work."

"We'll stay and take the night train back," agreed Mr. Damon. "It will
be like old times, Tom," he went on, "traveling off together into the
wilds. Central America is pretty wild, isn't it?" he asked, as if in
fear of being disappointed! on that score.

"Oh, it's wild enough to suit any one," answered Professor Bumper.

"Well, now to settle a few details," observed Tom. "Ned, what is the
situation as regards the financial affairs of my father and myself?
Nothing will come to grief if we go away, will there?"

"I guess not, Tom. But are you going to take your father with you?"

"No, of course not."

"But you spoke of 'we.'"

"I meant you and I are going."

"Me, Tom?"

"Sure, you! I wouldn't think of leaving you behind. You want Ned
along, don't you, Professor?"

"Of course. It will be an ideal party--we four. We'll have to take
natives when we get to Honduras, and make up a mule pack-train for the
interior. I had some thoughts of asking you to take an airship along,
but it might frighten the Indians, and I shall have to depend on them
for guides, as well as for porters. So it will be an old-fashioned
expedition, in a way."

Mr. Swift came in at this point to meet his old friends.

"The boy needs a little excitement," he said. "He's been puttering
over that stabilizer invention too long. I can finish the model for
him in a very short time."

Professor Bumper told Mr. Swift something about the proposed trip,
while Mr. Damon went out with Tom and Ned to one of the shops to look
at a new model aeroplane the young inventor had designed.

There was a merry party around the table at dinner, though now and then
Ned noticed that Tom had an abstracted and preoccupied air.

"Thinking about the idol of gold?" asked Ned in a whisper to his chum,
when they were about to leave the table.

"The idol of gold? Oh, yes! Of course! It will be great if we can
bring that back with us." But the manner in which he said this made Ned
feel sure that Tom had had other thoughts, and that he had used a
little subterfuge in his answer.

Ned was right, as he proved for himself a little later, when, Mr. Damon
and the professor having gone home, the young financial secretary took
his friend to a quiet corner and asked:

"What's the matter, Tom?"

"Matter? What do you mean?"

"I mean what made you make up your mind so quickly to go on this
expedition when you heard Beecher was going?"

"Oh--er--well, you