Part 6 (1/2)

”No, you dear old goose!” laughed the young inventor ”That was just a charge of e, too But it seems to have done the work”

He ran from the shack to the place where the rock pile had been, and picked up several sments

”Busted all to pieces!” exulted Tooing soht mixture at last

If an ounce did that, a few hundred pounds ought to knock that Andes tunnel through the raph to Mr titus”

Leaving Koku and Rad to collect the wires and firing apparatus, there being no danger now, as no explosive was left in the shack, Tom made his way back to the house His father met him

”Well, Tom,” he asked, ”another failure?”

”No, Dad! Success! This tihtrock--one of the samples Mr titus sent me It was all cracked up as sarded them for a few moments

”That's better, Toet an explosive that would successfully shatter that hard rock, but you seem to have done it Have you the formula all worked out?”

”All worked out, Dad I only ood for the larger a to start in and make it now And then--Ho! for Peru!”

Toht have assurae was to Mr titus, and read:

”Explosive success Startit at once Ready for Peru in month's time”

”Thirteen words,” repeated Tom, as the operator called them back to him ”I hope that doesn't mean bad luck”

The experiht to a successful conclusion was one ofweeks

As soon as Toun to experiment First he tried soiant cannon As he had feared, it was not as needed It cracked the rock, but did not disintegrate it, and that as needed The hard rock ments that could be easily handled Merely to crack it necessitated further explosions, which would only serve to split it e it fast in the tunnel

So To various cheht The trials were not without danger, either

Once, in redients, there was an explosion that injured one man, and blew Tom some distance away Fortunately for him, there was an openin the direction in which he was propelled, and he went through that, escaping with only so-fire, and the explosive burned instead of detonating, so that one of the shops caught, and there was no little work in subduing the flaive up, and finally, after htmade aput so chunk Koku carried, Toe The result we have seen It was a success

A day after receiving Toiven of the powerful explosive

”Toreat!” cried the tunnel contractor ”Our troubles are at an end now”

But, had he known it, new ones were only just beginning

To the explosive on a large scale, asturned the an his preparations for going to Peru

Mr Daed that he, with Tom and Mr titus, should take a vessel fro the continent by train The supply of explosive would follow theone by Panama except for the slide in the canal,” Tom said ”And I suppose I could take you across the continent in my airshi+p, Mr titus, if you object to railroad travel”