Job Titus, as he observed pieces of rock
close to the mouth of the tunnel. "If it only exerted the force the
other way, against the face of the rock, as well as back this way,
we'll be all right."

"The greater force was in the opposite direction," Tom said.

A big search-light had been got ready to flash on the place where the
blast had been set off. This was to enable them to see how much rock
had been torn away. And, as they reached the place where the flint-like
wall had been, they saw a strange sight.

"Bless my strawberry short-cake!" gasped Mr. Damon. "What a hole!"

"It is a hole," admitted Tom, in a low voice. "A bigger hole than I
dared hope for."

For a great cave, seemingly, had been blown in the face of the rock
wall that had hindered the progress of the tunnel. A great black void
confronted them.

"Shift the light over this way," called Tom to Walter Titus, who was
operating it. "I can't see anything."

The great beam of light flashed into the void, and then a murmur of awe
came from every throat.

For there, revealed in the powerful electrical rays, was what seemed to
be a long tunnel, high and wide, as smooth as a paved street. And on
either side of it were what appeared to be buildings, some low, others
taller. And, branching off from the main tunnel, or street, were other
passages, also lined with buildings, some of which had crumbled to
ruins.

"Bless my dictionary!" cried Mr. Damon. "What is it?"

Professor Bumper had crawled forward over the mass of broken rock. He
gazed as if fascinated at what the searchlight showed, and then he
cried:

"I have found it! I have found it! The hidden city of Pelone!"

Chapter XXV

Success

Had it not been for Tom Swift, the excited professor would have rushed
pellmell over the jagged pile of rocks into the great cave which had
been opened by the blast, the cave in which the scientist declared was
the lost city for which he had been searching. But the young inventor
grasped Mr. Bumper by the arm.

"Better wait a bit," Tom suggested. "There may be powder gas in there.
Some of it must have blown forward."

"I don't care!" excitedly cried the professor. "That is the hidden
city! I'm sure of it! I have found it at last! I must go in and examine
it!"

"There'll be plenty of time," said Tom. "It isn't going to run away.
Wait until I make a test Tim, hand me one of those torches."

Some torches of a very inflammable wood were used to test f