They determined to get them back, and were
rallying desperately to battle. Nearly all of them were armed by
this time, and flight after flight of spears and arrows were thrown
or shot toward the airship.
Fortunately it was too dark to enable the pygmies to take good aim.
They were guided, to an extent, by the flashes of fire from the
rifles, but these were only momentary. Still some of our friends
received slight wounds, for they stood on the open deck of the
craft.
"Bless my eye-glasses!" suddenly exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I'm stuck!"
"Don't mind that!" advised Ned. "Keep on pouring lead into them.
We'll soon be away from here!"
"Don't fire any more!" called Mr. Durban. "The gun-flashes tell them
where to shoot. I'll use the electric rifle. It's better."
They followed his advice, and put aside their weapons. By means of
the electric flash, which he projected into the midst of the
savages, without the glare coming on the airship, Mr. Durban was
able to tell where to aim. Once he had a mass of red pygmies
located, he could keep on shooting charge after charge into their
midst.
"Use it full power!" called Tom, as he opened the gas machine to its
widest capacity, so the bag would quickly fill, and the craft be
sent forward, for it was so dark, and the ground near the huts so
uneven, that the Black Hawk could not rise as an aeroplane.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182