. "They won't come with you, andit's almost impossible to make a prisoner of one. You'd betterescape. I want to get away from giant land. I've had enough."
"We'll get away," said Tom confidently, "and we'll have a giant ortwo when we go."
"You'll have some before you go I guess!" suddenly interrupted Ned."There's a whole crowd of 'em headed this way, and they've gotclubs, bows and arrows and those blow guns! I guess they're going tobesiege us."
"All right!" cried Tom. "If they want to fight we can give 'em asgood as they send. Ned, you and Mr. Damon and I will handle theelectric rifles. Eradicate, use your shotgun, and fire high. Wedon't want to hurt any of the big men. We'll merely stun them withthe electric bullets, but the noise of Rad's gun will help some."
"What can I do?" asked Mr. Poddington.
"You're too weak to do much," replied Tom. "You just keep on thelookout, and tell us if they try any surprises. I guess we canhandle 'em all right."
With shouts and yells the big men came on. Evidently theirindifference toward their captives had turned to anger because ofthe freeing of Poddington, and now they were determined to use harshmeasures. They advanced with wild yells, brandishing their clubs andother weapons, while the weird sound of the tom-toms and nativesdrums added to the din.
When a short distance from the hut the giants stopped, and beganfiring arrows and darts from the blow guns.
"Look out for those!" warned Tom. "They probably are poisoned, and ascratch may mean death. Give 'em a few shots now, Ned and Mr. Damon!Rad, give 'em a salute, but fire high!"
"Dat's what I will, Massa Tom!"
The gun of the colored man barked out a noisy welcome, and, at thesame time three giants fell, stunned by the electric bullets, forthe rifles were adjusted to send out only mild charges.
Thrice they charged, and each time they were driven back, and then,finding that the captives were ever ready for them, they gave up theattempt to overwhelm them, and hurried away, many going into theking's hut. His royal majesty did not show himself during the fight.
"Well, I guess they won't try that right away again," remarked Tom,as he saw the stunned giants slowly arouse themselves and crawlaway. "We've taught them a lesson."
They felt better after that, and then, when they had eaten anddrank, they began to consider ways and means of escape. But Tomwould not hear of going until he could get at least one giant forthe circus.
"But you can't!" insisted Mr. Poddington.
"Well, it's too soon to give up yet," declared Tom. "I'd like totake the king's two brothers with me."
"By Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Poddington, "I never thought of that. Thereis just a bare chance. Did you know that the two brothers, who aretwins, dislike the king, for he is younger than they, and hepractically took the throne away from them. They should rule jointlyby rights. If we could enlist Tola and Koku on our side we might winout yet."
"Then we'll try!" exclaimed Tom.
Jake Poddington, who had been a captive in the giant city longenough to know something of its history, and had learned to talk thelanguage, explained how Kosk had usurped the throne. His brotherswere subject to him, he said, but several times they had tried invain to start a revolution. To punish them for their rebelliousefforts the king made them his personal servants, and this explainedwhy he sent them to see the tricks Tom performed.
"If we could only get into communication with the big twins," wenton the circus man, "we could offer to take them with us to a countrywhere they would be bigger kings than their brother is here. It's aroyal conspiracy worth trying."
"Then we'll try it!" cried Tom enthusiastically.