Tom Swift in the City of Gold

V >> Victor Appleton >> Tom Swift in the City of Gold

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"Look out for Delazes," warned Ned.

"I intend to. As soon as I can, I'm going to leave him and his men
behind and set off in the balloon. But first I want to get an idea
of where to head for. We must locate the plain on which stands the
ruined temple."

"It's getting exciting," remarked Ned. "I wish--"

"Supper am serbed in de dinin' cah!" interrupted Eradicate with a
laugh, as he imitated a Pullman porter.

"That's the best thing you could wish for," put in Tom gaily. "Come
on, we'll have a good meal, a sleep, and then we'll be ready to play
detectives again to-morrow."

They all slept soundly that night, though Tom had some idea of
staying awake to see if Delazes paid any secret visits to the house
where the golden image was kept. But he realized that the Mexican,
if he wanted to, could easily find means to outwit him, so the young
inventor decided to get all the rest he could and trust to chance to
help him out.

His first visit after breakfast was to the house of the aged
Mexican. The image was not in sight, though Tom and Ned and Mr.
Damon looked eagerly around for it. There was a curious light in the
eyes of the old man as Tom asked for the little statue of gold.
Delazes was not in evidence. Tom had to conduct the conversation in
Spanish, no particularly easy task for him, though he made out all
right.

"Will you sell the image?" he asked.

"No sell," replied the Mexican quickly.

"Will you please let me look at it?"

The Mexican hesitated a moment, called a command to some one in the
next room, and, a moment later the old woman shuffled in, bearing
the wonderful golden image. Tom could not repress a little gasp of
delight as he saw it at close range, for it was beautifully carved
out of solid, yellow gold.

The woman set it on a rude table, and the young inventor, Ned and
Mr. Damon drew near to look at the image more closely. It was the
work of a master artist. The statue was about eight inches high, and
showed a man, dressed in flowing robes, seated crosslegged on a sort
of raised pedestal. On the head was a crown, many pointed and the
face beneath it showed calm dignity like that of a superior being.
In one extended hand was a round ball, with lines on it to show the
shape of the earth, though only the two American continents
appeared. In the other hand was what might be tables of stone, a
book, or something to represent law-giving authority.

"How much?" asked Tom.

"No sell," was the monotonous answer.

"Five hundred dollars," offered our hero.

"No sell."

"One thousand dollars."

"No sell."

"Why is it so valuable to you?" Tom wanted to know.

"We have him for many years. Bad luck come if he go." Then the
Mexican went on to explain that the image had been in his family for
many generations, and that once, when it had been taken by an enemy,
death and poverty followed until the statue was recovered. He said
he would never part with it.

"Where did it come from?" asked Tom, and he cared more about this
than he did about buying the image.

"Far, far off," said the Mexican. "No man know. I no know--my father
he no know--his father's father no know. Too many years back--many
years."

He motioned to the woman to take the statue away, and Tom and his
friend realized that little more could be learned. The young
inventor stretched out his hand with an involuntary motion, and the
Mexican understood. He spoke to the woman and she handed the image
to Tom. The Mexican had recognized his desire for a moment's closer
inspection and had granted it.

"Jove! It's as heavy as lead!" exclaimed Tom. "And solid gold."

"Isn't it hollow up the middle?" asked Ned. "Look on the underside,
Tom."

His chum did so. As he turned the image over to look at the base he
had all he could do not to utter a cry of surprise. For there,
rudely scratched on the plain surface of the gold, was what was
unmistakably a map. And it was a map showing the location of the
ruined temple--the temple and the country surrounding it--the
ancient city of Poltec, and the map was plain enough so that Tom
could recognize part of the route over which they had traveled.

But, better than all, was a tiny arrow, something like the compass
mark on modern maps. And this arrow pointed straight at the ruins of
the temple, and the direction indicated was due west from the
village where our travelers now were. Tom Swift had found out what
he wanted to know.

Without a word he handed back the image and then, trying not to let
his elation show in his face, he motioned to Ned and Mr. Damon to
follow him from the house.

"Bless my necktie!" exclaimed the odd man, when they were out of
hearing distance. "What's up, Tom."

"I know the way to the ruined temple. We'll start at once," and he
told them of the map on the image.

"Who do you suppose could have made it?" asked Ned.

"Probably whoever took the image from the city of gold. He wanted to
find his way back again, or show some one, but evidently none of the
recent owners of the image understand about the map, if they know
it's there. The lines are quite faint, but it is perfectly plain."

