covered with thick reddish hair, who live in the central part of
Africa, near some of the best elephant-hunting ground. They are
wild, savage and ferocious, and what they lack individually in
strength, they make up in numbers. They're like little red apes, and
woe betide the unlucky hunter who falls into their merciless hands.
They treat him worse than the cannibals do."

"Then we'll look out for them," said Tom. "But I fancy my electric
rifle will make them give us a wide berth."

"It's a great gun," admitted the old hunter with a shake of his
head, "but those red pygmies are terrible creatures. I hope we don't
get them on our trail. But tell me, Tom, how are you coming on with
the airship? for I don't know much about mechanics, and to me it
looks as if it would never be put together. I's like one of those
queer puzzles I've seen 'em selling in the streets of London."

"Oh, it's nearer ready than it looks to be," said Tom. "We'll have
it assembled, and ready for a trial in about two weeks more."

Work on the Black Hawk was rushed more than ever in the next few
days, another extra machinist being engaged. Then the craft began to
assume shape and form, and with the gas bag partly inflated and the
big planes stretching out from either side, it began to look
something like the ill-fated Red Cloud.

"It's going to be a fine ship!" cried Tom enthusiastically, one day,
as he went to the far side of the ship to get a perspective view of
it. "We'll make good time in this."