THE MAP ON THE GOLD
Naturally, when Tom pointed at the golden image, the eyes of all the
Mexicans in the room, as well as those of the friends of the young
inventor, followed. For a moment there was silence and then the aged
Mexican, whom Eradicate had asked for corn meal, rapidly uttered
something in Spanish.
"Yes! Yes!" chorused his companions, and they followed this up, by
crying aloud when he had said something else: "No! No!" Then there
was confused talking, seemingly directed at Tom, who, though he had
lowered his hand, continued to stare at the golden image.
"What in the world are they saying?" asked Ned, who only knew a
little Spanish.
"I can't get on to all of it," explained Tom above the confusion.
"Evidently they think we've come to take the image away from them
and they are objecting."
"Offer to buy it then," suggested Ned.
"That's what I'm going to do," answered Tom, and once more
addressing the aged Mexican, who seemed to be at the head of the
household, Tom offered to purchase the relic which meant so much to
him, agreeing to pay a large sum.
This seemed to create further confusion, and one of the women of the
household hastily took down the little statute and was carrying it
into an inner room, when Miguel Delazes came up. He looked into the
open doorway, glanced about the room which was illuminated by
several rude oil lamps, saw the looks of wonder and surprise on the
faces of Tom and his companions, noted the excitement among the
Mexicans, and then he caught sight of the golden image which the
woman held.
"Ah!" exclaimed Delazes, and there was a world of meaning in his
tone. His small dark eyes glittered. They roved from the image to
Tom, and back to the little golden figure again. "Ah!" muttered the
contractor. "And so the senor has found that for what he was
searching? It IS gold after all, but such gold as never I have seen
before. So, the senor hopes to get many relics like that for his
museum? So, is it not? Ah, ha! But that is worth coming many miles
to get!"
Tom realized that if he did not act quickly Delazes might have his
secret, and once it was known that Tom was seeking the buried city
of gold, the Mexicans could never be shaken off his trail. He
decided on a bold step.
"Look here, Senor Delazes," said the young inventor. "I had no more
idea that golden image was here than you did. I would like to buy
it, in fact I offered to, but they don't seem to want to sell it. If
you can purchase it for me I'll pay YOU a good price for it."
"And doubtless the senor would like many more," suggested Delazes,
with an open sneer.
"Doubtless the senor would!" snapped Tom. "Look here, Delazes, I'm
here on business, to get all the relics I can--this kind or any
other that I may fancy. You can think we're after buried treasure if
you want to--I'm not going to take the trouble to contradict you. I
hired you and your men for a certain purpose. But if you don't want
to stay and let me and my friends run things, the sooner you tell me
so the better. But I don't want any more of your underhand remarks.
Understand?"
For a moment Delazes stared at Tom with snapping eyes, as though he
would like to have attacked him. Then, knowing that Tom and his
friends were well armed, and doubtless thinking that strategy was
better than open force he bowed, smiled in what he probably meant
for a friendly fashion, and said:
"The senor is pleased to joke. Very well, I shall believe what I
like. Meanwhile, does Senor Swift commission me to buy the image for
him?"
Tom hesitated a moment. He feared he would be no match for the
shrewd Mexican, and he wondered how much Delazes already knew. Then
he decided on keeping up his end baldly, as that had seemed to have
the best effect.
"You can have a try at buying the image after I have failed," he
said. "I'll try my hand first."
"Very well," assented the contractor. The talk had been in English,
and none of the Mexicans gave any signs of having understood it. Tom
realized that he was playing a dangerous game, for naturally Delazes
would privately tell the Mexicans to put so high a price on the
statute as to prevent Tom from getting it and then the contractor
would make his own terms.
But Tom decided that this was the only course, and he followed it.
"We'll stay here in the village for to-night," he went on. "Delazes,
you and your men can make yourselves comfortable with any friends
you may find here. We'll set up our tent as usual, after we get some
corn meal for supper. I'll talk to them about the relic to-morrow.
They seem to be afraid now."
"Very well," assented the contractor again, and then he said
something in Spanish to the aged Mexican. What it was Tom could not
catch, for Delazes spoke rapidly and seemed to use some colloquial,
or slang phrases with which our hero was not familiar. The old
Mexican assented by a nod, and then he brought out some corn meal
which Eradicate took. The woman with the golden image had gone into
an inner room.
"Bless my pocketbook!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, when he, Tom, Ned and
Eradicate were busy setting up their tent near a campfire just on
the edge of the village. "This is most unexpected. What are you
going to do, Tom?"
"I hardly know. I want to have a talk with whoever owns that image,
to learn where they got it. One thing is sure, it proves that Mr.
Illingway's information about the city of gold is correct."
"But it doesn't tell us where it is," said Ned.
"It must be somewhere around here," declared his chum. "Otherwise
the image wouldn't be here."
"Bless my gaiters, that's so!" exclaimed the odd man.
"Not necessarily," insisted Ned. "Why one of the images is away over
in Africa, and this one may have been brought hundreds of miles from
the underground city."
"I don't believe so," declared Tom. "We're somewhere in the
neighborhood of the city, according to Mr. Illingway's map, I'm
sure. That would be true, image or no image. But when you take the
little gold statue into consideration it makes me positive that I'm
near the end of the trail. I've just got to have a talk with those
people to learn where the statue came from."
"Look out for Delazes," warned Ned.
"I intend to. As soon as I can, I'm going to leave him and his men
behind and set off in the balloon. But first I want to get an idea
of where to head for. We must locate the plain on which stands the
ruined temple."
