"Dat true, Master Tom?" and Koku"s voice trembled.
"Well, I"ve never seen such a fish, I"m sure, but the natives tell about it."
Koku seemed to be considering the matter. Strange as it may seem, the giant, though afraid of nothing human and brave when it came to a hand-to-claw argument with a wild animal, had a very great fear of the water and the unseen life within it. Even a little fresh-water crab in a brook was enough to send him shrieking to sh.o.r.e. So when Tom told of this curious fish, which many natives of Central America firmly believe in, the giant took thought with himself. Finally, he gave a sigh and said:
"Me stay home and keep bad mans out of master"s shop."
"Yes, I guess that"s the best thing for you," a.s.sented Tom with an air of relief. He and Ned had talked the matter over, and they had agreed that the presence of such a big man as Koku, in an expedition going on a more or less secret mission, would attract too much attention.
"Well, I guess that clears matters up," said Tom, as he looked over a collection of rifles and small arms, to decide which to take. "We won"t have them to worry about."
"No, only Professor Beecher," remarked Ned, with a sharp look at his chum.
"Oh, we"ll dispose of him all right!" a.s.serted Tom boldly. "He hasn"t had any experience in business of this sort, and with what you and Professor b.u.mper and Mr. Damon know we ought to have little trouble in getting ahead of the young man."
"Not to speak of your own aid," added Ned.
"Oh, I"ll do what I can, of course," said Tom, with an air of indifference. But Ned knew his chum would work ceaselessly to help get the idol of gold.
Tom gave no sign that there was any complication in his affair with Mary Nestor, and of course Ned did not tell anything of what he knew about it.
That night saw the preparations of Ned and Tom about completed. There were one or two matters yet to finish on Tom"s part in relation to his business, but these offered no difficulties.
The two chums were in the Swift home, talking over the prospective trip, when Mrs. Baggert, answering a ring at the front door, announced that Mr. Damon was outside.
"Tell him to come in," ordered Tom.
"Bless my baggage check!" exclaimed the excitable man, as he shook hands with Tom and Ned and noted the packing evidences all about.
"You"re ready to go to the land of wonders."
"The land of wonders?" repeated Ned.
"Yes, that"s what Professor b.u.mper calls the part of Honduras we"re going to. And it must be wonderful, Tom. Think of whole cities, some of them containing idols and temples of gold, buried thirty and forty feet under the surface! Wonderful is hardly the name for it!"
"It"ll be great!" cried Ned. "I suppose you"re ready, Mr. Damon--you and the professor?"
"Yes. But, Tom, I have a bit of unpleasant news for you."
"Unpleasant news?"
"Yes. You know Professor b.u.mper spoke of a rival--a man named Beecher who is a member of the faculty of a new and wealthy college."
"I heard him speak of him--yes," and the way Tom said it no one would have suspected that he had any personal interest in the matter.
"He isn"t going to give his secret away," thought Ned.
"Well, this Professor Beecher, you know," went on Mr. Damon, "also knows about the idol of gold, and is trying to get ahead of Professor b.u.mper in the search."
"He did say something of it, but nothing was certain," remarked Tom.
"But it is certain!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Bless my toothpick, it"s altogether too certain!"
"How is that?" asked Tom. "Is Beecher certainly going to Honduras?"
"Yes, of course. But what is worse, he and his party will leave New York on the same steamer with us!"
CHAPTER VII
TOM HEARS SOMETHING
On hearing Mr. Damon"s rather startling announcement, Tom and Ned looked at one another. There seemed to be something back of the simple statement--an ominous and portending "something."
"On the same steamer with us, is he?" mused Tom.
"How did you learn this?" asked Ned.
"Just got a wire from Professor b.u.mper telling me. He asked me to telephone to you about it, as he was too busy to call up on the long distance from New York. But instead of "phoning I decided to come over myself."
"Glad you did," said Tom, heartily. "Did Professor b.u.mper want us to do anything special, now that it is certain his rival will be so close on his trail?"
"Yes, he asked me to warn you to be careful what you did and said in reference to the expedition."
"Then does he fear something?" asked Ned.
"Yes, in a way. I think he is very much afraid this young Beecher will not only be first on the site of the underground city, but that he may be the first to discover the idol of gold. It would be a great thing for a young archaeologist like Beecher to accomplish a mission of this sort, and beat Professor b.u.mper in the race."
"Do you think that"s why Beecher decided to go on the same steamer we are to take?" asked Ned.
"Yes, I do," said Mr. Damon. "Though from what Professor b.u.mper said I know he regards Professor Beecher as a perfectly honorable man, as well as a brilliant student. I do not believe Beecher or his party would stoop to anything dishonorable or underhand, though they would not hesitate, nor would we, to take advantage of every fair chance to win in the race."
"No, I suppose that"s right," observed Tom; but there was a queer gleam in his eye, and his chum wondered if Tom did not have in mind the prospective race between himself and Fenimore Beecher for the regard of Mary Nestor. "We"ll do our best to win, and any one is at liberty to travel on the same steamer we are to take," added the young inventor, and his tone became more incisive.
"It will be all the livelier with two expeditions after the same golden idol," remarked Ned.
"Yes, I think we"re in for some excitement," observed Tom grimly. But even he did not realize all that lay before them ere they would reach Kurzon.
Mr. Damon, having delivered his message, and remarking that his preparations for leaving were nearly completed, went back to Waterfield, from there to proceed to New York in a few days with Tom and Ned, to meet Professor b.u.mper.
"Well, I guess we have everything in pretty good shape," remarked Tom to his chum a day or so after the visit of Mr. Damon. "Everything is packed, and as I have a few personal matters to attend to I think I"ll take the afternoon off."
"Go to it!" laughed Ned, guessing a thing of two. "I"ve got a raft of stuff myself to look after, but don"t let that keep you."
"If there is anything I can do," began Tom, "don"t hesitate to----"
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Ned. "I can do it all alone. It"s some of the company"s business, anyhow, and I"m paid for looking after that."