“Very grave. In fact I may say it is impossible to proceed with the excavating without the map.”
“Then what are we to do?” asked Ned.
“We must get it back!” declared Tom.
“Yes,” agreed the scientist, “we can not work without it. As soon as I make a little further search, to make sure it could not have dropped in some out-of-the-way place, I shall go over to Professor Beecher’s camp and demand that he give me back my property.”
“Suppose he says he hasn’t taken it?” asked Tom.
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“Well, I’m sure he either took it personally, or one of his party did. And yet I can’t understand how they could have come here without our seeing them,” and the professor shook his head in puzzled despair.
A more detailed search did not reveal the missing map, and Mr. Damon and his friend the scientist were on the point of departing for the camp of their rivals, less than a mile away, when Tom had what really amounted to an inspiration.
“Look here, Professor!” he cried. “Can you remember any of the details of your map — say, for instance, where we ought to begin excavating to get at the wonders of the underground city?”
“Well, Tom, I did intend to compare my map with the configuration of the country about here. There is a certain mountain which serves as a landmark and a guide for a starting point. I think that is it over there,” and the scientist pointed to a distant snow-capped peak.
The party had left the low and marshy land of the true jungle, and were among the foothills, though all about them was dense forest and underbush, which, in reality, was as much a jungle as the lower plains, but was less wet.
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