Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

“He hasn’t arrived yet,” said Tom, after glancing over the names on the hotel register and not seeing Professor Bumper’s among them.

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“Oh, he’ll be here all right,” asserted Mr. Damon. “Bless my galvanic battery! he sent me a telegram at one o’clock this morning saying he’d be sure to meet us in New York. No fear of him not starting for the land of wonders.”

“There are some other professors registered, though,” observed Ned, as he glanced at the book, noting the names of several scientists of whom he and Tom had read.

“Yes. I wonder what they’re doing in New York,” replied Tom. “They are from New England. Maybe there’s a convention going on. Well, we’ll have to wait, that’s all, until Professor Bumper comes.”

And during that wait Tom heard something that surprised him and caused him no little worry. It was when Ned came back to his room, which adjoined Tom’s, that the young treasurer gave his chum the news.

“I say, Tom!” Ned exclaimed. “Who do you think those professors are, whose names we saw on the register?”

“I haven’t the least idea.”

“Why, they’re of Beecher’s party!”

“You don’t mean it!”

“I surely do.”

“How do you know?”

“I happened to overhear two of them talking

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down in the lobby a while ago. They didn’t make any secret of it. They spoke freely of going with Beecher to some ancient city in Honduras, to look for an idol of gold.”

“They did? But where is Beecher?”

“He hasn’t joined them yet. Their plans have been changed. Instead of leaving on the same steamer we are to take in the morning they are to come on a later one. The professors here are waiting for Beecher to come.”