Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders | Page 7

kitchen as to who should
squeeze the lemons, the giant insisting that he had the better right to
"punch" them.
"So, not to go into too many details," went on the professor, "I'll just
give you a brief outline of this story of the idol of gold.
"Honduras, as you of course know, is a republic of Central America,
and it gets its name from something that happened on the fourth voyage
of Columbus. He and his men had had days of weary sailing and had
sought in vain for shallow water in which they might come to an
anchorage. Finally they reached the point now known as Cape
Gracias-a-Dios, and when they let the anchor go, and found that in a
short time it came to rest on the floor of the ocean, some one of the
sailors--perhaps Columbus himself-- is said to have remarked:
"`Thank the Lord, we have left the deep waters (honduras)' that being
the Spanish word for unfathomable depths. So Honduras it was called,
and has been to this day.
"It is a queer land with many traces of an ancient civilization, a
civilization which I believe dates back farther than some in the far East.
On the sculptured stones in the Copan valley there are characters which
seem to resemble very ancient writing, but this pictographic writing is
largely untranslatable.
"Honduras, I might add, is about the size of our state of Ohio. It is
rather an elevated table- land, though there are stretches of tropical
forest, but it is not so tropical a country as many suppose it to be. There
is much gold scattered throughout Honduras, though of late it has not
been found in large quantities.
"In the old days, however, before the Spaniards came, it was plentiful,
so much, so that the natives made idols of it. And it is one of the largest
of these idols--by name Quitzel--that I am going to seek."

"Do you know where it is?" asked Ned.
"Well, it isn't locked up in a safe deposit box, of that I'm sure," laughed
the professor. "No, I don't know exactly where it is, except that it is
somewhere in an ancient and buried city known as Kurzon. If I knew
exactly where it was there wouldn't be much fun in going after it. And
if it was known to others it would have been taken away long ago.
"No, we've got to hunt for the idol of gold in this land of wonders
where I hope soon to be. Later on I'll show you the documents that put
me on the track of this idol. Enough now to show you an old map I
found, or, rather, a copy of it, and some of the papers that tell of the
idol," and he spread out his packet of papers on the table in front of him,
his eyes shining with excitement and pleasure. Mr. Damon, too, leaned
eagerly forward.
"So, Tom Swift," went on the professor, "I come to you for help in this
matter. I want you to aid me in organizing an expedition to go to
Honduras after the idol of gold. Will you?"
"I'll help you, of course," said Tom. "You may use any of my
inventions you choose--my airships, my motor boats and submarines,
even my giant cannon if you think you can take it with you. And as for
the money part, Ned will arrange that for you. But as for going with
you myself, it is out of the question. I can't. No Honduras for me!"
CHAPTER IX
FENIMORE BEECHER
Had Tom Swift's giant cannon been discharged somewhere in the
vicinity of his home it could have caused but little more astonishment
to Mr. Damon and Professor Bumper than did the simple
announcement of the young inventor. The professor seemed to shrink
back in his chair, collapsing like an automobile tire when the air is let
out. As for Mr. Damon he jumped up and cried:
"Bless my----!"

But that is as far as he got--at least just then. He did not seem to know
what to bless, but he looked as though he would have liked to include
most of the universe.
"Surely you don't mean it, Tom Swift," gasped Professor Bumper at
length. "Won't you come with us?"
"No," said Tom, slowly. "Really I can't go. I'm working on an invention
of a new aeroplane stabilizer, and if I go now it will be just at a time
when I am within striking distance of success. And the stabilizer is very
much needed."
"If it's a question of making a profit on it, Tom," began Mr. Damon, "I
can let you have some money until----"
"Oh, no! It isn't the money!" cried Tom. "Don't think that for a moment.
You