The Tom Swift Megapack

by Victor Appleton

  “We’ve got to go back to signs,” declared Tom, and then, as best he could, he indicated that he and the others had come from afar to seek the giants. He doubted whether he was understood, and he decided to wait until later to try and make them acquainted with the fact that he wanted one of them to come back with him.

  The head giant nodded, showing that at least he understood something, and then spoke to his companions. They conversed in their loud voices for some time, and then motioned to the pack animals.

  “I guess they want us to come along,” said Torn, “but let’s have breakfast first. Rad, get things going. Maybe the giants will have some coffee and condensed milk, though they’ll have to take about ten cupsful to make them think they’ve had anything. Make a lot of coffee, Rad.”

  “But good land a massy, dey’ll eat up eberyt’ing we got, Massa Tom,” objected the colored man.

  “Can’t help it, Rad. They’re our guests and we’ve got to be polite,” replied the youth. “It isn’t every day that we have giants to breakfast.”

  The big men watched curiously while Rad built a fire, and when the colored man was trying to break a tough stick of wood with the axe, one of the giants picked up the fagot and snapped it in his fingers as easily as though it were a twig, though the stick was as thick as Tom’s arm.

  “Some strength there,” murmured Ned to his chum admiringly.

  “Yes, if they took a notion to go on a rampage we’d have trouble. But they seem kind and gentle.”

  Indeed the giants did, and they liked the coffee which they tasted rather gingerly at first. After their first sip they wanted more, made as sweet as possible, and they laughed and talked among themselves while Eradicate boiled pot after pot.

  “Dey suah will eat us out of house an’ home, Massa Tom,” he wailed.

  “Never mind, Rad. They will feed us well when we get to their town.”

  Then the pack animals were laden with their burdens. This was always a task, but for the giants it was child’s play. With one hand they would lift a box or bale that used to tax the combined strength of the four travelers, and soon the steers, horses and mules were ready to proceed. The giants went on ahead, to show the way, the first one, who seemed to be called “Oom,” for that was the way his companions addressed him, walked beside Tom, who rode on a mule. In fact the giant had to walk slowly, so as not to get ahead of the animal. Oom tried to talk to Tom, but it was hard work to pick out the signs that meant something, and so neither gained much information.

  Tom did gather, however, that the giants were out on an early hunt when they had discovered our friends, and their chief town lay about half a day’s journey off in the jungle. The path along which they proceeded, was better than the forest trails, and showed signs of being frequently used.

  “It doesn’t seem possible that we are really among giants, Tom,” spoke Ned, as they rode along. “I hardly believed there were giants.”

  “There always have been giants,” declared the young inventor. “I read about them in an encyclopedia before I started on this trip. Of course there’s lots of wild stories about giants, but there have really been some very big men. Take the skeleton in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin. It is eight feet and a half in height, and the living man must have even taller. There was a giant named O’Brien, and his skeleton is in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of England—that one is eight feet two inches high, while there are reliable records to show that, when living, O’Brien was two inches taller than that. In fact, according to the books, there have been a number of giants nine feet high.”

  “Then these chaps aren’t so wonderful,” replied Ned.

  “Oh, we haven’t seen them all yet. We may find some bigger than these fellows, though any one of these would be a prize for a museum. Not a one is less than eight feet, and if we could get one say ten feet—that would be a find.”

  “Rather an awkward one,” commented Ned.

  It did not seem possible that they were really in giant land, yet such was the fact. Of course the country itself was no different from any other part of the jungle, for merely because big men lived in it did not make the trees or plants any larger.

  “I tell you how I account for it,” said Tom, as they traveled on. “These men originally belonged to a race of people noted for their great size. Then they must have lived under favorable conditions, had plenty of flesh and bone-forming food, and after several generations they gradually grew larger. You know that by feeding the right kind of food to animals you can make them bigger, while if they get the wrong kind they are runts, or dwarfs.”

