Book: Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

V >> Victor Appleton >> Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Scanned by Charles Keller with
OmniPage Professional OCR software
donated by Caere Corporation, 1-800-535-7226.
Contact Mike Lough

TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS

OR

The Underground Search
for the Idol of Gold

BY VICTOR APPLETON

AUTHOR OF
"TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTORCYCLE,"
"TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL,"
"THE MOVING PICTURE BOYS SERIES,"
"THE MOTION PICTURE CHUMS SERIES," ETC.

THE TOM SWIFT SERIES

1 TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
2 TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
3 TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
4 TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
5 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
6 TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
7 TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
8 TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
9 TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
10 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
11 TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
12 TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR GLIDER
13 TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
14 TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIZARD CAMERA
15 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT SEARCHLIGHT
16 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT CANNON
17 TOM SWIFT AND HIS PHOTO TELEPHONE
18 TOM SWIFT AND HIS AERIAL WARSHIP
19 TOM SWIFT AND HIS BIG TUNNEL
20 TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS
21 TOM SWIFT AND HIS WAR TANK
22 TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIR SCOUT
23 TOM SWIFT AND HIS UNDERSEA SEARCH
24 TOM SWIFT AMONG THE FIRE FIGHTERS
25 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
26 TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING BOAT
27 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GREAT OIL GUSHER
28 TOM SWIFT AND HIS CHEST OF SECRETS
29 TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRLINE EXPRESS
***

Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

CONTENTS

I A WONDERFUL STORY
II PROFESSOR BUMPER ARRIVES
III BLESSINGS AND ENTHUSIASM
IV FENIMORE BEECHER
V THE LITTLE GREEN GOD
VI UNPLEASANT NEWS
VII TOM HEARS SOMETHING
VIII OFF FOR HONDURAS
IX VAL JACINTO
X IN THE WILDS
XI THE VAMPIRES
XII A FALSE FRIEND
XIII FORWARD AGAIN
XIV A NEW GUIDE
XV IN THE COILS
XVI A MEETING IN THE JUNGLE
XVII THE LOST MAP
XVIII "EL TIGRE!"
XIX POISONED ARROWS
XX AN OLD LEGEND
XXI THE CAVERN
XXII THE STORM
XXIII ENTOMBED ALIVE
XXIV THE REVOLVING STONE
XXV THE IDOL OF GOLD

TOM SWIFT IN THE LAND OF WONDERS

CHAPTER I

A WONDERFUL STORY

Tom Swift, who had been slowly looking
through the pages of a magazine, in the contents
of which he seemed to be deeply interested,
turned the final folio, ruffled the sheets back
again to look at a certain map and drawing, and
then, slapping the book down on a table before
him, with a noise not unlike that of a shot,
exclaimed:

"Well, that is certainly one wonderful story!"

"What's it about, Tom?" asked his chum, Ned
Newton. "Something about inside baseball, or a
new submarine that can be converted into an
airship on short notice?"

"Neither one, you--you unscientific heathen,"
answered Tom, with a laugh at Ned. "Though
that isn't saying such a machine couldn't be invented."

"I believe you--that is if you got on its trail,"
returned Ned, and there was warm admiration in
his voice.

"As for inside baseball, or outside, for that
matter, I hardly believe I'd be able to tell third
base from the second base, it's so long since I
went to a game," proceeded Tom. "I've been
too busy on that new airship stabilizer dad gave
me an idea for. I've been working too hard,
that's a fact. I need a vacation, and maybe a
good baseball game----"

He stopped and looked at the magazine he had
so hastily slapped down. Something he had read
in it seemed to fascinate him.

"I wonder if it can possibly be true," he went
on. "It sounds like the wildest dream of a
professional sleep-walker; and yet, when I stop to
think, it isn't much worse than some of the
things we've gone through with, Ned."

"Say, for the love of rice-pudding! will you
get down to brass tacks and strike a trial
balance? What are you talking of, anyhow? Is it
a joke?"

"A joke?"

"Yes. What you just read in that magazine
which seems to cause you so much excitement."

"Well, it may be a joke; and yet the professor
seems very much in earnest about it," replied
Tom. "It certainly is one wonderful story!"

"So you said before. Come on--the `fillium'
is busted. Splice it, or else put in a new reel and
on with the show. I'd like to know what's doing.
What professor are you talking of?"

"Professor Swyington Bumper."

"Swyington Bumper?" and Ned's voice
showed that his memory was a bit hazy.

