CHAPTER XXII
TRAPPED
"Well, that sure is a big statue!" exclaimed Ned as he walked aroundit.
"An' to t'ink dat it's SOLID GOLD!" cried Eradicate his eyes bigwith wonder. "I suah wish I had dat all fo' mahse'f!"
"We never could carry that in the balloon," spoke Tom with a shakeof his head. "I guess we'll have to leave it here. But I would liketo take say the head. It would be worth a lot as a relic to somemuseum--worth more than the value of the gold itself. I've a notionto do it."
"How could you get the head off?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Oh, pull the statue down or overturn it, as the American patriotsdid to the Bowling Green, New York, lead statue of King George IIIduring the Revolutionary days," answered Tom. "I think that's whatI'll do."
"I say, look here!" called Ned, who had made a circuit of thestatue. "There's some sort of an inscription here. See if you canread it, Tom."
They went around to the front of the big, golden image where Nedstood. On a sort of a plate, with raised letters, was an inscriptionin a strange language. Part of it seemed to be the name of theperson or god whom the statue represented, and what followed nonecould make out.
"It's something like the ancient Greek or Persian language,"declared Mr. Damon, who was quite a scholar. "I can make out a wordhere and there, and it seems to be a warning against disturbing thestatue, or damaging it. Probably it was put there to warn small boysthousands of years ago, if they ever allowed small boys in thisplace."
"Does it say what will be done to whoever harms the statue?" askedTom with a laugh.
"Probably it does, but I can't make out what it is," answered Mr.Damon.
"Then here goes to see if we can't overturn it and hack off thehead," went on Tom. "I've got a sharp little hatchet, and gold isvery soft to cut. Over she goes."
"You never can upset that statue," declared Ned.
"Yes, I can," cried the young inventor. "I brought a long, thin, butvery strong rope with me, and I think if we all pull together we cando it."
Tom made a noose and skillfully threw it over the head of thestatue. It settled about the neck, and then, all taking hold, andwalking away a short distance, they gave a "long pull, a strongpull, and a pull altogether."
At first the statue would not move, but when they strained on therope, the image suddenly tilted, and, a moment later it tumbled tothe stone pavement. But the fall was not as heavy as should haveresulted from a statue of solid metal. There was a tinkling sound.
"That's queer!" cried Tom. "It didn't make half the fuss Iexpected," and he hurried up to look at the fallen statue. "Why!" hecried in astonishment, "it's hollow--the big golden statue ishollow--it's a fake!"
And so it was. The big image was only a shell of gold.
"Not so valuable as it looked," commented Ned. "We could take thatwith us in the balloon, if it wasn't so big."
"Well, here goes for the head, anyhow!" exclaimed Tom, and with afew blows of his keen little axe he severed the neck. As he held itup for all to see--rather a grewsome sight it was, too, in theflickering light of the gas torches--there sounded throughout theunderground city, a dull, booming noise, like distant thunder.
"What's that?" cried Ned.
"Bless my bath sponge!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "I hope the water isn'trising in the river."
"Oh land a massy!" gasped Eradicate.
Without a word Tom dropped the golden head and made for the streetthat led to the tunnel. The others followed, and soon caught up tothe young inventor. On and on they ran, with only the light of theirelectric flash torches to guide them. Suddenly Tom stopped.
"Go on!" cried Ned. "See what's happened! Go on!"
"I can't," answered Tom, and they all wondered at his voice."There's a big block of stone across the tunnel, and I can't goanother step. The stone gate has fallen. We're trapped here in theunderground city of gold!"
"Bless my soul! The tunnel closed?" cried Mr. Damon.
"Look," said Tom simply and in hopeless tones, as he flashed hislight. And there, completely filling the tunnel, was a great blockof stone, fitting from ceiling to floor and from side wall to sidewall, completely cutting off all escape.
"Trapped!" gasped Ned. "The Mexicans or Andy Foger did this."
"No, I don't think so," spoke Tom solemnly. "I think the pullingdown of the statue released this stone gate. We trapped ourselves.Oh, why didn't I leave the statue alone!"
"That can't have done it!" declared Ned.
"We can soon tell," spoke Mr. Damon. "Let's go back and look. Latermaybe we can raise the block," and they returned to the fallen goldstatue. Tom casting back a hopeless look at the barrier that hadburied them alive in the city of gold.
Tom Swift in the City of Gold; Or, Marvelous Adventures Underground Page 22