THE TWIN GIANTS
Daring indeed was the scheme decided on by the captives, and yet its
very boldness might make it possible for them to carry it out. The
king would never suspect them of plotting to carry off his two royal
brothers, and this made it all the easier to lay their plans. In
this they were much helped by Poddington, who knew the language and
who had made a few friends among the more humble people of the
village, though none dared assist him openly.
"The first thing to do," said the circus man, "is to get into
communication with the twins."
That proved harder than they expected, for a week passed, and they
did not have a glimpse of Tola and Koku. Meanwhile the giant guard
was still maintained about the hut night and day. No more food was
given the prisoners, and they would have starved had not Tom
possessed a good supply of his own provisions. It was evidently the
intention of the king to starve his captives into submission.
"Suppose you do get those big brothers to accompany you, Tom?" asked
Ned one day. "How are you going to manage to get away, and take them
with you?"
"My aeroplane!" answered Tom quickly. "I've got it all planned out.
You and I with Mr. Damon, Mr. Poddington and Eradicate will skip
away in the aeroplane. We can put it together in here, and I've got
enough gasolene to run it a couple of hundred miles if necessary."
"But the giants--you can't carry them in it."
"No, and I'm not going to try. If they'll agree to go they can set
off through the woods afoot. We'll meet them in a certain place--where
there's a good land mark which we can easily distinguish from the
aeroplane. We'll take what stuff we can with us, and leave the rest
here. Oh, it can be done, Ned."
"But when you start out with the aeroplane they'll make a rush and
overwhelm us."
"No, for I'll do it so quickly that they won't have a chance. I'm
going to saw through the beams of one side of this hut. To the rear
there is level ground that will make a fine starting place. When
everything is ready, say some night, we'll pull the side wall down,
start the aeroplane out as it falls, and sail away. Then we'll pick
up the giant brothers out in the woods, and travel to civilization
again."
"By Jove! I believe that will work!" cried the circus man.
"Bless my corn plaster, I think so myself!" added Mr. Damon.
"But first we've got to get the brothers to agree," went on Tom,
"and that is going to be hard work."
It was not so difficult as it was tedious. Through an aged woman,
with whom he had made friends when a captive, Jake Poddington
managed to get word to the royal twins that he and the other
captives would like to see them privately. Then they had to wait for
an answer.
In the meanwhile the giants tried several times to surprise Tom and
his friends by attacks, but the captives were on the alert, and the
electric rifles drove them back.
One night nearly all the guards were observed to be absent. There
were not more than half a dozen scattered about the hut.
"I wonder what that means?" asked Tom, who was puzzled.
"I know!" exclaimed Jake Poddington after a moment's thought. "It's
their big annual feast. Even the king goes to it. They were just
getting over it when I struck here last year, and maybe that's what
set them so against me. Boys, this may be our chance!"
"How?" asked Ned.
"The king's brothers may find an opportunity to come and talk to us
when the feast is at its height," was the reply.
Anxiously they waited, and in order that the royal brothers might
come in unobserved, if they did conclude to speak to the captives,
Tom and his companions hung some pieces of canvas over the windows
and doors, and had only a single light burning.
It was at midnight that a cautious knock sounded at the side of the
hut and Tom glided to the main door. In the shadows he saw the two
royal brothers, Tola and Koku.
"Here they are!" whispered Tom to Jake Poddington, who came forward.
"Come!" invited the circus man in the giants' tongue, and the
brothers entered the hut.
How Jake persuaded them to throw in their fortunes with the captives
the circus man hardly knew himself. Perhaps it was due as much as
anything to the dislike they felt toward the king, and the mean way
he had treated them.
"Come, and you will be kings among the small men in our country,"
invited Poddington. The brothers looked at each other, talked
together in low tones, and then Koku exclaimed:
"We will come, and we will help you to escape. We have spoken, and
we will talk with you again."
Then they glided out into the darkness, while from afar came the
sounds of revelry at the big feast.