"Yes. You ought to remember him. He was
on the steamer when I went down to Peru to
help the Titus Brothers dig the big tunnel. That
plotter Waddington, or some of his tools,
dropped a bomb where it might have done us
some injury, but Professor Bumper, who was a
fellow passenger, on his way to South America
to look for the lost city of Pelone, calmly picked
up the bomb, plucked out the fuse, and saved
us from bad injuries, if not death. And he was
as cool about it as an ice-cream cone. Surely
you remember!"

"Swyington Bumper! Oh, yes, now I remember
him," said Ned Newton. "But what has
he got to do with a wonderful story? Has he
written more about the lost city of Pelone? If
he has I don't see anything so very wonderful
in that."

"There isn't," agreed Tom. "But this isn't
that," and Tom picked up the magazine and
leafed it to find the article he had been reading.

"Let's have a look at it," suggested Ned. "You
act as though you might be vitally interested
in it. Maybe you're thinking of joining forces
with the professor again, as you did when you
dug the big tunnel."

"Oh, no. I haven't any such idea," Tom said.
"I've got enough work laid out now to keep me
in Shopton for the next year. I have no notion
of going anywhere with Professor Bumper. Yet
I can't help being impressed by this," and,
having found the article in the magazine to which
he referred, he handed it to his chum.

"Why, it's by Bumper himself!" exclaimed Ned.

"Yes. Though there's nothing remarkable in
that, seeing that he is constantly contributing
articles to various publications or writing books.
It's the story itself that's so wonderful. To
save you the trouble of wading through a lot
of scientific detail, which I know you don't care
about, I'll tell you that the story is about a queer
idol of solid gold, weighing many pounds, and,
in consequence, of great value."

"Of solid gold you say?" asked Ned eagerly.

"That's it. Got on your banking air already,"
Tom laughed. "To sum it up for you--notice
I use the word `sum,' which is very appropriate
for a bank--the professor has got on the track
of another lost or hidden city. This one, the
name of which doesn't appear, is in the Copan
valley of Honduras, and----"

"Copan," interrupted Ned. "It sounds like
the name of some new floor varnish."

"Well, it isn't, though it might be," laughed
Tom. "Copan is a city, in the Department of
Copan, near the boundary between Honduras and
Guatemala. A fact I learned from the article
and not because I remembered my geography."

"I was going to say," remarked Ned with a
smile, "that you were coming it rather strong
on the school-book stuff."

"Oh, it's all plainly written down there," and
Tom waved toward the magazine at which Ned
was looking. "As you'll see, if you take the
trouble to go through it, as I did, Copan is, or
maybe was, for all I know, one of the most
important centers of the Mayan civilization."

"What's Mayan?" asked Ned. "You see I'm
going to imbibe my information by the deductive
rather than the excavative process," he added
with a laugh.

"I see," laughed Tom. "Well, Mayan refers
to the Mayas, an aboriginal people of Yucatan.
The Mayas had a peculiar civilization of their
own, thousands of years ago, and their calendar
system was so involved----"

"Never mind about dates," again interrupted
Ned. "Get down to brass tacks. I'm willing
to take your word for it that there's a Copan
valley in Honduras. But what has your friend
Professor Bumper to do with it?"

"This. He has come across some old
manuscripts, or ancient document records, referring
to this valley, and they state, according to this
article he has written for the magazine, that
somewhere in the valley is a wonderful city,
traces of which have been found twenty to forty
feet below the surface, on which great trees are
growing, showing that the city was covered
hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago."

"But where does the idol of gold come in?"

"I'm coming to that," said Tom. "Though,
if Professor Bumper has his way, the idol will
be coming out instead of coming in."

"You mean he wants to get it and take it
away from the Copan valley, Tom?"

"That's it, Ned. It has great value not only
from the amount of pure gold that is in it, but
as an antique. I fancy the professor is more
interested in that aspect of it. But he's written
a wonderful story, telling how he happened to
come across the ancient manuscripts in the tomb
of some old Indian whose mummy he unearthed
on a trip to Central America.

"Then he tells of the trouble he had in
discovering how to solve the key to the translation
code; but when he did, he found a great story
unfolded to him.

"This story has to do with the hidden city,
and tells of the ancient civilization of those who
lived in the Copan valley thousands of years ago.
The people held this idol of gold to be their
greatest treasure, and they put to death many of
other tribes who sought to steal it."

"Whew!" whistled Ned. "That IS some yarn.
But what is Professor Bumper going to do about it?"

"I don't know. The article seems to be written
with an idea of interesting scientists and
research societies, so that they will raise money
to conduct a searching expedition.

