d blast, while not as successful as the second in the amount of
rock loosened, was better than the first, and made a big advance in the
tunnel progress. Tom was beginning to understand the nature of the
mountain into which the big shaft was being driven and he learned how
better to apply the force of his explosive.

That was the work which he had charge of--the placing of the giant
powder so it would do the most effective work. Then, when the fumes
from the blast had cleared away, in would surge the workmen to clear
away the debris.

Under the direction of Mr. Swift, left at Shopton to oversee the
manufacture of the explosive, new shipments came on promptly to Lima,
and were brought out to the tunnel on the backs of mules, or in the
case of small quantities, on the llamas. But the latter brutes will not
carry a heavy load, lying down and refusing to get up if they are
overburdened, whereas one has yet to find a mule's limit.

After his first success in getting the natives to take a more active
interest in the gathering of the cinchona bark, Mr. Damon found it
rather easy, for the story of Tom's electric rifle and how it had
killed the mad dog spread among the tribes, and Mr. Damon had but to
announce that the "lightning shooter," as Tom was called, was a friend
of the drug concern to bring about the desired results. Mr. Damon, by
paying a sort of bribe, disguised under the name "tax," secured the
help of Peruvian officials so he had no trouble on that score.

Koku was in his element. He liked a wild life and Peru was much more
like the country of giants where Tom had found him, than any place the
big man had since visited. Koku had great strength and wanted to use
it, and after a week or so of idleness he persuaded Tom to let him go
in the tunnel to work.

The giant was made a sort of foreman under Tim, and the two became
great friends. The only trouble with Koku was that he would do a thing
himself instead of letting his men do it, as, of course, all proper
foremen should do. If the giant saw two or three of the Indians trying
to lift a big rock into the little dump cars, and failing because of
its great weight, he would good-naturedly thrust them aside, pick up
the big stone in his mighty arms, and deposit it in its place.

And once when an unusually big load had been put in a car, and the mule
attached found it impossible to pull it out to the tunnel mouth, Koku
unhitched the creature and, slipping the harness