CHAPTER XVI
THE RIVAL CIRCUS MAN
Tom Swift gazed fearlessly into the face of the giant ruler whoconfronted him. The young inventor said later that he had made uphis mind that to show no fear was the only way of impressing the bigking, for surely no show of strength could have done it. With onehand the giant could have crushed the life from our hero. Butevidently he had no such intentions, for after gazing curiously atthe four travelers who stood before him, and looking for some timeat the honest, black face of Eradicate, the king made a motion forthem to sit down. They did, upon grass mats in the big hut thatformed the palace of the ruler.
It was not a very elaborate place, but then the king's wants werefew and easily satisfied. The place was clean, Tom was glad to note.
The king, who was addressed by his subjects as Kosk, as nearly asTom could get it, asked some questions of Oom, who seemed to be thechief of the hunters. Thereupon the man who had looked into Tom'sand Ned's tent that morning, and who had followed them into thepalace, began a recital of how he had found the little travelers.Though Tom and his friends could not understand a word of thelanguage, it was comparatively easy to follow the narrative by thegestures used.
Then the king asked several questions, others of the hunting partywere sent for and quizzed, and finally the ruler seemed satisfied,for he rattled off a string of talk in his deep, booming voice.
Truly he was a magnificent specimen of manhood, being as I havesaid, about ten feet tall, and built in proportion. On either sideof him, upon rude benches covered with soft jaguar skins, sat twomen, evidently his brothers, for they looked much like the king. Onewas called Tola and the other Koku, for the ruler addressed themfrom time to time, and seemed to be asking their advice.
"They're making up their minds what to do with us," murmured Tom. "Ionly hope they let us stay long enough to learn the language, andthen I can make an offer to take one back to the United States withme."
"Jove! Wouldn't it be great if you could get the king!" exclaimedNed.
"Oh, that's too much, but I'd like one of his brothers. They're eacha good nine feet tall, and they must be as strong as horses."
In contrast to some giants of history, whose only claim to notorietylay in their height, these giants were very powerful. Many giantshave flabby muscles, but these of South America were like athletes.Tom realized this when there suddenly entered the audience chamber ayouth of about our hero's age, but fully seven feet tall, and verybig. He was evidently the king's son, for he wore a jaguar skin,which seemed to be a badge of royalty. He had seemingly enteredwithout permission, to see the curious strangers, for the king spokequickly to him, and then to Tola, who with a friendly grin on hisbig face lifted the lad with one hand and deposited him in a roomthat opened out of the big chamber.
"Did you see that!" cried Ned. "He lifted him as easily as you or Iwould a cat, and I'll bet that fellow weighed close to four hundredpounds, Tom."
"I should say so! It's great!"
The audience was now at an end, and Tom thought it was about time tomake some sort of a present to the king to get on good terms withhim. He looked out of the palace hut and saw that their pack animalswere close at hand. Nearby was one that had on its back a boxcontaining a phonograph and some records.
Making signs that he wanted to bring in some of his baggage, Tomstepped out of the hut, telling his friends to wait for him. Theking and the other giants watched the lad curiously, but did notendeavor to stop him.
"I'm going to give him a little music," went on the young inventoras he adjusted the phonograph, and slipped in a record of a livelydance air. His motions were curiously watched, and when thephonograph started and there was a whirr of the mechanism, some ofthe giants who had crowded into the king's audience chamber, showeda disposition to run. But a word of command from their ruler stoppedthem.
Suddenly the music started and, coming forth as it did from thephonograph horn, in the midst of that hut, in which stood thesilence-awed giants, it was like a bolt of lightning from the clearsky.
At first the king and all the others seemed struck dumb, and thenthere arose a mighty shout, and one word was repeated over and overagain. It sounded like "Chackalok! Chackalok!" and later Tom learnedthat it meant wizard, magician or something like that.
