Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders | Page 4

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