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. The arrows rattled on deck in a shower, and hundreds of the red imps were rushing up to give battle. Inside the hut where the missionaries were, it was now quiet. Tom Swift wondered if they still lived.
"Give 'em as good as they send!" cried Mr. Durban. "We will have to fire at them now. Open up with your electric rifle, Tom!"
As he spoke the elephant hunter fired into the midst of the screaming savages. The battle had begun.
