"Me no drop any, Master," spoke the giant, as he lifted the
boxes of explosives in his strong arms.

The largest gun was loaded and aimed at a distant hill, for Tom
knew that if the recoil apparatus would take care of the excess
force of his largest gun, the problem of the smaller ones would
be easy to solve.

"Here, Rad, where are you going?" Tom asked, as he noticed the
colored man walking away, after having completed a task assigned
to him.

"Where's I gwine, Massa Tom?"

"Yes, Rad, that's what I asked you."

"I--I'se gwine t' feed mah mule, Boomerang," said the colored
man slowly. "It's his eatin' time, jest now, Massa Tom."

"Nonsense! It isn't anywhere near noon yet."

"Yais, sab, Massa Tom, I knows dat," said Eradicate, as he
carefully edged away from the big gun, "but I'se done changed de
eatin' hours ob dat mule. He had a little touch ob indigestion de
udder day, an' I'se feedin' him diff'rent now. So I guess as how
yo'll hab t' 'scuse me now, Massa Tom."

"Oh, well, trot along," laughed the young inventor. "I guess we
won't need you. Is everything all right there, Koku?"