"It's lucky I saw it. I don't have to try to buy the image now, nor
seek to learn where it came from. Anyhow, if they told me they'd
tell Delazes, and he'd be hot after us. As it is I doubt if he can
learn now. Come, we'll get ready to hit the trail again."

And they did, to the no small wonder of the contractor and his men,
who could not understand why Tom should start out without the image,
or without having learned where it came from, for Delazes had
questioned the old Mexican, and learned all that took place. But he
did not look on the base of the statue.

Due west went the cavalcade, and then a new complication arose. Tom
did not want to take the Mexicans any nearer to the plain of the
temple than possible, and he did not know how many miles it was
away. So he decided on taking a longer balloon voyage than at first
contemplated.

"We'll camp to-night at the best place we can find," he said to
Delazes, "and then I'm going on in the balloon. You and your men
will stay in camp until we come back."

"Ha! And suppose the senors do not come back with the balloon?"

"Wait a reasonable time for us, and then you can do as you wish.
I'll pay you to the end of the month and if you wait for us any
longer I have given instructions for the bank in Tampico to pay you
and your men what is right."

"Good! And the senors are going into the unknown?"

"Yes, we don't know where we'll wind up. This hunting for relics is
uncertain business. Make yourselves comfortable in camp, and wait."

"Waiting is weary business, Senor Swift. If we could come with you--"
began Delazes, with an eager look in his eyes.

"Out of the question," spoke Tom shortly. "There isn't room in the
balloon."

"Very well, senor," and with a snapping glance from his black eyes
the contractor walked away.

CHAPTER XVII

THE RUINED TEMPLE

Though Tom had his portable balloon in shape for comparatively quick
assembling it was several days, after they went into permanent camp,
before it was in condition for use.

The Mexicans were not of much help for several reasons. Some of them
were ignorant men, and were very superstitious, and would have
nothing to do with the "Air Fiend" as they called it. In consequence
Tom, Ned, Mr. Damon and Eradicate had to do most of the work. But
Tom and Ned were a host in themselves, and Mr. Damon was a great
help, though he often stopped to bless something, to the no small
astonishment of the Mexicans, one of whom innocently asked Tom if
this eccentric man was not "a sort of priest in his own country, for
he called down so many blessings?"

"Bless my pen wiper!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, when Tom had told him. "I
must break myself of that habit. Bless my--" and then he stopped
and laughed, and went on with the work of helping to install the
motor.

Another reason why some of the Mexicans were of little service was
because they were so lazy. They preferred to sit in the shade and
smoke innumerable cigarettes, or sleep. Then, too, some of them had
to go out after some small game with which that part of the country
abounded, for though there was plenty of tinned food, fresh meat was
much more appreciated.

But Tom and Ned labored long and hard, and in about a week after
making camp they had assembled the dirigible balloon in which they
hoped to set out to locate the plain of the ruined temple, and also
the entrance to the underground city of gold.

"Well, I'll start making the gas to-morrow," decided Tom, in their
tent one night, after a hard day's work. "Then we'll give the
balloon a tryout and see how she behaves in this part of the world.
The motor is all right, we're sure of that much," for they had given
the engine a test several days before.

"Which way are we going to head?" asked Ned.

"North, I think," answered Tom.

"But I thought you said that the temple was west--"

"Don't you see my game?" went on the young inventor quickly, and in
a low voice, for several times of late he had surprised some of the
Mexicans sneaking about the tent. "As soon as we start off Delazes
is going to follow us."

"Follow us?" cried Mr. Damon. "Bless my shoe horn, what do you
mean?"

"I mean that he still suspects that we are after gold, and he is
going to do his best to get on our trail. Of course he can't follow
us through the air, but he'll note in what direction we start and as
soon as we are out of sight he and his men will hit the trail in the
same direction."

"What, and leave the camp?" asked Ned.

"Yes, though they'll probably skip off with some of our supplies.
That's why I'm going to take along an unusually large supply. We may
not come back to this camp at all. In fact, it won't be much use
after Delazes and his crowd clean it out and leave."

"And you really think they'll do that, Tom?" asked his chum.

