with superstitious incantations and imprecations, said they had never heard of them.
One tribe of very large negroes had heard a rumor to the effect that the land of the pygmies was several days' journey from their village, across the mountains, and when Tom sent his airship there, the searchers only found an impenetrable jungle, filled with lions and other wild beasts, but not a sign of the pygmies, and with no elephants to reward their search.
"But we're not going to give up," declared Tom, and the others agreed with him. Forward went the Black Hawk in the search for the imprisoned ones, but, as the days passed, and no news was had, is seemed to grow more and more hopeless.
"I'm afraid if we do find them now," remarked Mr. Anderson at length, "that we'll only recover the bodies of the missionaries."
"Then we'll avenge them," said Tom quietly.
They had stopped at another native village to make inquiries, but without result, and were about to start off again that night when a runner came in to announce that a herd of big elephants was feeding not many miles away.
"Well, we'll stay over a day or so, and get some more ivory," decided Mr. Durban, and that night they got ready for what was to prove a big hunt.
