t a sudden and grave fear to their minds,
one unnoticed before. The helium-gas tanks in the hollow wings and
rear fuselage! Bullets, spears and arrows striking them would
penetrate, and the tanks thus punctured would lose their last ounce of
the precious gas!

It was a terrible predicament in which the flyers now found themselves,
to be sure. By fighting they might preserve their lives, but that very
act would make their world-trip impossible. What could they do?

As the drowning man catches with hope at the floating straw. Bob now
conceived an almost impossible but startling idea for delivering them
from their dilemma.

"The searchlight!" he cried. "These blacks never have seen one.
Perhaps we can frighten them away with ours!"

"Great idea, Bob," approved John, while the others also applauded the
scheme. "Paul, you work the lever that revolves the lamp up on top of
the cabin there, and, Bob, you throw in the juice."

No sooner had he spoken, than both boys were at their stations. The
next moment a great white path, widening as it went, streamed out into
the darkness, lighting up everything in its reach with the brilliancy
of day, but with a bluish-whiteness which must have been decidedly
terrifying to the superstitious negroes. Like an accusing finger the
strange light swept around the field, raising and lowering, resting a
few moments on this group and then that group of petrified,
hideously-painted faces, from which eyeballs stood out like knobs of
white marble.

In an instant their incensed cries had ceased, and they had shrunk,
cringing, back in their tracks. But only for a few moments, and then
their gurgled yells arose once more, this time in ear-splitting fright,
as all turned and fled toward the nearest forest. And that great,
terrifying white eye of the big "bird" followed them, shining for many
a rod on black backs which were so wet with perspiration that they
looked like oiled eelskin. Weapons were thrown in every direction as
the Fulbees fled. Whenever one would look around and see that glaring
eye looking straight at him, he would shut his own eyes and shriek, and
then go dashing frantically on. Some even threw themselves prostrate
when the flood overtook them, and uttered invocations to their gods for
protection from the monster, until they could pluck up courage enough
to continue their flight.

Had the situation not recently been such a serious one for them--indeed
they were not