Down to the ground swiftly shot the Black Hawk.
Tom checked her with a quick movement of the deflecting rudder, and
she landed gently on the wheels.
"Mr. Illingway! Mrs. Illingway! We have come to rescue you!" yelled
the young inventor, as he stepped out on the deck, with his electric
rifle in his hand. "Where are you? Can you come out?"
The door of the hut was burst open, and a white man and woman,
recognizable as such, even in the rude skins that clothed them,
rushed out. Wonder spread over their faces as they saw the great
airship. They dropped on their knees.
The next instant a swarm of savage little red men surrounded them,
and rudely bore them, strugglingly, back into the hut.
"Come on!" cried Tom, about to leap to the ground. "It's now or
never! We must save them!"
Mr. Durban pulled him back, and pointed to a horde of the red-haired
savages rushing toward the airship. "They'd tear you to pieces in a
minute!" cried the old hunter. "We must fight them from the ship."
There was a curious whistling sound in the air. Mr. Durban looked
up.
"Duck, everybody!" he yelled. "They're firing arrows at us! Get
under shelter, for they may be poisoned!"
Tom and the others darted into the craft.
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