CHAPTER II
PROFESSOR BUMPER ARRIVES
"What's the matter, Tom? What is it?" asked Ned Newton, attracted bythe strange manner of his chum at the telephone. "Has anythinghappened?"
But the young inventor was too busy listening to the unseen speaker toanswer 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 hestarted to leave the room. Then as Tom motioned to him to remain, hemurmured: "He may have something to say to me later. But I wonder whois talking to him."
There was no way of finding out, however, until Tom had a chance totalk to Ned, and at present the young scientist was eagerly listeningto 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'strue it means a big thing, I can understand that. What's that? No, Icouldn't make a promise like that. I'm sorry, but----"
Then the person at the other end of the wire must have plunged intosomething very interesting and absorbing, for Tom did not againinterrupt 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 theactivities of the firm made up of himself and his son. But hisinventions were still used, many of them being vital to the businessand trade of this country.
Tom and his father lived in the village of Shopton, New York, and theirfactories covered many acres of ground. Those who wish to read of theearliest activities of Tom in the inventive line are referred to theinitial volume, "Tom Swift and His Motor Cycle." From then on he andhis father had many and exciting adventures. In a motor boat, anairship, and a submarine respectively the young inventor had gonethrough 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 tostrike his fancy.
Besides Tom and his father, the Swift household was made up ofEradicate Sampson, a colored man-of-all-work, who, with his muleBoomerang, did what he could to keep the grounds around the house inorder. There was also Mrs. Baggert, the housekeeper, Tom's motherbeing dead. Mr. Damon, living in a neighboring town, was a frequentvisitor in the Swift home.
Mary Nestor, a girl of Shopton, might also be mentioned. She and Tomwere 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 youngpeople themselves were ready to have a certain fact announced.
From one activity to another had Tom Swift gone, now constructing someimportant invention for himself, as among others, when he made thephoto-telephone, or developed a great searchlight which he presented tothe Government for use in detecting smugglers on the border.
The book immediately preceding this is called "Tom Swift and His BigTunnel," and deals with the efforts of the young inventor to help afirm of contractors penetrate a mountain in Peru. How this was doneand how, incidentally, the lost city of Pelone was discovered, bringingjoy to the heart of Professor Swyington Bumper, will be found fully setforth in the book.
Tom had been back from the Peru trip for some months, when we againfind him interested in some of the work of Professor Bumper, as setforth 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 ofthe instrument, into the transmitter of which he had said only a fewwords.
"All right," Tom finally answered, as he hung the receiver up, "I'll behere," and then he turned to Ned, whose curiosity had been growing withthe telephone talk, and remarked:
"That certainly was wonderful!"
"What was?" asked Ned. "Do you think I'm a mind reader to be able toguess?"
"No, indeed! I beg your pardon. I'll tell you at once. But I couldn'tbreak away. It was too important. To whom do you think I was talkingjust then?"
"I can imagine almost any one, seeing I know something of what you havedone. It might be almost anybody from some person you met up in thecaves 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 interestingarticle about the idol of gold," and he motioned to the magazine Nedheld 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 CentralAmerica--to the Copan valley, to be exact--to look for this somewhatmythical idol of gold. Incidentally the professor will gather in anyother 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 forhalf 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. TheProfessor stopped off there on his way from Boston, where he has beenlecturing 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 spoutsa whole lot of that bone-dry stuff about the ancient Mayan civilizationand their antiquities, with side lights on how the old-time Indiansused to scalp their enemies, I'm going to the moving pictures! I'mwilling to be your financial manager, Tom Swift, but please don't askme 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 totalk, he says."
"What about?"
"He's going to try to induce me to join his expedition to the Copanvalley."
"Do you feel inclined to go?"
"No, Ned, I do not. I've got too many other irons in the fire. Ishall have to give the professor a polite but firm refusal."
"Well, maybe you're right, Tom; and yet that idol ofgold--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 itif you don't go with the professor."
"I don't see how I can go, Ned. But come over and meet the delightfulgentleman when he arrives. I expect him day after to-morrow."
"I'll be here," promised Ned; and then he went downtown to attend tosome matters connected with his new duties, which were much lessirksome than those he had had when he had been in the bank.
"Well, Tom, have you heard any more about your friend?" asked Ned, twodays later, as he came to the Swift home with some papers needing thesignature 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'llbe here all right. He's very punctual. Did you see anything of mygiant Koku as you came in?"
"Yes, he and Eradicate were having an argument about who should move aheavy 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 veryfaithful. He and Koku never seem to get along well together."
Koku was an immense man, a veritable giant, one of two whom Tom hadbrought back with him after an exciting trip to a strange land. Thegiant's strength was very useful to the young inventor.
"Now Tom, about this business of leasing to the English Government theright to manufacture that new explosive of yours," began Ned, plunginginto the business at hand. "I think if you stick out a little you canget 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 f
ind my way in toTom Swift perfectly well by myself, and while I appreciate yourcourtesy I do not want to trouble you."
"No, don't come, Mrs. Baggert," added another voice. "Bless my hatband, 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 peeringat our hero with bright snapping eyes, like those of some big birdspying out the land from afar. "Come in, Professor Bumper; and youtoo, Mr. Damon!"
Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders; Or, The Underground Search for the Idol of Gold Page 2
