really a province of Mexico, darted over British Honduras, and swung
over the forests of Guatemala, the one country in Central America
which is never bothered with revolutions.

When an ambitious person wants to wrest the reins of government from
the officials in charge, they take him out and stand him up against
a stone wall, with a firing squad in front. This manner of
preventing revolutions is believed to be conducive to peace and also
to the sanctity of human lives. Jimmie, who had been reading up on
South and Central America while waiting in San Francisco, explained
many points of interest as the Nelson sped on her way.

They took on more gasoline at Panama, and Ned and Jimmie were very
glad to renew their acquaintance with that now model city. Those
who have read the former books of this series will remember that the
Boy Scouts at one time had a commission to stand guard over the
great Gatun dam.

They did not remain long in Panama, however, as they were anxious to
get to the scene of their future operations. They were all
anticipating great fun in exploring "the roof of the world," which
extends from Colombia to Argentina, north and south, through
Equator, Peru, and Bolivia, more than 2,000 miles, or as far as from
New York City to Denver. In many directions from this "roof" may be
seen villages, cattle, sheep, llamas, and evidences of mining.

The boys made good progress down the coast of tropical South
America. They had heard much of Peru, and were surprised to see
only a great strip of sand, lying like a desert, between the Pacific
and the mountains. Now and then a little stream, fed by the melting