Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

“Pleased to,” assented the young inventor, and his financial secretary nodded.

A little later, supper having been eaten, the camp made shipshape and the natives settled down, Tom, Ned, Mr. Damon and Professor Bumper assembled in the tent of the scientist, where a dry battery lamp gave sufficient illumination to show a number of maps and papers scattered over an improvised table.

“Now, gentlemen,” said the professor, “I have called you here to go over my plans more in detail than I have hitherto done, now we are on the ground. You know in a general way what I hope to accomplish, but the time has come when I must be specific.

“Aside from being on the spot, below which, or below the vicinity where, I believe, lies the lost city of Kurzon and, I hope, the idol of gold, a situation has arisen — an unexpected situation,

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I may say — which calls for different action from that I had counted on.

“I refer to the presence of my rival, Professor Beecher. I will not dwell now on what he has done. It is better to consider what he may do.”

“That’s right,” agreed Ned. “He may get up in the night, dig up this city and skip with that golden image before we know it.”

“Hardly,” grinned Tom.

“No,” said Professor Bumper. “Excavating buried cities in the jungle of Honduras is not as simple as that. There is much work to be done. But accidents may happen, and in case one should occur to me, and I be unable to prosecute the search, I want one of you to do it. For that reason I am going to show you the maps and ancient documents and point out to you where I believe the lost city lies. Now, if you will give me your attention, I’ll proceed.”