be in Africa, Tom Swift and
me."

"Is it possible, Tom?" asked Mr. Damon. "Bless my diamond mines! but
what are you going to do next?"

"It's hard to say," was the answer. "But you came just in time. Mr.
Damon. I'm going to rush work on the Black Hawk, my newest airship,
and we'll leave for elephant land inside of a month, taking my new
electric rifle along. Will you come?"

"Bless my penknife! I never thought of such a thing. I--I--guess--no,
I don't know about it--yes, I'll go!" he suddenly exclaimed.
"I'll go! Hurrah for the elephants!" and he jumped up and shook
hands in turn with Mr. Durban, to whom he had been formally
introduced, and with Tom and Mr. Swift.

"Then it's all settled but the details," declared the youth, "and
now I'll call in Mr. Jackson, and we'll talk about how soon we can
have the airship ready."

"My, but you folks are almost as speedy as a herd of the big
elephants themselves!" exclaimed Mr. Durban, and with the advent of
the engineer the talk turned to things mechanical among Tom and Mr.
Jackson and Mr. Damon, while Mr. Durban told Mr. Swift hunting
stories which the old inventor greatly enjoyed.

The next day Tom engaged two machinists who had worked for him
building airships before, and in the next week rush work began on
the new Black Hawk. Meanwhile Mr. Durban was a frequent visitor at
Tom's home, where he learned to use the new rifle, declaring it was
even more wonderful than he had at first supposed.

"That will get the elephants!" he exclaimed. It did, as you shall
soon learn, and it also was the means of saving several lives in the
wilds of the African jungle.

CHAPTER VI

NEWS FROM ANDY

Tom Swift's former airship, the Red Cloud, had been such a fine
craft, and had done such good service that he thought, in building a
successor, that he could do no better than to follow the design of
the skyship which had been destroyed in the ice caves. But, on
talking with the old elephant hunter, and learning something of the
peculiarities of the African jungle the young inventor decided on
certain changes.

In general the Black Hawk would be on the lines of the Red Cloud but
it would be smaller and lighter and would also be capable of swifter
motion.

"You want it so that it will rise and descend quickly and at sharp
angles," said Mr. Durban.

"Why," inquired Tom.

"Because in Africa, at least in the part where we will go, there are
wide patches of jungle and forest,