Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel; Or, The Hidden City of the Andes

's P

is father, were gathered a group of figures one morning. From the shack, trailing over the ground, were two insulated wires, which led to a pile

imed Tom Swift. "Now don

he strode off with the heavy load as easily a

radicate, the colored man-of-all-work, emerged. Koku was not looking ahead, and ran into Eradicate

ate. "Yo' done gone an' knocked de breff outen me, dat's whut

was doubtful, with his feeble strength, and considering the great frame of the big man, if any damage would have been done. But Eradicate saw no rocks ne

hack Tom S

Come back! Where

ash de haid ob dat big lummox ob a giant! H

blow it up in a minute, and if you get too near you'll have the b

who was adjusting a firing battery in the sh

e any other way. I don't want the dear old chump to get the fright

ster," was the

oward the stone pile. But he was no match for the giant, who, ignoring his struggles, picked u

, Master!" sa

hed Tom. "Now yo

ock an'-an' bash his haid-dat's what I'se gwine t' do

s go right there won't be a rock left for you

h it was rudely made, was built of heavy logs an

g hole in the ground, while the air was filled with fragments of rock and dirt. These came dow

d, Massa Tom?" he asked. "Am da

r. "That was just a charge of my new explosive-a sm

where the rock pile had been, and

going some! I've got the right mixture at last. If an ounce did that, a few hundred pounds ou

s, there being no danger now, as no explosive was left in the

he asked, "an

ok, these are some of the pieces left from the big rock-one of the samples Mr. Titus sent me. It

rded them for

explosive that would successfully shatter that hard rock, but

same proportions will hold good for the larger amounts. I'

ssumed, and then he hurried into the house to telephone a telegr

making it at once. Ready

he operator called them back to him.

o a successful conclusion was one of many he had

e had feared, it was not what was needed. It cracked the rock, but did not disintegrate it, and that was what was needed. The hard rock must be broken up into fragme

Once, in mixing some ingredients, there was an explosion that injured one man, and blew Tom some distance away. Fortunately for him, t

rned instead of detonating, so that one of the shops cau

ok out to the big lot, and having made a miniature tunnel with some of the sample rock, and having put some of the ex

Mr. Titus came on and a demonstratio

the tunnel contractor. "Our

it, new ones were

uch of it would be needed in the Andes tunnel. Then, having turned the manufac

d Mr. Titus, should take a vessel from San Francisco, crossing the contine

," Tom said. "And I suppose I could take you across the contine

to you, I'd rather stay on the ground," t

in Shopton, saw something in the window he thought Mary Nestor would like. It was

it sent?" as

you," Tom

, and, for reasons of his own, he did not wa

ary, with a note. Just, however, as he was looking for a box suitable to contain the gif

en take it to Miss Nestor at this address; will you?" and Tom handed his man

ssa Tom," was the reply.

te was-all