CHAPTER VII
TOM MAKES A PROMISE
It may well be imagined that the cable warning sent by Mr. Illingwaycaused our friends considerable anxiety. Coming as it did, almost atthe last minute, so brief--giving no particulars--it was veryominous. Yet Tom was not afraid, nor did any of the others showsigns of fear.
"Bless my shotgun!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, as he looked at the fewwords on the paper which Tom passed around. "I wish Mr. Illingwayhad said more about the head-hunters--or less."
"What do you mean?" asked Ned.
"Well, I wish he'd given us more particulars, told us where we mightbe on the lookout for the head-hunters, what sort of chaps theywere, and what they do to a fellow when they catch him."
"Their name seems plainly to indicate what they do," spoke Mr. Swiftgrimly. "They cut off the head of their enemies, like thatinteresting Filipino tribe. But perhaps they may not get after you.If they do--"
"If they do," interrupted Tom with a laugh, "we'll hop in ourdirigible balloon, and get above THEIR heads, and then I guess wecan give a good account of ourselves. But would you rather Mr.Illingway had said less about them, Mr. Damon?"
"Yes, I wish, as long as he couldn't tell us more, that he'd keptquiet about them altogether. It's no fun to be always on the lookoutfor danger. I'm afraid it will get on my nerves, to be continuallylooking behind a rock, or a tree, for a head-hunter. Bless my comband brush!"
"Well, 'forewarned is forearmed,'" quoted Ned. "We won't thinkanything more about them. It was kind of Mr. Illingway to warn us,and perhaps the head-hunters have all disappeared since that whitetraveler was after the city of gold. Some story which he told hisfriends, the natives in Africa, is probably responsible for themissionary's warning. Let's check over our lists of supplies, Tom,and see if we have everything down!"
"Can't you do that alone, Ned?"
"Why?" and Ned glanced quickly at his chum. Mr. Damon and Mr. Swifthad left the room.
"Well, I've get an engagement--a call to make, and--"
"Enough said, old man. Go ahead. I know what it is to be in love.I'll check the lists. Go see--"
"Now don't get fresh!" advised Tom with a laugh, as he went to hisroom to get ready to pay a little visit.
"I say, Tom," called Ned after him. "What about Eradicate? Are yougoing to take him along? He'd be a big help."
"I know he would, but he doesn't want to go. He balked worse thanhis mule Boomerang when I spoke about an underground city. He saidhe didn't want to be buried before his time. I didn't tell him wewere going after gold, for sometimes Rad talks a bit too much, and Idon't want our plans known."
"But I did tell him that Mexico was a great place for chickens, andthat he might see a bull fight."
"Did he rise to that bait?"
"Not a bit of it. He said he had enough chickens of his own, and henever did like bulls anyhow. So I guess we'll have to get alongwithout Rad."
"It looks like it. Well, go and enjoy yourself. I'll wait here untilyou come back, though I know you'll be pretty late, but I want tomake sure of our lists."
"All right, Ned," and Tom busied himself with his personalappearance, for he was very particular when going to call on youngladies.
A little later he was admitted to her house by Miss Mary Nestor, andthe two began an animated conversation, for this was in the natureof a farewell call by Tom.
"And you are really about to start off on your wild search?" askedthe girl. "My! It seems just like something out of a book!"
"Doesn't it?" agreed Tom. "However, I hope there's more truth in itthan there is in some books. I should hate to be disappointed, afterall our preparation, and not find the buried city after all."
"Do you really think there is so much gold there?"
"Of course there's a good deal of guesswork about it," admitted theyoung inventor, "and it may be exaggerated, for such things usuallyare when a traveler has to depend on the accounts of natives."
"But it is certain that there is a big golden image in the interiorof Africa, and that it came from Mexico. Mr. Illingway isn't aperson who could easily be deceived. Then, too, the old Aztecs andtheir allies were wonderful workers in gold and silver, for look atwhat Cortez and his soldiers took from them."
"My! This is quite like a lecture in history!" exclaimed Mary with alaugh. "But it's interesting. I wonder if there are any SMALL,golden images there, as you say there are so many in the undergroundcity."
