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"There are other statues in this buried city of Kurzon, and though they may not be so valuable they will give me a wealth of material for my research work." "How do you know there are other statues?" asked Mr. Damon. "Because my documents tell me so. It was because the people made other idols, in opposition, as it were, to Quitzel, that their city or country was destroyed.
"You never saw such an idol of gold as this. What's its name?" and he looked questioningly at the professor. "Quitzel the idol is called," supplied Professor Bumper. "And it is supposed to be in a buried city named Kurzon, somewhere in the Sierra de Merendon range of mountains, in the vicinity of the Copan valley.
"If all the people were killed, and the city buried, how did the story of Quitzel become known?" asked Mr. Damon. "One only of the priests in the temple of Quitzel escaped and set down part of the tale," said the professor. "It is his narrative, or one based on it, that I have given you." "And now, what I want to do, is to go and make a search for this buried city.
At least that is the legend. Quitzel, so the story goes, wanted to be the chief god, and when the image of a rival was set up in the temple near him, he toppled over in anger, and part of the temple went with him, the whole place being buried in ruins. All the inhabitants were killed, and trace of the ancient city was lost forever. No, I hope not forever, for I expect to find it."
And another great idol, one of clay, was found, perhaps a rival of Quitzel, but it was this clay image which was thrown down and broken, and not the golden one. Perhaps an effort had been made, just before the burying of the city, to change idols and the system of worship, but Quitzel seemed to have held his own. The old manuscripts were not very reliable, it was found, except in general.
"But these traces, and such hieroglyphics, or, to be more exact pictographs, as I have been able to decipher from the old documents, tell of one country, or perhaps it was only a city, over which this great golden idol of Quitzel presided. "There is in some of these papers a description of the idol, which is not exactly a beauty, judged from modern standards.
They had hoped for great things, but if the cavern gave access to the buried city the ancient city of Kurzon on the chief altar of which stood the golden idol, Quitzel it looked as though they were never to enter it. "We'll have to get our Indians and drive those fellows out!" declared Tom. "I'm not going to be beaten this way and by Beecher!" "It is galling," declared Professor Bumper.
There is much gold scattered throughout Honduras, though of late it has not been found in large quantities. "In the old days, however, before the Spaniards came, it was plentiful, so much, so that the natives made idols of it. And it is one of the largest of these idols by name Quitzel that I am going to seek." "Do you know where it is?" asked Ned.
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