Tom had been back from the Peru trip for some months, when we again find him interested in some of the work of Professor Bumper, as set forth in the magazine mentioned.

“Well, he certainly is having some conversation,” reflected Ned, as, after more than five minutes, Tom’s ear was still at the receiver of the instrument, into the transmitter of which he had said only a few words.

“All right,” Tom finally answered, as he hung the receiver up, “I’ll be here,” and then he turned to Ned, whose curiosity had been growing with the telephone talk, and remarked: 

“That certainly was wonderful!”

“What was?” asked Ned.  “Do you think I’m a mind reader to be able to guess?”

“No, indeed!  I beg your pardon.  I’ll tell you at once.  But I couldn’t break away.  It was too important.  To whom do you think I was talking just then?”

“I can imagine almost any one, seeing I know something of what you have done.  It might be almost anybody from some person you met up in the caves of ice to a red pygmy from the wilds of Africa.”

“I’m afraid neither of them would be quite up to telephone talk yet,” laughed Tom.  “No, this was the gentleman who wrote that interesting article about the idol of gold,” and he motioned to the magazine Ned held in his hand.

“You don’t mean Professor Bumper!”

“That’s just whom I do mean.”

“What did he want?  Where did he call from?”

“He wants me to help organize an expedition to go to Central America—­to the Copan valley, to be exact—­to look for this somewhat mythical idol of gold.  Incidentally the professor will gather in any other antiques of more or less value, if he can find any, and he hopes, even if he doesn’t find the idol, to get enough historical material for half a dozen books, to say nothing of magazine articles.”

“Where did he call from; did you say?”

“I didn’t say.  But it was a long-distance call from New York.  The Professor stopped off there on his way from Boston, where he has been lecturing before some society.  And now he’s coming here to see me,” finished Tom.

“What!  Is he going to lecture here?” cried Ned.  “If he is, and spouts a whole lot of that bone-dry stuff about the ancient Mayan civilization and their antiquities, with side lights on how the old-time Indians used to scalp their enemies, I’m going to the moving pictures!  I’m willing to be your financial manager, Tom Swift, but please don’t ask me to be a high-brow.  I wasn’t built for that.”

“Nor I, Ned.  The professor isn’t going to lecture.  He’s only going to talk, he says.”

“What about?”

“He’s going to try to induce me to join his expedition to the Copan valley.”

“Do you feel inclined to go?”

“No, Ned, I do not.  I’ve got too many other irons in the fire.  I shall have to give the professor a polite but firm refusal.”