"Lots of them!" exclaimed Tom, as confidently as though he had seenthem. "I'll tell you what I'll do, Mary. I'll bring you back one ofthese golden images for an ornament. It would look nice on thatshelf I think," and Tom pointed to a vacant space on the mantle."I'll bring you a large one or a small one, or both, Mary."
"Oh, you reckless boy! Well, I suppose it WOULD be nice to have two,for they must be very valuable. But I'm not going to tax you toomuch. If you bring me back two SMALL ones, I'll put one down hereand the other--"
She paused and blushed slightly.
"Yes, and the other," suggested Tom.
"I'll put the other up in my room to remember you by," she finishedwith a laugh, "so pick out one that is nicely carved. Some of thoseforeign ones, such as the Chinese have, are hideous."
"That's right," agreed Tom, "and I'll see that you get a nice one.Those Aztecs used to do some wonderful work in gold and silvercarving. I've seen specimens in the museum."
Then the two young people fell to talking of the wonderful trip thatlay before Tom, and Mary, several times, urged him to be careful ofthe dangers he would be likely to encounter.
Tom said nothing to her of the head-hunters. He did not want toalarm Miss Nestor, and then, too, he thought the less he allowed hismind to dwell on that unpleasant feature of the journey, the lesslikely it would be to get on the nerves of all of them.
Ned was right when he predicted that Tom would make quite a lengthyvisit. There was much to talk about and he did not expect to seeMary again for some time. But finally he realized that he mustleave, and with a renewed promise to bring back with him the twosmall gold images, and after saying good-bye to Mr. and Mrs. Nestor,Tom took his leave.
"If you get marooned in the underground city, Tom," said Mr. Nestor,"I hope you can rig up a wireless outfit, and get help, as you didfor us on Earthquake Island."
"I hope so," answered our hero with a laugh, and then, a littlesaddened by his farewell, and pondering rather solemnly on what laybefore him--the dangers of travel as well as those of thehead-hunters--Tom hastened back to his own home.
The young inventor found Ned busy over the list of supplies,diligently checking it and comparing it with the one originally madeout, to see that nothing had been omitted. Mr. Damon had gone to hisroom, for he was to remain at the Swift house until he left with thegold-hunting expedition.
"Oh, you've got back, have you?" asked Tom's chum, with a teasingair. "I thought you'd given up the trip to the city of gold."
"Oh, cheese it!" invited Tom. "Come on, now I'll help you. Where'sEradicate? I want him to go out and see that the shop is locked up."
"He was in here a while ago and he said he was going to look afterthings outside. He told me quite a piece of news."
"What was it?"
"It seems that the Foger house has been sold, the furniture was allmoved out to-day, and the family has left, bag and baggage. I askedRad if he had heard where to, and he said someone down in thevillage was saying that Andy and his father have engaged passage onsome ship that sails day after to-morrow."
"Day after to-morrow!" cried Tom. "Why, that's when ours sails! Ihope Andy didn't hear enough of our plans that night to try tofollow us."
"It would be just like him," returned Ned, "but I don't thinkthey'll do it. They haven't enough information to go on. More likelyMr. Foger is going to try some new ventures to get back his lostfortune."
"Well, I hope he and Andy keep away from us. They make troubleeverywhere they go. Now come on, get busy."
And, though Tom tried to drive fro
m his mind the thoughts of theFogers, yet it was with an uneasy sense of some portending disasterthat he went on with the work of preparing for the trip into theunknown. He said nothing to Ned about it, but perhaps his chumguessed.
"That'll do," said Tom after an hour's labor. "We'll call it anight's work and quit. Can't you stay here--we've got several sparebeds."
"No, I'm expected home."
"I'll walk a ways with you," said Tom, and when he had left his chumat his house our hero returned by a street that would take him pastthe Foger residence. It was shrouded in darkness.
"Everybody's cleared out," said Tom in a low voice as he glance atthe gloomy house. "Well, all I hope is that they don't camp on ourtrail."
Tom Swift in the City of Gold; Or, Marvelous Adventures Underground Page 7