Shout after shout rent the air, and was taken up by those outside,for through the open door the strains of music floated. The giantsseemed immensely pleased, after their first fright, and suddenly theking, coming down from his throne, stood with his big ear as nearlyinside the horn as he could get it.
A great grin spread over his face and then, approaching Tom, heleaned over, touched him once on the forehead, and uttered a word.At this sign of royal favor the other giants at once bowed to Tom.
"Say," cried Ned, "you've got his number all right! You're one ofthe royal family now, Tom."
"It looks like it. Well, I'm glad of it, for I want to be onfriendly terms with His Royal Highness."
Once more the king addressed Tom, and the head hunter, motioning toTom and his friends, led them out of the palace, and to a large hutnot far off. This, he made himself understood by signs, was to betheir resting place, and truly it was not a bad home, for it waswell made. It had simple furniture in it, low couches covered withskins, stools, and there were several rooms to it.
Calling in authorative tones to his fellow hunters, Tom had themtake the packs off the beasts of burdens and soon the boxes, balesand packages were carried into the big hut, which was destined to bethe abiding place of our friends for some time. The animals werethen led away.
"Well, here we are, safe and sound, with all our possessions aboutus," commented Tom, when all but Oom had withdrawn. "I guess we'llmake out all right in giant land. I wonder what they have to eat? Orperhaps we'd better tackle some of our own grub."
He looked at Oom, who laughed gleefully. Then Tom rubbed hisstomach, opened his mouth and pointed to it and said: "We'd like toeat--we're hungry!"
Oom boomed out something in his bass voice, grinned cheerfully, andhurried out. A little later he came back, and following him, anumber of giant women. Each one bore a wooden platter or slab ofbark which answered for a plate. The plates were covered with broadpalm leaves, and when they had been set down on low benches, and thecoverings removed, our friends saw they had food in abundance.
There was some boiled lamb, some roasted fowls, some cereal thatlooked like boiled rice, some sweet potatoes, a number of otherthings which could only be guessed at, and a big gourd filled withsomething that smelled like sweet cider.
"Say, this is a feast all right, after what we've been living on!"cried Tom.
Once more Oom laughed joyfully, pointing to the food and to ourfriends in turn.
"Oh, we'll eat all right!" exclaimed Tom. "Don't worry about that!"
The good-natured giant showed them where they could find rude woodendishes and table implements, and then he left them alone. It wasrather awkward at first, for though the bench or table looked low incomparison to the size of the room, yet it was very high, to allowfor the long legs of the giants getting under it.
"If we stay here long enough we can saw off the table legs," saidthe young inventor. "Now for our first meal in giant land."
They were just helping themselves when there arose a great shoutingoutside.
"I wonder what's up now?" asked Tom, pausing with upraised fork.
"Maybe the king is coming to see us," suggested Ned.
"I'll look," volunteered Mr. Damon, as he went to the door. Then hecalled quickly:
"Tom! Ned! Look! It's that minister we met on the ship--ReverendJosiah Blinderpool! How in the world did he ever get here? And howstrangely he's dressed!"
Well might Mr. Damon say this, for the supposed clergyman wasattired in a big checked suit, a red vest, a tall hat and whitecanvas shoes. In fact he was almost like some theatrical performer.
The gaudily-dressed man was accompanied by two natives, and all rodemules, and there were three other a
nimals, laden with packs oneither side.
"What's his game?" mused Ned.
The answer came quickly and from the man himself. Riding forwardtoward the king's hut or palace, while the populace of wonderinggiants followed behind, the man raised his voice in a triumphantannouncement.
"Here at last!" he cried. "In giant land! And I'm ahead of Tom Swiftfor all his tricks. I've got Tom Swift beat a mile."
"Oh, you have!" shouted our hero with a sudden resolve, as hestepped into view. "Well, you've got another guess coming. I'm hereahead of you, and there's standing room only."
"Tom Swift!" gasped the rival circus man. "Tom Swift here in aheadof me!"