Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders; Or, The Underground Search for the Idol of Gold

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER X

  IN THE WILDS

  "All aboard! Step lively now! This boat makes no stops this side ofBoston!" cried Ned Newton gaily, as he got into one of the several treecanoes provided for the transportation of the party up the Chameleconriver, for the first stage of their journey into the wilds of Honduras."All aboard! This reminds me of my old camping days, Tom."

  It brought those days back, in a measure, to Tom also. For there werea number of canoes filled with the goods of the party, while themembers themselves occupied a larger one with their personal baggage.Strong, half-naked Indian paddlers were in charge of the canoes whichwere of sturdy construction and light draft, since the river, like mosttropical streams, was of uncertain depths, choked here and there withsand bars or tropical growths.

  Finding that Val Jacinto was regularly engaged in the business oftaking explorers and mine prospectors into the interior, ProfessorBumper had engaged the man. He seemed to be efficient. At thepromised time he had the canoes and paddlers on hand and the goodssafely stowed away while one big craft was fitted up as comfortably aspossible for the men of the party.

  As Ned remarked, it did look like a camping party, for in the canoeswere tents, cooking utensils and, most important, mosquito canopies ofheavy netting.

  The insect pests of Honduras, as in all tropical countries, areannoying and dangerous. Therefore it was imperative to sleep undermosquito netting.

  On the advice of Val Jacinto, who was to accompany them, the travelerswere to go up the river about fifty miles. This was as far as it wouldbe convenient to use the canoes, the guide told Tom and his friends,and from there on the trip to the Copan valley would be made on thebacks of mules, which would carry most of the baggage and equipment.The heavier portions would be transported in ox-carts.

  As Professor Bumper expected to do considerable excavating in order tolocate the buried city, or cities, as the case might be, he had tocontract for a number of Indian diggers and laborers. These could behired in Copan, it was said.

  The plan, therefore, was to travel by canoes during the less heatedparts of the day, and tie up at night, making camp on shore in thenet-protected tents. As for the Indians, they did not seem to mind thebites of the insects. They sometimes made a smudge fire, Val Jacintohad said, but that was all.

  "Well, we haven't seen anything of Beecher and his friends," remarkedthe young inventor as they were about to start.

  "No, he doesn't seem to have arrived," agreed Professor Bumper. "We'llget ahead of him, and so much the better.

  "Well, are we all ready to start?" he continued, as he looked over thelittle flotilla which carried his party and his goods.

  "The sooner the better!" cried Tom, and Ned fancied his chum wasunusually eager.

  "I guess he wants to make good before Beecher gets the chance to showMary Nestor what he can do," thought Ned. "Tom sure is after that idolof gold."

  "You may start, Senor Jacinto," said the professor, and the guidecalled something in Indian dialect to the rowers. Lines were cast offand the boats moved out into the stream under the influence of thesturdy paddlers.

  "Well, this isn't so bad," observed Ned, as he made himself comfortablein his canoe. "How about it, Tom?"

  "Oh, no. But this is only the beginning."

  A canopy had been arranged over their boat to keep off the scorchingrays of the sun. The boat containing the exploring party and ValJacinto took the lead, the baggage craft following. At the place whereit flowed into the bay on which Puerto Cortes was built, the stream waswide and deep.

  The guide called something to the Indians, who increased their stroke.

  "I tell them to pull hard and that at the end of the day's journey theywill have much rest and refreshment," he translated to Professor Bumperand the others.

  "Bless my ham sandwich, but they'll need plenty of some sort ofrefreshment," said Mr. Damon, with a sigh. "I never knew it to be sohot."

  "Don't complain yet," advised Tom, with a laugh. "The worst is yet tocome."

  It really was not unpleasant traveling, aside from the heat. And theyhad expected that, coming as they had to a tropical land. But, as Tomsaid, what lay before them might be worse.

  In a little while they had left behind them all signs of civilization.The river narrowed and flowed sluggishly between the banks which wereluxuriant with tropical growth. Now and then some lonely Indian hutcould be seen, and occasionally a craft propelled by a man who wastrying to gain a meager living from the rubber forest which hemmed inthe stream on either side.

  As the canoe containing the men was paddled along, there floated downbeside it what seemed to be a big, rough log.

  "I wonder if that is mahogany," remarked Mr. Damon, reaching over totouch it. "Mahogany is one of the most valuable woods of Honduras, andif this is a log of that nature----

  "Bless my watch chain!" he suddenly cried. "It's alive!"