  “Oh, yes; that’s a well-known fact,” chimed in Mr. Damon.

  “Then why not with human beings?” went on Tom. “There’s nothing wonderful in this.”

  “No, but it will be wonderful if we get away with one of these giants,” spoke Ned grimly.

  Further talk was interrupted by a sudden shouting on the part of the big men. Oom made some rapid motions to Tom, and a little later they emerged from the woods upon a large, grassy plain, on the other side of which could be seen a cluster of big grass and mud huts.

  “There is the city of the giants!” cried Tom, and so it proved, a little later, when they got to it.

  Now there was nothing remarkable about this city or native town. It was just like any other in the wilder parts of South America or Africa. There was a central place, where, doubtless, the natives gathered on market days, and from this the huts of the inhabitants stretched out in irregular lines, like streets. Off to one side of the “market square,” as Tom called it, was a large hut, surrounded by several smaller ones, and from the manner in which it was laid out, and decorated, it was evident that this was the “palace” of the king, or chief ruler.

  “Say, look at that fellow!” cried Ned, pointing to a giant who was just entering the “palace” as Tom dubbed the big hut. “He looks eleven feet if he’s an inch.”

  “I believe you!” cried Tom. “Say, I wonder how big the king is?”

  “I don’t know, but he must be a top-notcher. I wonder what will happen to us?”

  Oom, who had Tom and his party in charge, led them to the “palace” and it was evident that they were going to be presented to the chief or native king. Back of our friends stretched out their pack train, the beasts carrying the boxes and bales. Surrounding them were nearly all the inhabitants of the giants’ town, and when the cavalcade had come to a halt in front of the “palace,” Oom raised his voice in a mighty shout. It was taken up by the populace, and then every one of them knelt down.

  “I guess His Royal Highness is about to appear,” said Tom grimly.

  “Yes, maybe we’d better kneel, too,” spoke Ned.

  “Not much! We’re citizens of the United States, and we don’t kneel to anybody. I’m going to stand up.”

  “So am I!” said Mr. Damon.

  An instant later the grass mat that formed the front door of the “palace” was drawn aside, and there stood confronting our hero and his friends, the King of Giant Land. And a mighty king was he in size, for he must have been a shade over ten feet tall, while on either side of him was a man nearly as big as himself.

  Once more Oom boomed out a mighty shout and, kneeling as the giants were, they took it up, repeating it three times. The king raised his hand as though in blessing upon his people, and then, eyeing Tom and his three friends he beckoned them to approach.

  “He wants to see us at close range,” whispered the young inventor. “Come on, Ned and Mr. Damon. Trail along, Eradicate.”

  “Good—good land ob massy!” stammered the colored man. And then the little party advanced into the “palace” of the giant king.

  CHAPTER XVI

  THE RIVAL CIRCUS MAN

  Tom Swift gazed fearlessly into the face of the giant ruler who confronted him. The young inventor said later that he had made up his mind that to show no fear was the only way of impressing the big king, for surely no show of strength could have done it. With
one hand the giant could have crushed the life from our hero. But evidently he had no such intentions, for after gazing curiously at the four travelers who stood before him, and looking for some time at the honest, black face of Eradicate, the king made a motion for them to sit down. They did, upon grass mats in the big hut that formed the palace of the ruler.

  It was not a very elaborate place, but then the king’s wants were few and easily satisfied. The place was clean, Tom was glad to note.

  The king, who was addressed by his subjects as Kosk, as nearly as Tom could get it, asked some questions of Oom, who seemed to be the chief of the hunters. Thereupon the man who had looked into Tom’s and Ned’s tent that morning, and who had followed them into the palace, began a recital of how he had found the little travelers. Though Tom and his friends could not understand a word of the language, it was comparatively easy to follow the narrative by the gestures used.

  Then the king asked several questions, others of the hunting party were sent for and quizzed, and finally the ruler seemed satisfied, for he rattled off a string of talk in his deep, booming voice.

