“Bless my check-book!” cried Mr. Damon, “if we don’t look out some of these red imps will go up with us, too!”

As he spoke he whacked vigorously at the hands of several of the pygmies, who dropped off with howls of anguish.

The craft quickly shot upward.  There were yells of terror from a few of the red savages who remained clinging to different parts of the Black Hawk and then, fearing they might be taken to the clouds, they, too, dropped off.  The rescuers and rescued mounted higher and higher, and, when they were far enough up so that there was no danger from the spears or arrows, Tom switched on the lights, and turned the electric current into the search-lantern, the rays of which beamed down on the mass of yelling and baffled savages below.

“A few shots for them to remember us by!” cried Mr. Durban, as he sent more of the paralyzing electric currents into the red imps.  Their yell of rage had now turned to shouts of terror, for the gleaming beam of light frightened them more than did the airship, or the bullets of the white men.  The red pygmies fled to their huts.

“I guess we gave them a lesson,” remarked Tom, as he started the propellers and sent the ship on through the night.

“Why, Tom!  You’re hurt!” cried Ned, who came into the pilot house at that moment, and saw blood on his chum.

“Only a scratch,” the young inventor declared.

“It’s more than that,” said Mr. Durban who looked at it a little later.  “It must be bound up, Tom.”

And, while Ned steered the ship back to the jungle clearing whence they had come to make the night attack, Tom’s wound was dressed.

Meanwhile the two missionaries had been well taken care of.  They were given other garments, even some dresses being provided for Mrs. Illingway, for when the voyage was begun Tom had considered the possibility of having a woman on board, and had bought some ladies’ garments.  Then, having cast down to earth the ill-smelling skins which formed their clothes while captives, Mr. and Mrs. Illingway, decently dressed, thanked Tom and the others over and over again.

“We had almost given up hope,” said the lady, “when we saw them drive you back after the first attack.  Oh, it is wonderful to think how you saved us, and in an airship!” and she and her husband began their thanks over again.

A good meal was prepared by Mr. Damon, for the rescuers and rescued ones were hungry, and since they had been held prisoners the two missionaries had not been given very good food.

“Oh, it hardly seems possible that we are eating with white men again,” said Mr. Illingway, as he took a second cup of coffee, “hardly possible!”

“And to see electric lights, instead of a camp-fire,” added his wife.  “What a wonderful airship you have, Tom Swift.”

“Yes, it’s pretty good,” he admitted.  “It came in useful to-night, all right.”

They were now far enough from the savages, and the pygmies’ fires, which had been set aglow anew when the attack began, could no longer be observed.