"Perhaps by this time the party may be
organized--this magazine is several months old.
I have been so busy on my stabilizer patent that
I haven't kept up with current literature. Take
it home and read it! Ned. That is if you're
through telling me about my affairs," for Ned,
who had formerly worked in the Shopton bank,
had recently been made general financial man-
ager of the interests of Tom and his father. The
two were inventors and proverbially poor business
men, though they had amassed a fortune.

"Your financial affairs are all right, Tom," said
Ned. "I have just been going over the books,
and I'll submit a detailed report later."

The telephone bell rang and Tom picked up
the instrument from the desk. As he answered in
the usual way and then listened a moment, a
strange look came over his face.

"Well, this certainly is wonderful!" he exclaimed,
in much the same manner as when he had finished
reading the article about the idol. "It certainly
is a strange coincidence," he added,
speaking in an aside to Ned while he himself
still listened to what was being told to him
over the telephone wire.

CHAPTER II

PROFESSOR BUMPER ARRIVES

"What's the matter, Tom? What is it?"
asked Ned Newton, attracted by the strange
manner of his chum at the telephone. "Has
anything happened?"

But the young inventor was too busy listening
to the unseen speaker to answer his chum,
even if he heard what Ned remarked, which is
doubtful.

"Well, I might as well wait until he is
through," mused Ned, as he started to leave the
room. Then as Tom motioned to him to remain,
he murmured: "He may have something
to say to me later. But I wonder who is talking
to him."

There was no way of finding out, however,
until Tom had a chance to talk to Ned, and at
present the young scientist was eagerly listening
to what came over the wire. Occasionally Ned
could hear him say:

"You don't tell me! That is surprising! Yes
--yes! Of course if it's true it means a big
thing, I can understand that. What's that? No,
I couldn't make a promise like that. I'm sorry,
but----"

Then the person at the other end of the wire
must have plunged into something very interesting
and absorbing, for Tom did not again
interrupt by interjected remarks.

Tom. Swift, as has been said, was an inventor,
as was his father. Mr. Swift was now rather old
and feeble, taking only a nominal part in the
activities of the firm made up of himself and his
son. But his inventions were still used, many
of them being vital to the business and trade of
this country.

Tom and his father lived in the village of
Shopton, New York, and their factories covered
many acres of ground. Those who wish to read
of the earliest activities of Tom in the inventive
line are referred to the initial volume, "Tom
Swift and His Motor Cycle." From then on he
and his father had many and exciting adventures.
In a motor boat, an airship, and a submarine
respectively the young inventor had gone through
many perils. On some of the trips his chum,
Ned Newton, accompanied him, and very often
in the party was a Mr. Wakefield Damon, who
had a curious habit of "blessing" everything
that happened to strike his fancy.

Besides Tom and his father, the Swift household
was made up of Eradicate Sampson, a colored
man-of-all-work, who, with his mule Boomerang,
did what he could to keep the grounds
around the house in order. There was also Mrs.
Baggert, the housekeeper, Tom's mother being
dead. Mr. Damon, living in a neighboring town,
was a frequent visitor in the Swift home.

Mary Nestor, a girl of Shopton, might also
be mentioned. She and Tom were more than
just good friends. Tom had an idea that some
day----. But there, I promised not to tell that
part, at least until the young people themselves
were ready to have a certain fact announced.

From one activity to another had Tom Swift
gone, now constructing some important invention
for himself, as among others, when he made
the photo-telephone, or developed a great
searchlight which he presented to the Government
for use in detecting smugglers on the
border.

The book immediately preceding this is called
"Tom Swift and His Bit, Tunnel," and deals
with the efforts of the young inventor to help a
firm of contractors penetrate a mountain in
Peru. How this was done and how, incidental-
ly, the lost city of Pelone was discovered, bringing
joy to the heart of Professor Swyington
Bumper, will be found fully set forth in the book.

Tom had been back from the Peru trip for
some months, when we again find him interested
in some of the work of Professor Bumper,
as set forth in the magazine mentioned.

"Well, he certainly is having some conversation,"
reflected Ned, as, after more than five
minutes, Tom's ear was still at the receiver of
the instrument, into the transmitter of which
he had said only a few words.

"All right," Tom finally answered, as he hung
the receiver up, "I'll be here," and then he turned
to Ned, whose curiosity had been growing with
the telephone talk, and remarked:

"That certainly was wonderful!"

"What was?" asked Ned. "Do you think I'm
a mind reader to be able to guess?"

"No, indeed! I beg your pardon. I'll tell you
at once. But I couldn't break away. It was
too important. To whom do you think I was
talking just then?"

"I can imagine almost any one, seeing I know
something of what you have done. It might be
almost anybody from some person you met up
in the caves of ice to a red pygmy from the
wilds of Africa."

