“We’ll land at the place where we camped before,” said Tom, who had again assumed charge of the ship, “and in the morning we’ll start for civilization.”

“No can get two other white men?” suddenly asked Tomba, who had been sitting, gazing at his recovered master and mistress.  “Fly-ship go back, an’ leave two white mans here?” the black asked.

“What in the world does he mean?” demanded Tom.  “Of course we’re not going to leave any of our party behind!”

“Let me question him,” suggested Mr. Illingway, and he began to talk to the African in his own tongue.  A rapid conversation followed, and a look of amazement spread over the faces of the two missionaries, as they listened.

“What is it?” asked Mr. Durban.  “What does Tomba say?”

“Why the pygmies have two other white men in captivity,” said Mr. Illingway.  “They were brought in yesterday, after you were driven away.  Two white men, or, rather a white man and a youth, according to Tomba.  They are held in one of the huts near where we were, but tied so they couldn’t escape in the confusion”

“How does Tomba know this?” asked Mr. Damon.

“He says,” translated Mr. Illingway, after more questioning of the black, “that he heard the red pygmies boasting of it after we had escaped.  Tomba says he heard them say that, though we were gone, and could not be killed, or sacrificed, the other two captives would meet that horrible fate.”

“Two other white captives in the hands of the red imps!” murmured Tom.  “We must rescue them!”

“You’re not going to turn back now, are you?” asked Mr. Durban.

“No, but I will as soon as I look the ship over.  We’ll come back to-morrow.  And we’ll have to make a day attack or it will be too late to save them.  Two other white captives!  I wonder who they can be.”

There was a big surprise in store for Tom Swift.

CHAPTER XXV

THE ROGUE ELEPHANT—­CONCLUSION

Early the next day the airship was again afloat.  The night, what little of darkness remained after the rescue, had been spent in the clearing in the dense jungle.  Some slight repairs had been made to the craft, and it was once more in readiness to be used in battle against the relentless savages.

“We can’t wait for darkness,” declared Tom.  “In the first place there isn’t time, and again, we don’t know in what part of the village the other captives are.  We’ll have to hunt around.”

“And that means going right down into the midst of the imps and fighting them hand to hand,” said Ned.

“That’s what it means,” assented Tom grimly, “but I guess the powder bombs will help some.”

Before starting they had prepared a number of improvised bombs, filled with powder, which could be set off by percussion.  It was the plan to drop these down from the airship, into the midst of the savages.  When the bomb struck the ground, or even on the bodies of the red dwarfs, it would explode.  It was hoped that these would so dismay the little men that they would desert the village, and leave the way clear for a search to be made for the other captives.