CHAPTER VI
"BEWARE THE HEAD-HUNTERS!"
"That's what I want!" exclaimed the young inventor, as he finishedthe perusal of the missionary's missive.
"What is it?" asked Mr. Swift, entering the shop at that moment.
"News from Africa, dad. Mr. Illingway went to a lot of trouble toget more information for us about the city of gold, and he sends abetter map. It seems there was one among the effects of the whiteman who died near where Mr. Illingway has his mission. With thismap, and what additional information I have, we ought to locate theunderground city. Look, dad," and the lad showed the map.
"Humph!" exclaimed Mr. Swift with a smile. "I don't call that a veryclear map. It shows a part of Central Mexico, that's true, but it'son such a small scale I don't see how you're going to tell anythingby it."
"But I have a description," explained Tom. "It seems according toMr. Illingway's letter, that you have to go to the coast and strikeinto the interior until you are near the old city of Poltec. Thatused to be it's name, but Mr. Illingway says it may be abandonednow, or the name changed. But I guess we can find it."
"Then, according to what he could learn from the African natives,who talked with the white man, the best way is to hire ox carts andstrike into the jungle. That's the only way to carry our baggage,and the dirigible balloon which I'm going to take along."
"Pretty uncertain way to look for a buried city of gold," commentedMr. Swift. "But I suppose even if you don't find it you'll have thefun of searching for it, Tom."
"But we ARE going to find it!" the lad declared. "We'll get there,you'll see!"
"But how are you going to know it when you see it?" asked hisfather. "If it's underground even a balloon won't help you much."
"It's true it is underground," agreed Tom, "but there must be anentrance to it somewhere, and I'm going to hunt for that entrance.Mr. Illingway writes that the city is a very old one, and was builtunderground by the priests of some people allied to the Aztecs. Theywanted a refuge in times of war and they also hid their valuablesthere. They must have been rich to have so much gold, or else theydidn't value it as we do."
"That might be so," assented Mr. Swift. "But I still maintain, Tom,that it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Still, I'm going to have a try for it," asserted the lad. "If I canonce locate the plain of the big temple I'll be near the entrance tothe underground city."
"What is the 'plain of the big temple,' Tom?"
"Mr. Illingway writes," said the lad, again referring to the letter,"that somewhere near the beginning of the tunnel that leads into thecity of gold, there is an immense flat plain, on which the ancientAztecs once built a great temple. Maybe they worshiped the goldenimages there. Anyhow the temple is in ruins now, near an overgrownjungle, according to the stories the white man used to tell. He oncegot as near the city of gold as the big temple, but hostile nativesdrove him and his party back. Then he went to Africa after gettingan image from someone, and died there. So no one since has everfound the city of gold."
"Well, I hope you do, Tom, but I doubt it. However, I suppose youwill hurry your preparations for going away, now that you have allthe information you can get."
"Right, dad. I must send word to Mr. Damon and Ned at once. A fewmore days' work, and my balloon will be in shape for a trial flight,and then I can take it apart, pack it up, and ship it. Then ho! forthe city of gold!"
Mr. Swift smiled at his son's enthusiasm, but he did not check it.He knew Tom too well for that.
Naturally Mr. Damon and Ned were delighted with the additionalinformation the missionary had sent, and Ned agreed with Tom that itwas a mere matter of diligent search to find the underground city.
"Bless my collar button!" cried Mr. Damon. "It may not be as easy asall that, but Tom Swift isn't the kind that gives up! We'll getthere!"
Meanwhile Tom worked diligently on his balloon. He sent a letter ofthanks to Mr. Illingway, at the same time requesting that if anymore information was obtained within the next three weeks to cableit, as there would not be time for a letter to reach Shopton ere Tomplanned to leave for Mexico.
The following days were busy ones for all. There was much to bedone, and Tom worked night and day. They had to get rifles ready,for they might meet hostile natives. Then, too, they had to arrangefor the proper clothing, and other supplies.
To take apart and ship the balloon was no small task, and then therewere the passages to engage on a steamer that would land them at thenearest point to strike into the interior, the question oftransportation after reaching Mexico, and many other matters toconsider.
