, somebody, an' put
out dat fire!"

"No--no water!" yelled Tom, who heard him. "Water will only make it
worse--it'll scatter the blazing gasoline. The feed pipe from the tank
must have burst. Throw on sand--sand is the only thing to use!"

"I'll git a shubble!" cried Eradicate. "I'll git a sand-shubble!" and
he tottered off.

"Wait, Tom, I'll give you a hand!" cried Ned, as he saw his chum step
away from the end of the auto for a moment, as a burst of flame, and
choking smoke, driven by the wind, was blown almost in his face. "I'll
help you!"

"We've got to be lively, then, Ned!" gasped Tom. "This is getting
hotter every minute! Where's that Koku? He could yank these boxes out
in a jiffy!"

And indeed a giant's strength was needed at that moment.

Ned glanced around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the big man
whom Tom had brought from Giant Land, but Koku was not in sight.

"Let's have another try now, Ned!" suggested Tom, when a shift in the
wind left the rear of the auto comparatively free from smoke and flame.

"You fellows had better skip!" cried the expressman, who had been
throwing light packages off his vehicle from in front, where, as yet,
there was no fire. "That powder'll go up in another minute. Some of the
boxes are beginning to catch now!" he yelled. "Look out!"

"That's right!" shouted Tom, as he saw that the edge of one of the
wooden cases containing the powder was blazing slightly. "Lively, Ned!"

Ned held back only for a second. Then, realizing that the time to act
was now or never, and that even if he ran he could hardly save himself,
he advanced to Tom's side. The smoke was choking and stifling them, and
the flames, coming from beneath the auto truck, made them gasp for
breath.

Together Tom and Ned tugged at the nearest case of powder--the one that
was ablaze.

"We--we can't budge it!" panted Tom.

"It--it's caught somewhere," added Ned. "Oh, if Koku were only here!"

There was a sound behind the lads. A voice exclaimed:

"Master want shovel, so Eradicate say--here it is!"

They turned and saw a big, powerful man, with a simple, child-like
face, standing calmly looking at the burning auto.

"Koku!" cried Tom. "Quick! Never mind the shovel! Get those powder
boxes out of that cart before they go up! Yank 'em out! They're too
much for Ned and me! Quick!"

"Oh, of a courseness I will so do!" said Koku, to whom, even yet, the
English language was somewhat of a mystery. He dr