Chapter VII
Off for Peru
"Well, Tom Swift, you're on time I see," was Mr. Job Titus' greeting,when our hero, and Koku, the giant, alighted from a taxicab in NewYork, in front of the hotel the contractor had appointed as a meetingplace.
"Yes, I'm here."
"Did you have a good trip?"
"Oh, all right, yes. Nothing happened to speak of, though we weredelayed by a freight wreck. Has Mr. Damon got here yet?"
"Not yet, Tom. But I had a message saying he was on his way. Come on upto the rooms I have engaged. Hello, what's all the crowd here for?"asked the contractor in some surprise, for a throng had gathered at thehotel entrance.
"I expect it's Koku they're staring at," announced Tom, and the giantit was who had attracted the attention. He was carrying his own bigvalise, and a small steamer trunk belonging to Tom, as easily as thoughthey weighed nothing, the trunk being under one arm.
"I guess they don't see men of his size outside of circuses," commentedthe contractor. "We can pretty nearly, though not quite match him, downin Peru though, Tom. Some of the Indians are big fellows."
"We'll get up a wrestling match between one of them and Koku,"suggested Tom. "Come on!" he called to the giant, who was surrounded bya crowd.
Koku pushed his way through as easily as a bull might make his waythrough a throng of puppies about his heels, and as Tom, Mr. Titus andthe giant were entering the hotel corridor, the chauffeur of thetaxicab called out with a laugh:
"I say, boss, don't you think you ought to pay double rates on thatchap," and he nodded in the direction of the giant.
"That's right!" added some one in the crowd with a laugh. "He mighthave broken the springs."
"All right," assented Tom, good-naturedly, tossing the chauffeur acoin. "Here you are, have a cigar on the giant."
There was more laughter, and even Koku grinned, though it is doubtfulif he knew what about, for he could not understand much unless Tomspoke to him in a sort of code they had arranged between them.
"Sorry to have hastened your departure," began Mr. Titus when he andTom sat in the comfortable hotel rooms, while Koku stood at a window,looking out at what to him were the marvelous wonders of the New Yorkstreets.
"It didn't make any difference," replied the young inventor. "I wasabout ready to come anyhow. I just had to hustle a little," and hethought of how he had had to send Mary's present to her instead oftaking it himself. As yet he was all unaware of the commotion it hadcaused.
"Did you get the powder shipment off all right?"
"Yes, and it will be there almost as soon as we. Other shipments willfollow as we need them. My father will see to that."
"I'm glad you hit on the right kind of powder," went on the contractor."I guess I didn't make any mistake in coming to you, Tom."
"Well, I hope not. Of course the explosive worked all right inexperimental charges with samples of the tunnel rock. It remains to beseen what it will do under actual conditions, and in big servicecharges."
"Oh, I've no doubt it will work all right."
"What time do we leave here?" Tom asked.
"At two-thirty this afternoon. We have just time to get a good dinnerand have our baggage transferred to the Chicago limited. In less than aweek we ought to be in San Francisco and aboard the steamer. I hope Mr.Damon arrives on time."
"Oh, you can generally depend on him," said Tom. "I telephoned him,just before I started from Shopton, and he said--"
"Bless my carpet slippers!" cried a voice outside the hotel apartment."But I can find my way all right. I know the number of the room. No!you needn't take my bag. I can carry it my self!"
"There he is!" laughed Tom, opening the door to disclose the eccentricgentleman himself, struggling to keep possession of his valise againstthe importunities of a bellboy.
"Ah, Tom--Mr. Titus! Glad to see you!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "I--I am alittle late, I fear--had an accident--wait until I get my breath," andhe sank, panting, into a chair.
"Accident?" cried Tom. "Are you--?"
"Yes--my taxicab ran into another. Nobody hurt though."
"But you're all out of breath," said Mr. Titus. "Did you run?"
"No, but I walked upstairs."
"What! Seven flights?" exclaimed Tom. "Weren't the hotel elevatorsrunning?"
"Yes, but I don't like them. I'd rather walk. And I did--carried myvalise--bellboy tried to take it away from me every step--here you are,son--it wasn't the tip I was trying to get out of," and he tossed thewaiting and grinning lad a quarter.
"There, I'm better now," went on Mr. Damon, when Tom had given him aglass of water. "Bless my paper weight! The drug concern will have tovote me an extra dividend for what I've gone through. Well, I'm here,anyhow. How is everything?"
"Fine!" cried Tom. "We'll soon be off for Peru!"