"I'm almost sure of it, from the way the Mexicans have been acting
lately. Delazes has been hinting around trying to surprise me into
saying which direction we're going to take. But I've been careful.
The sight of that golden image aroused him and his men. They're
hungry for gold, and they'd do away with us in a minute if they
thought they could find what we're looking for and get it without
us. But our secret is ours yet, I'm glad to say. If only the balloon
behaves we ought soon to be in the--"

"Hark!" exclaimed Ned, holding up a warning hand. They heard a
rustling outside the tent, and one side bulged in, as if some one
was leaning against it.

"Some one's listening," whispered Ned.

Tom nodded. The next moment he drew his heavy automatic revolver and
remarked in loud tones:

"My gun needs cleaning. I'm going to empty it through the tent where
that bulge is--look out, Ned."

The bulge against the canvas disappeared as if by magic, and the
sound of some one crawling or creeping away could be heard outside.
Tom laughed.

"You see how it is," he said. "We can't even think aloud."

"Bless my collar button; who was it?" asked Mr. Damon.

"Some of Delazes's men--or himself," replied the young inventor.
"But I guess I scared him."

"Maybe it was Andy Foger," suggested Ned with a smile.

"No, I guess we've lost track of him and his father," spoke Tom.
"I've kept watch of the back trail as much as I could, and haven't
seen them following us. Of course they may pick up our trail later
and come here, and they may join forces with the Mexicans. But I
don't know that they can bother us, once we're off in the balloon."

To Tom's disappointment, the next day proved stormy, a heavy rain
falling, so it was impossible to test the balloon with the gas. The
camp was a disconsolate and dreary place, and even Eradicate,
usually so jolly, was cross and out of sorts.

For three days the rain kept up, and Tom and Ned thought they would
never see the last of it, but on the fourth morning the sun shone,
wet garments and shoes were dried out, tents were opened to the warm
wind and everyone was in better spirits. Tom and his chum at once
set about making gas for the big bag, their operations being closely
watched by the Mexicans.

As I have explained before, Tom had the secret of making a very
powerful gas from comparatively simple ingredients, and the
machinery for this was not complicated. So powerful was it that the
bag of the dirigible balloon did not need to be as large as usual, a
distinct saving in space.

In a short time the bag began to distend and then the balloon took
shape and form. The bag was of the usual cigar shape, divided into
many compartments so that the puncture of one would not empty out
all the vapor.

Below the bag was a car or cabin made of light wood. It was all
enclosed and contained besides the motor, storage tanks for
gasolene, oil and other things, sleeping berths, a tiny kitchen, a
pilot house, and a room to be used for a living apartment.
Everything was very compact, and there was not half the room there
was in some of Tom Swift's other airships. But then the party did
not expect to make long voyages.

They could take along a good supply of canned and also compressed
food, much of which was in tablet or capsule form, and of course
they would take their weapons, and ammunition.

"And I hope you'll leave room for plenty of gold," said Ned in a
whisper to Tom, as they completed arrangements for the gas test.

"I guess we can manage to store all that we can get out of the
underground city," replied his chum. "I'm going to find a place for
the big gold statue if we can manage to lift it."

"Say, we'll be millionaires all right!" exulted Ned.

Though much still remained to be done on the balloon, it was soon in
shape for an efficient test, and that afternoon Tom, Ned and Mr.
Damon went up in it to the no small wonder, fear and delight of the
Mexicans. Some, who had never seen an air craft before, fell on
their knees and prayed. Others shouted, and when Tom started the
motor, and showed how he could control his aircraft, there were
yells of amazement.

"She'll do!" cried the young inventor, as he let out some gas and
came down.

Thereupon followed busy days, stocking the airship for the trip to
discover the ruined temple. Food and supplies were put aboard, spare
garments, all their weapons and ammunition, and then Tom paid
Delazes and his men, giving them a month's wages in advance, for he
told them to wait in camp that long.

"But they won't," the young inventor predicted to Ned.

There was nothing more to be done. All that they could do, to insure
success had been completed. From now on they were in the hands of
fate.

"All aboard!" cried Tom, as he motioned for Eradicate to take his
place in the car. Mr. Damon and Ned followed, and then the young
inventor himself. He shook hands with Delazes, though he did not
like the man.

"Good bye," said Tom. "We may be back before the month is up. If we
are not, go back to Tampico."

"Si, senor," answered the contractor, bowing mockingly.

Tom turned the lever that sent more gas into the bag. The balloon
shot up. The young gold-seeker was about to throw on the motor, when
Delazes waved his hand to the little party.

