第42章

THE CAVERN

"Now Goosal can tell you," said Tal, evidently pleased that he had, in a measure, solved the problem caused by the burning of the professor's map."Goosal very old Indian.He know old stories--legends--very old.""Well, if he can tell us how to find the buried city of Kurzon and the-- the things in it," said Tom, "he's all right!"The aged Indian proceeded slowly toward the hut where the impatient youths awaited him.

"I know what you seek in the buried city," remarked Tal.

"Do you?" cried Tom, wondering if some one had indiscreetly spoken of the idol of gold.

"Yes you want pieces of rock, with strange writings on them, old weapons, broken pots.I know.I have helped white men before.""Yes, those are the things we want," agreed Tom, with a glance at his chum."That is--some of them.But does your wife's grandfather talk our language?""No, but I can tell you what he says."

By this time the old man, led by "Mrs.Tal"-- as the young men called the wife of the Indian they had helped--entered the hut.He seemed nervous and shy, and glanced from Tom and Ned to his grandson-in-law, as the latter talked rapidly in the Indian dialect.Then Goosal made answer, but what it was all about the boys could not tell.

"Goosal say," translated Tal, "that he know a story of a very old city away down under ground.""Tell us about it!" urged Tom eagerly.

But a difficulty very soon developed.Tal's intentions were good, but he was not equal to the task of translating.Nor was the understanding of Tom and Ned of Spanish quite up to the mark.

"Say, this is too much for me!" exclaimed Tom."We are losing the most valuable part of this by not understanding what Goosal says, and what Tal translates.""What can we do?" asked Ned.

"Get the professor here as soon as possible.He can manage this dialect, and he'll get the information at first hand.If Goosal can tell where to begin excavating for the city he ought to tell the professor, not us.""That's right," agreed Ned."We'll bring the professor here as soon as we can." Accordingly they stopped the somewhat difficult task of listening to the translated story and told Tal, as well as they could, that they would bring the "man-with-no-hair-on-his-head" to listen to the tale.

This seemed to suit the Indians, all of whom in the small colony appeared to be very grateful to Tom and Ned for having saved the life of Tal.

"That was a good shot you made when you bowled over the jaguar," said Ned, as the two young explorers started back to their camp.

"Better than I realized, if it leads to the discovery of Kurzon and the idol of gold," remarked Tom.

"And to think we should come across the oiled- silk holding the poisoned arrows!" went on Ned."That's the strangest part of the whole affair.If it hadn't been that you shot the jaguar this never would have come about."That Professor Bumper was astonished, and Mr.Damon likewise, when they heard the story of Tom and Ned, is stating it mildly.

"Come on!" exclaimed the scientist, as Tom finished, "we must see this Goosal at once.If my map is destroyed, and it seems to be, this old Indian may be our only hope.Where did he say the buried city was, Tom?" "Oh, somewhere in this vicinity, as nearly as I could make out.But you'd better talk with him yourself.We didn't say anything about the idolof gold."