he jungle, toward Stanley Falls in
the vicinity of which the battle was expected to take place.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE NATIVE BATTLE

"By Jove, Tom, here they come!"

"From over by that drinking pool?"

"Yes, just as the spies said they would. Wow, what a crowd of the black
beggars there are! And some of 'em have regular guns, too. But most of
'em have clubs, bows and arrows, blow guns, or spears."

Tom and Ned were standing on the forward part of the airship, which was
moving slowly along, over an open plateau, in the jungle where the
native battle was about to take place. Our friends had left the town
where the missionaries lived, and had hovered over the jungle, until
they saw signs of the coming struggle. They had seen nothing of their
English rivals since coming away, but had no doubt but that the
Britishers were somewhere in the neighborhood.

The two forces of black men, who had gone to war over a dispute about
some cattle, approached each other. There was the beating of tom-toms,
and skin drums, and many weird shouts. From their vantage point in the
air, Tom and his companions had an excellent view. The Wizard Camera
was loaded with a long reel of film, and ready for action.

"Bless my handkerchief!" cried Mr. Damon, as he looked down on the
forces that were about to clash. "I never saw anything like this
before!"

"I either," admitted Tom. "But, if things go right, I'm going to get
some dandy films!"

Nearer and nearer the rival forces advanced. At first they had stared,
and shouted in wonder at the sight of the airship, hovering above them,
but their anger soon drew their attention to the fighting at hand, and,
after useless gestures toward the craft of the air, and after some of
them had vainly fired their guns or arrows at it, they paid no more
attention, but rushed on with their shouts and cries and amid the
beating of their rude drums.

"I think I'll begin to take pictures now," said Tom, as Ned, in charge
of the ship, sent it about in a circle, giving a general view of the
rival forces. "I'll show a scene of the two crowds getting ready for
business, and, later on, when they're actually giving each other cats
and dogs, I'll get all the pictures possible."

The camera was started while, safe in the air those on the Flyer watched
what went on below them.

Suddenly the forward squads of the two small armies of blacks met. With
wild, weird yells they rushed at each other. The air was fil