"In the old days, however, before the Spaniards
came, it was plentiful, so much, so that the
natives made idols of it. And it is one of the
largest of these idols--by name Quitzel--that I
am going to seek."

"Do you know where it is?" asked Ned.

"Well, it isn't locked up in a safe deposit box,
of that I'm sure," laughed the professor. "No,
I don't know exactly where it is, except that it
is somewhere in an ancient and buried city
known as Kurzon. If I knew exactly where
it was there wouldn't be much fun in going after
it. And if it was known to others it would have
been taken away long ago.

"No, we've got to hunt for the idol of gold
in this land of wonders where I hope soon to be.
Later on I'll show you the documents that put
me on the track of this idol. Enough now to
show you an old map I found, or, rather, a copy
of it, and some of the papers that tell of the idol,"
and he spread out his packet of papers on the
table in front of him, his eyes shining with
excitement and pleasure. Mr. Damon, too, leaned
eagerly forward.

"So, Tom Swift," went on the professor, "I