Part 5 (2/2)
”Then I'm your man! Say, Tom Swift, I'd be proud to have you go to Africa with me. I'd be proud to have you a member of my hunting party, and, though I don't like to boast, still if you'll ask any of the big-game people they'll tell you that not every one can accompany Aleck Durban.”
Tom realized that he was speaking to an authority and a most desirable companion, should he go to Africa, and he was very glad of the chance that had made him acquainted with the veteran hunter.
”Will you go with me?” asked Mr. Durban. ”You and your electric gun and your airs.h.i.+p? Will you come to Africa to hunt elephants, and help me get the big tusks I'm after?”
”I will!” exclaimed Tom.
”Then we'll start at once. There's no need of delaying here any longer.”
”Oh, but I haven't an airs.h.i.+p ready,” said the young inventor. The face of the old hunter expressed his disappointment.
”Then we'll have to give up the scheme,” he said ruefully.
”Not at all,” Tom told him. ”I have all the material on hand for building a new airs.h.i.+p. I have had it in mind for some time, and I have done some work on it. I stopped it to perfect my electric rifle, but, now that is done, I'll tackle the Black Hawk again, and rush that to completion.”
”The Black Hawk?” repeated Mr. Durban, wonderingly.
”Yes, that's what I will name my new craft. The RED CLOUD was destroyed, and so I thought I'd change the color this time, and avoid bad luck.”
”Good!” exclaimed the hunter. ”When do you think you can have it finished?”
”Oh, possibly in a month--perhaps sooner, and then we will go to Africa and hunt elephants!”
”Bless my ivory paper cutter!” exclaimed a voice in the hall just outside the library. ”Bless my fingernails! But who's talking about going to Africa?”
The old hunter looked at Tom and his father in surprise, but the young inventor laughing and going to the door, called out:
”Come on in, Mr. Damon. I didn't hear you ring. There is some one here from your town.”
”Is it my wife?” asked the odd gentleman who was always blessing something. ”She said she was going to her mother's to spend a few weeks, and so I thought I'd come over here and see if you had anything new on the program. The first thing I hear is that you are going to Africa. And so there's some one from Waterford in there, eh? Is it my wife?”
”No,” answered Tom with another laugh. ”Come on in Mr. Damon.”
”Bless my toothpick!” exclaimed the odd gentleman, as he saw the grizzled elephant hunter sitting between Tom and Mr. Swift. ”I have seen you somewhere before, my dear sir.”
”Yes,” admitted Mr. Durban, ”if you're from Waterford you have probably seen me traveling about the streets there. I'm stopping with my sister, Mrs. Dougla.s.s, but I can't stand it to be in the house much, so I'm out of doors, wandering about a good bit of the time. I miss my jungle. But we'll soon be in Africa, Tom Swift and me.”
”Is it possible, Tom?” asked Mr. Damon. ”Bless my diamond mines! but what are you going to do next?”
”It's hard to say,” was the answer. ”But you came just in time. Mr.
Damon. I'm going to rush work on the Black Hawk, my newest airs.h.i.+p, and we'll leave for elephant land inside of a month, taking my new electric rifle along. Will you come?”
”Bless my penknife! I never thought of such a thing. I--I--guess--no, I don't know about it--yes, I'll go!” he suddenly exclaimed.
”I'll go! Hurrah for the elephants!” and he jumped up and shook hands in turn with Mr. Durban, to whom he had been formally introduced, and with Tom and Mr. Swift.
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