ence in the room following the dramatic and simple
recital of the circus man. Tom was strangely moved, as was his chum
Ned As for Mr. Damon, he was softly blessing every thing he could
think of.

Tom looked out of the long, opened windows of the library. In fancy
he could see the forest and jungles of South America. He saw a
sluggish river flowing along between rank green banks, while, from
the overhanging trees, long festoons of moss hung down, writhing now
and then as the big water anacondas or boa constrictors looped their
sinuous folds over the low limbs.

In fancy he saw dark-skinned natives slinking along with their
deadly blow guns, and poisoned arrows. He thought he could hear the
low growls and whines of the treacherous jaguars and see their lithe
bodies slinking along. He saw the brilliant-hued flowers, saw the
birds of gorgeous plumage, and listened in fancy to their discordant
cries.

Then, too, he saw a lonely white man in a miserable native hut
thousands of miles from civilization, waiting, waiting, waiting for
he knew not what fate. Again he saw monstrous men stalking along--men
who towered ten feet or more, and who were big and brawny. All
this passed through the mind of Tom in an instant.

"Well?" asked Mr. Preston softly.

"I'll go!" suddenly cried the young inventor. "I don't know whether
I can get you a giant or not, Mr. Preston, but if it's possible I'll
get poor Jake Poddington, dead or alive!"

"Good!" cried the circus man, jumping up and clasping Tom's hand. "I
thought you were that kind of a lad, after I heard Mr. Damon
describe you. You've taken a big load off my heart, Tom Swift. Now
to talk of ways and means! I'll have a giant yet, and maybe I'll get
back the best man who ever shipped a consignment of wild animals,
good Jake Poddington! Now to business!"

CHAPTER IV

"LOOK OUT FOR MY RIVAL!"

"You'll go in an airship of course; won't you, Tom?" asked Mr.
Damon, when they had pulled their chairs up around a library table,
and Mr. Preston had taken some papers from his pocket.

"An airship? No, I don't believe I shall," replied the young
inventor. "In the first place, I'm a bit tired of scooting through
the air so much, though it isn't to be denied that it's the quickest
way of going. But in South America there are so many jungles that it
will be hard to find a level starting ground for a take-off, after
we land. Of course we could go up as a balloon, but this expedition