"Bon voyage!" he called. "I hope you will find the city of gold!"

"Bless my soul!" cried Mr. Damon. "He knows our secret!"

"He's only guessing at it," replied Tom calmly. "He's welcome to
follow us--if he can."

Up shot the aircraft, the propellers whirling around like blades of
light. Up and up, higher and higher, and then forward, while down
below the Mexicans yelled and swung their hats.

Straight for the north Tom headed his craft, so as to throw the
eagerly watching ones off the track. He intended to circle around
and go west when out of sight.

And then the very thing Tom had predicted came to pass. The balloon
was scarcely half a mile high when, as the young inventor looked
down, he uttered a cry.

"See!" he said. "They're breaking camp to follow us."

And it was so. Riding along in one of the lightest ox carts was
Delazes, his eyes fixed on the balloon overhead, while behind him
came his followers.

"They're following us," said Tom, "but they're going to get sadly
left."

In an hour Tom knew his balloon would not be visible to the
Mexicans, and at the end of that time he pointed for the west. And
then, flying low so as to use the trees as a screen, but going at
good speed. Tom and his friends were well on their way to the city
of gold.

"We must keep a good lookout down below," said Tom, when everything
was in working order. "We don't want to fly over the plain of the
ruined temple."

"We may in the night," suggested Ned.

"No night flying this time," said his chum. "We'll only move along
daytimes. We'll camp at night."

For three days they sailed along, sometimes over vast level plains
on which grazed wild cattle, again over impenetrable jungles which
they could never have gotten through in their ox carts. They crossed
rivers and many small lakes, stopping each night on the ground, the
airship securely anchored to trees. Tom could make the lifting gas
on board so what was wasted by each descent was not missed.

One day it rained, and they did not fly, spending rather a lonely
and miserable twelve hours in the car. Another time a powerful wind
blew them many miles out of their course. But they got back on it,
and kept flying to the west.

"We must strike it soon," murmured Tom one day.

"Maybe we're too far to the north or south," suggested Ned.

"Then we'll have to beat back and forth until we get right," was
Tom's reply. "For I'm going to locate that ruined temple."

They ate breakfast and dinner high in the air, Eradicate preparing
the meals in the tiny kitchen. Ever did they keep looking downward
for a sight of a great plain, with a ruined temple in the midst of
it.

In this way a week passed, the balloon beating back and forth to the
North or South, and they were beginning to weary of the search, and
even Tom, optimistic as he was, began to think he would never find
what he sought.

It was toward the close of day, and the young inventor was looking
for a good place to land. He was flying over a range of low hills,
hoping the thick forest would soon come to an end when, as he
crossed the last of the range of small mountains, he gave a cry,
that drew the attention of Ned and Mr. Damon.

"What is it?" demanded his chum.

"Look!" said Tom. "There is the great plain!"

Ned gazed, and saw, spread out below them a vast level plateau. But
this was not all he saw, for there, about in the centre, was a mass
of something--something that showed white in the rays of the setting
sun.

"Bless my chimney!" cried Mr. Damon. "That's some sort of a
building."

"The ruined temple," said Tom softly. "We've found it at last," and
he headed the balloon for it and put on full speed.

CHAPTER XVIII

FINDING THE TUNNEL

In silence, broken only by the noise of the motor, did the gold-
seekers approach the temple. As they neared it they could see its
vast proportions, and they noted that it was made of some white
stone, something like marble. Then, too, as they drew closer, they
could see the desolate ruin into which it had fallen.

"Looks as if a dynamite explosion had knocked it all apart,"
observed Ned.

"It certainly does," agreed Mr. Damon.

"Maybe Cortez, or some of those early explorers, blew it up with
gunpowder after fighting the Aztecs, or whatever the natives were
called in those days," suggested Tom.

"Bless my bookcase! You don't mean to say you think this temple goes
back to those early days," spoke Mr. Damon.

"Yes, and probably farther," declared Tom. "It must be very ancient,
and the whole country about here is desolate. Why, the way the woods
have grown up everywhere but on this plain shows that it must be
three or four hundred years ago. There must have been a city around
the temple, probably Poltec, and yet there isn't a trace of it that
we have seen as we came along. Oh, yes, this is very ancient."

"It will be jolly fun to explore it," decided Ned. "I wish it wasn't
so near night."

"We can't do much now," decided Tom. "It will be too dark, and I
don't altogether fancy going in those old ruins except by daylight."

