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Upward and outward the stone walls swept, and they saw dimly before them, in the light of their torches, a vast cavern, seemingly formed by the falling in of mountains, which, in toppling over, had met overhead in a sort of rough arch, thus protecting, in a great measure, that which lay beneath them. Goosal, who had brought with him some of the fiber bark torches, set a bundle of them aflame.
"But is that all you know about it, Goosal?" asked the savant. "No, Learned One. It is true most of what I have told you was told to me by my father and his father's father. But I I myself with these eyes, have looked upon the lost city." "You have!" cried the professor, this time in English. "Where? When? Take us to it! How do you get here?"
"Doubtless a wealth of material of historic interest here," said Professor Bumper, flashing his torch on the skeletons. "But it will keep. Where is the city you spoke of, Goosal?" "Farther on, Senor. Follow me." Past the stone graves they went, deeper and deeper into the great cave. Their footsteps echoed and re-echoed.
They passed the place where Tom had slain the jaguar, but nothing was left but the bones; the ants, vultures and jungle animals having picked them clean in the night. On the arrival of Tom and his friends at the Indian's hut, Goosal told, in language which Professor Bumper could understand, the ancient legend of the buried city as he had had it from his grandfather.
"Indians!" cried Professor Bumper, recognizing the language a mixture of Spanish and Indian. The cave was illuminated by the glare of other torches which seemed to rush forward. A moment later it was seen that they were being carried by a number of Indians. "Friends," murmured Goosal, using the Spanish term, "Amigos." "They are our own Indians!" cried Tom Swift.
"I believe it is an ancient door," remarked Professor Bumper. Eagerly and frantically they tried to move it by their combined weight. The stone did not give the fraction of the breadth of a hair. "We'll have to go back and get some of your big tunnel blasting powder, Tom," suggested Ned. As he spoke old Goosal glided forward.
Perhaps they had heard too many legends concerning such things to be impressed. "That statue is yours all yours," said old Goosal when he had talked with his relatives and friends among the natives. "They all say what you find you keep, and we will help you keep it." "That's good," murmured Professor Bumper.
Tal's intentions were good, but he was not equal to the task of translating. Nor was the understanding of Tom and Ned of Spanish quite up to the mark. "Say, this is too much for me!" exclaimed Tom. "We are losing the most valuable part of this by not understanding what Goosal says, and what Tal translates." "What can we do?" asked Ned. "Get the professor here as soon as possible.
They made ready to enter. Torches of a light bark, that glowed with a steady flame and little smoke, had been provided, as well as a good supply of electric dry-battery lamps, and the way into the cavern was thus well lighted. At first the Indians were afraid to enter, but a word or two from Goosal reassured them, and they followed Professor Bumper, Tom, and the others into the cavern.
"I haven't the least idea, but it must lead to something, or the ancients who made this revolving stone door wouldn't have taken such care to block the passage." "Ask Goosal if he knows anything about it," suggested Mr. Damon to the professor.
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