Our friends were soon busy repairing the leaks in the bag, while Mr.
Damon got a meal ready. As they ate they talked over plans for the
night attack.

It was decided to wait until it was about two o'clock in the
morning, as at that hour the dwarfs were most generally asleep,
Tomba said. They always stayed up quite late, sitting around camp-fires,
and eating the meat which the hunters brought in each day. But their
carousings generally ended at midnight, the black said, and then they
fell into a heavy sleep. They did not post guards, but since they knew
of the presence of the white men in the airship, they might do it
this time.

"Well, we've got to take our chance," decided Tom. "We'll start off
from here about one o'clock, and I'll send the ship slowly along.
We'll get right over the hut where the captives are, if possible,
and then descend. I'll manage the ship, and one of you can work the
electric rifle if they attack us. We'll make a dash, get Mr. and
Mrs. Illingway from the hut, and make a quick get-away."

It sounded good, and they were impatient to put it into operation.
That afternoon Tom and his friends went carefully over every inch of
their craft, to repair it and have it in perfect working order. Guns
were cleaned, and plenty of ammunition laid out. Then, shortly after
one o'clock in the morning the ship was sent up, and with the
searchlight ready to be turned on instantly, and with his electric
rifle near at hand, Tom Swift guided his craft on to the attack.
Soon they could see the glow of dying fires in the dwarfs' village,
but no sound came from the sleeping hordes of red imps.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE RESCUE

"Can you make out the hut, Tom?" asked Ned, as he stood at his
chum's side in the steering tower, and gazed downward on the silent
village.

"Not very clearly. Suppose you take a look through the night-glasses.
Maybe you'll have better luck."

Ned peered long and earnestly.

"No, I can't see a thing." he said. "It all looks to be a confused
jumble of huts. I can't tell one from the other. We'll have to go
lower."

"I don't want to do that," objected Tom. "If this attack succeeds at
all, it will have to be sharp and quick. If we go down where they
can spot us, and work our way up to the hut where the captives are,
we'll run the chance of an attack that may put us out of business."

"Yes, we ought to get right over the hut, and then make a sudden
swoop down," admitted Ned, "but i