"Do you think any of those old Aztec priests, with their knifes of
glass, will sacrifice you on a stone altar?" asked Ned, with a
laugh.

"No, but there might be wild beasts in there," went on the young
inventor, "and I'm sure there are any number of bats. There must be
lots of nooks and corners in there where a whole army could hide.
It's an immense place."

The ruined temple certainly was large in extent, and in its glory
must have been a wonderful place. The balloon came nearer, and then
Tom let it sink to rest on the sand not far from the ancient ruin.
Out he leaped, followed by his friends, and for a moment they stood
in silent contemplation of the vast temple. Then as the last rays of
the setting sun turned the white stones to gold, Tom exclaimed:

"A good omen! I'm sure the city of gold must be near here, and in
the morning we'll begin our search for the secret tunnel that leads
to it."

"That's the stuff!" cried Ned enthusiastically.

An instant later it seemed to get dark very suddenly, as it does in
the tropics, and almost with the first shadows of night there came a
strange sound from the ruined temple.

It was a low moaning, rumbling sound, like a mighty wind, afar off,
and it sent a cold shiver down the spines of all in the little
party.

"Good land a' massy! What am dat?" moaned Eradicate, as he darted
back toward the balloon.

"Bless my looking glass!" cried Mr. Damon.

A second later the noise suddenly increased, and something black,
accompanied by a noise of rapidly beating wings rushed from one of
the immense doorways.

"Bats!" cried Tom. "Thousands of bats! I'm glad we didn't go in
after dark!" And bats they were, that had made the noise as they
rushed out on their nightly flight.

"Ugh!" shuddered Mr. Damon. "I detest the creatures! Let's get under
cover."

"Yes," agreed Tom, "we'll have supper, turn in, and be up early to
look for the tunnel. We're here at last. I'll dream of gold to-
night."

Eradicate soon had a meal in preparation, though he stopped every
now and then to peer out at the bats, that still came in unbroken
flight from the old temple. Truly there must have been many
thousands of them.

Whether Tom dreamed of gold that night he did not say, but he was
the first one up in the morning, and Ned saw him hurrying over the
sands toward the temple.

"Hold on, Tom!" his chum called as he hastened to dress. "Where you
going?"

"To have a hunt for that tunnel before breakfast. I don't want to
lose any time. No telling when Delazes and his crowd may be after
us. And the Fogers, too, may strike our trail. Come on, we'll get
busy."

"Where do you think the tunnel will be?" asked Ned, when he had
caught up to Tom.

"Well, according to all that Mr. Illingway could tell us, it was
somewhere near this temple. We'll make a circle of it, and if we
don't come across it then we'll make another, and so on, increasing
the size of the circles each time, until we find what we're looking
for."

"Let's have a look inside the temple first," suggested Ned. "It must
have been a magnificent place when it was new, and with the
processions of people and priests in their golden robes."

"You ought to have been an Aztec," suggested Tom, as he headed for
one of the big doorways.

They found the interior of the temple almost as badly in ruins as
was the outside. In many places the roof had fallen in, the side
walls contained many gaping holes, and the stone floor was broken
away in many places, showing yawning, black caverns below. They saw
hundreds of bats clinging to projections, but the ugly creatures
were silent in sleep now.

"Bur-r-r-r-r!" murmured Ned. "I shouldn't like any of 'em to fall on
me."

"No, it's not a very nice place to go in," agreed Tom.

They saw that the temple consisted of two parts, or two circular
buildings, one within the other. Around the outer part were many
rooms, which had evidently formed the living apartments of the
priests. There were galleries, chambers, halls and assembly rooms.
Then the whole of the interior of the temple, under a great dome
that had mostly fallen in, consisted of a vast room, which was
probably where the worship went on. For, even without going farther
than to the edge of it, the youths could see stone altars, and many
strangely-carved figures and statues. Some had fallen over and lay
in ruins on the floor. The whole scene was one of desolation.

"Come on," invited Tom, "it's healthier and more pleasant outside.
Let's look for that tunnel."

But the lads soon realized that it was not going to be as easy to
locate this as they had hoped. They were looking for some sort of
slanting opening, going down into the earth--the entrance to the
underground city--but though they both made a complete circuit of
the temple, each at a varying distance from the outer walls, no
tunnel entrance showed.

"Breakfust! Breakfust!" called Eradicate, when Tom was about to
start on a second round.

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