Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders | Page 8

see the European war has called for the use of a large number of
aeroplanes, and as the pilots of them frequently have to fight, and so
can not give their whole attention to the machines, some form of
automatic stabilizer is needed to prevent them turning turtle, or going
off at a wrong tangent.
"So I have been working out a sort of modified gyroscope, and it seems
to answer the purpose. I have already received advance orders for a
number of my devices from abroad, and as they are destined to save
lives I feel that I ought to keep on with my work.
"I'd like to go, don't misunderstand me, but I can't go at this time. It is
out of the question. If you wait a year, or maybe six months----"
"No, it is impossible to wait, Tom," declared Professor Bumper.
"Is it so important then to hurry?" asked Mr. Damon. "You did not
mention that to me, Professor Bumper."
"No, I did not have time. There are so many ends to my concerns. But,
Tom Swift, you simply must go!"

"I can't, my dear professor, much as I should like to."
"But, Tom, think of it!" cried Mr. Damon, who was as much excited as
was the little bald- headed scientist. "You never saw such an idol of
gold as this. What's its name?" and he looked questioningly at the
professor.
"Quitzel the idol is called," supplied Professor Bumper. "And it is
supposed to be in a buried city named Kurzon, somewhere in the Sierra
de Merendon range of mountains, in the vicinity of the Copan valley.
Copan is a city, or maybe we'll find it only a town when we get there,
and it is not far from the borders of Guatemala.
"Tom, if I could show you the translations I have made of the ancient
documents, referring to this idol and the wonderful city over which it
kept guard, I'm sure you'd come with us."
"Please don't tempt me," Tom said with a laugh. "I'm only too anxious
to go, and if it wasn't for the stabilizer I'd be with you in a minute.
But---- Well, you'll have to get along without me. Maybe I can join you
later."
"What's this about the idol keeping guard over the ancient city?" asked
Ned, for he was interested in strange stories.
"It seems," explained the professor, "that in the early days there was a
strange race of people, inhabiting Central America, with a somewhat
high civilization, only traces of which remained when the Spaniards
came.
"But these traces, and such hieroglyphics, or, to be more exact
pictographs, as I have been able to decipher from the old documents,
tell of one country, or perhaps it was only a city, over which this great
golden idol of Quitzel presided.
"There is in some of these papers a description of the idol, which is not
exactly a beauty, judged from modern standards. But the main fact is
that it is made of solid gold, and may weigh anywhere from one to two

tons."
"Two tons of gold!" cried New Newton. "Why, if that's the case it
would be worth----" and he fell to doing a sum in mental arithmetic.
"I am not so concerned about the monetary value of the statue as I am
about its antiquity," went on Professor Bumper. "There are other
statues in this buried city of Kurzon, and though they may not be so
valuable they will give me a wealth of material for my research work."
"How do you know there are other statues?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Because my documents tell me so. It was because the people made
other idols, in opposition, as it were, to Quitzel, that their city or
country was destroyed. At least that is the legend. Quitzel, so the story
goes, wanted to be the chief god, and when the image of a rival was set
up in the temple near him, he toppled over in anger, and part of the
temple went with him, the whole place being buried in ruins. All the
inhabitants were killed, and trace of the ancient city was lost forever.
No, I hope not forever, for I expect to find it."
"If all the people were killed, and the city buried, how did the story of
Quitzel become known?" asked Mr. Damon.
"One only of the priests in the temple of Quitzel escaped and set down
part of the tale," said the professor. "It is his narrative, or one based on
it, that I have given you."
"And now, what I want to do, is to go and make a search for this buried
city. I have fairly good directions as to how it may be reached. We will
have little difficulty in