第33章

"I suppose they might be offended because I left Rad to do up that package instead of attending to it myself," thought Tom."Well, I did make a mistake there, but I didn't mean to.I never thought about Eradicate's not reading.I'll make him go to night school as soon as I get back.But maybe I'll never get another chance to send Mary anything.If I do, I'll not let Rad deliver it--that's sure."The feeling of alarm engendered among the Indians by the disappearance of their ten fellow-workers seemed to have disappeared.There were rumors that some of the mysterious ten had been seen in distant villages and settlements, but the Titus brothers could not confirm this.

"I don't think anything serious happened to them, anyhow," said Job Titus one day."And I should hate to think our work was responsible for harm to any one.""Your rivals don't seem to be doing much to hamper you," observed Tom."I guess Waddington gave up.

"I won't be too sure of that," said Mr.Titus."Why, what has happened?" Tom asked.

"Well, nothing down here--that is, directly--but we are meeting with trouble on the financial end.The Peruvian government is holding back payments.""Why is that?"

"They claim we are not as far advanced as we ought to be." "Aren't you?""Practically, yes.There was no set limit of work to be done for the intermediate payments.We bonded ourselves to have the tunnel done at a certain date.

"If we fail, we lose a large sum, and if we get it done ahead of time we get a big premium.There was no question as to completing a certain amount of footage before we received certain payments.But Senor Belasdo, the government representative, claims that we will not be done in time, and therefore he is holding back money due us.I'm sure the rival contractors have set him up to this, because he was always decent to us before.

"Another matter, too, makes me suspicious.We have tried to raise money in New York to tide us over while the government is holding up our funds here.But our New York office is meeting with difficulties.They report there is a story current to the effect that we are going to fail, and while that isn't so, you know how hard it is to borrow money in the face of such rumors.We are doing all we can to fight them, of course, and maybe we'll beat out our rivals yet.

"But that isn't all.I'm sure some one is on the ground here trying to make trouble among our workers.I never knew so many men to leave, one after another.It's keeping the employment agency in Lima busy supplying us with new workers.And so many of them are unskilled.They aren't able to do half the work of the old men, and poor Tim Sullivan is in despair.""You think some one here is causing dissensions and desertions among your men?""I'm sure of it! I've tried to ferret out who it is, but the spy, for such he must be, keeps his identity well hidden."Tom thought for a moment.Then he said:

"Mr.Titus, with your permission, I'll see if I can find out about this for you.""Find out what, Tom?"

"What is causing the men to leave.I don't believe it's the scare about the ten missing ones.""Nor do I.That's past and gone.But how are you going to get at the bottom of it?""By keeping watch.I've got nothing to do now for the next week."We've just set off a big blast, and I've got the powder for the following one all ready.The men will be busy for some time getting out the brokenrock.Now what I propose to do is to go in the tunnel and work among them until I can learn something.

"I can understand the language pretty well now, though I can't speak much of it.I'll go in the tunnel every day and find out what's going on.""But you'll be known, and if one of our men, or one who we suppose is one, turns out to be a spy, he'll be very cautious while you're in there.""He won't know me," Tom said."This is how I'll work it.I'll go off with Professor Bumper the next time he starts on one of his weekly expeditions into the woods.But I won't go far until I turn around and come back.I'll adopt some sort of disguise, and I'll apply to you for work.You can tell Tim to put me on.You might let him into the secret, but no one else."A few days later Tom was seen departing with Professor Bumper into the interior, presumably to help look for the lost city.Mr.Damon was away from camp on business connected with the drug concern, and Koku, to his delight, had been given charge of a stationary hoisting engine outside the tunnel, so he would not come in contact with Tom.It was not thought wise to take the giant into the secret.

Then one day, shortly after Professor Bumper and Tom had disappeared into the forest, a ragged and unkempt white man applied at the tunnel camp for work.There was just the barest wink as he accosted Mr.Titus, who winked in turn, and then the new man was handed over to Tim Sullivan, as a sort of helper.

And so Tom Swift began his watch.