While at the hotel they had several glimpses of the members of the Beecher party who were awaiting the arrival of the young professor who was to lead them into the wilds of Honduras.  But our friends did not seek the acquaintance of their rivals.  The latter, likewise, remained by themselves, though they knew doubtless that there was likely to be a strenuous race for the possession of the idol of gold, then, it was presumed, buried deep in some forest-covered city.

Professor Bumper had made his arrangements carefully.  As he explained to his friends, they would take the steamer from New York to Puerto Cortes, one of the principal seaports of Honduras.  This is a town of about three thousand inhabitants, with an excellent harbor and a big pier along which vessels can tie up and discharge their cargoes directly into waiting cars.

The preparations were finally completed.  The party went aboard the steamer, which was a large freight vessel, carrying a limited number of passengers, and late one afternoon swung down New York Bay.

“Off for Honduras!” cried Ned gaily, as they passed the Statue of Liberty.  “I wonder what will happen before we see that little lady again.”

“Who knows?” asked Tom, shrugging his shoulders, Spanish fashion.  And there came before him the vision of a certain “little lady,” about whom he had been thinking deeply of late.

CHAPTER IX

VAL JACINTO

“Rather tame, isn’t it, Tom?”

“Well, Ned, it isn’t exactly like going up in an airship,” and Tom Swift who was gazing over the rail down into the deep blue water of the Caribbean Sea, over which their vessel was then steaming, looked at his chum beside him.

“No, and your submarine voyage had it all over this one for excitement,” went on Ned.  “When I think of that——­”

“Bless my sea legs!” interrupted Mr. Damon, overhearing the conversation.  “Don’t speak of that trip.  My wife never forgave me for going on it.  But I had a fine time,” he added with a twinkle of his eyes.

“Yes, that was quite a trip,” observed Tom, as his mind went back to it.  “But this one isn’t over yet remember.  And I shouldn’t be surprised if we had a little excitement very soon.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ned.

Up to this time the voyage from New York down into the tropical seas had been anything but exciting.  There were not many passengers besides themselves, and the weather had been fine.

At first, used as they were to the actions of unscrupulous rivals in trying to thwart their efforts, Tom and Ned had been on the alert for any signs of hidden enemies on board the steamer.  But aside from a little curiosity when it became known that they were going to explore little-known portions of Honduras, the other passengers took hardly any interest in our travelers.

It was thought best to keep secret the fact that they were going to search for a wonderful idol of gold.  Not even the mule and ox-cart drivers, whom they would hire to take them into the wilds of the interior would be told of the real object of the search.  It would be given out that they were looking for interesting ruins of ancient cities, with a view to getting such antiquities as might be there.