Part 32 (1/1)

”You are Americans, are you not?” he asked

”Yes,” answered Tom ”Why?”

”Because there is another A He has no friends, he says Perhaps--”

”Of course we'll do e can for him,” said Tom, impulsively ”Where is he?”

With Mr Daht a fever, the hotel ht of the sufferer, cried:

”The bearded nized the mysterious person who had been on the Bellaconda, and the h the secret shaft of the tunnel

”Yes, the 'bearded man' now,” said the sufferer in a hoarse voice, ”and soton!”

And so it proved He had grown a beard to disguise hiht better follow To to prevent the completion of the tunnel But he had not been successful

Waddington it ho had thrown the boh he declared he only hoped to disable To for delay And it was Waddington, working in conjunction with the rascally foreman Serato, who had induced the tunnel workers to desert soto scare the other Indians away He nearly succeeded too, had it not been for the gratitude of the woton had been an actor before he became involved with the rival contractors He was smooth shaven when first he went to Shopton, to spy on Mr titus, whose movements he had been commanded to follow by Blakeson & Grinder Then he disappeared after Mr titus chased hiuise, on board the Bellaconda, as Senor Pinto

Waddington, e of theatrical makeup, enabled him to deceive even Mr titus Of course it was comparatively easy to deceive Toton had really been ill when he called for help on the shi+p, and he had not noticed that it was Tom and Mr titus who canize thenition, and he was successful He had only pretended to be ill, though, the ti Peru he at once began his plotting Serato told hi into the tunnel, and with the knotted rope, and with the aid of the faithless foreot out of the tunnel and paid to hide away Waddington was planning further disappearances when Toht it a drea one day, had seen Waddington, 'the beardedthe secret stone Hidden, she observed him and told her husband, as afraid to reveal what he knew But when Tom saved the baby the woman rewarded hiton's suggestion, caused the ”hit” a on their superstitious fears

Waddington, knowing that he was dying, confessed everything, and begged forgiveness froranted, in as ton was but a tool in the hands of the rival contractors, who deserted him in his hour of need His last hours, however, were enerosity of To Blakeson & Grinder to justice, as there was no evidence against theton died And, as the tunnel was finished, the titus brothers had no further cause for worry

”But if it had not been for To blast, and the discovery of the hidden city of Pelone just in the right place, weat that tunnel yet,” said Job titus

The day before the steae Its receipt seeht, so that Mr Damon asked:

”Is it from your father, Tom?”

”No it's froiven me They have been away, and Mary has been ill, which accounts for no letters up to now But everything is all right now, and they feel that the dyna to teach Eradicate to read,” concluded Toreed Mr Da farewell to the friends they had made in Peru, went aboard the stea to see them off

”Give us an option on all that explosive you ed Walter titus ”We were so successful with this tunnel, thanks to you, that the govern another Will you come down and help?”

”Maybe,” said To hoe from Mary Nestor

And as Tom, on the deck of the steamer, waved his hands to Professor bu in Peru, we also, will say farewell