They talked over plans and made sure nothing had been forgotten. Theirrailroad tickets had been secured by Mr. Titus so there was nothingmore to do save wait for train-time.
"I've never been to Peru," Tom remarked shortly before lunch. "Whatsort of country is it?"
"Quite a wonderful country," Mr. Titus answered. "I have been very muchinterested in it since my brother and I accepted this tunnel contract.Peru seems to have taken its name from Peru, a small river on the westcoast of Colombia, where Pizarro landed. The country, geographically,may be divided into three sections longitudinally. The coast region isa sandy desert, with here and there rivers flowing through fertilevalleys. The sierra region is the Andes division, about two hundred andfifty miles in width."
"Is that where we're going?" asked Tom.
"Yes. And beyond the Andes (which in Peru consist of great chains ofmountains, some very high, interspersed with table lands, rich plainsand valleys) there is the montana region of tropical forests, runningdown to the valley of the Amazon.
"That sounds interesting," commented Mr. Damon.
"It is interesting," declared Mr. Titus. "For it is from this tropicalregion that your quinine comes, Mr. Damon, though you may not have togo there to straighten out your affairs. I think you can do betterbargaining with the officials in Lima, or near there."
"Are there any wild animals in Peru?" Tom inquired.
"Well, not many. Of course there are the llamas and alpacas, which arethe beasts of burden--almost like little camels you might say, thoughmuch more gentle. Then there is the wild vicuna, the fleece of which ismade into a sort of wool, after which a certain kind of cloth is named.
"Then there is the taruco, a kind of deer, the viscacha, which is a bigrat, the otoc, a sort of wild dog, or fox, and the ucumari, a blackbear with a white nose. This bear is often found on lofty mountaintops, but only when driven there in search of food.
"The condors, of course, are big birds of prey in the Andes. You musthave read about them; how they seem to lie in the upper regions of theair, motionless, until suddenly they catch sight of some dead animalfar down below when they sweep toward it with the swiftness of thewink. There is another bird of the vulture variety, with wings of blackand white feathers. The ancient Incas used to decorate their headdresses with these wing feathers."
"Well, I'm glad I'm going to Peru," said Tom. "I never knew it was suchan interesting country. But I don't suppose we'll have time to see muchof it."
"Oh, I think you will," commented Mr. Titus. "We don't always have towork on the tunnel. There are numerous holidays, or holy-days, whichour Indian workers take off, and we can do nothing without them. I'llsee that you have a chance to do some exploring if you wish."
"Good!" exclaimed Tom. "I brought my electric rifle with me, and I mayget a chance to pop over one of those bears with a white nose. Are theygood to eat?"
"The Indians eat them, I believe, when they can get them, but Iwouldn't fancy the meat," said the contractor.
Luncheon over, the three travelers departed with their baggage for theChicago Limited, which left from the Pennsylvania Station atTwenty-third Street. As usual, Koku attracted much attenti
on because ofhis size.
The trip to San Francisco was without incident worth narrating and indue time our friends reached the Golden Gate where they were to goaboard their steamer. They had to wait a day, during which time Tom andMr. Titus made inquiries regarding the first powder shipment. They hadhad unexpected good luck, for the explosive, having been sent on aheadby fast freight, was awaiting them.
"So we can take it with us on the Bellaconda," said, Tom, naming thevessel on which they were to sail.
The powder was safely stowed away, and our friends having brought theirbaggage aboard, putting what was wanted on the voyage in theirstaterooms, went out on deck to watch the lines being cast off.
A bell clanged and an officer cried:
"All ashore that's going ashore!"
There were hasty good-byes, a scramble on the part of those who hadcome to bid friends farewell, and preparations were made to haul in thegangplank.
Just as the tugs were slowly pushing against the Bellaconda to get herin motion to move her away from the wharf, there was a shout down thepier and a taxicab, driven at reckless speed, dashed up.
"Wait a minute! Hold that gangway. I have a passenger for you!" criedthe chauffeur.
He pulled up with a screeching of brakes, and a man with a heavy blackbeard fairly leaped from the vehicle, running toward the plank whichwas all but cast off.
"My fare! My fare!" yelled the taxicab driver.
"Take it out of that! Keep the change!" cried the bearded man over hisshoulder, tossing a crumpled bill to the chauffeur. And then, clutchinghis valise in a firm hand, the belated passenger rushed up thegangplank just in time to board the steamer which was moving away fromthe dock.
"Close shave--that," observed Tom.
"That's right," assented Mr. Titus.
"Well, we're off for Peru!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, as the vessel moveddown the bay.
Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel; Or, The Hidden City of the Andes Page 7