"I'm afraid neither of them would be quite
up to telephone talk yet," laughed Tom. "No,
this was the gentleman who wrote that interesting
article about the idol of gold," and he
motioned to the magazine Ned held in his hand.

"You don't mean Professor Bumper!"

"That's just whom I do mean."

"What did he want? Where did he call
from?"

"He wants me to help organize an expedition
to go to Central America--to the Copan valley,
to be exact--to look for this somewhat mythical
idol of gold. Incidentally the professor will
gather in any other antiques of more or less
value, if he can find any, and he hopes, even if he
doesn't find the idol, to get enough historical
material for half a dozen books, to say nothing
of magazine articles."

"Where did he call from; did you say?"

"I didn't say. But it was a long-distance call
from New York. The Professor stopped off
there on his way from Boston, where he has been
lecturing before some society. And now he's
coming here to see me," finished Tom.

"What! Is he going to lecture here?" cried
Ned. "If he is, and spouts a whole lot of that
bone-dry stuff about the ancient Mayan civilization
and their antiquities, with side lights on
how the old-time Indians used to scalp their
enemies, I'm going to the moving pictures! I'm
willing to be your financial manager, Tom Swift,
but please don't ask me to be a high-brow. I
wasn't built for that."

"Nor I, Ned. The professor isn't going to
lecture. He's only going to talk, he says."

"What about?"

"He's going to try to induce me to join his
expedition to the Copan valley."

"Do you feel inclined to go?"

"No, Ned, I do not. I've got too many other
irons in the fire. I shall have to give the professor
a polite but firm refusal."

"Well, maybe you're right, Tom; and yet that
idol of gold--GOLD--weighing how many pounds
did you say?"

"Oh, you're thinking of its money value, Ned,
old man!"

"Yes, I'd like to see what a big chunk of gold
like that would bring. It must be quite a nugget.
But I'm not likely to get a glimpse of it
if you don't go with the professor."

"I don't see how I can go, Ned. But come
over and meet the delightful gentleman when
he arrives. I expect him day after to-morrow."

"I'll be here," promised Ned; and then he
went downtown to attend to some matters con-
nected with his new duties, which were much
less irksome than those he had had when he
had been in the bank.

"Well, Tom, have you heard any more about
your friend?" asked Ned, two days later, as he
came to the Swift home with some papers needing
the signature of the young inventor and his
father.

"You mean----?"

"Professor Bumper."

"No, I haven't heard from him since he
telephoned. But I guess he'll be here all right.
He's very punctual. Did you see anything of
my giant Koku as you came in?"

"Yes, he and Eradicate were having an
argument about who should move a heavy casting
from one of the shops. Rad wanted to do it
all alone, but Koku said he was like a baby now."

"Poor Rad is getting old," said Tom with a
sigh. "But he has been very faithful. He and
Koku never seem to get along well together."

Koku was an immense man, a veritable giant,
one of two whom Tom had brought back with
him after an exciting trip to a strange land. The
giant's strength was very useful to the young
inventor.

"Now Tom, about this business of leasing to
the English Government the right to manufac-
ture that new explosive of yours," began Ned,
plunging into the business at hand. "I think
if you stick out a little you can get a better
royalty price."

"But I don't want to gouge 'em, Ned. I'm
satisfied with a fair profit. The trouble with
you is you think too much of money. Now----"

At that moment a voice was heard in the hall
of the house saying:

"Now, my dear lady, don't trouble yourself.
I can find my way in to Tom Swift perfectly well
by myself, and while I appreciate your courtesy
I do not want to trouble you."

"No, don't come, Mrs. Baggert," added another
voice. "Bless my hat band, I think I know my
way about the house by this time!"

"Mr. Damon!" ejaculated Ned.

"And Professor Bumper is with him," added
Tom. "Come in!" he cried, opening the hall
door, to confront a bald-headed man who stood
peering at our hero with bright snapping eyes,
like those of some big bird spying out the land
from afar. "Come in, Professor Bumper; and
you too, Mr. Damon!"

CHAPTER III

BLESSINGS AND ENTHUSIASM

Greetings and inquiries as to health having
been passed, not without numerous blessings on
the part of Mr. Damon, the little party gathered
in the library of the home of Tom Swift sat
down and looked at one another.

On Professor Bumper's face there was, plainly
to be seen, a look of expectation, and it seemed
to be shared by Mr. Damon, who seemed eager
to burst into enthusiastic talk. On the other
hand Tom Swift appeared a bit indifferent.

Ned himself admitted that he was frankly
curious. The story of the big idol of gold had
occupied his thoughts for many hours.