  And the "log" was indeed so, for there was a sudden flash of whiteteeth, a long red opening showed, and then came a click as an immensealligator, having opened and closed his mouth, sank out of sight in aswirl of water.

  Mr. Damon drew back so suddenly that he tilted the canoe, and the blackpaddlers looked around wonderingly.

  "Alligator," explained Jacinto succinctly, in their tongue.

  "Ugh!" they grunted.

  "Bless my--bless my----" hesitated Mr. Damon, and for one of the veryfew times in his life his language failed him.

  "Are there many of them hereabouts?" asked Ned, looking back at theswirl left by the saurian.

  "Plenty," said the guide, with a shrug of his shoulders. He seemed todo as much talking that way, and with his hands, as he did in speech."The river is full of them."

  "Dangerous?" queried Tom.

  "Don't go in swimming," was the significant advice. "Wait, I'll showyou," and he called up the canoe just behind.

  In this canoe was a quantity of provisions. There was a chunk of meatamong other things, a gristly piece, seeing which Mr. Damon hadobjected to its being brought along, but the guide had said it would dofor fish bait. With a quick motion of his hand, as he sat in theawning-covered stern with Tom, Ned and the others, Jacinto sent thechunk of meat out into the muddy stream.

  Hardly a second later there was a rushing in the water as though asubmarine were about to come up. An ugly snout was raised, two rows ofkeen teeth snapped shut as a scissors-like jaw opened, and the meat wasgone.

  "See!" was the guide's remark, and something like a cold shiver of fearpassed over the white members of the party. "This water is not made inwhich to swim. Be careful!"

  "We certainly shall," agreed Tom. "They're fierce."

  "And always hungry," observed Jacinto grimly.

  "And to think that I--that I nearly had my hand on it," murmured Mr.Damon. "Ugh! Bless my eyeglasses!"

  "The alligator nearly had your hand," said the guide. "They can turnin the water like a flash, wherefore it is not wise to pat one on thetail lest it present its mouth instead."

  They paddled on up the river, the dusky Indians now and then breakingout into a chant that seemed to give their muscles new energy. Thesong, if song it was, passed from one boat to the other, and as thechant boomed forth the craft shot ahead more swiftly.

  They made a landing about noon, and lunch was served. Tom and hisfriends were hungry in spite of the heat. Moreover, they wereexperienced travelers and had learned not to fret over inconveniencesand discomforts. The Indians ate by themselves, two acting as servantsto Jacinto and the professor's party.

  As is usual in traveling in the tropics, a halt was made during theheated middle of the day. Then, as the afternoon shadows were waning,the party again took to the canoes and paddled on up the river.

  "Do you know of a good place to stop during the night?" asked ProfessorBumper of Jacinto.

  "Oh, yes; a most excellent place. It is where I always bringscientific parties I am guiding. You may rely on me."

  It was within an
hour of dusk--none too much time to allow in which topitch camp in the tropics, where night follows day suddenly--when ahalt was called, as a turn of the river showed a little clearing on theedge of the forest-bound river.

  "We stay here for the night," said Jacinto. "It is a good place."

  "It looks picturesque enough," observed Mr. Damon. "But it is ratherwild."

  "We are a good distance from a settlement," agreed the guide. "But onecan not explore--and find treasure in cities," and he shrugged hisshoulders again.

  "Find treasure? What do you mean?" asked Tom quickly. "Do you thinkthat we----?"

  "Pardon, Senor," replied Jacinto softly. "I meant no offense. I thinkthat all you scientific parties will take treasure if you can find it."

  "We are looking for traces of the old Honduras civilization," put inProfessor Bumper.

  "And doubtless you will find it," was the somewhat too courteous answerof the guide. "Make camp quickly!" he called to the Indians in theirtongue. "You must soon get under the nets or you will be eaten alive!"he told Tom. "There are many mosquitoes here."

  The tents were set up, smudge fires built and supper quickly prepared.Dusk fell rapidly, and as Tom and Ned walked a little way down towardthe river before turning in under the mosquito canopies, the youngfinancial man said:

  "Sort of lonesome and gloomy, isn't it, Tom?"

  "Yes. But you didn't expect to find a moving picture show in the wildsof Honduras, did you?"

  "No, and yet-- Look out! What's that?" suddenly cried Ned, as a greatsoft, black shadow seemed to sweep out of a clump of trees toward him.Involuntarily he clutched Tom's arm and pointed, his face showing fearin the fast-gathering darkness.