be easily watched.
Cutting the jets and reinflating the liftbag, Tom and Bud finally reached the Mayan village, drifting along gently and silently and finally touching down exactly as planned. News of their approach had spread, and Ahau Quetzal and his whole tribe had assembled to stare in renewed awe as the sky travelers climbed out of their shining silver cloud.
"You see into the past-times with the eyes of Tulchaxcul the goddess of the hunt, and now once again you drop from the sky without a sound in your strange airship," Hu-Quetzal told Tom. "I know of modern things. Still I say: you are indeed possessed of great magic, Tom-Swift!"
Tom smiled and shook his head. "Not magic, ahau . Like your great Mayan ancestors who ruled here in Yucatan, I study science—meaning the laws of nature. My father taught me that those laws must be used only for the good of mankind."
"Then he too must be a wise man," said Quetzal, nodding approvingly.
Presently Tom noticed that Juxtlanpoc the shaman had returned and was watching Tom cautiously from the shadows of his hut. Instead of confronting him, the youth decided to follow Bud’s advice and demonstrate his electronic retroscope. He and Bud set up the camera in the bright sunlight as a growing crowd watched.
Switching on the power, Tom nodded at the chief. "I have improved my device. I’d like to try it once again on that carved stone we found, with your permission."
The ahau nodded. Using a small wheel mounted on the side of the chassis, Tom made a series of very minute aiming adjustments until the scanner-detectors were pointed precisely at the middle of the rock surface. He glanced into the luminous dome-chamber that monitored the helium flow, and slowly closed off the valve on the segmented feed tube from the compressor setup.
"Here goes somethin’!" he muttered nervously to Chow, who stood nearby like the world’s most massive mother hen. The Texan gulped hard.
Tom gently nudged the control dials, noting aloud that the age register showed precisely what it had indicated on the previous attempt. He then turned to the small video screen that showed the front of the stone as it looked to the naked eye. The weathered carvings, if carvings they were, still appeared as only the faintest of suggestions.
Finally Tom activated the reproducer unit. As many eyes looked over Tom’s shoulder, an image began to form on the tiny glowing screen!
"I see it!" breathed Dr. Liu, and a soft gasp rose from his wife.
A pattern of carved symbols could be clearly seen, superimposed upon the image of the stone’s ancient surface!
"I never doubted the Swift genius," murmured Professor Castillez; "yet I must say, it seems like something from a dream!"
Tom modestly acknowledged the rush of congratulations and a low cheer from Bud. Then he proceeded to bring the picture into sharper focus.
"These are not your space symbols, Tom," noted Castillez.
"Pre-classic Mayan pictographs," declared Wilson Hutchcraft. "Not a difficult translation. ‘Here upon this stone the firstborn of the great chief Xchi-Botiakulnun was presented to His Godship Puratkl-Mochtyoc’. The poor boy was probably sacrificed." He half-turned to Stephenus Liu. "Do you agree with my interpretation, Liu?"
The man hesitated. "I have no objection."
Chow removed his sombrero and scratched his head. "Them old Maya names sure were a mouthful!"
"To some, ‘Chow Winkler’ would twist the tongue," noted Hu-Quetzal with raised eyebrows.
"True enough, chief."
Tom performed further experiments on the old stone, noticing with a hidden smile that the medicine man had drawn close, inconspicuously. Bud caught Tom’s eye and gave him a sly wink. The plan was working!
Meanwhile Hutchcraft had wandered away. Now he came walking up again holding a rather muddy rock, which he held out to Tom. "Looks as if this has some markings on it," the Bostonian said. "See what your time machine can make out."
Tom was doubtful that the rock had ever
Cutting the jets and reinflating the liftbag, Tom and Bud finally reached the Mayan village, drifting along gently and silently and finally touching down exactly as planned. News of their approach had spread, and Ahau Quetzal and his whole tribe had assembled to stare in renewed awe as the sky travelers climbed out of their shining silver cloud.
"You see into the past-times with the eyes of Tulchaxcul the goddess of the hunt, and now once again you drop from the sky without a sound in your strange airship," Hu-Quetzal told Tom. "I know of modern things. Still I say: you are indeed possessed of great magic, Tom-Swift!"
Tom smiled and shook his head. "Not magic, ahau . Like your great Mayan ancestors who ruled here in Yucatan, I study science—meaning the laws of nature. My father taught me that those laws must be used only for the good of mankind."
"Then he too must be a wise man," said Quetzal, nodding approvingly.
Presently Tom noticed that Juxtlanpoc the shaman had returned and was watching Tom cautiously from the shadows of his hut. Instead of confronting him, the youth decided to follow Bud’s advice and demonstrate his electronic retroscope. He and Bud set up the camera in the bright sunlight as a growing crowd watched.
Switching on the power, Tom nodded at the chief. "I have improved my device. I’d like to try it once again on that carved stone we found, with your permission."
The ahau nodded. Using a small wheel mounted on the side of the chassis, Tom made a series of very minute aiming adjustments until the scanner-detectors were pointed precisely at the middle of the rock surface. He glanced into the luminous dome-chamber that monitored the helium flow, and slowly closed off the valve on the segmented feed tube from the compressor setup.
"Here goes somethin’!" he muttered nervously to Chow, who stood nearby like the world’s most massive mother hen. The Texan gulped hard.
Tom gently nudged the control dials, noting aloud that the age register showed precisely what it had indicated on the previous attempt. He then turned to the small video screen that showed the front of the stone as it looked to the naked eye. The weathered carvings, if carvings they were, still appeared as only the faintest of suggestions.
Finally Tom activated the reproducer unit. As many eyes looked over Tom’s shoulder, an image began to form on the tiny glowing screen!
"I see it!" breathed Dr. Liu, and a soft gasp rose from his wife.
A pattern of carved symbols could be clearly seen, superimposed upon the image of the stone’s ancient surface!
"I never doubted the Swift genius," murmured Professor Castillez; "yet I must say, it seems like something from a dream!"
Tom modestly acknowledged the rush of congratulations and a low cheer from Bud. Then he proceeded to bring the picture into sharper focus.
"These are not your space symbols, Tom," noted Castillez.
"Pre-classic Mayan pictographs," declared Wilson Hutchcraft. "Not a difficult translation. ‘Here upon this stone the firstborn of the great chief Xchi-Botiakulnun was presented to His Godship Puratkl-Mochtyoc’. The poor boy was probably sacrificed." He half-turned to Stephenus Liu. "Do you agree with my interpretation, Liu?"
The man hesitated. "I have no objection."
Chow removed his sombrero and scratched his head. "Them old Maya names sure were a mouthful!"
"To some, ‘Chow Winkler’ would twist the tongue," noted Hu-Quetzal with raised eyebrows.
"True enough, chief."
Tom performed further experiments on the old stone, noticing with a hidden smile that the medicine man had drawn close, inconspicuously. Bud caught Tom’s eye and gave him a sly wink. The plan was working!
Meanwhile Hutchcraft had wandered away. Now he came walking up again holding a rather muddy rock, which he held out to Tom. "Looks as if this has some markings on it," the Bostonian said. "See what your time machine can make out."
Tom was doubtful that the rock had ever
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