Part 9 (1/2)
”I guess everything is all ready,” remarked Tom,
”I can't think of anything more to do,” said Ned.
”Bless my grip-sack!” exclaimed Mr. Damon, ”if there IS, someone else has got to do it. I'm tired to death! I never thought getting ready to go off on a simple little trip was so much work. We ought to have made the whole journey from start to finish in an airs.h.i.+p, Tom, as we've done before.”
”It was hardly practical,” answered the young inventor. ”I'm afraid we'll be searching for this underground city for some time, and we'll only need an airs.h.i.+p or a dirigible balloon for short trips here and there. We've got to go a good deal by information the natives can furnish us, and we can't get at them very well when sailing in the air.”
”That's right,” agreed the eccentric man. ”Well, I'm glad we're ready to start.”
It was the evening of the day before they were to leave for New York, there to take steamer to a small port on the Mexican coast, and every one was busy putting the finis.h.i.+ng details to the packing of his personal baggage.
The balloon, taken apart for easy transportation, had been sent on ahead, as had most of their supplies, weapons and other needed articles. All they would carry with them were handbags, containing some clothing.
”Then you've fully made up your mind not to go; eh Rad?” asked Tom of the colored man, who was busy helping them pack. ”You won't take a chance in the underground city?”
”No, Ma.s.sa Tom, I's gwine t' stay home an' look after yo' daddy.
'Sides, Boomerang is gettin' old, an' when a mule gits along in yeahs him temper ain't none ob de best.”
”Boomerang's temper never was very good, anyhow,” said Tom. ”Many's the time he's balked on you, Rad.”
”I know it, Ma.s.sa Tom, but dat jest shows what strong character he done hab. n.o.body kin manage dat air mule but me, an' if I were to leave him, dere suah would be trouble. No, I cain't go to no underground city, nohow.”
”But if you found some of the golden images you could buy another mule--two of 'em if you wanted that many,” said Ned, and a moment later he remembered that Tom did not want the colored man to know anything about the trip after gold. He had been led to believe that it was merely a trip to locate an ancient city.
”Did yo' done say GOLDEN images?” asked Eradicate, his eyes big with wonder.
Ned glanced apologetically at Tom, and said, with a shrug of his shoulders:
”Well, I--”
”Oh, we might as well tell him,” interrupted the young inventor.
”Yes, Rad, we expect to bring back some images of solid gold from the underground city. If you go along you might get some for your self. Of course there's nothing certain about it, but--”
”How--how big am dem gold images, Ma.s.sa Tom?” asked Eradicate eagerly.
”You've got him going now, Tom,” whispered Ned.
”How big?” repeated Tom musingly. ”Hum, well, there's one that is said to be bigger than three men, and there must be any number of smaller ones--say boy's size, and from that on down to the real little ones, according to Mr. Illingway.”
”Real gold--yellow, gold images as big as a man,” said Eradicate in a dreamy voice. ”An'--an' some big as boys. By golly, Ma.s.sa Tom, am yo' suah ob dat?”
”Pretty sure. Why, Rad?”
”Cause I's gwine wid yo', dat's why! I didn't know yo' all was goin'
after gold. My golly I's gwine along! Look out ob mah way, ef yo'
please,--Mr. Damon. I'se gwine t' pack up an' go. Am it too late to git me a ticket, Ma.s.sa Tom?”
”No, I guess there's room on the s.h.i.+p. But say, Rad, I don't want you to talk about this gold image part of it. You can say we're going to look for an underground city, but no more, mind you!”