dead," he called, "but I guess he won't wrestle or fight any
more. He's badly crippled."

"And him no more try to blow up tunnel, either," said Koku in his
hoarse voice. "Me fix: him! No more him take powder, and make tunnel
all bust."

"What do you mean, Koku?" asked Tom. "Is that why you fought him? Did
he try to wreck the tunnel?"

"So him done, Master. But Koku see--Koku stop. Then um fight."

"Be jabbers an' I wouldn't wonder but what he was right!" cried Tim
Sullivan, excitedly. "I did see that beggar." and he pointed to Lamos,
who was slowly crawling away, "at the chist where I kape th' powder,
but I thought nothin' of it at th' time. What did he try t' do, Koku?"

Then the giant explained in his own language, Tom Swift translating,
for Koku spoke English but indifferently well.

"Koku says," rendered Torn, "that he saw Lamos trying to put a big
charge of powder up in the place where the balanced rock fits in the
secret opening of the tunnel roof. The charge was all ready to fire,
and if the giant had set it off he might have brought down the roof of
the tunnel and so choked it up that we'd have been months cleaning it
out. Koku saw him and stopped him, and then the fight began. We only
saw the end."

"Bless my shoe string!" gasped Mr. Damon. "And a terrible end it was.
Will Lamos die?"

"I don't think so," answered Job Titus. "But he will be a cripple for
life. Not only would he have wrecked the tunnel, but he would have
killed many of our men had he set off that blast. Koku saved them,
though it seems too bad he had to fight to do it."

An investigation showed that Koku spoke truly. The charge, all ready to
set off, was found where he had knocked it from the hand of Lamos. And
so Tom's giant saved the day. Lamos was sent back to his own village, a
broken and humbled giant. And to this day, in that part of Peru, the
great struggle between Koku and Lamos is spoken of with awe where
Indians gather about their council fires, and they tell their children
of the Titanic fight.

"It was part of the plot," said Job Titus when the usual blast had been
set off that day, with not very good results. "This giant was sent to
us by our rivals. They wanted him to hamper our work, for they see we
have a chance to finish on time. I think that foreman, Serato, is in
the plot. He brought Lamos here. We'll fire him!"

This was done, though the Indian protested his innocence. But he could
not be trusted.

"We can