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, someone
else has got to do it. I'm tired to death! I never thought getting
ready to go off on a simple little trip was so much work. We ought
to 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 afraid
we'll be searching for this underground city for some time, and
we'll only need an airship or a dirigible balloon for short trips
here and there. We've got to go a good deal by information the
natives can furnish us, and we can't get at them very well when
sailing in the air."
"That's right," agreed the eccentric man. "Well, I'm glad we're
ready to start."
It was the evening of the day before they were to leave for New
York, there to take steamer to a small port on the Mexican coast,
and every one was busy putting the finishing details to the packing
of his personal baggage.
The balloon, taken apart for easy transportation, had been sent on
ahead, as had most of their supplies, weapons and other needed
articles. All they would carry with them were handbags, containing
some clothing.
"Then you've fully made up your mind not to go; eh Rad?" asked Tom
of the colored man, who was busy helping them pack. "You won't take
a 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 in
yeahs him temper ain't none ob de best."
"Boomerang's temper never was very good, anyhow," said Tom. "Many's
the time he's balked on you, Rad."
"I know it, Massa Tom, but dat jest shows what strong character he
done hab. Nobody kin manage dat air mule but me, an' if I were to
leave him, dere suah would be trouble. No, I cain't go to no
underground city, nohow."
"But if you found some of the golden images you could buy another
mule--two of 'em if you wanted that many," said Ned, and a moment
later he remembered that Tom did not want the colored man to know
anything about the trip after gold. He had been led to believe that
it was merely a trip to locate an ancient city.
"Did yo' done say GOLDEN images?" asked Eradicate, his eyes big with
wonder.
Ned glanced apologetically at Tom, and said, with a shrug of his
shoulders:
"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 from
the underground city. If you go along you might get some for your
self. Of course there's nothing certain about it, but--"
"How--how big am dem gold images, Massa Tom?" asked Eradicate
eagerly.
"You've got him going now, Tom," whispered Ned.
"How big?" repeated Tom musingly. "Hum, well, there's one that is
said to be bigger than three men, and there must be any number of
smaller ones--say boy's size, and from that on down to the real
little ones, according to Mr. Illingway."
"Real gold--yellow, gold images as big as a man," said Eradicate in
a dreamy voice. "An'--an' some big as boys. By golly, Massa Tom, am
yo' 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 to
git me a ticket, Massa Tom?"
"No, I guess there's room on the ship. But say, Rad, I don't want
you to talk about this gold image part of it. You can say we're
going 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's
what I'll say--BRASS! We's gwine after brass, an' not GOLD. By
golly, I'll fool 'em!"
"No, don't say anything about the images--brass or gold," cautioned
Tom. "But, Rad, there's another thing. We may run across the head-hunters
down 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 de
head ob an old colored man fo' an ornament. By golly! I's safe from
dem head-hunters! Yo' can't scare me dat way. I's gwine after some
of dem gold images, I is, an' ef I gits some I'll build de finest
stable 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, ef
yo' pleases. I's gwine t' pack up," and Eradicate shuffled off,
chuckling to himself and muttering over and over again: "Gold
images! 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 will
make himself useful around camp. I've been sorry ever since he said
he wouldn't go, on account of the good cooking I'd miss, for Rad is
sure a fine cook."
"Bless my knife and fork, that's so!" agreed Mr. Damon.
So complete were the preparations of our friends that nothing
remained to do the next morning. Eradicate had his things all in
readiness, and when good-byes had been said to Mr. Swift, and Mrs.
Baggert, Tom, Ned and Mr. Damon, followed by the faithful colored
man, set off for the depot to take the train for New York. There
they were to take a coast steamer for Tampico, Mexico, and once
there they could arrange for transportation into the interior.
The journey to New York was uneventful, but on arrival there they
met with their first disappointment. The steamer on which they were
to take passage had been delayed by a storm, and had only just
arrived 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 informed
them.
"Then what are we to do?" asked Ned.
"Guess we'll have to wait; that's all," answered Tom. "It doesn't
much matter. We're in no great rush, and it will give us three days
around 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 some
time, and here's my chance."
"We'll go to a good hotel," said Tom, "and enjoy ourselves as long as
we have to wait for the steamer."