consented to do, and, watching his chance, he
did escape. That was several nights ago, and he had been traveling
through the jungle ever since. It was by mere accident that he came
upon 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, when
the 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. "It'd like to get a chance
at the red imps! Come on, Tom! Let's start at once."

"No, we need daylight to fight by," replied Tom, with a smile at his
friend'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 trying
to conceal ourselves. We can move upon them from where we are so
quickly that they won't have much chance to get away. Besides it
will 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 the
captives 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 he
prayed fervently before he consented to it. But they needed him to
point out the exact location of the pygmies' village, since it was
not the one the hunter-scout had been near.

The Black Hawk sailed through the air. On board eager eyes looked
down for a first sight of the red imps. Tomba, who was at Tom's side
in the steering tower, told him, as best he could, from time to
time, how to set the rudders.

"Pretty soon by-em-by be there," said the black man at length. "Pass
ober dat hill, den red devils live."

"Well, we'll soon be over that hill," announced Tom grimly. "I guess
we'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 to
kill any of them if we can avoid it. I don't like to do such a thing
but, perhaps we can't help ourselves. My plan is to take the airship
down, close to the hut where the missionaries are confined. Tomba
can point it out to us. If we can rescue them without bloodshed, so
much the better. But we'll fight if we have to."

Grimly they watched as t