FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>  
lic squares; and images, not at all beautiful, for they seemed to be of man-monsters--doubtless ancient gods. There were smoothly paved streets; wondrously carved fountains, some in ruins, all now as dry as bone, but which must have been places of beauty where youths and maidens gathered in the ancient days. Of the ancient population there was not a trace left. Tom and his friends penetrated some of the houses, but not so much as a bone or a heap of mouldering dust showed where the remains of the people were. Either they had fled at the approaching doom of the city and were buried elsewhere, or some strange fire or other force of nature had consumed and obliterated them. "What a wealth of historic information I shall find here!" murmured Professor Bumper, as he caught sight of many inscriptions in strange characters on the walls and buildings. "I shall never get to the end of them." "But what about the idol of gold?" asked Mr. Damon, "Do you think you'll find that?" "We must hurry on to the temple over there," said the scientist, indicating a building further along. "And then we must see about rescuing your rivals, Professor," put in Tom. "Yes, Tom. But fortunately we are on the ground here before them," agreed the professor. Undoubtedly it was the chief temple, or place of worship, of the long-dead race which the explorers now entered. It was a building beautiful in its barbaric style, and yet simple. There were massive walls, and a great inner court, at the end of which seemed to be some sort of altar. And then, as they lighted fresh torches, and pressed forward with them and their electric lights, they saw that which caused a cry of satisfaction to burst from all of them. "The idol of gold!" Yes, there it squatted, an ugly, misshapen, figure, a cross between a toad and a gila monster, half man, half beast, with big red eyes--rubies probably--that gleamed in the repulsive golden face. And the whole figure, weighing many pounds, seemed to be of SOLID GOLD! Eagerly the others followed Professor Bumper up the altar steps to the very throne of the golden idol. The scientist touched it, tried to raise it and make sure of its solidity and material. "This is it!" he cried. "It is the idol of gold! I have found-- We have found it, for it belongs to all of us!" "Hurray!" cried Tom Swift, and Ned and Mr. Damon joined in the cry. There was no need for silence or caution now; and yet, as t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>  



Top keywords:

Professor

 

ancient

 

beautiful

 
golden
 
Bumper
 

temple

 
figure
 

strange

 

scientist

 

building


simple
 

barbaric

 

satisfaction

 

massive

 

explorers

 
forward
 

lighted

 

pressed

 

entered

 
lights

torches

 
electric
 

caused

 

solidity

 

touched

 

throne

 

material

 
silence
 

caution

 

joined


belongs

 

Hurray

 

Eagerly

 

monster

 

squatted

 

misshapen

 

weighing

 

pounds

 

rubies

 

gleamed


repulsive

 

houses

 

penetrated

 

friends

 

population

 

mouldering

 
approaching
 

buried

 

Either

 

showed