Tom Swift in the City of Gold; Or, Marvelous Adventures Underground

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER XIV

  A WEARY SEARCH

  "Are you sure it's them?" asked Ned.

  "Bless my toothpick!" cried Mr. Damon. "It isn't possible, Tom?"

  "Yes, it is," said the young inventor. "It's the Fogers all right.Take a look for yourself, Ned."

  The other lad did, and confirmed his chum's news, and then Mr. Damonalso made sure, by using the glass.

  "No doubt of it," the odd man said. "But what are you going to do,Tom?"

  Our hero thought for a moment. Then, once more, he lookedsteadfastly through the glass at the other carts. The occupants ofthem did not appear to know that they were under observation, and atthat distance they could not have made out our friends without atelescope. Tom ascertained that the Fogers were not using one.

  "Has Senor Swift any orders?" asked Delazes. "Who are these Fogers?Enemies of yours I take it. Why should they follow you merely tofind a ruined city, that the ruins and relics may be studied?"

  "Here are the orders," spoke Tom, a bit sharply, not answering thequestion. "We'll camp and have supper, and then we'll go on and makeall the distance we can after dark."

  "What, travel at night?" cried the Mexican, as if in horror at thesuggestion.

  "Yes; why not?" asked Tom calmly. "They can't see us after dark, andif we can strike off on another trail we may throw them off ourtrack. Surely we'll travel after supper."

  "But it will be night--dark--we never work after dark," protestedDelazes.

  "You're going to this time," declared Tom grimly.

  "But the oxen--they are not used to it."

  "Nothing like getting used to a thing," went on the young inventor."They won't mind after a rest and a good feed. Besides, there is amoon to-night, and it will be plenty light enough. Tell the men,Senor Delazes."

  "But they will protest. It is unheard of, and--"

  "Send them to me," said Tom quickly. "There'll be double pay fornight work. Send them to me."

  "Ah, that is good. Senor Swift. Double pay! I think the men will notobject," and with a greedy look in his black eyes the Mexicancontractor hastened to tell his men of the change of plans.

  Tom took another look at the approaching Fogers. Their carts wereslowly crawling up the trail, and as Tom could plainly see them, hemade no doubt but that his caravan was also observed by Andy and hisfather.

  "I guess that's the best plan to throw them off," agreed Ned, whenthey were once more underway. "But how are you going to explain toDelazes, Tom, the reason the Fogers are following us? He'll getsuspicious, I'm afraid."

  "Let him. I'm not going to explain. He can think what he likes, Ican't stop him. More than likely though, that he'll put it down tosome crazy whim of us 'Americanos.' I hope he does. We can talkloudly, when he's around, about how we want to get historicalrelics, and the Fogers are after the same thing. There have beenseveral expeditions down this way from rival colleges or museumsafter Aztec relics, and he may think we're one of them. For thegolden images are historical relics all right," added Tom in a lowervoice.

  The Mexicans made no objections to continuing on after supper, oncethey learned of the double pay, and a little later they went intocamp. A turn of the trail hid the Fogers from sight, but Tom and hisfriends had no doubt but what they were still following.

  It was rather novel, traveling along by the light of the brilliantmoon, and the boys and Mr. Damon thoroughly enjoyed it. Orders hadbeen given to proceed as quietly as possible, for they did not wantthe Fogers to learn of the night trip.

  "They may see us," Tom had said when they were ready to start, "butwe've got to take a chance on that. If the trail divides, however,we can lose them."

  "It does separate, a little farther on," Delazes had said.

  "Good!" cried Tom, "then we'll fool our rival relic hunters and ourmuseum will get the benefit." He said this quite loudly.

  "Ah, then you want the relics for a museum?" asked the Mexicancontractor quickly.

  "Yes, if they pay enough," replied Tom, and he meant it, for he hadno doubt that many museums would be glad to get specimens of thegolden images.

  Just as they were about to start off Tom had swept the moonlit trailwith his night-glass, but there was no sign of the Fogers, thoughthey may have seen their rivals start off.

  "Let her go!" ordered Tom, and they were once more underway.

  It was about five miles to where the trail divided, and it wasmidnight when they got there, for the going was not easy.

  "Now, which way," asked Delazes, as the caravan came to a halt. "Tothe left or right?"