"It's getting exciting," remarked Ned. "I wish--"
"Supper am serbed in de dinin' cah!" interrupted Eradicate with a
laugh, as he imitated a Pullman porter.
"That's the best thing you could wish for," put in Tom gaily. "Come
on, we'll have a good meal, a sleep, and then we'll be ready to play
detectives again to-morrow."
They all slept soundly that night, though Tom had some idea of
staying awake to see if Delazes paid any secret visits to the house
where the golden image was kept. But he realized that the Mexican,
if he wanted to, could easily find means to outwit him, so the young
inventor decided to get all the rest he could and trust to chance to
help him out.
His first visit after breakfast was to the house of the aged
Mexican. The image was not in sight, though Tom and Ned and Mr.
Damon looked eagerly around for it. There was a curious light in the
eyes of the old man as Tom asked for the little statue of gold.
Delazes was not in evidence. Tom had to conduct the conversation in
Spanish, no particularly easy task for him, though he made out all
right.
"Will you sell the image?" he asked.
"No sell," replied the Mexican quickly.
"Will you please let me look at it?"
The Mexican hesitated a moment, called a command to some one in the
next room, and, a moment later the old woman shuffled in, bearing
the wonderful golden image. Tom could not repress a little gasp of
delight as he saw it at close range, for it was beautifully carved
out of solid, yellow gold.
The woman set it on a rude table, and the young inventor, Ned and
Mr. Damon drew near to look at the image more closely. It was the
work of a master artist. The statue was about eight inches high, and
showed a man, dressed in flowing robes, seated crosslegged on a sort
of raised pedestal. On the head was a crown, many pointed and the
face beneath it showed calm dignity like that of a superior being.
In one extended hand was a round ball, with lines on it to show the
shape of the earth, though only the two American continents
appeared. In the other hand was what might be tables of stone, a
book, or something to represent law-giving authority.
"How much?" asked Tom.
"No sell," was the monotonous answer.
"Five hundred dollars," offered our hero.
"No sell."
"One thousand dollars."
"No sell."
"Why is it so valuable to you?" Tom wanted to know.
"We have him for many years. Bad luck come if he go." Then the
Mexican went on to explain that the image had been in his family for
many generations, and that once, when it had been taken by an enemy,
death and poverty followed until the statue was recovered. He said
he would never part with it.
"Where did it come from?" asked Tom, and he cared more about this
than he did about buying the image.
"Far, far off," said the Mexican. "No man know. I no know--my father
he no know--his father's father no know. Too many years back--many
years."
He motioned to the woman to take the statue away, and Tom and his
friend realized that little more could be learned. The young
inventor stretched out his hand with an involuntary motion, and the
Mexican understood. He spoke to the woman and she handed the image
to Tom. The Mexican had recognized his desire for a moment's closer
inspection and had granted it.
"Jove! It's as heavy as lead!" exclaimed Tom. "And solid gold."
"Isn't it hollow up the middle?" asked Ned. "Look on the underside,
Tom."
His chum did so. As he turned the image over to look at the base he
had all he could do not to utter a cry of surprise. For there,
rudely scratched on the plain surface of the gold, was what was
unmistakably a map. And it was a map showing the location of the
ruined temple--the temple and the country surrounding it--the
ancient city of Poltec, and the map was plain enough so that Tom
could recognize part of the route over which they had traveled.
But, better than all, was a tiny arrow, something like the compass
mark on modern maps. And this arrow pointed straight at the ruins of
the temple, and the direction indicated was due west from the
village where our travelers now were. Tom Swift had found out what
he wanted to know.
Without a word he handed back the image and then, trying not to let
his elation show in his face, he motioned to Ned and Mr. Damon to
follow him from the house.
"Bless my necktie!" exclaimed the odd man, when they were out of
hearing distance. "What's up, Tom."
"I know the way to the ruined temple. We'll start at once," and he
told them of the map on the image.
"Who do you suppose could have made it?" asked Ned.
"Probably whoever took the image from the city of gold. He wanted to
find his way back again, or show some one, but evidently none of the
recent owners of the image understand about the map, if they know
it's there. The lines are quite faint, but it is perfectly plain."
"It's lucky I saw it. I don't have to try to buy the image now, nor
seek to learn where it came from. Anyhow, if they told me they'd
tell Delazes, and he'd be hot after us. As it is I doubt if he can
learn now. Come, we'll get ready to hit the trail again."
And they did, to the no small wonder of the contractor and his men,
who could not understand why Tom should start out without the image,
or without having learned where it came from, for Delazes had
questioned the old Mexican, and learned all that took place. But he
did not look on the base of the statue.
Due west went the cavalcade, and then a new complication arose. Tom
did not want to take the Mexicans any nearer to the plain of the
temple than possible, and he did not know how many miles it was
away. So he decided on taking a longer balloon voyage than at first
contemplated.
"We'll camp to-night at the best place we can find," he said to
Delazes, "and then I'm going on in the balloon. You and your men
will stay in camp until we come back."
"Ha! And suppose the senors do not come back with the balloon?"
"Wait a reasonable time for us, and then you can do as you wish.
I'll pay you to the end of the month and if you wait for us any
longer I have given instructions for the bank in Tampico to pay you
and your men what is right."
"Good! And the senors are going into the unknown?"
"Yes, we don't know where we'll wind up. This hunting for relics is
uncertain business. Make yourselves comfortable in camp, and wait."
"Waiting is weary business, Senor Swift. If we could come with you--"
began Delazes, with an eager look in his eyes.
"Out of the question," spoke Tom shortly. "There isn't room in the
balloon."
"Very well, senor," and with a snapping glance from his black eyes
the contractor walked away.