"Stand up!"

 

"Run!"

 

"Get out of the way! That's going up!"

 

Thus cried Tom and his friends to the big, good-natured, but somewhat stupid, giant who had sat down in the dangerous spot. Koku looked toward the hut, in front of which the young inventor and the others stood, waving their hands to him and shouting.

 

"Get up! Get up!" cried Tom, frantically¹. The powder is going off, Koku!"

 

"Can't you stop it?" asked Job Titus.

 

"No!" answered Tom. "The electric current has already ignited the charge. Only that it's slow-burning it would have been fired long ago. Get up, Koku!"

 

But the giant did not seem to understand. He waved his hand in friendly greeting to Tom and the others, who dared not approach closer to warn him, for the explosion would occur any second now.

 

Then Mr. Damon had an inspiration.

 

"Call him to come to you, Tom!" shouted the odd man. "He always comes to you in a hurry, you know. Call him!"

 

Tom acted on the suggestion at once.

 

"Here, Koku!" he cried. "Come here, I want you! Kelos!"

 

This last was a word in the giant's own language, meaning "hurry." And Koku knew when Tom used that word that there was need of haste. So, though he had sat down, evidently to take his ease after a long tramp through the woods, Koku sprang up to obey his master's bidding.

 

And, as he did so, something happened. The first spark from the fuse, ignited by the electric current, had reached the slow-burning powder. There was a crackle of flame, and a dull rumble². Koku sprang up from the big stone as though shot. What he saw and heard must have alarmed him, for he gave a mighty³ jump and started to run, at the same time shouting:

 

"Me come, Master!"

 

"You'd better!" cried the young inventor.

 

Koku got away only just in time, for when he was half way between the group of his friends and the big rock, the utmost force of the explosion was felt. It was not so very loud, but the power of it made the earth tremble.

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