"Well, I'm glad to see you both," said Tom
again. "You got here all right, I see, Professor
Bumper. But I didn't expect you to meet and
bring Mr. Damon with you."

"I met him on the train," explained the author
of the book on the lost city of Pelone, as well
as books on other antiquities. "I had no
expectation of seeing him, and we were both
surprised when we met on the express."

"It stopped at Waterfield, Tom," explained
Mr. Damon, "which it doesn't usually do, being
an aristocratic sort of train, not given even to
hesitating at our humble little town. There
were some passengers to get off, which caused
the flier to stop, I suppose. And, as I wanted
to come over to see you, I got aboard."

"Glad you did," voiced Tom.

"Then I happened to see Professor Bumper a
few seats ahead of me," went on Mr. Damon,
"and, bless my scarfpin! he was coming to see
you also."

"Well, I'm doubly glad," answered Tom.

"So here we are," went on Mr. Damon, "and
you've simply got to come, Tom Swift. You
must go with us!" and Mr. Damon, in his
enthusiasm, banged his fist down on the table with
such force that he knocked some books to the floor.

Koku, the giant, who was in the hall, opened
the door and in his imperfect English asked:

"Master Tom knock for him bigs man?"

"No," answered Tom with a smile, "I didn't knock
or call you, Koku. Some books fell, that is all."

"Massa Tom done called fo' me, dat's what he done!"
broke in the petulant voice of Eradicate.

"No, Rad, I don't need anything," Tom said.
"Though you might make a pitcher of lemonade.
It's rather warm."

"Right away, Massa Tom! Right away!" cried
the old colored man, eager to be of service.

"Me help, too!" rumbled Koku, in his deep
voice. "Me punch de lemons!" and away he
hurried after Eradicate, fearful lest the old
servant do all the honors.

"Same old Rad and Koku," observed Mr.
Damon with a smile. "But now, Tom, while
they're making the lemonade, let's get down to
business. You're going with us, of course!"

"Where?" asked Tom, more from habit than
because he did not know.

"Where? Why to Honduras, of course! After
the idol of gold! Why, bless my fountain pen,
it's the most wonderful story I ever heard of!
You've read Professor Bumper's article, of
course. He told me you had. I read it on the
train coming over. He also told me about it,
and---- Well, I'm going with him, Tom Swift.

"And think of all the adventures that may
befall us! We'll get lost in buried cities, ride down
raging torrents on a raft, fall over a cliff maybe
and be rescued. Why, it makes me feel quite
young again!" and Mr. Damon arose, to pace
excitedly up and down the room.

Up to this time Professor Bumper had said
very little. He had sat still in his chair
listening to Mr. Damon. But now that the latter had
ceased, at least for a time, Tom and Ned looked
toward the scientist.

"I understand, Tom," he said, "that you read
my article in the magazine, about the possibility
of locating some of the lost and buried cities of
Honduras?"

"Yes, Ned and I each read it. It was quite
wonderful."

"And yet there are more wonders to tell," went
on the professor. "I did not give all the details
in that article. I will tell you some of them. I
have brought copies of the documents with me,"
and he opened a small valise and took out several
bundles tied with pink tape.

"As Mr. Damon said," he went on while
arranging his papers, "he met me on the train, and
he was so taken by the story of the idol of gold
that he agreed to accompany me to Central America."

"On one condition!" put in the eccentric man.

"What's that? You didn't make any conditions
while we were talking," said the scientist.

"Yes, I said I'd go if Tom Swift did."

"Oh, yes. You did say that. But I don't call
that a condition, for of course Tom Swift will go.
Now let me tell you something more than I could
impart over the telephone.

"Soon after I called you up, Tom--and it was
quite a coincidence that it should have been at a
time when you had just finished my magazine
article. Soon after that, as I was saying, I
arranged to come on to Shopton. And now I'm
glad we're all here together.

"But how comes it, Ned Newton, that you are
not in the bank?"

"I've left there," explained Ned.

"He's now general financial man for the Swift
Company," Tom explained. "My father and I
found that we could not look after the inventing
and experimental end, and money matters, too,
and as Ned had had considerable experience this
way we made him take over those worries," and
Tom laughed genially.

"No worries at all, as far as the Swift
Company is concerned," returned Ned.

"Well, I guess you earn your salary," laughed
Tom. "But now, Professor Bumper, let's hear
from you. Is there anything more about this
idol of gold that you can tell us?"

"Plenty, Tom, plenty. I could talk all day,
and not get to the end of the story. But a lot
of it would be scientific detail that might be too
dry for you in spite of this excellent lemonade,"

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10