cheerfully as he could. "I should rather have the opinion of an
oculist before making that statement. It may be only temporary."

"That's bad enough!" muttered Tom. "Poor old Rad!"

"Me take care ob him," put in Koku, who had been humbly
standing around waiting to hear the news. "Me never be mad at dat
black man no more! Him my best friend! I lub him like I did my
brudder!"

"Thank you, Koku," said Tom, and his mind went back to the time
when he had escaped in his airship from the gigantic men, of whom
Koku and his brother were two specimens. The brother had gone
with a circus, and Koku, for several years, only saw him
occasionally.

Everything possible was done for Eradicate, and the doctor said
that it would be several days, until after the burns from the
exploding chemicals had partly healed, before the eye-doctor
could make an examination.

"Then we can only wait and hope," said Tom.

"And hope for the best!" advised Mr. Damon.

"I'll try," promised Tom. He went back to the laboratory with
his eccentric friend and with Ned, who had come over as soon as
he heard the news. Not much of an examination could be made, as
the place was in such ruins. But it was surmised that in
combining the two chemical mixtures a new one had been created,