"
And this was done. Search for the precious
map was given up for the time being, and the
professor and his friends set the natives to work
digging shafts in the ground, as though sinking
them down to the level of the buried city.
But though this false work was prosecuted with
vigor for several days, there was a feeling of
despair among the Bumper party over the loss of
the map.
"If we could only get it back!" exclaimed the
professor, again and again.
Meanwhile the Beecher party seemed inactive.
True, some members of it did come over to look
on from a respectful distance at what the diggers
were doing. Some of the rival helpers, under
the direction of the head of the expedition, also
began sinking shafts. But they were not in the
locality remembered by Professor Bumper as being
correct.
"I can't imagine what they're up to," he said.
"If they have my map they would act differently,
I should think."
"Whatever they're up to," answered Tom, "the
time has come when we can dig at the place
where we can hope for results." And the following
day shafts were started in the shadow of the
mountain.
Until some evidence should have been obtained
by digging, as to the location beneath the surface
of a buried city, there was nothing for the
travelers to do but wait. Turns were taken in
directing the efforts of the diggers, and an
occasional inspection was made of the shafts.
"What do you expect to find first?" asked Tom
of Professor Bumper one day, when the latter was
at the top of a shaft waiting for a bucket load
of dirt to be hoisted up.
Pages:
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127