ored man
continued to shout in fear.

Then, as the two boys looked on, and as the airship came nearer to
the earth, Ned, who was looking down amid the great illumination,
called to Tom:

"Look at Koku!"

Tom glanced over, and saw his giant servant, with fear depicted on
his face, running away as fast as he could. Evidently Eradicate's
warning had frightened him.

"Say, he can run!" cried Ned. "Look at him leg it!"

"Yes, and he may run away, never to come back," exclaimed Tom. "I
don't want to lose him, he's too valuable. I know what happened once
when he got frightened. He was away for a week before I could locate
him, and he hid in the swamp. I'm not going to have that happen
again."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to chase after him in the airship. It will be a good test
for chasing the smugglers. Put me after him, Ned, and I'll play the
searchlight on him so we can't lose him!"

CHAPTER X

OFF FOR THE BORDER

"There he goes, Tom!"

"Yes, I see him!"

"Look at him run!"

"No wonder. Consider his long legs, Ned. Put on a little more speed,
and keep a little lower down. It's clear of trees right here."

"There he goes into that clump of bushes."

"I see him. He'll soon come out," and Tom flashed the big light on
the fleeing giant to whom fear seemed to lend more than wings.

But even a giant, long legged though he be, and powerful, cannot
compete with a modern airship--certainly not such a one as Tom Swift
had.

"We're almost up to him, Tom!" cried Ned a little later.

"Yes! I'm keeping track of him. Oh, why doesn't he know enough to
stop? Koku! Koku!" called Tom. "It's all right! I'm in the airship!
This is a searchlight, not a comet. Wait for us!"

They could see the giant glance back over his shoulder at them, and,
when he saw how close the gleaming light was he made a desperate
spurt. But it was about his last, for he was a heavy man, and did
not have any too good wind.

"We'll have him in another minute," predicted Tom. "Give me a bit
more speed, Ned."

The lad who was managing the Falcon swung the accelerating lever
over another notch, and the craft surged ahead. Then Ned executed a
neat trick. Swinging the craft around in a half circle, he suddenly
opened the power full, and so got ahead of Koku. The next minute,
sliding down to earth, Tom and Ned came to a halt, awaiting the
oncoming of Koku, who, finding the glaring light full in his face,
came to a halt.

"Wh