“By Jove, Tom!” cried Ned.  “You touched ’em that time.  There’s something up, as sure as you’re born!”

“I believe so myself,” agreed the young inventor.  “And now to throw a real scare into these giants,” he added, as he went to a distant room of the hut where he had hidden some of the things he had taken from his “box of tricks,” as Ned dubbed it.

“Bless my necktie!” cried Mr. Damon.  “What’s up now, Tom.”

“I’m going to show these giants that they’d better make friends with us soon, or we may blow their whole town sky-high!” cried Tom.  “I’m going to use some of the blasting powder—­just a pinch, so to speak--and knock an empty hut into slivers.  I think that will impress these fellows.  If I can only—­”

“Look, Tom!” suddenly cried Ned.  “The king’s two brothers are coming here.  Something’s up.  He’s sent some of the family to interview us.  Get ready to receive them.”

“Couldn’t be better!” cried the young inventor.  “I’ve been waiting for this.  Now I’ll give them a surprise party.”

The two big brothers of the king, for such Tom and his friends had recently learned was the relationship the giants on either side of the “throne” bore to the ruler, were indeed headed toward the hut of the captives.  They came alone, in their royal garments of jaguar skins, and, standing about the palace hut, could be seen the giant guards who had doubtless carried the news of the question Tom had asked.

“Come on, Ned, we’ve got to get busy!” exclaimed Tom.  “Connect the electric battery, and get that magnet in shape.  I’m going to make a fuse for this blasting powder bomb, and if I can get those royal brothers to plant it for me, there’ll be some high jinks soon.”

Tom busied himself in making an improvised bomb, while Ned attended to the electrical attachments, and Mr. Damon and Eradicate acted as general assistants.

The two giant brothers entered the hut and greeted Tom and the others calmly.  Then they explained that the king had sent them to investigate certain stories told by the guard.

“I’ll show you!” exclaimed Tom, and he induced them to take hold of the handles of the battery.  The current was turned on full strength, and from the manner in which the royal brothers writhed and howled Tom judged that the experiment was a success.

“With all your strength you can not let go until I move my finger,” the young inventor explained, and it was so.  Even the skeptical giants agreed on that.

“Now I shall show you that I am stronger than you!” exclaimed Tom, and though the giants smiled increduously so it was, for the magnet trick worked as well as before.  There were murmurs of surprise from the two immense brothers, and they talked rapidly together.

“I will now show you that I can call the lightning from the sky to do my bidding,” went on Tom.  “Is that possible to any of you giants?”

“Never!  Never!  No man can do it!” cried Tola and Koku together.