“We’ll float along to-night,” decided Tom, “and try again in the morning.”

It was about ten o’clock the next day, when Ned, who had relieved Tom on watch, uttered a cry: 

“What is it?” asked his chum, as he rushed forward.  “Has anything happened?”

“Lots!” cried Ned.  “Look!” He pointed down below.  Tom saw, crashing through the jungle, a big herd of elephants.  Behind them, almost surrounding them, in fact, was a crowd of natives in charge of white hunters, who were driving the herd toward a stockade.

“There’s a chance for a grand picture!” exclaimed Tom, as he got the camera ready.  “Take charge of the ship, Ned.  Keep her right over the big animals, and I’ll work the camera.”

Quickly he focused the lens on the strange scene below him.  There was a riot of trumpeting from the elephants.  The beaters and hunters shouted and yelled.  Then they saw the airship and waved their hands to Tom and his friends, but whether to welcome them, or warn them away, could not be told.

The elephants were slowly advancing toward the stockade.  Tom was taking picture after picture of them, when suddenly as the airship came lower, in response to a signal to Ned from the young inventor, one of the huge pachyderms looked up, and saw the strange sight.  He might have taken it for an immense bird.  At any rate he gave a trumpet of alarm, and the next minute, with screams of rage and fear, the elephants turned, and charged in a wild stampede on those who were driving them toward the stockade.

“Look!” cried Ned.  “Those hunters and natives will be killed!”

“I’m afraid so!” shouted Tom, as he continued to focus his camera on the wonderful sight.

CHAPTER XII — THE LION FIGHT

Crashing through the jungle the huge beasts turned against those who had, been driving them on toward the stockade.  With wild shouts and yells, the hunters and their native helpers tried to turn back the elephant tide, but it was useless.  The animals had been frightened by the airship, and were following their leader, a big bull, that went crashing against great trees, snapping them off as if they were pipe stems.

“Say, this is something like!” cried Ned, as he guided the airship over the closely packed body of elephants, so Tom could get good pictures, for the herd had divided, and a small number had gone off with one of the other bulls.

“Yes, I’ll get some great pictures,” agreed Tom, as he looked in through a red covered opening in the camera, to see how much film was left.

The airship was now so low down that Tom, and the others, could easily make out the faces of the hunters, and the native helpers.  One of the hunters, evidently the chief, shaking his fist at our hero, cried: 

“Can’t you take your blooming ship out of the way, my man?  It’s scaring the beasts, and we’ve been a couple of weeks on this drive.  We don’t want to lose all our work.  Take your bloody ship away!”