But gradually things began to shape themselves and it looked asthough the expedition could start for the city of gold in about twoweeks after the receipt of the second letter from the missionary.
"I think I'll give the balloon a trial to-morrow," said Tom onenight, after a hard day's work, "It's all ready, and it ought towork pretty good. It will be just what we need to sail over somedense jungle and land down on the plain by the great temple."
"Bless my slippers!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I must think up some wayof telling my wife that I'm going."
"Haven't you told her yet?" asked Ned.
The eccentric man shook his head.
"I haven't had a good chance," he said, "but I think I'll tell herto-morrow, and promise her one of the gold images. Then she won'tmind."
Tom was just a little bit nervous when he got ready for a trialflight in the new dirigible balloon. To tell the truth he muchpreferred aeroplanes to balloons, but he realized that in a countrywhere the jungle growth prevailed, and where there might be no levelplaces to get a "take off," or a starting place for an aeroplane,the balloon was more feasible.
But he need have had no fears, for the balloon worked perfectly. Inthe bag Tom used a new gas, much more powerful even than hydrogen,and which he could make from chemicals that could easily be carriedon their trip.
The air craft was small but powerful, and could easily carry Tom,Ned and Mr. Damon, together with a quantity of food and othersupplies. They intended to use it by starting from the place wherethey would leave the most of their baggage, after getting as near tothe city of gold as they could by foot trails. Tom hoped toestablish a camp in the interior of Mexico, and make trips off indifferent directions to search for the ruined temple. Ifunsuccessful they could sail back each night, and if he shoulddiscover the entrance to the buried city there was food enough inthe car of the balloon to enable them to stay away from camp for aweek or more.
In order to give the balloon a good test, Tom took up with him notonly Ned and Mr. Damon, but Eradicate and Mr. Swift to equalize theweight of food and supplies that later would be carried. The testshowed that the craft more than came up to expectations, though thetrial trip was a little marred by the nervousness of the coloredman.
"I doan't jest laik dis yeah kind of travelin'," said Eradicate."I'd radder be on de ground."
Most of the remaining two weeks were spent in packing the balloonfor shipment, and then the travelers got their own personalequipment ready. They put up some condensed food, but they dependedon getting the major portion in Mexico.
It was two days before they were to start. Their passage had beenengaged on a steamer, and the balloon and most of their effects hadbeen shipped. Mr. Damon had broken the news to his wife, and she hadconsented to allow him to go, though she said it would be for thelast time.
"But if I bring her back a nice, big, gold image I know she'll letme go on other trips with you, Tom." said the eccentric man. "Blessmy yard stick, if I couldn't go off on an adventure now and then Idon't know what I'd do."
They were in the library of the Swift home that evening. Tom, Ned,Mr. Damon and the aged inventor, and of course the only thing talkedof was the prospective trip to the city of gold.
"What I can't understand," Mr. Swift was saying, "is why the nativesmade so many of the same images of gold, and why there is that largeone in the underground place. What did they want o
f it?"
"That's part of the mystery we hope to solve," said Tom. "I'm goingto bring that big image home with me if I can. I guess--"
He was interrupted by a ring at the front door.
"I hope that isn't Andy Foger," remarked Ned.
"No danger," replied Tom. "He'll keep away from here after what hedid to my aeroplane."
Mrs. Baggert went to the door.
"A message for you, Tom," she announced a little later, handing inan envelope.
"Hello, a cablegram!" exclaimed the young inventor. "It must be fromMr. Illingway, in Africa. It is," he added a moment later as heglanced at the signature.
"What does he say?" asked Mr. Swift.
"Can he give us any more definite information about the city ofgold?" inquired Ned.
"I'll read it," said Tom, and there was a curious, strained note inhis voice. "This is what it says:"
"'No more information obtainable. But if you go to the city of goldbeware of the head-hunters!'"
"Head-hunters!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Bless my top-knot, what arethey?"
"I don't know," answered Tom simply, "but whatever they are we'vegot to be on the lookout for them when we get to the gold city, andthat's where I'm going, head-hunters or no head-hunters!"