CHAPTER VIII
ERADICATE WILL GO
"I guess everything is all ready," remarked Tom,
"I can't think of anything more to do," said Ned.
"Bless my grip-sack!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "if there IS, someoneelse has got to do it. I'm tired to death! I never thought gettingready to go off on a simple little trip was so much work. We oughtto have made the whole journey from start to finish in an airship,Tom, as we've done before."
"It was hardly practical," answered the young inventor. "I'm afraidwe'll be searching for this underground city for some time, andwe'll only need an airship or a dirigible balloon for short tripshere and there. We've got to go a good deal by information thenatives can furnish us, and we can't get at them very well whensailing in the air."
"That's right," agreed the eccentric man. "Well, I'm glad we'reready to start."
It was the evening of the day before they were to leave for NewYork, there to take steamer to a small port on the Mexican coast,and every one was busy putting the finishing details to the packingof his personal baggage.
The balloon, taken apart for easy transportation, had been sent onahead, as had most of their supplies, weapons and other neededarticles. All they would carry with them were handbags, containingsome clothing.
"Then you've fully made up your mind not to go; eh Rad?" asked Tomof the colored man, who was busy helping them pack. "You won't takea chance in the underground city?"
"No, Massa Tom, I's gwine t' stay home an' look after yo' daddy.'Sides, Boomerang is gettin' old, an' when a mule gits along inyeahs him temper ain't none ob de best."
"Boomerang's temper never was very good, anyhow," said Tom. "Many'sthe time he's balked on you, Rad."
"I know it, Massa Tom, but dat jest shows what strong character hedone hab. Nobody kin manage dat air mule but me, an' if I were toleave him, dere suah would be trouble. No, I cain't go to nounderground city, nohow."
"But if you found some of the golden images you could buy anothermule--two of 'em if you wanted that many," said Ned, and a momentlater he remembered that Tom did not want the colored man to knowanything about the trip after gold. He had been led to believe thatit was merely a trip to locate an ancient city.
"Did yo' done say GOLDEN images?" asked Eradicate, his eyes big withwonder.
Ned glanced apologetically at Tom, and said, with a shrug of hisshoulders:
"Well, I--"
"Oh, we might as well tell him," interrupted the young inventor."Yes, Rad, we expect to bring back some images of solid gold fromthe underground city. If you go along you might get some for yourself. Of course there's nothing certain about it, but--"
"How--how big am dem gold images, Massa Tom?" asked Eradicateeagerly.
"You've got him going now, Tom," whispered Ned.
"How big?" repeated Tom musingly. "Hum, well, there's one that issaid to be bigger than three men, and there must be any number ofsmaller ones--say boy's size, and from that on down to the reallittle ones, according to Mr. Illingway."
"Real gold--yellow, gold images as big as a man," said Eradicate ina dreamy voice. "An'--an' some big as boys. By golly, Massa Tom, amyo' suah ob dat?"
"Pretty sure. Why, Rad?"
"Cause I's gwine wid yo', dat's why! I didn't know yo' all was goin'after gold. My golly I's gwine along! Look out ob mah way, ef yo'please,--Mr. Damon. I'se gwine t' pack up an' go. Am it too late togit me a ticket, Massa Tom?"
"No, I guess there's room on the ship. But say, Rad, I don't wantyou to talk about this gold image part of it. You can say we'regoing to look for an underground city, but no more, mind you!"
"Trust me, Massa Tom; trust me. I--I'll jest say BRASS images, dat'swhat I'll say--BRASS! We's gwine after brass, an' not GOLD. Bygolly, I'll fool 'em!"
"No, don't say anything about the images--brass or gold," cautionedTom. "But, Rad, there's another thing. We may run across the head-huntersdown there in Mexico."
"Head-hunters? What's dem?"
"They crush you, and chop off your head for an ornament."
"Ha! Ha! Den I ain't in no danger, Massa Tom. Nobody would want dehead ob an old colored man fo' an ornament. By golly! I's safe fromdem head-hunters! Yo' can't scare me dat way. I's gwine after someof dem gold images, I is, an' ef I gits some I'll build de fineststable Boomerang ever saw, an' he kin hab oats fo' times a day.Dat's what I's gwine t' do. Now look out ob mah way, Mr. Damon, efyo' pleases. I's gwine t' pack up," and Eradicate shuffled off,chuckling to himself and muttering over and over again: "Goldimages! Gold images! Images ob solid gold! Think ob dat! By golly!"
"Think he'll give the secret away, Tom?" asked Ned.
"No. And I'm glad he's going. Four makes a nice party, and Rad willmake himself useful around camp. I've been sorry ever since he saidhe wouldn't go, on account of the good cooking I'd miss, for Rad issure a fine cook."
"Bless my knife and fork, that's so!" agreed Mr. Damon.
So complete were the preparations of our friends that nothingremained to do the next morning. Eradicate had his things all inreadiness, and when good-byes had been said to Mr. Swift, and Mrs.Baggert, Tom, Ned and Mr. Damon, followed by the faithful coloredman, set off for the depot to take the train for New York. Therethey were to take a coast steamer for Tampico, Mexico, and oncethere they could arrange for transportation into the interior.
The journey to New York was uneventful, but on arrival there theymet with their first disappointment. The steamer on which they wereto take passage had been delayed by a storm, and had only justarrived at her dock.
"It will take three days to get her cargo out, clean the boilers,load another cargo in her and get ready to sail," the agent informedthem.
"Then what are we to do?" asked Ned.
"Guess we'll have to wait; that's all," answered Tom. "It doesn'tmuch matter. We're in no great rush, and it will give us three daysaround New York. We'll see the sights."
"Bless my spectacles! Its an ill wind that blows nobody good,"remarked Mr. Damon, "I've been wanting to visit New York for sometime, and here's my chance."
"We'll go to a good hotel," said Tom, "and enjoy ourselves as long aswe have to wait for the steamer."
Tom Swift in the City of Gold; Or, Marvelous Adventures Underground Page 8