  "Let me see," mused Tom, trying to remember the map the Africanmissionary had sent him. "Do these roads come together farther on?"

  "No, but there is a cross trail about twenty miles ahead by whichone can get from either of these trails to the other."

  "Good!" cried the young inventor. "Then we'll go to the right, andwe can make our way back. But wait a minute. Send a couple of cartson the left trail for about two miles. We'll wait here until theycome back."

  "The senor is pleased to joke," remarked the Mexican quickly.

  "I never was more earnest in all my life," replied Tom.

  "What's the answer?" asked Ned.

  "I want to fool the Fogers. If they see cart tracks on both roadsthey won't know which one we took. They may hit on the right onefirst shot, and again, they may go to the left until they come tothe place where our two carts turn back. In that case we'll gain alittle time."

  "Good!" cried Ned. "I might have known you had a good reason, Tom."

  "Send on two carts," ordered the young inventor, and now Delazesunderstood the reason for the strategy. He chuckled as he orderedtwo of the drivers to start off, and come back after covering acouple of miles.

  It was rather dreary waiting there at the fork of the trail, and tobeguile the time Tom ordered fires lighted and chocolate made. Themen appreciated this, and were ready to start off again when theircompanions returned.

  "There," announced Tom, when they were on the way once more, "Ithink we've given them something to think over at any rate. Now fora few more miles, and then we'll rest until morning."

  All were glad enough when Tom decided to go into camp, and theyslept later than usual the next morning. The trail was now of such acharacter that no one following them could be detected until quiteclose, so it was useless to worry over what the Fogers might do.

  "We'll just make the best time we can, and trust to luck," Tom said.

  They traveled on for two days more, and saw nothing of the Fogers.Sometimes they would pass through Mexican villages where they wouldstop to eat, and Tom would make inquiries about the ancient city ofPoltec and the plain of the ruined temple. In every case theMexicans shook their heads. They had never heard of it. Long beforethis Tom had ascertained that neither Delazes nor any of his menknew the location of this plain nor had they ever heard of it.

  "If there is such a place it must be far in--very far in," thecontractor had said. "You will never find it."

  "Oh, yes, I will," declared Tom.

  But when a week passed, and he was no nearer it than at first evenTom began to get a little doubtful. They made inquiries at everyplace they stopped, of villagers, of town authorities, and even insome cases of the priests who obligingly went over their ancientchurch records for them. But there was no trace of the temple plain,and of course none of the city of gold.

  Peasants, journeying along the road, parties of travelers, and oftenlittle bodies of soldiers were asked about the ruined temple, butalways the answer was the same. They had never heard of it, nor ofthe head-hunters either.

  "Well, I'm glad of the last," said Mr. Damon, looking apprehensivelyaround, while Eradicate felt of his head to see if it was still fast onhis shoulders.

  It was a weary search, and when two weeks had passed even Tom had toadmit that it was not as easy as it had seemed at first. As for theMexicans, they kept on, spurred by the offer of good wages. Delazeswatched Tom narrowly, for a sign or hint of what the
party wasreally after, but the young inventor and his friends guarded theirsecret well.

  "But I'm not going to give up!" cried Tom. "Our map may be wrong,and likely it is, but I'm sure we're near the spot, and I'm going tokeep on. If we don't get some hint of it in a few days, though, I'llestablish a camp, go up in the air and see what I can pick out fromthe balloon."

  "That's the stuff!" cried Ned. "It will be a relief from these roughox carts."

  So for the next few days they doubled and redoubled on their trail,criss-crossing back and forth, ever hoping to get some trace of thetemple, which was near the entrance to the city of gold. In all thattime nothing was seen of the Fogers.

  "We'll try the balloon to-morrow," decided Tom, as they went intocamp one night after a weary day. Every one was tired enough tosleep soundly under the tents which were set up over the carts, inwhich beds were laid. It must have been about midnight when Tom, whofelt a bit chilly (for the nights were cool in spite of the heat ofthe day), got up to look at the campfire. It was almost out so hewent over to throw on some more logs.

  As he did so he heard a noise as if something or somebody had leapeddown out of a tree to the ground. A moment later, before he couldtoss on the sticks he had caught up, Tom was aware of two eyes ofgreenish brightness staring at him in the glow of the dying fire,and not ten feet away.