He wanted to do a bit of thinking, and
he believed he could do it best by himself. So
it was late afternoon when he again greeted Ned,
who, meanwhile, had been kept very busy.
"Well?" called Tom's chum.
"Um!" was the only answer, and Tom called
Koku to put the car away in the garage.
"Something wrong," mused Ned.
The next three days were crowded with events
and with work. Mr. Damon came over
frequently to consult with Tom and Ned, and
finally the last of their baggage had been packed,
certain of Tom's inventions and implements sent
on by express to New York to be taken to Honduras,
and then our friends themselves followed
to the metropolis.
"Good-bye, Tom," said his father. "Good-
bye, and good luck! If you don't get the idol
of gold I'm sure you'll have experiences that
will be valuable to you."
"We're going to get the idol of gold!" said
Tom determinedly.
"Look out for the bad bugs," suggested Eradicate.
"We will," promised Ned.
Tom's last act was to send a message to Mary
Nestor, and then he, with Ned and Mr. Damon,
who blessed everything in sight from the gasoline
in the automobile to the blue sky overhead,
started for the station.
New York was reached without incident. The
trio put up at the hotel where Professor Bumper
was to meet them.
"He hasn't arrived yet," said Tom, after
glancing over the names on the hotel register and
not seeing Professor Bumper's among them.
"Oh, he'll be here all right," asserted Mr.
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