about but little, everything was
novel, and he did not know at what to look first.

The giant was interested in the ship, in the water, in the passengers,
in the crew and in the sights to be seen as they progressed down the
harbor.

And the big man himself was a source of wonder to all save his own
party. Everywhere he went about the decks, or below, he was followed by
a staring but respectful crowd. Koku took it all good-naturedly,
however, and even consented to show his great strength by lifting heavy
weights. Once when several sailors were shifting one of the smaller
anchors (a sufficiently heavy one for all that) Koku pushed them aside
with a sweep of his big arm, and, picking up the big "hook," turned to
the second mate and asked:

"Where you want him?"

"Good land, man!" cried the astonished officer. "You'll kill yourself!"

But Koku carried the anchor where it ought to go, and from then on he
was looked up to with awe and admiration by the sailors.

From San Francisco to Callao, Peru (the latter city being the seaport
of Lima, which is situated inland), is approximately nine hundred
miles. But as the Bellaconda was a coasting steamer, and would make
several stops on her trip, it would be more than a week before our
friends would land at Callao, then to proceed to Lima, where they
expected to remain a day or so before striking into the interior to
where the tunnel was being bored through the mountain.

The first day was spent in getting settled, becoming used to their new
surroundings, finding their places and neighbors at table, and in
making acquaintances. There were some interesting men and women aboard
the Bellaconda, and Tom Swift, Mr. Damon and Mr. Titus soon made
friends with them. This usually came about through the medium of Koku,
the giant. Persons seeing him would inquire about him, and when they
learned he was Tom Swift's helper it was an easy topic with which to
open conversation.

Tom told, modestly enough, how he had come to get Koku in his escape
from captivity, but Mr. Damon was not so simple in describing Tom's
feats, so that before many days had passed our hero found himself
regarded as a personage of considerable importance, which was not at
all to his liking.

"But bless my fountain pen!" cried Mr. Damon, when Tom objected to so
much notoriety. "You did it all; didn't you?"

"Yes, I know. But these people won't believe it."

"Oh, yes they will!" said the odd man. "I'll take goo