CHAPTER IV
"LOOK OUT FOR MY RIVAL!"
"You'll go in an airship of course; won't you, Tom?" asked Mr.Damon, when they had pulled their chairs up around a library table,and Mr. Preston had taken some papers from his pocket.
"An airship? No, I don't believe I shall," replied the younginventor. "In the first place, I'm a bit tired of scooting throughthe air so much, though it isn't to be denied that it's the quickestway of going. But in South America there are so many jungles that itwill be hard to find a level starting ground for a take-off, afterwe land. Of course we could go up as a balloon, but this expeditionis going to be different from any we were ever on before."
"How so?" asked Ned.
"Well, in the first place we've got to start at one end of a trail,and make careful inquiries all along the way. It isn't like when wewent for the city of gold. There we had to look for a certain ruinedtemple, which was the landmark. When we went after the platinum inSiberia we had to look for the place of the high winds, so I coulduse my air glider. But now we're trying to locate a man who traveledon foot through the jungles, and if we went in an airship we mightjust miss the connecting link."
"So, I think the best way will be to do just as Mr. Poddingtondid--travel on foot or by horses and mules, and go slowly, makinginquiries from time to time. Then we MAY get to giant land, we MAYfind him."
"I don't hope for all that," said the circus man, "but if you canonly get some news of him it will be a relief. If he died peaceablyit would be better than to be a captive among some of those savagetribes. It's been a year now since I heard the last of him. But Iagree with Tom that an airship won't be much good in the jungle. Youmight take along a small one, if you could pack it, to scare thenatives with. In fact it might be a good thing to show to thegiants, if you find them."
"That is my idea," declared Tom. "I'll take the Lark with me. That'sa mighty powerful machine for its size, and it can be taken apart insections. It will carry three on a pinch, and I have had five in herwith two auxiliary seats. I'll take the Lark, and she may come inhandy."
"When can you start?" asked Mr. Preston.
"As soon as we can fit out an expedition," answered Tom. "Itoughtn't to take long. I don't have to build an air glider thistime. It won't take long to take the Lark apart. I haven't finishedwork on my noiseless airship yet, but that can wait. Yes, we'll beready as soon as you want us to start, Mr. Preston."
"It can't be too soon for me. I'll deposit a certain sum in the bankto your credit, Tom, and you can draw on it for expenses. I'll payany amount to get word of poor Jake, to say nothing of having agiant for my circus. Now as to ways of getting there. Have you alarge map of South America?"
Tom had one, and he and the others were pouring over it when Tom'sfather came into the room.
"Well, well!" he exclaimed. "What's this? What are you up to now,Tom, my boy? Mrs. Baggert said you took down the South American map.What's up?"
"Lots, dad? I'm going after giants this time!"
"Giants, Tom? Are you joking?"
"Not a bit of it, Mr. Swift," answered Mr. Damon. "Bless my checkbook! I believe if some one wanted the moon Tom Swift would try toget it for them."
Then Mr. Swift noticed the stranger present, and was introduced tothe circus man.
"Is it really true, Tom," asked the aged inventor, when the storyhad been related, "are you going to have a try for giant land?"
"That's what I am, dad, and I wish you were going along."
"No, Tom, I'm getting too old for that. But I did hope you'd stayhome for a while, and help me work on my gyroscope invention. It isalmost completed."
"I will help you, dad, as soon as I get back with a giant or two.Who knows? maybe I'll get one myself."
"What would you do with one?" asked Ned with a laugh.
"Have him help Eradicate," answered the young inventor. "Rad isgetting pretty old, and he needs an assistant."
"But are these giants black?" asked Mr. Swift.
"That's a point I don't know," answered the circus man frankly."Jake didn't say in his letter. They may be black, white or midwaybetween. That's what Tom has got to find out for us."
"And I'll do it!" exclaimed our hero. "Now let's see. I suppose thebest plan would be to take a ship right to the Rio de la Plata,landing say at Buenos Ayres or Montevideo, and then organize anexpedition to strike into the interior."
"Why don't you do just as Mr. Poddington did?" asked Ned, "startfrom the Amazon and work south?"
"It would take too long," declared Tom. "We know that the giants aresomewhere in the northern part of Argentina, or in Paraguay orUruguay. Or they may be on the other side of the Uruguay river inBrazil. It's quite a stretch of territory, and we've got to take ourtime exploring it. That's why I don't want to waste time workingdown from the Amazon. We'll go right to Buenos Ayres, I think."
