al society in the world, and all will be eager to make you
an honorary member."

"That's all very nice," said Tom, "but what pleases me better is that
this tunnel is a success."

"Success!" cried Mr. Damon. "I should call it a failure, Tom Swift.
Why, you've run smack into an old city, and you'll have either to curve
the tunnel to one side, or start a new one."

"Nothing of the sort!" laughed Tom. "Don't you see? The tunnel comes
right up to the main street of Pelone. And the street is as straight as
a die, and just the width and height of the tunnel. All we will have to
do will be to keep on blasting away, where the main street comes to an
end, and our tunnel will be finished. The street is over half a mile
long, I should judge, and we'll save all that blasting. The tunnel will
be finished in time!"

"So it will!" cried Job Titus. "We can use the main street of the
hidden city as part of the tunnel."

"Use the street all you like," said Mr. Bumper, "but leave the houses
to me. They are a perfect mine of ancient lore and information. At last
I have found it! The ancient, hidden city of Pelone, spoken of on the
Peruvian tablets, of gold."

The story of the discoveries the scientist made in Pelone is an
enthralling one. But this is a story of Tom Swift and his big tunnel,
and no place for telling of the archeological discoveries.

Suffice it to say that Professor Bumper, though he found no gold, for
which the contractors hoped, made many curious finds in the ancient
houses. He came upon traces of a strange civilization, though he could
find no record of what had caused the burial of Pelone beneath the
mountains. He wrote many books about his discovery, giving Tom Swift
due credit for uncovering the place with the mighty blast. Other
scientists came in flocks, and for a time Pelone was almost as busy a
place as it had been originally.

Even when the tunnel was completed and trains ran through it, the
scientists kept on with their work of classifying what they found. An
underground station was built on the main street of the old city, and
visitors often wandered through the ancient houses, wherein was the
bone-dust of the dead and gone people.

But to go back to the story of Tom Swift. Tom's surmise was right. He
and the contractors were able to use the main street of Pelone as part
of their tunnel, and a good half mile of blasting through solid rock
was saved. The flint came to an end at the extremity of Pelone