"I think so," replied his chum. "I"ll take a chance, anyhow. If that doesn"t work then I"ll hide near by, and see what happens."
"Bless my cartridge belt!" cried Mr. Damon. "You don"t mean that; do you Tom?"
"Of course. Come to think of it, I"m not going to leave my camera out there for a lion to jump on, and break. As soon as I get a series of pictures I"ll bring it back to the ship, I think."
By inquiry among the natives they learned the location of a spring where, it was said, lions were in the habit of coming nightly to drink.
"That"s the place I want!" cried Tom.
Accordingly the airship was headed for it, and one evening it came gently to earth in a little clearing on the edge of the jungle, while Koku, as was his habit, got supper.
After the meal Tom and Ned set the camera, and then, picking out a good spot nearby, they hid themselves to wait for what might happen. The lens was focused on the spring, and the powerful electric light set going. It glowed brightly, and our hero thought it might have the effect of keeping the beasts away, but Tom figured that, after they had looked at it for a while, and seen that it did not harm them, they would lose their suspicions, and come within range of his machine.
"The camera will do the rest," he said. In order not to waste films uselessly Tom arranged a long electric wire, running it from the camera to where he and Ned were hid. By pressing a b.u.t.ton he could start or stop the camera any time he wished, and, as he had a view of the spring from his vantage point, he could have the apparatus begin taking pictures as soon as there was some animal within focus.
"Well, I"m getting stiff," said Ned, after an hour or so had pa.s.sed in silent darkness, the only light being the distant one on the camera.
"So am I," said Tom.
"I don"t believe anything will come to-night," went on his chum. "Let"s go back and--"
He stopped suddenly, for there was a crackling in the underbrush, and the next moment the jungle vibrated to the mighty roar of a lion.
"He"s coming!" hoa.r.s.ely whispered Tom.
Both lads glanced through the trees toward the camera, and, in the light, they saw a magnificent, tawny beast standing on the edge of the spring. Once more he roared, as if in defiance, and then, as if deciding that the light was not harmful, he stooped to lap up the water.
Hardly had he done so than there was another roar, and a moment later a second lion leaped from the dense jungle into the clearing about the spring. The two monarchs of the forest stood there in the glare of the light, and Tom excitedly pressed the b.u.t.ton that started the shutter to working, and the film to moving back of the lens.
There was a slight clicking sound in the camera, and the lions turned startedly. Then both growled again, and the next instant they sprang at each other, roaring mightily.
"A fight!" cried Tom. "A lion fight, and right in front of my camera!
It couldn"t be better. This is great! This will be a film."
"Quiet!" begged Ned. "They"ll hear you, and come for us. I don"t want to be chewed up!"
"No danger of them hearing me!" cried Tom, and he had to shout to be heard above the roaring of the two tawny beasts, as they bit and clawed each other, while the camera took picture after picture of them.
CHAPTER XIII
A SHOT IN TIME
"Tom, did you ever see anything like it in your life?"
"I never did, Ned! It"s wonderful! fearful! And to think that we are here watching it, and that thousands of people will see the same thing thrown on a screen. Oh, look at the big one. The small lion has him down!"
The two lads, much thrilled, crouched down behind a screen of bushes, watching the midnight fight between the lions. On the airship, not far distant, there was no little alarm, for those left behind heard the terrific roars, and feared Tom and Ned might be in some danger. But the lions were too much occupied with their battle, to pay any attention to anything else, and no other wild beasts were likely to come to the spring while the two "kings" were at each other.
It was a magnificent, but terrible battle. The big cats bit and tore at each other, using their terrific claws and their powerful paws, one stroke of which is said to be sufficient to break a bullock"s back.
Sometimes they would roll out of the focus of the camera, and, at such times, Tom wished he was at the machine to swing the lens around, but he knew it would be dangerous to move. Then the beasts would roll back into the rays of light again, and more pictures of them would be taken.
"I guess the small one is going to win!" said Tom, after the two lions had fought for ten minutes, and the bigger one had been down several times.
"He"s younger," agreed Ned, "and I guess the other one has had his share of fights. Maybe this is a battle to see which one is to rule this part of the jungle."
"I guess so," spoke the young inventor, as he pressed the b.u.t.ton to stop the camera, as the lions rolled out of focus. "Oh, look!" he cried a moment later, as the animals again rolled into view. Tom started the camera once more. "This is near the end," he said.
The small lion had, by a sudden spring, landed on the back of his rival. There was a terrific struggle, and the older beast went down, the younger one clawing him terribly. Then, so quickly did it happen that the boys could not take in all the details, the older lion rolled over and over, and rid himself of his antagonist. Quickly he got to his feet, while the smaller lion did the same. They stood for a moment eyeing each other, their tails twitching, the hair on their backs bristling, and all the while they uttered frightful roars.
An instant later the larger beast sprang toward his rival. One terrible paw was upraised. The small lion tried to dodge, but was not quick enough. Down came the paw with terrific force, and the boys could hear the back bone snap. Then, clawing his antagonist terribly, as he lay disabled, the older lion, with a roar of triumph, lapped up water, and sprang off through the jungle, leaving his dying rival beside the spring.
"That"s the end," cried Tom, as the small lion died, and the young inventor pressed the b.u.t.ton stopping his camera. There was a rustle in the leaves back of Tom and Ned, and they sprang up in alarm, but they need not have feared, for it was only Koku, the giant, who, with a portable electrical torch, had come to see how they had fared.
"Mr. Tom all right?" asked the big man, anxiously.
"Yes, and I got some fine pictures. You can carry the camera back now, Koku. I think that roll of film is pretty well filled."
The three of them looked at the body of the dead lion, before they went back to the airship. I have called him "small," but, in reality, the beast was small only in comparison with his rival, who was a tremendous lion in size. I might add that of all the pictures Tom took, few were more highly prized than that reel of the lion fight.
"Bless my bear cage!" cried Mr. Damon, as Tom came back, "you certainly have nerve, my boy."
"You have to, in this business," agreed Tom with a laugh. "I never did this before, and I don"t know that I would want it for a steady position, but it"s exciting for a change."
They remained near the "lion spring" as they called it all night, and in the morning, after Koku had served a tasty breakfast, Tom headed the airship for a district where it was said there were many antelope, and buffaloes, also zebus.
"I don"t want to get all exciting pictures," our hero said to Mr.
Nestor. "I think that films showing wild animals at play, or quietly feeding, will be good."
"I"m sure they will," said Mary"s father. "Get some peaceful scenes, by all means."
They sailed on for several days, taking a number of pictures from the airship, when they pa.s.sed over a part of the country where the view was magnificent, and finally, stopping at a good sized village they learned that, about ten miles out, was a district where antelope abounded.
"We"ll go there," decided Tom, "and I"ll take the camera around with me on a sort of walking trip. In that way I"ll get a variety of views, and I can make a good film."
This plan was followed out. The airship came to rest in a beautiful green valley, and Ned and Tom, with Mr. Damon, who begged to be taken along, started off.
"You can follow me in about half an hour, Koku," said Tom, "and carry the camera back. I guess you can easily pick up our trail."
"Oh, sure," replied the giant. Indeed, to one who had lived in the forest, as he had all his life, before Tom found him, it was no difficult matter to follow a trail, such as the three friends would leave.
Tom found signs that showed him where the antelopes were in the habit of pa.s.sing, and, with Ned and Mr. Damon, stationed himself in a secluded spot.
He had not long to wait before a herd of deer came past. Tom took many pictures of the graceful creatures, for it was daylight now, and he needed no light. Consequently there was nothing to alarm the herd.