  Truly he was a magnificent specimen of manhood, being as I have said, about ten feet tall, and built in proportion. On either side of him, upon rude benches covered with soft jaguar skins, sat two men, evidently his brothers, for they looked much like the king. One was called Tola and the other Koku, for the ruler addressed them from time to time, and seemed to be asking their advice.

  “They’re making up their minds what to do with us,” murmured Tom. “I only hope they let us stay long enough to learn the language, and then I can make an offer to take one back to the United States with me.”

  “Jove! Wouldn’t it be great if you could get the king!” exclaimed Ned.

  “Oh, that’s too much, but I’d like one of his brothers. They’re each a good nine feet tall, and they must be as strong as horses.”

  In contrast to some giants of history, whose only claim to notoriety lay in their height, these giants were very powerful. Many giants have flabby muscles, but these of South America were like athletes. Tom realized this when there suddenly entered the audience chamber a youth of about our hero’s age, but fully seven feet tall, and very big. He was evidently the king’s son, for he wore a jaguar skin, which seemed to be a badge of royalty. He had seemingly entered without permission, to see the curious strangers, for the king spoke quickly to him, and then to Tola, who with a friendly grin on his big face lifted the lad with one hand and deposited him in a room that opened out of the big chamber.

  “Did you see that!” cried Ned. “He lifted him as easily as you or I would a cat, and I’ll bet that fellow weighed close to four hundred pounds, Tom.”

  “I should say so! It’s great!”

  The audience was now at an end, and Tom thought it was about time to make some sort of a present to the king to get on good terms with him. He looked out of the palace hut and saw that their pack animals were close at hand. Nearby was one that had on its back a box containing a phonograph and some records.

  Making signs that he wanted to bring in some of his baggage, Tom stepped out of the hut, telling his friends to wait for him. The king and the other giants watched the lad curiously, but did not endeavor to stop him.

  “I’m going to give him a little music,” went on the young inventor as he adjusted the phonograph, and slipped in a record of a lively dance air. His motions were curiously watched, and when the phonograph started and there was a whirr of the mechanism, some of the giants who had crowded into the king’s audience chamber, showed a disposition to run. But a word of command from their ruler stopped them.

  Suddenly the music started and, coming forth as it did from the phonograph horn, in the midst of that hut, in which stood the silence-awed giants, it was like a bolt of lightning from the clear sky.

  At first the king and all the others seemed struck dumb, and then there arose a mighty shout, and one word was repeated over and over again. It sounded like “Chackalok! Chackalok!” and later Tom learned that it meant wizard, magician or something like that.

  Shout after shout rent the air, and was taken up by those outside, for through the open door the strains of music floated. The giants seemed immensely pleased, after their first fright, and suddenly the king, coming down from his throne, stood with his big ear as nearly inside the horn as he could get it.

  A great grin spread over his face and then, approaching Tom, he leaned over, touched him once on the forehead, and uttered a word. At this sign of royal favor the other giants at once bowed to Tom.

  “Say,” cried Ned, “you’ve got his number all right! You’re one of the royal family now, Tom.”

  “It looks like it. Well, I’m glad of it, for I want to be on friendly terms with His Royal Highness.”

  Once more the king addressed Tom, and the head hunter, motioning to Tom and his friends, led them out of the palace, and to a large hut not far off. This, he made himself understood by signs, was to be their resting place, and truly it was not a bad home, for it was well made. It had simple furniture in it, low couches covered with skins, stools, and there were several rooms to it.

  Calling in authorative tones to his fellow hunters, Tom had them take the packs off the beasts of burdens and soon the boxes, bales and packages were carried into the big hut, which was destined to be the abiding place of our friends for some time. The animals were then led away.

  “Well, here we are, safe and sound, with all our possessions about us,” commented Tom, when all but Oom had withdrawn. “I guess we’ll make out all right in giant land. I wonder what they have to eat? Or perhaps we’d better tackle some of our own grub.”

