Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

“These the arrows,” explained Tal’s wife, bringing a bundle from a corner of the one-room hut. As she held them out her husband gave a cry of fear.

“Poisoned arrows! Poisoned arrows!” he exclaimed. “One scratch and the se�ors are dead men. Put them away!”

In fear the Indian wife prepared to obey, but as she did so Tom Swift caught sight of the package and uttered a strange cry.

“Thundering hoptoads, Ned!” he exclaimed. “The poisoned arrows are wrapped in the piece of oiled silk that was around the professor’s missing map!”

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Chapter 20

CHAPTER XX

AN OLD LEGEND

FASCINATED, Tom and Ned gazed at the package the Indian woman held out to them. Undoubtedly it was oiled silk on the outside, and through the almost transparent covering could be seen the small arrows, or darts, used in the blow gun.

“Where did you get that?” asked Tom, pointing to the bundle and gazing sternly at Tal.

“What is the matter, Se�or?” asked the Indian in turn. “Is it that you are afraid of the poisoned arrows? Be assured they will not harm you unless you are scratched by them.”

Tom and Ned found it difficult to comprehend all the rapid Spanish spoken by their host, but they managed to understand some, and his eloquent gestures made up the rest.

“We’re not afraid,” Tom said, noting that the

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oiled skin well covered the dangerous darts. “But where did you get that?”

“I picked it up, after another Indian had thrown it away. He got it in your camp, Se�or. I will not lie to you. I did not steal. Valdez went to your camp to steal — he is a bad Indian — and he brought back this wrapping. It contained something he thought was gold, but it was not, so he