ey will. Now come on, Ned, and help me get a list
ready of the things we've got to take with us, and how they can best
be divided up."

Thick weather delayed the ship somewhat, so it was not until evening
of the next day that they made Montevideo, where part of the cargo
was to be discharged. As they would lay over there a day, the boys
decided to go ashore, which they did, wondering at the strange
sights in the old city.

Tom watched to see if the pretended minister would land, and
endeavor to force his acquaintance, but Mr. Hank Delby, to give him
his right name, was not in evidence. In fact he was turning over
scheme after scheme in his mind in order to hit on one that would
enable him to take advantage of the preparations which had been made
by his rival in the circus business.

"I've just got to get a line on where those giants are to be found,"
mused Mr. Delby, in the seclusion of his stateroom, "even if I have
to take some other disguise and follow that Swift crowd. That's what
I'll do. I'll put on some other disguise! I wonder what it had
better be?"

Tom and Ned, to say nothing of Mr. Damon and Eradicate, found much
to interest them in the capital of Uruguay, and they were rather
sorry, in a way, when it was time for them to leave.

"But we'll see plenty more strange sights," remarked Tom, as the
steamer started off for Buenos Ayres. "In fact our trip hasn't
really begun yet."

In due time they dropped anchor at the ancient city, and then began
a series of confused and busy times. In fact there was so much to
do, seeing to the unloading of their stuff, arranging for hotel
accommodations, seeing to hiring natives for the expedition into the
interior, and other details, that Tom and his friends had no time to
think anything about the pretended clergyman who had caused them a
little worry.

Eventually their belongings were stored in a safe place, and our
friends sat down to a good dinner in a hotel that, while it was in
far-off South America, yet was as good as many in New York, and, in
some respects the boys, and Mr. Damon, liked it better.

They found that the Spanish and Portuguese languages were the
principal ones spoken, together with a mixture of the native
tongues, and as both Ned and Tom, as well as Mr. Damon, had a
working knowledge of Spanish they got along fairly well. Some of the
hotel people could speak English.

Tom made inquiries and found that the best plan would be to
transport all h