  He looked at Oom, who laughed gleefully. Then Tom rubbed his stomach, opened his mouth and pointed to it and said: “We’d like to eat—we’re hungry!”

  Oom boomed out something in his bass voice, grinned cheerfully, and hurried out. A little later he came back, and following him, a number of giant women. Each one bore a wooden platter or slab of bark which answered for a plate. The plates were covered with broad palm leaves, and when they had been set down on low benches, and the coverings removed, our friends saw they had food in abundance.

  There was some boiled lamb, some roasted fowls, some cereal that looked like boiled rice, some sweet potatoes, a number of other things which could only be guessed at, and a big gourd filled with something that smelled like sweet cider.

  “Say, this is a feast all right, after what we’ve been living on!” cried Tom.

  Once more Oom laughed joyfully, pointing to the food and to our friends in turn.

  “Oh, we’ll eat all right!” exclaimed Tom. “Don’t worry about that!”

  The good-natured giant showed them where they could find rude wooden dishes and table implements, and then he left them alone. It was rather awkward at first, for though the bench or table looked low in comparison to the size of the room, yet it was very high, to allow for the long legs of the giants getting under it.

  “If we stay here long enough we can saw off the table legs,” said the young inventor. “Now for our first meal in giant land.”

  They were just helping themselves when there arose a great shouting outside.

  “I wonder what’s up now?” asked Tom, pausing with upraised fork.

  “Maybe the king is coming to see us,” suggested Ned.

  “I’ll look,” volunteered Mr. Damon, as he went to the door. Then he called quickly:

  “Tom! Ned! Look! It’s that minister we met on the ship—Reverend Josiah Blinderpool! How in the world did he ever get here? And how strangely he’s dressed!”

  Well might Mr. Damon say this, for the supposed clergyman was attired in a big checked suit, a red vest, a tall hat and white canvas shoes. In fact he was almost like some theatrical performer.

  The gaudily-dressed man was accompanied by two natives, and all rode mules, and there were three other animals, laden with packs on either side.

  “What’s his game?” mused Ne
d.

  The answer came quickly and from the man himself. Riding forward toward the king’s hut or palace, while the populace of wondering giants followed behind, the man raised his voice in a triumphant announcement.

  “Here at last!” he cried. “In giant land! And I’m ahead of Tom Swift for all his tricks. I’ve got Tom Swift beat a mile.”

  “Oh, you have!” shouted our hero with a sudden resolve, as he stepped into view. “Well, you’ve got another guess coming. I’m here ahead of you, and there’s standing room only.”

  “Tom Swift!” gasped the rival circus man. “Tom Swift here in ahead of me!”

  CHAPTER XVII

  HELD CAPTIVES

  There was a great commotion among the giants. Men, women and children ran to and fro, and a number of the largest of the big men could be seen hurrying into the palace hut of King Kosk. If the arrival of Tom and his friends had created a surprise it was more than doubled when the circus man, and his small caravan, advanced into the giants’ city. His approach had been unheralded because the giants were so taken up with Tom and his party that no one thought to guard the paths leading into the village. And, as a matter of fact, the giants were so isolated, they were so certain of their own strength, and they had been unmolested so many years, that they did not dream of danger.

  As for our hero, he stood in the hut gazing at his rival, while Hank Delby, in turn, stared at the young inventor. Then Hank dismounted from his mule and approached Tom’s hut.

  “Bless my railroad ticket!” exclaimed Mr. Damon. “This is a curious state of affairs! What in the world are we to do, Tom?”

  “I don’t know, I’m sure. We’ll have to wait until we see what he does. He’s been following us all along. He was that fake minister on the boat. It’s a wonder we didn’t get on to him. I believe he’s been trying to learn our secret ever since Mr. Preston warned us about him. Now he’s here and he’ll probably try to spoil our chances for getting a giant so that he may get one for himself. Perhaps Andy Foger gave him a tip about our plans.”

  “But can’t we stop him?” asked Ned.