CHAPTER XXIV.
THE FIGHT
The talk sounded more plainly now--a confused murmur of voices--manyof them--the sound coming under the slowly raising stone doorway.
"Who can it be--there's a lot of them," murmured Ned.
Tom did not answer. Instead he silently sped back to where they hadslept and got his automatic revolver.
"Better get yours," he said to his companions. "It may be a rescueparty, though I don't see how any one could know we were in here, orit may be--"
He did not finish. They all knew what he meant, and a moment laterfour strained and anxious figures stood on the inner side of thestone door, revolvers in hand, awaiting what might be revealed tothem. Would it be friend or foe?
At Tom's feet lay the golden head--the hollow head of the statue.The scene was illumined by a flickering gas torch--the last one, asthe others had burned out.
Slowly the stone went up, very slowly, for it was exceedingly heavyand the mechanism that worked it was primitive. Up and up it wentuntil now a man could have crawled under. Ned made a motion as if hewas going to do so, but Tom held him back.
Slowly and slowly it went up. On the other side was a very babble ofvoices now--voices speaking a strange tongue. Tom and his companionswere silent.
Then, above the other voices, there sounded the tones of some onespeaking English. Hearing it Tom started, and still more as he notedthe tones, for he heard this said:
"We'll be inside in a minute, dad, and I guess we'll show Tom Swiftthat he and his crowd can't fool us. We've got to the city of goldfirst!"
"Andy Foger!" hoarsely whispered Tom to Ned.
The next moment the stone gate went up with a rush, and there, inthe light of the gas torch, and in the glare of many burning ones ofwood, held by a throng of people on the other side, stood AndyFoger, his father, Delazes, and a horde of men who looked as wild assavages.
For a moment both parties stood staring at one another, too startledto utter a sound. Then as Tom noticed that some of the natives, whosomewhat resembled the ancient Aztecs, had imitation human headsstuck on the ends of poles or spears, he uttered two words:
"Head-hunters!"
Like a flash there came to him the warning of the Africanmissionary: "Beware of the head-hunters!" Now they were here--beingled on by the Mexican and the Fogers--the enemies of our friends.
For another moment there was a silence, and then Andy Foger criedout:
"They're here! Tom Swift and his party! They got here first and theymay have all the gold!"
"If they have they will share it with us!" cried Delazes fiercely.
"Quick!" Tom called hoarsely to Ned, Mr. Damon and Eradicate. "We'vegot to fight. It's the only way to save our lives. We must fight,and when we can, escape, get to the airship and sail away. It's afight to the finish now."
He raised his automatic revolver, and, as he did so one of thesavages saw the golden head of the statue lying at Tom's feet. Theman uttered a wild cry and called out something in his unknowntongue. Then he raised his spear and hurled it straight at our hero.
Had not Mr. Damon pulled Tom to one side, there might have been adifferent ending to this story. As it was the weapon hissed throughthe air over the head of the young inventor. The next minute hisrevolver spat lead and fire, but whether he hit any one or not hecould not see, as the place was so filled with smoke, from thepowder and from the torches. But some one yelled in pain.
"Crouch down and fire!" ordered Tom. "Low down and they'll throwover our heads." It was done on the instant, and the four revolversrang out together.
There were howls of pain and terror and above them could be heardthe gutteral tones of Delazes, while Andy Foger yelled:
"Look out dad! Here, help me to get behind something or I may behit. Mr. Delazes, can't you tell those savages to throw spears atTom Swift and his gang?"
"They are doing it, Senor Foger," replied the Mexican. "Oh, why didI not think to bring my gun! We haven't one among us." Then hecalled some command to the head-hunters who had apparently beenenlisted on the side of himself and the two Fogers.
The automatic revolvers were soon emptied, and the place was now sofull of smoke that neither party could see the other. The torchesburned with a red glare.
"Reload!" ordered Tom, "and we'll make a rush for it! We can't keepthis up long!"
It took but an instant to slip in another lot of cartridges andthen, on Tom's advice, they slipped the catches to make theautomatic weapons simple ones, to be fired at will.
They sent several more shots through the door-way but no cries ofpain followed, and it was evident that their enemies had steppedback out of the line of fire.
"Now's our chance!" cried Tom. "The way is clear. Come on!"
He and the others dashed forward, Tom carrying the golden head,though it was hard work. It was not very heavy but it was awkward.
As they rushed through the now open gateway they crouched low toavoid the spears, but, as it was one grazed Tom's shoulder, andEradicate was pierced in the fleshy part of his arm.
"Forward! Forward!" cried Tom. "Come on!"
And on they went, through the smoke and darkness, Ned flashing hiselectric torch which gave only a feeble glow as the battery wasalmost exhausted. On and on! Now they were through the stonegateway, now out in the long tunnel.
Behind them they could hear feet running, and several spearsclattered to the stone floor. Lights flickered behind them.
"If only the river bed is dry!" gasped Tom. "We may yet escape. Butif they've filled the channel--"
He did not dare think of what that would mean as he ran on, turningoccasionally to fire, for he and the others had again reloaded theirrevolvers.
Tom Swift in the City of Gold; Or, Marvelous Adventures Underground Page 24
