CHAPTER XVIII
THE NATIVE BATTLE
"By Jove, Tom, here they come!"
"From over by that drinking pool?"
"Yes, just as the spies said they would. Wow, what a crowd of the blackbeggars there are! And some of 'em have regular guns, too. But most of'em have clubs, bows and arrows, blow guns, or spears."
Tom and Ned were standing on the forward part of the airship, which wasmoving slowly along, over an open plateau, in the jungle where thenative battle was about to take place. Our friends had left the townwhere the missionaries lived, and had hovered over the jungle, untilthey saw signs of the coming struggle. They had seen nothing of theirEnglish rivals since coming away, but had no doubt but that theBritishers were somewhere in the neighborhood.
The two forces of black men, who had gone to war over a dispute aboutsome cattle, approached each other. There was the beating of tom-toms,and skin drums, and many weird shouts. From their vantage point in theair, Tom and his companions had an excellent view. The Wizard Camerawas loaded with a long reel of film, and ready for action.
"Bless my handkerchief!" cried Mr. Damon, as he looked down on theforces that were about to clash. "I never saw anything like thisbefore!"
"I either," admitted Tom. "But, if things go right, I'm going to getsome dandy films!"
Nearer and nearer the rival forces advanced. At first they had stared,and shouted in wonder at the sight of the airship, hovering above them,but their anger soon drew their attention to the fighting at hand, and,after useless gestures toward the craft of the air, and after some ofthem had vainly fired their guns or arrows at it, they paid no moreattention, but rushed on with their shouts and cries and amid thebeating of their rude drums.
"I think I'll begin to take pictures now," said Tom, as Ned, in chargeof the ship, sent it about in a circle, giving a general view of therival forces. "I'll show a scene of the two crowds getting ready forbusiness, and, later on, when they're actually giving each other catsand dogs, I'll get all the pictures possible."
The camera was started while, safe in the air those on the Flyer watchedwhat went on below them.
Suddenly the forward squads of the two small armies of blacks met. Withwild, weird yells they rushed at each other. The air was filled withflying arrows and spears. The sound of the old-fashioned muzzle-loadingguns could be heard, and clouds of smoke arose. Tilting his camera, andarranging the newly attached reflecting mirrors so as to give theeffect as if a spectator was looking at the battle from in front,instead of from above, Tom Swift took picture after picture.
The fight was now on. With yells of rage and defiance the Africans cametogether, giving blow for blow. It was a wild melee, and those on theairship looked on fascinated, though greatly wishing that such horrorscould be stopped.
"How about it, Tom?" cried Ned.
"Everything going good! I don't like this business, but now I'm in itI'm going to stick. Put me down a little lower," answered the younginventor.
"All right. I say Tom, look over there."
"Where?"
"By that lightning-struck gum tree. See those two men, and some sort ofa machine they've got stuck up on stilts? See it?"
"Sure. Those are the two Englishmen--my rivals! They're takingpictures, too!"
And then, with a crash and roar, with wild shouts and yells, withvolley after volley of firearms, clouds of smoke and flights of arrowsand spears, the native battle was in full swing, while the younginventor, sailing above it in his airship, reeled off view after viewof the strange sight.