lose to der
ears, so I will. Oh, ef I only had Boomerang here, he could carry
mos' all ob dis stuff his own se'f."

"You've got a great idea of Boomerang's strength," remarked Tom with
a laugh, as he and Ned and Mr. Damon started for the big hut where
the chief lived.

"Do you really think San Pedro and the others left because they were
afraid of the giants we might meet?" asked Ned.

"I think so," answered his chum.

"Bless my toothpick!" gasped Mr. Damon. "In that case maybe we'd
better be on the lookout ourselves."

"Time enough to worry when we get there," answered the young
inventor. "From what the circus man said the giants are not
particularly cruel. Of course Mr. Preston didn't have much
information to go on, but--well, we'll have to wait--that's all. But
I'm sure San Pedro and the others were in a blue funk and vamoosed
on that account."

"Hey, Massa Tom!" suddenly called Eradicate. "Heah am a letter I
found on de baggage," and he ran forward with a missive, rudely
scrawled on a scrap of paper.

"It's from San Pedro," remarked Tom after a glance at it, "and it
bears out what I said. He writes that he and his men never suspected
that we were going after the giants, or they would never have come
with us. He says they are very sorry to leave us, as we treated them
well, but are afraid to go on. He adds that they have taken enough
of our bartering goods to make up their wages, and enough food to
carry them to the next village."

"Well," finished Tom. as he folded the paper, "I suppose we can't
kick, and, maybe after all, it will be for the best. Now to see if
the chief can let us have some mules."

It took some time, by means of signs, to make the chief understand
what had happened, but, when Tom had presented him with a little toy
that ran by a spring, and opened up a pack of trading goods, which
he indicated would be exchanged for mules, or other beasts of
burden, the chief grinned in a friendly fashion, and issued certain
orders.

Several of his men hurried from the big hut, and a little later,
when Tom was showing the chief how to run the toy, there was a sound
of confusion outside.

"Bless my battle axe!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hope that's not another
war going on."

"It's our new mules!" cried Ned, taking a look. "And some cows and a
bony horse or two, Tom. We've drawn a rich lot of pack animals!"

Indeed there was a nondescript collection of beasts of burden. There
were one or two good mules