no want to tell, he 'fraid, but I tell. Mighty hunter save
Vashni," and she looked toward the baby. "Me help friends of mighty
hunter. Bad man in tunnel--no spirit!

"Men go. Spirit no take um--bad man take um."

"Where are they now?" asked Tom. "Jove, if I could find them the secret
would be solved!"

The woman looked fearfully around the hut and then whispered:

"You come--me show!"

"Bless my toothbrush!" cried Mr. Damon. "What is going to happen, Tom
Swift?"

"I don't know," was the answer, "but something sure is in the wind. I
guess I shot better than I knew when I killed that condor."

Chapter XX

Despair

Calling to a girl of about thirteen years to look after her baby, Masni
slipped along up a rough mountain trail, motioning to Tom, Mr. Damon
and Koku to follow. Or rather, the woman gave the sign to Tom, ignoring
the others, who, naturally, would not be left behind. Masni seemed to
have eyes for no one but the young inventor, and the manner in which
she looked at him showed the deep gratitude she felt toward him for
having saved her baby from the great condor.

"Come," she said, in her strange Indian tongue, which Tom could
interpret well enough for himself now.

"But where are we going, Masni?" he asked. "This isn't the way to the
tunnel."

"Me know. Not go to tunnel now," was her answer. "Me show you men."

"But which men do you mean, Masni?" inquired Tom. "The lost men, or the
bad ones, who are making trouble for us? Which men do you mean?"

Masni only shook her head, and murmured: "Me show."

Probably Tom's attempt to talk her language was not sufficiently clear
to her.

"My man--he good man," she said, coming to a pause on the rough trail
after a climb which was not easy.

"Yes, I know he is," Tom said. "But he went on a strike with the
others, Masni. He no work. He go on a 'hit,' as Serato calls it," and
Tom laughed.

"My man he good man--but he 'fraid," said the wife. "He want to tell
you of bad mans, but he 'fraid. You save my baby, I no 'fraid. I tell."

"Oh, I see," said Tom. "Your husband would have given away the secret,
only he's afraid of the bad men. He likes me, too?"

"Sure!" Masni exclaimed. "He want tell, but 'fraid. He go 'way, I tell."

Tom was not quite sure what it all meant, but it seemed that after his
slaying of the condor both parents were so filled with gratitude that
they wanted to reveal some secret about the tunnel, only Masni's
husband was afr