"Dixon, Franklin W - Hardy Boys 043 - The Mystery Of The Aztec Warrior" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dixon Franklin W)


Inside he found cheese sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, a quantity of cookies and several oranges.

"Not a thing Mexican," he said in some disappointment.

"Anyway, you started with maguey juice," Joe reminded him.

When the boys had finished eating, the Hardys were eager to be on their way. Chet rebelled. "What's the hurry?" he asked, yawning. "I sure need a nap. I won't sleep long, fellows, honest."

Chet propped himself against a tree and in a few moments was fast asleep. Frank and Joe walked around for exercise. On their return they noticed a barefoot Mexican boy approaching them. As the Hardys came nearer, he stopped and smiled in a friendly way. When Frank and Joe spoke to the lad in Spanish, he was delighted.

"You are North Americans," he said. "I learn in school that you have a great country. You shoot off rockets towards the moon. I would like to go to the moon someday."

The Hardys grinned. "You probably will," Frank predicted.

The native youngster was extremely intelligent, and although his clothes indicated that he lived on a farm which was not too prosperous, his face showed eagerness and willingness to learn.

Suddenly the Mexican boy's expression changed to one of alarm as he looked beyond the Hardys. The next moment he made a dive past them.

Frank and Joe turned just in time to see a large iguana lizard moving swiftly towards the sleeping Chet.

The little boy by this time had reached Chet's side. Sweeping his right arm downwards, he grabbed the iguana by the back of the neck and the tail, and yanked it up into the air. He cried out something in an Indian tongue to the reptile which wriggled to free itself. But all it could do was claw the air and hiss.

The commotion woke Chet who stared in disbelief. For a moment he thought the boy was going to throw the iguana on him and dashed out of the way.

"Where'd that ugly thing come from?" he exclaimed. "Take it away!"

By now, the Mexican boy was smiling again. He explained that the iguana must have crawled for some distance from a valley near a river.

"I thought iguanas were harmless," said Frank.

"They are," the lad answered. "But I was afraid that if your friend woke up and saw it, it might give him a bad scare."
Chet thanked the boy profusely, and before starting off with the Hardys, he handed his "rescuer" several coins.

"See you on the moon some day!" Joe called out as their car pulled away.

It was late afternoon when the three boys reached Oaxaca. They decided to stay at a hotel on the edge of town. After registering and unloading their baggage, the three set off for a look at the town.

They had not gone far when Frank called, "Listen!"

He and the others stopped. From a distance ahead of them came sounds of music and shouting. The boys could not tell from the babble of voices whether they were sounds of merriment or of some kind of protest meeting.

"How about our finding out what's going on?" Frank suggested.




- 10 -

Ghost-City Search