"That's what I'd do," advised the old circus man. "Now I can giveyou some points on what to take, and how to act when you get there.The South Americans are a queer people--very nice when treatedright, but very bad if not," and then he told some of hisexperiences as a circus man in South America, for he had traveledthere.
"I'd go again, if my business didn't keep me here," he concluded,"for I'd ask nothing better than to hunt for giant land, or try torescue poor Jake. But I can't. I'm depending on you, Tom Swift."
"What's that? Giant land?" exclaimed Mrs. Baggert, the motherlyhousekeeper, as she came in to announce that dinner was ready. "Youdon't mean to tell me, Tom, that you're going off again?"
"That's what I am, Mrs. Baggert. You'd better put me up a fewsandwiches, for I don't know when I'll be back," and Tom winked athis chum.
"Oh, of all things I ever heard in all my born days!" cried thehousekeeper, throwing up her hands. "Will you ever settle down, TomSwift?"
"Maybe he will when Miss Mary Nestor is ready to settle down too,"said Ned mischievously, referring to a girl of whom Tom was veryfond.
"Say, I'll fix you for that!" cried our hero, as he made anunsuccessful grab for Ned. "But, Mrs. Baggert, can you put on acouple of extra plates? Mr. Damon and Mr. Preston will stay tolunch."
"Not if it's going to put you out, Tom," objected the circus man. "Ican go to the hotel, and--"
"No, indeed!" exclaimed Mrs. Baggert graciously, for she pridedherself on her housekeeping arrangements, and she used to say thatunexpected company never "flustrated" her. Soon the little party wasseated around the table, where the talk went from grave to gay, thesubject of the giants being uppermost.
Mr. Preston told many funny stories of his circus days, and some ofthem had the spice of danger in them, for he had been all over theworld, either as a performer or as the owner of amusemententerprises.
"Now, the next question to be settled," said the old circus man,when they were once more gathered in the library, "is how many aregoing?"
"I am, for one!" exclaimed Ned quickly. "I'm sure my folks will letme. Especially as we aren't going to use an airship, but will traveljust as ordinary folks do."
"Except in case of emergency," explained Tom. "We'll have the Larkto use if we need her."
"Oh, of course," agreed Ned. "How about you, Mr. Damon? Will yougo?"
The odd man looked around the room before replying, as though hefeared someone might be listening on the sly.
"Go on, Andy Foger isn't here," invited Tom with a laugh.
"I'll go--if I can pursuade my wife to let me," said the odd man ina whisper, as if, even then, the good lady might overhear him. "I'mnot going to say anything about giants. I'll tell her we are goingto rescue a poor fellow from--er--well from the natives of SouthAmerica, and I'm sure she'll consent. Of course I'll go."
"That's three," remarked Tom. "I think I can get Eradicate to go. Hedoesn't like airships, and when he knows we're not going in one itwill please him. Then he likes it hot, and I guess South America isabout as warm as they come. I am almost sure we can count on Rad."
"That will make a nice party," commented the circus
man. "Now I'llmake out a list of the supplies you'd better take, and tell you whatto do about getting native helpers, and so on," and with that heplunged into the midst of details that took up most of the remainderof the day.
"Well, then I guess that settles most everything," remarked Tom,several hours later. "I'll begin at once to take the Lark apart forshipment, and begin ordering the things we need."
"Oh, there's one thing I almost forgot about," said Mr. Prestonsuddenly. "Queer, how I should overlook that, too. I don't supposeyou mind a fight or two; do you?" he asked, looking sharply at Tom.
"Well, it all depends. We've had several fights on otherexpeditions, though I can't say that I like 'em," replied the younginventor. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you may have one--or several," was the answer of the circusman. "You'll have to beware of my rival."
"Your rival?"
"Yes, the bitterest foe I have is a rival circus man named WaylandWaydell. He, or some of his men, are always camping on my trail whenI send out after a new consignment of wild animals, and I shouldn'tbe a bit surprised but what he'd try to get ahead of me on the giantgame."
"But how does he know you want giants?" asked Tom.
"Because news of circus expeditions always leaks out somehow orother. I'm sure Waydell will learn that you are acting for me, andso I warn you in time. In fact, he tried to get ahead of me when Isent Jake Poddington out over a year ago, and I always had mysuspicions that he had a hand in Jake's disappearance, but maybe I'mwrong. So that's what I mean when I say beware of Wayland Waydell,Tom."
"I will!" exclaimed Tom. "He'll have to get up early to get ahead ofus." But Tom little knew the man against whom he was to pit himselfin the search for giants.