I can only--"

"Look, Tom!" suddenly cried Ned. "The king's two brothers are coming
here. Something's up. He's sent some of the family to interview us.
Get ready to receive them."

"Couldn't be better!" cried the young inventor. "I've been waiting
for this. Now I'll give them a surprise party."

The two big brothers of the king, for such Tom and his friends had
recently learned was the relationship the giants on either side of
the "throne" bore to the ruler, were indeed headed toward the hut of
the captives. They came alone, in their royal garments of jaguar
skins, and, standing about the palace hut, could be seen the giant
guards who had doubtless carried the news of the question Tom had
asked.

"Come on, Ned, we've got to get busy!" exclaimed Tom. "Connect the
electric battery, and get that magnet in shape. I'm going to make a
fuse for this blasting powder bomb, and if I can get those royal
brothers to plant it for me, there'll be some high jinks soon."

Tom busied himself in making an improvised bomb, while Ned attended
to the electrical attachments, and Mr. Damon and Eradicate acted as
general assistants.

The two giant brothers entered the hut and greeted Tom and the
others calmly. Then they explained that the king had sent them to
investigate certain stories told by the guard.

"I'll show you!" exclaimed Tom, and he induced them to take hold of
the handles of the battery. The current was turned on full strength,
and from the manner in which the royal brothers writhed and howled
Tom judged that the experiment was a success.

"With all your strength you can not let go until I move my finger,"
the young inventor explained, and it was so. Even the skeptical
giants agreed on that.

"Now I shall show you that I am stronger than you!" exclaimed Tom,
and though the giants smiled incredulously so it was, for the magnet
trick worked as well as before. There were murmurs of surprise from
the two immense brothers, and they talked rapidly together.

"I will now show you that I can call the lightning from the sky to
do my bidding," went on Tom. "Is that possible to any of you
giants?"

"Never! Never! No man can do it!" cried Tola and Koku together.

"Then watch me!" invited Tom. "Is there an empty hut near here?" he
asked. "One that it will do no harm to destroy?"

Tola pointed to one visible from the window of the prison of our
friends.

"Then take this little ball, with the string attached to it, and
place