He had no chance to finish. The stranger turned and bolted from the tent!
Tom leaped up and darted after him. The tall, bony figure was disappearing into the darkness beyond the glow from the dying campfire.
“Wait!” Tom pleaded. “You’re in no dangerl I only want to talk to you!”
But the intruder was already lost from view among the towering trees and dense vegetation. Tom plunged recklessly in pursuit.
The next instant he pulled up short as a huge figure suddenly blocked the way. Tom threw up his arms, but a mighty fist struck him. The young inventor toppled backward with a moan.
144
PILLARS OF FIRE 145
The next thing Tom knew, Bud and Chow were splashing water in his face near the campfire. “Whew!” Tom blinked dazedly. “What hit me?”
“We were waiting for you to tell us, pal,” Bud said. “Feel okay now?”
“Y-yes … I guess so.”
“Brand my bedroll,” Chow rumbled, “we heard you hollerin’ so we come runnin’ out o’ our tents! Then we heard a noise in the bushes an’ found you spread-eagled like a dead Injun!”
“Wait a second. It’s coming back to me.” Tom sat up slowly and winced. He told about the old man and how he had chased him, only to be felled by some unknown giant. “A native, probably.”
“You mean one of those Wangurus?” Bud asked.
Tom frowned uncertainly. “No, somehow I don’t think so. His getup was different.”
By now he and the others were too wide awake to go back to sleep immediately.
Chow stirred up the embers of the fire and heated some cocoa. For a while the three sat listening to the chorus of insects and the soft croaking of tree frogs.
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