d we don't want to be late. I have
tickets."

"For what?" asked Tom and Ned together.

"The movies," was the laughing reply. "Bless my loose ribs! but I
wouldn't miss him for anything. He's in a new play called 'Up in a
Balloon Boys.' It's great!" and Mr. Damon named a certain comic moving
picture star in whose horse-play Mr. Damon took a curious interest.
Tom and Ned were glad enough to go, Tom that he might have a chance to
do a certain amount of thinking, and Ned because he was still boy
enough to like moving pictures.

"I wonder, Tom," said Mr. Damon, as they came out of the theater two
hours later, all three chuckling at the remembrance of what they had
seen, "I wonder you never turned your inventive mind to the movies."

"Maybe I will, some day," said Tom.

He spoke rather uncertainly. The truth of the matter was that he was
still thinking deeply of the visit of Professor Beecher to Mary Nestor,
and wondering what it portended.

But if Tom's sleep was troubled that night he said nothing of it to his
friends. He was up early the next morning, for they were to leave that
day, and there was still considerable to be done in seeing that their
baggage and supplies were safely loaded, and in attending to the last
details of some business matters.

While at the hotel they had several glimpses of the members of the
Beecher party who were awaiting the arrival of the young professor who
was to lead them into the wilds of Honduras. But our friends did not
seek the acquaintance of their rivals. The latter, likewise, remained
by themselves, though they knew doubtless that there was likely to be a
strenuous race for the possession of the idol of gold, then, it was
presumed, buried deep in some forest-covered city.

Professor Bumper had made his arrangements carefully. As he explained
to his friends, they would take the steamer from New York to Puerto
Cortes, one of the principal seaports of Honduras. This is a town of
about three thousand inhabitants, with an excellent harbor and a big
pier along which vessels can tie up and discharge their cargoes
directly into waiting cars.

The preparations were finally completed. The party went aboard the
steamer, which was a large freight vessel, carrying a limited number of
passengers, and late one afternoon swung down New York Bay.

"Off for Honduras!" cried Ned gaily, as they passed the Statue of
Liberty. "I wonder what will happen before we see that little lady
a